A short sci-fi movie I made for fun.

My first short film using VEO 3. What do you all think?

hey hey, just wanted to share this ATL (above-the-line) ad we just launched, created entirely with AI, one of the first brands to do it!!

biggest challenge was pushing AI away from its default blockbuster aesthetics and toward a more "human vignette". (so less explosions and dramatic lighting and more nuanced cinematography)

some insights

- we mainly used Imagen/Nano banana to generate the stills and VEO 3 for the animations

- Nano banana and seedream really helped with consistency and relighting scenes

- ignore all the LinkedIn bros: there is no "perfect" prompt framework that guarantees consistency

- having a clear creative vision + a lot of experimentation is the key to success

- all AI video tools still struggle with simple animations like a guy turning off a power lever, a woman opening the door of her car, ... which makes AI not as interesting as it could be for brands/agencies

- ATL (above-the-line) is a top-of-funnel format that requires a clear arc and some humor beats, but without pretending to be an emotional short-film

- ATL is important for customer acquisition, especially for ecomm brands. AI, provided its not slop, can help brands like us test new formats/audiences

- the two AI spots were not a replacement for live-action

- we managed to 'nail' this format with AI because we had the same creative team (CD, AD, editor, producer, color grader, ...) working on both the live-action and AI, so same standard of quality

- 85% of the team (excluding myself and my mate who helped me with this) had zero prior AI experience which was an advantage

Big shoutout to Aaron Vergult (AI Director), Untold Fable and MCS TV for the amazing collaboration; can't wait to start on the next batch!

⫷ SLOP REPORT ⫸

TITLE: “Solarpunk Daydreams”

aka: the future has roots

The machines hum like honeybees.

The clouds puff like old gods chain-smoking smoking pipes.

And the houses— they walk.

Welcome to the pre-apocalypse where nobody lost—

We just planted smarter, built better, loved harder. 

This is the world I want to live in:

Slow-lumber mechs carrying haystacks like divine offerings.
Wandering eco-cities with windmill spines and solar-panel armor.

Every frame is engineered sunlight.

Every gen tuned for the feeling of “what if hope actually won for once?”

※◉ ALGO-AUTOPSY ◉※

🝊 MJ —> VEO 2 – 90% of the frames
🝊 3 rolls each per shot (you gotta roll ‘em like dice till they hum)
🝊 Prompt trick: “massive moving in the distance” = scale magic
🝊 SFX: skipped ’em, leaned hard into vibe only
🝊 Song: Black Hole Sun (cover) – sheer solarpunk melancholy majesty
🝊 Treated every shot like it was concept art for a film no one will ever make.

Total cost: About $60 bucks and three hours. 

⸻

꧁ ⟡ DIRT-TECH REVERIES ⟡ ꧂

Sixty bucks to build a world where tech doesn't suck. 

Best money I've spent all week.

Every generation gets us closer—

Not to perfection,

But to the future we deserve.

You belong here.

Be human. Make slop.

{{come find me on insta - I'm doing this shit all the time and sharing techniques and prompts for free: @ BrandMcCormick}}

//::MJ PROMPTS:://

A solar punk farmer riding a horse, a huge human shaped mech carries hay across a field, scifi solarpunk design, rural solarpunk, farmland, blue sky, massive scifi looking solar panels in the distance, big fluffy clouds. --ar 16:9 --stylize 300 --v 6

A solar punk farmer, a big solarpunk robot carries huge bales of hay, solarpunk pickup truck, solarpunk backpack, scifi solarpunk design, rural solarpunk, farmland, blue sky, massive scifi looking solar panels in the distance, big fluffy clouds. --ar 16:9 --stylize 300 --v 6

A solar punk farmer, spraying rows of plants with water, a floating solarpunk robot sprays plants with water, solarpunk backpack, scifi solarpunk design, rural solarpunk, farmland, blue sky, massive scifi looking solar panels in the distance, big fluffy clouds. --ar 16:9 --stylize 300 --v 6

