Black Grace

Inspiration

The inspiration is a blend of influences: the visual language comes from the narrative-driven fashion films of Peter Lindbergh and the surreal world of Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man, while the raw, gritty, 'found recording' sound is inspired by the Red Dead Redemption soundtrack.

What it does

This short tells a purely visual story, following a woman and her horse through dramatic and desolate environments, from windswept deserts to narrow, treacherous canyons. Without any dialogue, the film uses imagery and soundtrack to explore themes of freedom, resilience, and the profound connection between a human and the natural world. It’s a cinematic meditation on solitude and strength.

How I built it

All the images were created in Seedream 4. Using an initial image as a reference, I generated the necessary number of new shots. The music was generated in Suno based on the finished storyboard. I wanted to achieve a "found recording" effect with the sound of handmade instruments and the atmosphere of a non-studio recording. Most of the shots were animated in Seadance Pro 1 this model allows for very lively and natural movements. In cases where it couldn't manage, I additionally used Kling 2.5 and Grok 0.9. Overall, I really like all three of these models. Sound effects were created in Mirelo and Grok 0.9.

Challenges I ran into

When I was making new camera angles, white patches constantly appeared on the horse's legs. This happened because on the initial reference, the hooves were out of frame. During animation, for some angles, the model simply didn't understand what was happening. I had to use other models that could read the situation. Another problem was that because the horse is black, the high contrast in the image would confuse the animation model. It struggled to tell which of the horse's legs was closer and which was further away, and would often mix them up.

Accomplishments that I proud of

it’s the way the music and the visuals came together to connect with something deeper inside.

What I learned

That an entire story can be developed from a single image.

Built With

• fal
• googleaistudio
• grok
• higgsfield
• replicate
• suno
• wavespeed
• xai