Prime Time: Lighthouse 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. 3Precise fix: one toothpick
4. 4Motion + sound effects
5. 5The finished cut

1. 

   Step 1

   What went in: Character Studio refs

   Brian and Pamela (real photos), Circe and the Pixel Dojo Dragon, all saved in Character Studio. Cast stills used 9 photos: 3 real photos each of Brian and Pamela, Circe's front photo, and the 80s full-body looks of Brian and Pamela.

2. 

   Step 2

   The still (one per shot)

   Seedream 5

   PromptCopy prompt

   Medium-wide shot on a sunny grassy clifftop path above the ocean, low angle, with clear sky space above their heads: the bald man with the salt-and-pepper goatee, a thin natural wooden toothpick in the corner of his mouth (not a cigarette), wearing a plain mustard-yellow nylon racing jacket with no stripes, a black tee and stonewashed jeans (images 1, 2, 3 and 8), the woman with big teased side-swept dark brown hair in an emerald-green satin padded-shoulder jumpsuit with a wide black belt with gold buckle and chunky gold geometric earrings, holding binoculars at her side (images 4, 5, 6 and 9), and their adult German Shepherd with a black-and-tan saddle coat, black muzzle mask, tall upright ears and a faded teal bandana with a thin orange stripe (image 7) stand side by side on the left half of the frame in three-quarter view, all three turned toward the right and looking UP at the giant glossy cornflower-blue three-headed inflatable parade-balloon dragon on the right side of the frame, coiled around a red-and-white striped lighthouse, all three of its heads clearly visible above the lantern room puffing orange smoke. Nobody looks at the camera; heads tilted up toward the dragon. Calm, cool, unimpressed expressions. Both full faces visible in three-quarter view, eyes clearly visible. Exactly two people and one dog; each person has exactly two arms and two hands, arms at their sides. The people fill the lower half of the frame, shown from the knees up. Wild grass blowing, ocean spray, deep blue sky. Exactly three dragon heads, only one lighthouse. No signs, no lettering. 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 angle. No on-screen text. No logos, no brand designs.

   • image size: portrait_9_16
   • refs: Brian 3 real photos + 80s full body, Pamela 3 real photos + 80s full body, Circe front (9 Character Studio photos); dragon-only shots use 2-3 Pixel Dojo Dragon photos

   25 credits · This is the exact prompt of the cast still (shot 2, take 2). 10 stills at 2.5 credits each: 8 shots plus 2 redos (cast take 1 had the stars looking at the camera and only two dragon heads; deflate take 1 showed two heads).

3. 

   Step 3

   Precise fix: one toothpick

   WAN 2.7 Image Edit

   PromptCopy prompt

   Remove the second toothpick: the bald man has only ONE thin wooden toothpick in the corner of his mouth, pointing down and out. Delete the upper toothpick completely. Change nothing else: same faces, same outfits, same dog, same dragon and lighthouse, same framing and lighting.

   • aspect ratio: match_input_image
   • input: the shot 2 still

   0.5 credits · Seedance turned Brian's toothpick into two crossed sticks in the first cast clip; one edit on the still fixed it before re-animating. Top: before, bottom: after.

4. 

   Step 4

   Motion + sound effects

   Seedance 2.5

   PromptCopy prompt

   The dog in the image (same German Shepherd, same markings and teal bandana) keeps the white valve tab gripped in her teeth and tugs back hard with her whole body, braced on her hind legs, and the valve pops open on the FRONT of the dragon's round belly; a powerful jet of air blasts out, rippling the dog's fur and the grass, and the big blue vinyl belly starts to wrinkle and sag. Waves crash spray behind, clouds drift. Camera low and steady with a small shake on the pop. Keep the exact inflatable look and the lighthouse's exact shape. 1980s action TV look, 35mm film. Sound effects only, no music, no speech: a vinyl squeak, a loud pop, a huge rushing hiss of air, wind.

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

   800 credits · This is the exact prompt of the valve shot. 10 clips x 5 s x 16 credits/s at 1080p: 8 shots plus a retake of the cast shot (doubled toothpick) and a second deflate request after the first stalled (first one used).

5. 

   Step 5

   The finished cut

   8 shots, 20.6 s of footage plus a 3.5 s end card, 1080x1920.