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Project Description (Project Link, Loom)
CUBE is a short cinematic sci-fi teaser set in a future where humanity survives inside massive cube megastructures after Earth becomes environmentally uninhabitable. The idea came from a concept I had imagined for years and always wanted to visualize in a cinematic way. I wanted the world to feel atmospheric, grounded, quiet, and emotionally restrained rather than like a traditional sci-fi action film. The teaser starts with a peaceful vision of Earth and slowly reveals that nature only exists as a projection inside a brutalist megastructure. Everything was built entirely inside Melius using image generation, image-to-video workflows, stitching, refinement, and cinematic worldbuilding.
Process Steps
-Started with a sci-fi concept and visual world I had imagined for years
-Generated multiple images to establish the atmosphere, architecture, lighting, and cinematic tone
-Iterated prompts repeatedly to create visual consistency across the world
-Built moodboards and references before developing the actual teaser shots
-Created the teaser shot-by-shot using connected image generations and image-to-video workflows
-Used generated images as references for later generations to preserve continuity
-Built the opening sequence by stitching together multiple generated clips into one cinematic pullback shot
-Used video-to-video workflows and refinements to smooth transitions and motion
-Stitched sequences together directly inside Melius to make the final teaser feel cohesive
Feedback on Melius
This was my first time working with a node-based workflow, so understanding how different nodes connected together was definitely the biggest learning curve for me. I’m still figuring a lot of it out while experimenting on the fly, especially understanding how different workflows interact with one another inside the canvas.
I think having an in-canvas support or tips system would help a lot, especially for first-time users trying to understand nodes, references, and workflow structures without constantly leaving the canvas. Small contextual guidance while building would make the learning process much smoother.
One workflow limitation I personally struggled with was not being able to attach a reference image while using audio from another clip during refinement or stitching workflows. I’m not sure about the technical limitations behind it, but having that flexibility would have helped a lot while maintaining cinematic continuity across shots.
I also think having a better way to refine and merge audio seamlessly while stitching clips together would make the workflow much smoother for cinematic editing and transitions.
The most rewarding part of the entire process was finally seeing an idea I had imagined for years come to life visually for the first time.
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
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PROJECT: THE LAUNDRY CHAIR
Process Steps:
Conceptualization: We started with a simple photo of a cluttered laundry chair and used Mel to re-imagine it as an avant-garde art installation. We leaned into a "pretentious art critic" persona to find the hidden beauty in the chaos.
Scripting: We drafted a sophisticated script and broke it down into a 6-scene storyboard, focusing on cinematic transitions and texture-heavy visuals.
Keyframe Production: Using high-fidelity image models, we generated 9:16 vertical keyframes that established a consistent "minimalist museum" aesthetic across the entire timeline.
Cinematic Animation: Each keyframe was extended into video clips using Kling 3.0 and Seedance 2.0, adding dramatic dolly-ins and macro tracking shots to give the "mess" a heroic, monumental feel.
Music & Voice: We generated a tailored orchestral score and a professional narration using ElevenLabs to perfectly match the film's elevated and grand tone.
Final Assembly: All scenes were unified using the Melius Video Stitch node to produce the final 30-second submission.
Experience Feedback:
Using Melius turned a funny idea into a professional-grade creative workflow. The ability to chain text, image, video, and audio models on a single visual canvas meant we never had to leave the "flow" to manage files or prompts. Having Mel as a creative partner made the complex hurdles of video production - like scene-to-scene consistency and narrative pacing - feel effortless. The spatial nature of the canvas allowed us to see the entire film's DNA at a single glance.
This is creative direction at its best taking something ordinary and turning it into a cinematic narrative with actual artistic identity.
The consistency across visuals, motion, audio, and storytelling is what really stands out.
"The Laundry Chair” feels less like AI...
PROJECT NAME
AION PYR — The Aitherioi
CONCEPT / PROJECT DESCRIPTION
AION PYR is a one-minute instrumental progressive-rock film by The Aitherioi, a fictional trio of pale pre-terrestrial beings older than Earth.
They were here when the planet was born from heat, basalt, and lava, and they remain calm as that world dissolves into stardust. The film follows them performing inside a collapsing volcanic cathedral while lava, steam, lightning, and stone slowly give way to void.
The music is built only from guitar, bass, and drums: slow, heavy, repetitive, bass-led, and cathartic.
PROCESS
I started by defining The Aitherioi: a fictional pre-terrestrial trio with a shared visual identity, pale ethereal bodies, severe faces, long dark hair, and calm expressions.
Then I built the visual system around contrast: fossil-dark basalt, living lava, white steam, lightning, and their stillness inside collapse.
I created character assets, face studies, wardrobe references, instrument references, environment plates, keyframes, and individual video scenes.
The music was built first as a strict one-minute instrumental progressive-rock track using only guitar, bass, and drums. The video was then structured to follow the track: bass opening, wide trio, basalt corridor, guitar catharsis, drummer pulse, matter dissolution, and final void.
Finally, I stitched the scenes together with clean cuts so the film follows the music without extra transitions or title cards.
FEEDBACK ON BUILDING WITH MELIUS
Melius worked best as a production canvas rather than a single-prompt generator.
The node-based workflow made it possible to build the project in layers: character identity, environments, audio, keyframes, video clips, and final assembly. That helped keep the concept coherent while still allowing corrections when individual shots needed refinement.
The biggest challenge was visual continuity, especially keeping The Aitherioi consistent across scenes. The most useful approach was creating strict reference assets first, then using them as anchors for keyframes and video generation.
This is raw power, like it so much!
What if Baby’s Day Out had four paws, zero fear, and absolutely no survival instinct?
For the Melius Challenge, I created PUPPY’S DAY OUT: a 60-second animated short about Biscuit, a tiny puppy who escapes through the most obvious loophole ever and somehow turns one innocent morning into a full slapstick adventure.
I used Mel as the production brain for the project. Mel helped me break the idea down into reusable characters, scene-by-scene key frames, motion prompts, audio direction, and continuity across the full short. Instead of treating each video clip as a standalone generation, I used Mel to structure the project like a mini-production pipeline: character references first, then key frames, then motion, then scene transitions, then the final title card. It was fun seeing how a simple comedy idea could become a full mini-film
My feedback: the strongest part of Melius is how it helps creators think beyond one-off prompting. The node-based workflow makes it easier to plan, connect, and control a full story. For future improvements, I’d love even stronger continuity control between frames, especially for fast comedy sequences where character poses, props, and timing need to stay very precise.
Nobody suspected a thing. 🐾
#seedance2 #GPTImage #contra #meliuschallenge #filmmaking
Made this quick fun walkthrough for X.
https://x.com/NewMindReaper/status/2056402228609466620?s=20
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