DREAMCATCHER HOTEL - Project Description

Inspiration

In an era where our data is constantly harvested by technology companies, we wanted to create a visceral reminder of what that extraction truly means. Dreamcatcher Hotel was born from a simple question. What if the invisible process of data collection became horrifyingly literal? We took the abstract concept of surveillance capitalism and transformed it into a psychological horror story where dreams themselves are extracted. Surveillance capitalism is the system where our thoughts, behaviors, and digital footprints are commodified. As AI practitioners, we are intimately aware of how rapidly technology harvests human data. We wanted to use horror as a medium to make people feel that violation.

What it does

Dreamcatcher Hotel is a psychological horror short film that follows a woman trapped in a hotel where she is forced into sleep cycles to extract her dreams. As the boundaries between reality and nightmare collapse, she discovers the hotel is actually a data harvesting operation. With each extraction, she loses pieces of herself. The film uses clinical, Kubrick inspired cinematography and A24 horror aesthetics to create an atmosphere of sterile dread. It blends sci-fi surveillance themes with intimate psychological terror.

How we built it

Our workflow was methodical and iterative. We started by crafting a complete script that established our visual style, themes, and narrative structure. Next, we generated stable avatars and environment assets using Google Gemini and Veo 3.0/3.1 Fast. We then used nano bana with Gemini to storyboard every single scene in detail, ensuring consistency across the entire film. These storyboards became prompts for Veo 3.1 Fast, which generated our video footage. Finally, we brought everything together in DaVinci Resolve, where we assembled scenes, refined transitions, and created the final edit. The process required tight coordination between AI generation tools and traditional post-production workflows.

Challenges we ran into

Our biggest challenge was navigating two completely unfamiliar domains simultaneously. As technical AI practitioners with no prior filmmaking experience, we had to learn the entire creative process from scratch. This included understanding themes, camera movements, shot composition, pacing, and narrative structure. At the same time, we wrestled with the technical side. We developed optimal workflows, found the right .json patterns for generation, and ensured visual continuity across AI generated scenes. We consumed countless resources and references online. We taught ourselves both the art of storytelling and the science of AI video generation. Time management became critical as we balanced creative iteration with technical experimentation.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of successfully bridging our technical expertise with creative filmmaking to produce a cohesive horror short. Coming from AI backgrounds with zero film experience, we managed to learn camera language, horror pacing, and narrative structure while simultaneously mastering new AI video generation tools. We developed a robust workflow that others could replicate. We documented our process extensively, including detailed transition notes and editing sequences. We created a film that effectively translates abstract technological fears into visceral horror. Most importantly, we proved that technical practitioners can tell compelling visual stories when armed with the right tools and determination.

What we learned

This project taught us far more than technical skills. It taught us how to think like filmmakers. We learned about visual storytelling, thematic consistency, camera movements, and the delicate pacing required for psychological horror. We discovered the importance of workflow optimization, from storyboarding to generation to post production. Time management became crucial when coordinating multiple AI tools and creative iterations. Perhaps most valuably, we learned that the creative process is just as rigorous and systematic as technical work. It simply requires a different kind of problem solving.

What's next for DREAMCATCHER HOTEL

We plan to refine the film's transitions and pacing based on our detailed editing notes. We are potentially adding more sophisticated audio design with J cuts, L cuts, and sound bridges to enhance the psychological tension. We are exploring festival submissions to share our unique approach to AI generated horror. Long term, we are interested in developing this workflow into a documented framework that other technical practitioners could use to create narrative films. We may also expand the Dreamcatcher Hotel universe into additional shorts exploring different aspects of technological extraction and surveillance. Each one would be a horror story about invisible systems made terrifyingly visible.

Built With

• gemini
• veo3.1