Pocket Watch

Inspiration

I’ve been sitting on “Pocket Watch” for years. Not because I didn’t want to make it, but because I simply couldn’t. Budget, logistics, the whole circus—it just wasn’t realistic. Then suddenly VEO3, KLING, Suno, and ElevenLabs dropped into my life like, “Hey man, you ready now?”
So the real inspiration was finally having the tools to make a film I’ve cared about for a long time. It felt like the universe saying, Alright, stop stalling.

What it does

“Pocket Watch” is my attempt to make an actual story-driven short film with AI—characters who look like the same human beings from shot to shot, a plot you can follow without a conspiracy board (but having one would help), and a vibe that’s equal parts noir, mystery, and time-bending chaos. It’s a detective spiraling through timelines trying to solve his girlfriend’s murder, armed only with a mysterious pocket watch and very questionable judgment.

How I built it

I stitched this thing together using:

• VEO3 + KLING for the visuals
  
• SPOKEN for the narrative and structure
  
• ElevenLabs for voice performance
  
• Suno for atmosphere and music

The process was less “AI magic” and more “strategic wrestling match.” I used first-frame/last-frame generation to lock characters and continuity in place, then mapped out every beat so nothing drifted off into surreal glitch-land. It was half filmmaking, half babysitting a very powerful robot.

Challenges I ran into

Everyone—and I mean everyone—assumes the time-travel was the hard part. Honestly? That was the easiest section. First-frame/last-frame handled the temporal shifts beautifully.
The real problem was continuity.
Keeping faces consistent. Keeping clothing consistent. Making sure a character doesn’t suddenly morph into a looney toon because the model felt experimental that day. AI filmmaking has many challenges, but continuity is the one that looks you dead in the eye and says, “Prove you’re serious.”

Accomplishments I’m proud of

I’m proud that this is a real short film.
Not an AI collage. Not a tech demo.
A film with a beginning, middle, end, characters who stay themselves, and a visual tone that holds together. Bringing a long-time idea to life in a way that would have been impossible for me financially a few years ago—that feels huge.

What I learned

• Continuity is everything.
  
• Planning is survival.
  
• AI gives you possibilities, not shortcuts.
  
• And yes—if you treat these tools like toys, they will absolutely embarrass you.

What’s next for Pocket Watch

I want to expand this universe—more stories, more timelines, more noir weirdness. And I want to push the tech further, especially continuity, until the workflows start feeling truly cinematic.
This film was the first step. I’m excited (and slightly terrified) to see where the next ones go.

Built With

• elevenlabs
• kling
• spoken
• suno
• veo