Prime Time: Bat Day

How it was made

Tap any step to see it.

1. 1What went in: Character Studio refs
2. 2The still (one per shot)
3. 3Motion + sound effects
4. 4One click: Puppy Hug
5. 5The finished cut

1. 

   Step 1

   What went in: Character Studio refs

   Brian and Pamela (real photos) and Circe, saved in Character Studio; cast stills used up to 9 photos (3 real photos each of Brian and Pamela, Circe's front photo, and the 80s full-body looks).

2. 

   Step 2

   The still (one per shot)

   Seedream 5

   PromptCopy prompt

   Wide low-angle shot: a giant inflatable Halloween lawn-decoration bat the size of a six-story building hangs upside down by its feet from the top of a whitewashed mission-style bell tower above a sunny adobe desert-town plaza, its wings wrapped around itself like a sleeping bat, its giant round yellow eyes wide open and staring, dwarfing the tower. The bat: glossy deep-purple vinyl parade balloon with visible seams and sheen, a round plump body, exactly two big pointed ears, two huge round cartoon yellow eyes with black pupils, two small white vinyl fangs, exactly two scalloped bat wings of purple vinyl over darker purple inflated ribs, a long orange tether rope dangling from its feet. It clearly reads as an inflatable. Tiny townspeople on the plaza far below look up at it. Terracotta roofs, palm trees, striped market umbrellas, a tiled stone fountain, deep blue sky with drifting white clouds. Vertical composition, the bat fills the upper two-thirds of the frame. Only one bat, only one bell tower. No signs, no lettering anywhere. Shot like a 1980s prime-time action TV series, high production value: 35mm film, warm sun-bleached golden grade, soft highlight halation, light film grain, slightly lifted blacks, heroic low angles, practical stunt look. No on-screen text. Original design only. No logos, no brand designs.

   • image size: portrait_9_16
   • refs: none for bat-only shots; cast shots use the Brian, Pamela and Circe Character Studio photos

   32.5 credits · This is the exact prompt of the hook still (first take used). 13 stills at 2.5 credits each, including 2 redone cast stills (a head cropped off the top, a toothpick that read as a cigarette, the bat still inflated in the victory shot) and 2 effect-input photos.

3. 

   Step 3

   Motion + sound effects

   Seedance 2.5

   PromptCopy prompt

   The giant purple inflatable bat in the image (same design: exactly two wings, two pointed ears, round yellow eyes, white valve on the front of its belly) swoops down the street straight toward the camera, wings flapping in big slow beats, vinyl rippling and bouncing; canvas awnings flap violently, dust swirls up from the street, palm trees bend in its wind. Camera holds low, then shakes as the bat rushes overhead. It clearly reads as an inflatable. Only one bat. Sound effects only, no music, no speech: big whoosh, vinyl flapping, rushing wind, awnings snapping.

   • resolution: 1080p
   • aspect ratio: 9:16
   • duration: 5
   • thinking: on
   • generate audio: on
   • image url: that shot's approved still

   640 credits · This is the exact prompt of the swoop shot. 8 clips x 5 s x 16 credits/s at 1080p, one take each, all used; best 1.8-3 s of each kept.

4. 

   Step 4

   One click: Puppy Hug

   Puppy Hug (AI Video Effects)

   • input: one waist-up Seedream 5 photo of Brian (howto_steps/04a_effect_input.jpg)

   22.5 credits · No text prompt: upload one photo, press Generate. 7.5 credits per run (3 free a day on a free account). Total includes 2 rejected AI Hug runs: AI Hug is made for two people and turned Circe into a person.

5. 

   Step 5

   The finished cut

   9 shots, 22.8 s of footage plus a 3.5 s end card, 1080x1920.