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  In the silence between heartbeats, two souls find each other again, their connection stronger than the darkness surrounding them.

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  Deeper still into the abyss, where light fades and only the essence of being remains suspended in infinite blue.

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  Immersion in the unknown—surrounded by the deep blue of endless space, where fear and wonder become one.

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  The woman stands alone in the landscape of her own psyche, solitary yet carrying within her all that has been and all that remains.

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  The trolley accelerates through the blue hour, its lone passenger facing the rushing unknown with quiet determination.

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  A moment of joy before the transformation—the radiant smile that holds the memory of what was, and what could be.

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  Falling—love transformed into something eternal, freed from the constraints of time and gravity.

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  Descent into the depths—the trolley plunges through layers of reality, where the boundaries between worlds dissolve.

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  Morning glory—the embodiment of her love—envelop the two souls, transforming their connection into something eternal and transcendent.

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  Velocity incarnate: sparks trail behind the wheels as time itself seems to compress and stretch in the trolley's wake.

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  The embrace that says goodbye and hello simultaneously—holding on as reality shifts around them.

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  Isolation captured from above—a single point of light floating in the void, carrying all the warmth and longing within

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  An oasis of warmth in the darkness—a gathering place where memories and connections flicker like candlelight against the encroaching night.

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  An oasis of warmth in the darkness—a gathering place where memories and connections flicker like candlelight against the encroaching night.

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  Two souls intertwined on the trolley, finding solace in embrace as the world blurs past them in accelerating motion.

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  A solitary figure observes from the grass as an illuminated structure emerges in the twilight—the beginning of a journey into the unknown.

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  The path stretches ahead, lights trailing into darkness—a threshold between the world of comfort and the vast uncertainty beyond.

Trolley - Film Festival Submission

Inspiration

"Trolley" was born from my long-held passion for filmmaking and the conflict within myself—hesitating to pursue large-scale production due to my introverted nature. The evolution of AI technology opened a new door of possibilities for me. The image of an uncontrollable trolley racing through the unknown symbolizes the speed of life, the passage of time, and the gap between the perceived speed of reality and our emotional world. The strong desire to materialize directorial ideas cultivated through watching countless films—from Hollywood blockbusters to Academy Award winners—through the new tool of AI became the driving force behind this work.

What it does

"Trolley" is an experimental visual work that depicts a soul's journey on an uncontrollable trolley, exploring themes of solitude and the transformation of love. The ever-accelerating trolley guides the audience into an unknown world. Before a lonely soul facing the terror of death, another soul quietly appears and stays close. By expressing this universal human longing through the unpredictable and unique visual world generated by AI, the work provides audiences an opportunity to deeply contemplate their own inner loneliness and love that continues to exist while transforming into various forms. The work questions the essence of humanity that tends to be lost in the unstoppable speed of life and the passage of time, and the meaning of connection that we continue to seek.

How we built it

This work was realized through an innovative production method centered on AI technology. For scriptwriting, I used my own diary entries, inner landscapes, and dreams as source material, utilizing Claude AI to transform fragmented emotions and memories into a more poetic form suitable for visual expression. Claude became a highly effective partner in converting my personal inner world into a narrative structure with beginning, development, turn, and conclusion, enabling me to effectively organize the flow of emotions while maintaining thematic consistency.

In visual production, I maintained an uncompromising approach from the storyboard stage. What I particularly focused on was ensuring that each frame, even when extracted as a still image before being animated into video, could stand alone as a magnificent work of art. Using Midjourney and Runway, I generated high-quality still images, ensuring each frame possessed visual completeness. By animating these stills using video generation AI tools such as Veo, Midjourney, and Runway, I was able to maintain a consistent aesthetic standard throughout the entire film.

Through this process, I was freed from the constraints of traditional filming techniques and could concentrate on directorial aspects such as camera angles and camera work direction. By combining visual expression knowledge cultivated through my work as an art YouTuber with directorial theories gained from years of watching films, and providing detailed prompts to AI, I was able to materialize the images in my mind. The unpredictable expressions generated by AI went beyond mere reproduction of images, bringing depth and unexpectedness to the work. AI's assistance with CG and complex effects enabled rich visual expression despite being an individual production.

Challenges we ran into

Being in the nascent field of AI filmmaking, I repeatedly faced technical limitations and expressive constraints. AI output is unpredictable, and there were many instances where it was difficult to accurately reproduce the intended direction. Maintaining consistency in AI-generated visuals while naturally connecting the flow of the story was a major challenge. Furthermore, I needed to establish a new workflow different from traditional filmmaking, requiring trial and error in both prompt engineering and video editing. Choosing to work independently due to my introverted nature also meant limited opportunities for feedback, which was another challenge.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

What I'm most proud of is utilizing AI technology not merely as a tool, but as an expressive medium that extends human creativity. Despite being an individual production, I was able to achieve both the visual richness that could only be realized through large-scale production and a unique worldview. I take pride in creating a new aesthetic not found in conventional visual works by incorporating AI's unpredictable expressions into directorial intent. Additionally, materializing directorial theories cultivated through years of film study in the new medium of AI, and expressing the universal themes of "solitude" and "transformation of love" through contemporary and experimental methods, represents a significant achievement.

What we learned

Through AI filmmaking, I gained a deep understanding of the relationship between technology and human creativity. I realized that AI is not just a substitute for human creative processes, but a partner that expands creative possibilities by presenting unexpected expressions. I also learned that having clear directorial intent and vision is essential for effectively utilizing AI. Another significant discovery was that by viewing technical constraints as creative challenges and turning limitations to advantage, one can establish a unique expressive style. Above all, I became convinced that my introverted nature and hesitation toward large-scale production are not barriers to filmmaking, but rather sources that can generate unique perspectives and methods of expression.

What's next for Trolley

"Trolley" is merely the first step in demonstrating the possibilities of AI film as a new form of expression. Moving forward, I want to further refine the techniques and expressive methods cultivated in this work and challenge myself with longer, more complex narratives. As AI technology rapidly evolves, the range of expression is expected to expand further. As a pioneer in this field, I aspire to continue exploring the possibilities of AI film and contribute to creating a new visual culture where human creativity and technology merge. Additionally, through my activities as an art YouTuber, I want to widely disseminate the process and possibilities of AI filmmaking and contribute to forming a community of creators interested in this new form of expression.

Built With

• capcut
• claude
• gemini
• midjourney
• runway
• veo