In December 2023, after developing a workflow for creating assets for Space Cruiser, the need for a trailer became apparent. We opted to use Midjourney and tested various AI video rendering models to create a promising first version of our game.
Key Takeaways:
Gen-2 by Runway and Pika Labs offer short, high-quality, usable videos.
Midjourney continues to produce stunning assets and remains an indispensable player.
AI video generation tools are thriving and improving daily. The results we've achieved are already impressive, but they will pale in comparison to tomorrow's advancements, particularly in terms of image stability.
MidJourney Asset
It had been a while since we last used Midjourney, and we took advantage of this trailer to explore the new features of V6, particularly Style and Upscale. The results of the illustrations remain exceptional.
Digital painting concept trial on Midjourney.
Initially, even though we had our established graphic style, we decided to explore different approaches because we noticed an issue with the generated video results. They seemed to convey an undesirable sense of motion. To tackle this, we considered shifting to a more 'digital painting' style. The idea was that the vibrancy and artistic elements of this style could help conceal or reduce the perceived motion.
However, after running some initial tests with this approach, our concerns faded away when we realized that the realistic renders were satisfactory enough, and there was no need to change the style.
Photorealistic concept on Midjourney.
It's worth noting that Midjourney, being much more flexible than Stable Diffusion, remains an excellent alternative for exploring new and inspiring concepts for our games.
Generative video
A quick disclaimer: this video was created before the major announcement from Pika Labs (which yielded more than satisfactory results, although the visible logo and screen resolution were obstacles), as well as the deployment of Stable Video, just a few days after the trailer project launch. Rest assured, we will discuss these innovations very soon.
Concept created on Pika Labs, default settings.
However, for the production of this trailer, we conducted tests on various AI video generators and chose Gen-2 by Runway. It provided excellent results, although with some limitations. Stable results are rare, even as the technology progresses in the right direction, and the shots tend to be in slow motion. Additionally, whenever we attempted to increase speed, movement, or zoom, that's when the image became inconsistent. Nevertheless, we could use the seconds before interpolation to obtain functional shots, although often very brief (less than 2 seconds).
In conclusion, I would say that these short animations work well for creating fast-paced trailers but still require many iterations. They will continue to greatly improve in the coming months.
Concept created on Gen2-RunAway, no settings.
Concept created on Gen2-RunAway, camera movement, and speed change.
Musique
We also attempted to compose AI-generated music for this trailer. However, despite a preference for the AIVA tool, we couldn't create music convincing enough for use. Ultimately, we found no music that didn't require major modifications, potentially losing its designation as 'created by AI.' Consequently, we opted for royalty-free music from Fuzzeke, titled "Galactic Fusion".
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