Duane Allen
ABOUT
SUNNY MARKET is a cinematic AI horror short about an ordinary night-shift worker whose routine takes a terrifying turn when something begins to hatch nearby. Built as both a short film and an exploration of AI-native filmmaking, the project combines cinematic storytelling, creature design, sound design, generative video, image generation, and node-based production workflows into a single visual pipeline.
SELECTED FRAMES — 3 OF 8
PROCESS
SUNNY MARKET began with a hand-drawn concept sketch to establish the core composition and visual idea before any generation. From there, I developed and locked the visual world, then created separate reference assets for the environment, vehicle, employee, hero egg, and creature to maintain composition and continuity across shots. Approved master frames were brought into Runway Workflows for animation. I initially worked with Seedance 2.5, but during production I found that certain shots required tighter control over the intended action and sequence. For those shots, I switched to Seedance 2.0 when it produced more controllable results. Rather than defaulting to a single or newer model, I selected models according to the needs of each shot. The node-based workflow allowed me to branch motion tests, preserve approved outputs, extract frames for continuity, make targeted image revisions with Nano Banana, and feed corrected frames into subsequent generations. Sound design was a major part of the filmmaking process. I used ElevenLabs to develop custom sound effects and Suno to generate musical material that I then transformed and repurposed as sound design. I combined those elements with audio generated through Seedance 2.0 to build the film’s sonic world—including ambience, environmental textures, creature sounds, impacts, silence, and transitions. Sound was used strategically to strengthen anticipation, pacing, and story beats when generative video could not always sustain the intended visual timing. The film was built around cinematic coverage and continuity—from the exterior establishment and transition into the store through the hero egg, hatch, creature reveal, and final attack. was edited in CapCut. The finished pipeline: concept sketch → visual development → reference-controlled generation → Runway node-based workflow → Seedance animation → ElevenLabs sound design + Suno music → CapCut editorial → Topaz Lab finishing → final delivery.
Credits
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DUANE ALLEN — 2026 DIRECTOR + AI CREATIVE REEL | DARKR STUDIOS
Duane Allen