The Dragon Trailer

How it was made

Tap any step to see it.

1. 1What went in
2. 2The stills
3. 3Motion + sound
4. 4Blue fire
5. 5The last shot
6. 6Borrowed shots
7. 7The finished cut

1. 

   Step 1

   What went in

   A typed list of 9 trailer moments, plus the dragon still from One Sentence, One Shot as the look reference.

2. 

   Step 2

   The stills

   Seedream 5

   PromptCopy prompt

   Photoreal blockbuster film still, 16:9, golden hour: the colossal sapphire-blue dragon from the reference image (crystalline blade-like blue scales, two long curved horns, crown of spiny frills, glowing electric-blue eyes, huge blue wings) erupts out of a harbor in a towering explosion of white water beside a long fictional suspension bridge, wings unfurling and streaming water, head thrown back roaring; the bridge and its tiny cars give a sense of gigantic scale, spray catching the sunlight. Wide telephoto shot from the shore, IMAX, natural photographic realism. No text, no logos.

   • shape: 16:9
   • resolution: 2K
   • references: The dragon still from One Sentence, One Shot

   24.75 credits · This is the exact prompt of the harbor shot. 9 stills at 2.75 credits each, 1 take each. Every still used the same dragon picture as its reference.

3. Step 3

   Motion + sound

   Seedance 2.5

   PromptCopy prompt

   Slight slow motion, slow push-in from the shore. The colossal dragon finishes erupting from the harbor: water cascades off its body in huge sheets, it unfurls its wings to full span and roars at the sky, spray drifts across the suspension bridge where tiny cars brake. Gigantic scale. Sound: an explosive eruption of water, cascading water, a deep earth-shaking dragon roar. No music, no speech.

   • resolution: 1080p
   • shape: 16:9
   • length: 5 s
   • first frame: The harbor still
   • sound: on

   496 credits · This is the exact prompt of the harbor shot. 7 shots of 4 or 5 seconds at 16 credits per second. One was made silent and got its sound in the edit.

4. 

   Step 4

   Blue fire

   Seedance 2.5

   PromptCopy prompt

   The dragon beats its wings to hold position above the dark ocean and keeps unleashing a torrent of brilliant blue-white fire across the night sky. The fire stays electric blue and white for the entire shot, like burning plasma, never orange, never yellow, never red. The blue flames roll and expand, lighting the storm clouds and the waves in cold blue light, blue sparks swirl, the camera drifts slowly back. Sound: a roaring jet of fire, crackling energy, a deep growl, crashing waves. No music, no speech.

   • resolution: 1080p
   • shape: 16:9
   • length: 4 s
   • first frame: The fire still
   • sound: on

   128 credits · 2 takes of 4 seconds. In the first the fire turned orange, so the prompt now names the colors it must never become.

5. Step 5

   The last shot

   Seedance 2.5

   PromptCopy prompt

   A quiet, funny moment. The dragon's huge head hovers right in front of the camera on the rooftop at dawn; it blinks slowly, tilts its head with curiosity, sniffs the lens, then exhales a soft puff of mist from its nostrils that fogs the whole lens for a moment before it clears. Gentle, charming. Sound: deep slow breathing, a curious low rumble, two sniffs, a soft huff of air. No music, no speech.

   • resolution: 1080p
   • shape: 16:9
   • length: 5 s
   • first frame: The rooftop still
   • sound: on

   80 credits · 5 seconds at 16 credits per second, 1 take. It plays after the title, the way trailers end on a joke.

6. 

   Step 6

   Borrowed shots

   Four shots come from the other two dragon films: the launch, the canyon flight, the eye and the sunrise glide.

7. 

   Step 7

   The finished cut

   Hard cuts on the hits of the music, title cards between the shots, and black bars for the wide-screen look.