THREADING THE
MULTICODE VERTEX
TRAILER
An Alphazett Agency Chronicle
ONGOING EXPLORATION
Xianshio Adventure
Xiansho Adventure is a micro-chapter in an ongoing narrative: Threading the Multicode Vertex. I created this 1-minute short specifically to understand how to insure continuity from scene to scene, and thereby avoid having to add phrases like Maintain continuity, no identity drift, and no abrupt motion into every prompt.
Unlike CGI scene-building there are no hard assets to reuse, no set to stage, and certainly no lighting rigs or effects. Every scene is created from scratch, using only words and some reference images. The precision of those words and images has to be maintained throughout the production or some very odds things will start to happen.
Below are a few of the problems I encountered in the making of this short, only some of which I solved. Others are still being reckoned with and the subject of future posts.
01: Intention vs. Results
Pencil on paper, Digital toning
Approx. 24" H.
PHOTOSHOP PAINTING
DIGITAL PAINTING ON AI GEN.
INTENTION VS. RESULTS
Sometimes an unexpected result can be just that 'cool thing' you were looking for. The problem arises when you try to duplicate it. If I didn't tell Kling how to do the cool thing in the first place and it produced the result based on a general input, then if I repeat the command with only a couple of minor unrelated changes, it should still produce the cool thing, right?
No. Even if you repeat the prompt with no changes, you can't be assured of the same result. Conversely, rewriting the prompt to do exactly what the AI did without any input, will not necessarily produce the same result.
This montage is a sampling of the many attempts I made to replicate a result I did not originally ask for: The upper bridge platform extends to the right.
Original prompt (Sequence 1): The camera follows two people in a small motorboat driving away from the camera and round the base of the bridge continuing downstream. The upper bridge platform slowly rotates. People are strolling on shore and on the bridge.
The result is interesting but the upper platform remains stationary.
Prompt (Sequence 3): The camera follows two people in a small motorboat driving away from the camera, around the base of the bridge and continuing downstream. The two bridge platforms slowly rotate in opposite directions. People are strolling on shore and on the bridge. This a mechanical city with rotating gears and pulleys and moving platforms.
This produced exactly what I wanted in terms of bridge movement, but why? I wanted to make other changes, and so began the comedy of compounding errors. Prompting it to move, slide or extend the bridge platforms directly seemed to wreak destruction upon the bridge's stability.
I have yet to replicate that sequence adequately, but will revisit again.
02: Boats on the Water
The Fusion Boat design process was straightforward, but it was a lesson in AI comprehension. The two sketches at top plus a one-sentence prompt started the ball rolling. Other than specifying a passenger sitting next to the pilot, no additional prompting for the boat was used, and yet the stylistic drift is severe without any course correction along the way.
BINDING ELEMENTS
After the 25th or so attempt, I decided that perhaps it was my source material (see above), rather then the AI's ability to interpret my instructions, that was the issue.
I created model sheets of the boat and passengers, and bound them together in an Element (Kling). An Element is a concept package containing images, model sheets and video. Referencing multiple Elements when creating a scene is akin to assembling the actors on a stage.
DRIFTING STYLISTICALLY
The general design is consistent but the details are still over the place. The man with goggles and woman are present, but additional characters continue to insert themselves.
Ultimately, the problem was trying to source multiple craft/passengers from a single reference set. Continuity and drift were solved by identifying every boat-passenger combo with specific model sheets.
TO BE CONTINUED