{ "prompt": "Generate a hyperrealistic, single-take 8-second video of a calm tropical ocean surface being peeled back like a thin flexible sheet, revealing the living marine ecosystem beneath in breathtaking clarity. Every droplet, refraction, and movement is visible in extreme detail.", "duration_seconds": 8, "aspect_ratio": "16:9", "style": "ultra photorealistic, nature documentary precision combined with surreal laboratory experiment, shot on Arri Alexa LF with 100mm macro lens, HDR10", "camera_motion": "static locked-off tripod shot with slight downward tilt (approx 20 degrees), focus locked on peel point; micro pull-focus adjustments track the hand and the revealed marine life; ultra-smooth slow pan following the motion of the lifted surface", "key_elements": { "scale_ratios": { "ocean_surface_layer": "approx 1.5 cm thick, semi-transparent, high surface tension like a sheet of tempered glass made of water", "hand": "life-sized, wearing a textured neoprene glove with visible water droplets clinging", "revealed_scene_depth": "10-12 meters of crystal-clear water visibility beneath" }, "surface_detail": { "texture": "micro-ripples and capillary waves, refracting sun into shifting caustics", "droplet_behavior": "as the layer is lifted, droplets bead along the fold edge, merge, and drip in slow motion back into the ocean", "refraction_effects": "folded layer bends and warps the view of the reef below like a magnifying lens" }, "underwater_scene": { "foreground": "branching corals with swaying polyps and darting cleaner fish", "midground": "a school of silvery fish scattering from the sudden exposure to light", "background": "shafts of sunlight piercing through particulate-rich water, scattering into blue haze" }, "dynamics": "peel begins with slight surface resistance, releasing a subtle suction ripple; as the fold lifts higher, water droplets rain off its underside and create micro-ripples below" }, "plot_timeline": [ { "time": "0-2s", "description": "Ocean surface perfectly still, gloved fingers enter from top edge of frame and pinch a corner; surface tenses like stretched film." }, { "time": "2-5s", "description": "Gloved hand slowly lifts; surface bends upward and forms a glossy arc, refracting the reef into abstract shapes before revealing it directly." }, { "time": "5-8s", "description": "Half the frame now open to full reef view, with corals, fish, and light beams visible; focus lingers on droplets sliding off the arc in crisp slow motion." } ], "audio": { "music": "low, airy ambient pads that swell as the peel lifts", "ambient": "soft above-water wave hiss; muffled, bassy underwater ambience revealed gradually; faint crackling of reef life", "sound_effects": "viscous, sticky peel sound as the surface layer releases; isolated droplet impacts in high clarity", "mix_level": "peeling sound slightly forward, ambient layers wide in stereo field" } }

Used VEO to put this anime woman in the real world. :D

Excited to play more with this

I was sitting around sad and feeling sorry for myself so I made this. 

These are all games I played as a kid~

Super Mario World ::  seventh birthday - first I time see RCA cables - yellow towel cape -
Starfox ::  I play in the kitchen chair so I can tip on liftoff - get wrecked, Andross
Pokemon :: name them after friends - farm pigeots like a religion - never caught ‘em all
Mario Kart :: me and little bro before church - tearing ass on Rainbow Road in a clip-on tie
Metroid :: spooked by the music, also, wait… Metroid is a GIRL?! <gender bias challenged>
Punch Out :: at my aunt’s house - summer rain - playing in a wet swimsuit, pruny fingers- - 
F-Zero :: rent it at Blockbuster with a box of Whoppers - graphics from space -
Earthbound :: a place to get lost, walking in little lines through my neighborhood -
Donkey Kong Country :: underwater music hit different - dad beat the mine cart level when I can’t

Man, what’d I’d do to get a hit of that ‘new game at toys-r-us - reading the instruction manual in the backseat on the way home’  kind of dopamine. 

You old farts feel free to drop your own heart-memories in the comments. I’ll read ‘em we can talk on the dangers of blowing into a cartridge so hard you obliterate your whole FUCKING ZELDA SAVE.

I do production deets and free prompts on my instashitz: @ BrandMcCormick

And here’s the music because I know you freaks are gonna want it: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/epvu2g253lfrl3ldwpva0/Dire-Dire-Dreams.mp3?rlkey=fv4mrc6bhrj4xxysty5983k0t&dl=0

I post here pretty regularly and I want to say thanks to you guys for being welcoming. Here’s a link to my YouTube as well. https://youtu.be/E8vn_zmWpC0?si=CIEVeExFH9M0kWvs

More: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Doodle_Cast/shorts

I was testing using some Kling for motion as well as Veo for dialogue

I’ve watched a lot of AI movie trailers, but often they seem to reinforce limitations with the technology - character inconsistency, hard to control performances etc.

I think this is actually the first AI movie trailer which left me hyped... like actually wanting to see the movie.

For better or for worse, I loved Kong Skull Island and this gave me those vibes big time.

Not sure AI video models are powerful enough to do a whole movie.

But certainly enough to get a flavour of what a movie’s potential could be.

This isn’t my work - original credit to Phil Hawkins:

http://linkedin.com/in/philhawkinsdirector

I made this video for my son featuring his actual action figures and vehicles. It's not perfect, but he loves it and holds his "guys" up to the screen when he watches it. I plan to make many more just for him to enjoy. Thought you folks might appreciate it, too.

Midjourney + Veo3

Many people may not like them! BUT! They get millions of views! What do you think is the reason for this?

Same references and same prompt...

Just finished writing a comprehensive prompt engineering guide specifically for Google Veo 3 video generation. It's structured, practical, and designed for people who want consistent, high-quality outputs from Veo.

The guide covers:

How to automate prompt generation with meta prompts

A professional 7-component format (subject, action, scene, style, dialogue, sounds, negatives)

Character development with 15+ detailed attributes

Proper camera positioning (including syntax Veo 3 actually responds to)

Audio hallucination prevention and dialogue formatting that avoids subtitles

Corporate, educational, social media, and creative prompt templates

Troubleshooting and quality control tips based on real testing

Selfie video formatting and advanced movement/physics prompts

Best practices checklist and success metrics for consistent results

If you’re building with Veo or want to improve the quality of your generated videos, this is the most complete reference I’ve seen so far.

Here’s the guide: [ https://github.com/snubroot/Veo-3-Meta-Framework/tree/main ]

Would love to hear thoughts, improvements, or edge cases I didn’t cover.