Crafting “Tales from Space” with Dream Machine
I’m thrilled to be part of the Luma Labs Creator Program! As promised to Kiri Margaros, I’m excited to share my process for developing “Tales from Space: Sometimes”.❤
Great new the first episode of Tales from Space is now live! This quirky series features 10 episodes filled with abstract, funny, bizarre, and disturbing space humor. Produced by Cosmic Cats and Flying Cupcakes and directed by me, this series came to life with the help of:
- Luma Labs AI / Dream Machine
- Eleven Labs
- Udio
- Photoshop
Editing was done using Premiere Rush, and some video footage included original images created with Playform. Glitch effects were added using PhotoMosh. Here’s a glimpse into my 3-part process:
1. Storyboarding
I began by converting my book “Tales from Space” into a storyboard, which includes notes on style, emotion, prompts, motion, special effects, narration, sound, and music. I used the original images created with Playform as references for Dream Machine to guide the visualization.
2. Creating
- Old Space Ship (Act 1): I chose not to use narration, allowing the moaning and groaning of a rusty spaceship to create an eerie effect. Dream Machine adapted well to the original illustration, especially highlighting the rust and abstract explosions.
- Out & About (Act 2): Using book illustrations as references, Dream Machine captured the style beautifully, including glowing text on the screen.
- Spaced Out (Act 3): I pushed Dream Machine to recreate scenes from scratch, instead of using the original material, and I loved the results
I ended up creating 270 videos and images for Episode 1, engaging in a back-and-forth process with Dream Machine. Kiri’s article on best practices was invaluable, advocating the use of natural language to get the best results.
3. Production
I produced 14 videos for the acts and 3 videos for the opening and closing themes, totaling 17 videos. Some keyframe were 28-32 seconds long. Using Premiere Rush for production allowed me to handle editing, transitions, sound effects, narration, and music effectively. I even created titles with Premiere Rush presets.
Any questions? Happy to answer!
Tales from Space: Episode 1 is live on Rad TV!
Episode 1 of 10 is 4 minutes and 14 seconds long. Enjoy the teaser:
Tales from Space series is based on my book, Tales from Space Sometimes Sh*t Happens available from Amazon: