From a recurring dream to a short film

Oceans and Stairs began as a recurring dream that I developed into an original screenplay over two years, through numerous rewrites and revisions. The story explores the feeling of being drawn towards something too overwhelming to face.

Bringing the story to life with AI involved far more than generating images and video clips. I had to develop and refine individual shots, ensure the characters remained recognisable throughout and shape their expressions and movements to convey the emotions of the story. Each sequence required careful direction, experimentation and editing to make the film feel like a cohesive whole.

I also directed the voice performances, working to achieve the right emotional delivery, and sourced music and sound effects to support the atmosphere and storytelling.

The film originally ran to twelve minutes, but I eventually cut it down to four minutes and forty seconds. That meant letting go of material I’d spent considerable time creating, but the tighter edit gave the story the pacing and emotional impact it needed.