I gave Happy Horse from Alibaba a spin to make this cinematic trailer. Grab my @magnific Spaces workflow in the comments below.
A few things I noticed after a few days of testing:
- Reference images work like they do in Kling 3.0 and Seedance 2.0. Drop in characters, locations, objects, and you can build much more dynamic shots than start/end frames allow.
- Audio is clean. English dialogue comes out clear. If you don't want a soundtrack, a simple "no music" in the prompt gives you SFX only.
- 1080p looks great but tends toward sharp edges. I usually generate at 720p and upscale with Magnific Video Upscaler.
- Got surprisingly far with simple prompts.
- Happy Horse is around 75% of the price of Seedance 2 at 1080p.
Fun trivia: "Ma" means horse in Chinese, which also happens to be Jack Ma's last name. Make of that what you will.
Props to the team at @alibaba_cloud team!
A cinematic trailer made with Happy Horse from Alibaba. Key findings: reference images work well, audio is clean, 720p upscaled with Magnific looks better than native 1080p, and Happy Horse is ~75% the price of Seedance 2.
Opening shot: Kael, a scarred warrior in broken armor, stands in side profile. His silhouette dominates the frame.
Inside his silhouette, a battlefield is alive: Fires burn, smoke rises, and soldiers move in slow motion.
Quick cinematic cuts: – Sword clash (brief flash)
– A fallen ally reaching out
– Kael walking through flames
The camera tracks sideways, then pushes INTO the silhouette world, transitioning from silhouette to full environment.
Embers fly toward the camera, smoke blends into transitions.
Lighting: high contrast, fire-lit highlights
Mood: intense, tragic, powerful
End with Kael lifting his head → eyes glow faintly → hard cut to black.
Generate a 15s cinematic sequence 🎬🔥
This is where it comes to life.
Here’s the exact prompt I used 👇
An elegant performer inspired by a legendary moonwalk dancer, dressed in a sleek black outfit with hat, transforming into a diamond trophy through motion
His moonwalk generates energy trails that evolve into abstract light and crystallize into a diamond sculpture
Luxury cinematic: slow dolly, orbit shots, macro details, seamless transitions, final push-in
Scene
dark premium studio, black reflective floor, golden spotlight, floating particles
Ultra high-end commercial, diamond reflections, golden light particles, smooth VFX transitions
- Movement phase wide shot, smooth moonwalk, subtle light trails appear
- Energy phase, camera closer, golden trails intensify, lingering in space
body begins dissolving into light
- Abstraction phase, camera orbit, body becomes swirling luminous ribbons, abstract silhouette forms
- Form phase, energy condenses into faceted diamond structure
limbs sharpen into reflective geometry
- Design phase, full diamond figure locked in iconic pose
light glints across surfaces
Final shot, trophy on pedestal, slow push-in, luxury finish
CUT
Use @[image1] as the character reference sheet. Maintain strong consistency in face, hair, outfit, silhouette and key accessories.
Create a cinematic 15s multi-cut VFX showcase video in realistic 3D.
The scene should have a realistic 3D look with high-end CGI quality, physically believable materials, cinematic lighting, volumetric atmosphere and strong depth. The character performs a summoning in a grounded real environment.
Start with a calm setup shot. Then show the first trigger of the effect around the character or on the ground. The summon effect builds in clear stages, with energy gathering, symbols or forms activating, force rising and a visible presence emerging. Show the summoned entity, object or presence appearing gradually and clearly from the effect.
The character must move naturally with the effect and feel like they are channeling, directing and controlling the summon. Avoid stiff posing. Use body language, gesture and reaction that match the buildup and force of the effect.
Structure:
- setup shot
- activation detail shot
- build-up shot
- peak summoning shot
- emergence shot
- final hero shot with the summon fully present
Realistic 3D, cinematic, high-end CGI, visually grounded, readable VFX, smooth shot progression, believable lighting interaction, strong atmosphere. No text, no subtitles, no watermark.
been testing a different workflow lately using tapnow. what makes it interesting is how it structures the entire process from idea → visuals → final video. instead of jumping between tools, you can actually build everything in one flow and refine it step by step like a real production pipeline. for the visuals, i'm using seedance 2.0 which is currently one of the strongest models for photoreal, human-centered video. but quick note — seedance 2.0 is currently only available in selected regions and requires a verified corporate email to access. still, the direction is clear: AI video is moving from "generation" → into "directing". also, they just launched a global challenge called "10,000 Parallel Universes" with a $200K prize pool. if you're exploring cinematic AI workflows, this is actually a good place to test ideas and push concepts further.
Use the references with strict priority and role separation:[REF_STORYBOARD] = primary guide for shot order, framing, timing, composition, and scene progression.
Follow it strictly.[REF_GIRL_MODEL] = character identity anchor for the teenage girl.
[REF_PHOENIX_MODEL] = creature identity anchor for the phoenix.
[REF_BACKGROUND] = environment and forest background anchor.Create a Japanese anime action scene of a teenage girl fighting two phoenix birds in a forest.Absolute priority:Follow the storyboard strictly for all shots and scene progression.
Keep the girl design locked to [REF_GIRL_MODEL].
Keep the phoenix design locked to [REF_PHOENIX_MODEL].
Keep the forest and path consistent with [REF_BACKGROUND].
The girl:
teenage anime girl, short black bob haircut, rust-orange headband, rust-orange wrap tunic, dark inner collar, cropped dark loose pants, agile fighter silhouette, determined expression, consistent face and costume in every shot.The phoenixes:
two large mythic phoenix birds, copper-gold-orange plumage, pale chest, broad wings, long tail feathers, flame-like crest details, powerful talons, consistent design in all shots.The environment:
lush forest path, tall trees, dense foliage, rocks, roots, grass, earthy ground, warm daylight, cinematic depth.Visual target:
clean Japanese anime linework, polished final-frame rendering, crisp cel shading, dynamic camera angles, detailed forest backgrounds, strong action readability, finished anime film look.Important: storyboard is the main source for camera and shot progression
no photorealism
no 3D CGI
no rough sketch look
Seedance 2.0
