Ai driven concept Trailer for a Game
Sergei Diachenko
Verified
Xzylous — Concept trailer for a video game
Project Overview
The client approached me with the goal of creating a high-quality creative trailer for a future video game.
At the starting point, the project existed only as a written description of the world and a set of basic visual references outlining the intended direction.
Working closely with Gerald, we transformed this foundation into a fully realized visual universe — defining the overall style, establishing a consistent atmosphere, and selecting the right creative and technical tools to bring the world to life.
A key requirement of this project was the preparation of IMAX-ready cinema versions, alongside the creation of hand-crafted advanced sound design with spatial panning.
This approach allowed the trailer to deliver a deeper, more immersive cinematic experience, fully supporting the scale and mood of the imagined game world.
Pre-production Process
Immersion & Visual Direction
At the very beginning of the process, I focused on a deep immersion into the world of Xzylous to find a clear balance between my own visual language and the author’s original vision.
I gathered all relevant materials, built a focused moodboard, and created early style tests. These initial explorations allowed us to align on direction together with the client before moving forward.
Base references from client
This phase naturally led into the creation of a rough storyboard, serving as the first structural backbone of the trailer.
At this stage, defining the visual style and generating a fitting aesthetic was the most critical task — it set the foundation for every creative decision that followed.
Generated Styles Board
Script & Storyboard
Next, we developed the script as a narrative backbone for the trailer.
The core idea was to portray a catastrophic event affecting all of humanity, alongside the emergence of a new race struggling to survive in this transformed world.
Within this structure, we intentionally integrated diverse and rich flora and fauna to enhance the sense of scale and create a visually striking, living ecosystem rather than a static environment.
The trailer was designed to conclude with approaching spacecraft sequences, smoothly transitioning into the final title reveal — Xzylous — reinforcing both the mystery and the cinematic weight of the world.
Base Storyboard
Production Process
General approach
With the narrative and visual direction defined, I moved into the generation of images and video sequences that would form the core of the trailer.
This stage focused on building believable environments, cinematic compositions, and dynamic shots that supported the story and scale of the world. Multiple visual iterations were created to refine lighting, color balance, camera language, and atmosphere, ensuring consistency across all scenes.
Each generated element was treated as a building block of the final edit, allowing flexibility in pacing and structure while maintaining a cohesive visual identity for Xzylous.
Image Generation
Iteration is a core part of my workflow. Throughout the process, I consistently create multiple visual variations to allow direct comparison and the selection of the strongest and most fitting option.
This approach applies to every level of the project — from wide environmental landscapes to detailed shots and final title sequences.
Working with controlled variation ensures higher quality, clearer creative decisions, and a final result that feels both intentional and refined.
Video Generation
Once the images were generated, the focus shifted to what happens inside each frame.
This stage involved defining camera movement, character behavior, and the specific actions unfolding within every shot.
With the current level of AI development, it is now possible to achieve up to 90% control over each scene, allowing precise direction of motion, timing, and visual intent.
This level of control was essential for crafting scenes that feel deliberate, cinematic, and emotionally driven, rather than random or purely generative.
In this project, achieving dynamic scenes with believable physics proved to be particularly challenging.
However, by applying a human-in-the-loop approach and continuously refining prompt structures, it became possible to reach the desired level of realism and control.
As a result, large-scale sequences such as city destruction and bridge collapse were executed with strong visual impact, reinforcing the sense of scale, tension, and cinematic credibility within the world of Xzylous.
Post-Production Process
Once the generation phase was completed, the video began to take its final shape. However, a substantial amount of work still remained ahead.
This stage included editing and rhythm refinement, adjusting pacing, replacing or adding new shots where needed, creating and generating custom sound effects, performing color grading, selecting and aligning music, and enhancing overall image quality.
Post-production became a large and decisive final phase, where all visual and audio elements were unified into a cohesive, polished cinematic trailer ready for presentation.
Sound Design
For Xzylous, the built-in sound options offered by current video generation models were not sufficient. They limit both creative flexibility and control over the emotional tone, which is critical for cinematic storytelling.
Where appropriate, I used ElevenLabs to generate specific sound elements and then manually integrated them into the final edit.
The trailer required a rich and layered soundscape: flora and fauna ambiences, alien creature roars, background screams during the catastrophe, wind textures, and cinematic impacts to accentuate transitions and key moments.
To preserve depth and a sense of subtle abstraction, we deliberately avoided explanatory voice-over. Instead, the atmosphere was built almost entirely through environmental sound design and background music, allowing the world of Xzylous to speak for itself.
distant drums
alien animal
alien bird
alien jungle
monkey scream
Editing & Quality Enhancement
Once all visual and sound elements were fully approved, I assembled everything into a single cohesive edit.
The trailer opens with introductory titles that outline the core story, setting narrative context from the first seconds. In the final stage, each shot was individually upscaled to 4K to enhance clarity and detail, followed by the preparation of IMAX-specific versions with custom technical resolutions.
The final result was met with strong approval from all sides. Based on the work completed, the Xzylous universe now has a solid foundation that can be expanded and developed further, evolving into an even deeper and more thought-out world over time.
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What the client had to say
Sergei really listened to all of my directions and created a beautiful a.i. video demo reel for my Video Game concept that happens to be a Screenplay as well. He is a great freelancer and I would recommend his services to anyone in need.
Mr Beanalli, Fathomation
Nov 2, 2025, Client
Posted Jan 13, 2026
AI-driven cinematic concept trailer for a game with cohesive world, narrative catastrophe, and immersive atmosphere through controlled visuals and sound design.
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Timeline
Aug 16, 2025 - Nov 2, 2025
Clients
Fathomation
