Today, with new AI video generators, the only real limit is your imagination. We just proved it with a wild new ad for Veo 3 using the Artlist Image & Video Generator. We did it on a short two-week timeline with a small team. And by using AI, we cut production costs by about 85% compared to a shoot. The entire process felt less like a traditional production and more like discovering a new way to create.

Now, we’re taking you behind the scenes to show you exactly how we did it. We’ll break down the entire creative workflow and give you the key strategies you can use in your own work. This isn’t just about a new tool, it’s a deep dive into how you can be a director in a world with AI, where you set the vision and the tools become your crew. Let’s break it down.

The ad’s creative process

The entire ad was built around a simple concept: an announcer introducing characters to a world of limitless creation. The Artlist creative team embraced some serious constraints — a two-week timeline, no final script, just a framework, a whimsical song from the album Pounding So Hard, and a single starting point: a subway scene that transitions into a flying train.

This wasn’t a conventional production. Instead of a single director leading a crew, three creators worked in parallel, each responsible for different scenes. They used clever continuity tricks to weave their work together, like having a flying train lead directly into a skydiver in another scene. This parallel workflow allowed them to be agile and move at incredible speed.

The power came from a shift in mindset.

For the dialogue, they used Artlist’s AI Voice Generator to refine the announcer’s lines, then blended it all together with sound design in post, including camera shake, grain, chromatic aberration, and a custom sound mix. The ad wasn’t just a showcase; the creators felt like characters on their own journey, discovering new possibilities alongside the viewer.

Best practices you can steal

The creation of our ad revealed a new creative workflow. Here are the core principles and pro tips you can use to integrate AI tools into your own filmmaking.

Think like a director

Don’t treat these tools like a magic button. They’re your new collaborator. You’re the director, and AI is your crew. It can generate the shots you need, but you’re still responsible for the vision, the pacing, and the emotional tone of your story. 

Creative Director at Artlist, Itzik Cohen, explains, “This project proved that AI doesn’t replace creativity, it empowers it. The human imagination is still the most powerful part of the equation.”

The best outputs happen when you combine imagination with structure: clear, detailed prompts and a willingness to experiment.

Prompt like a cinematographer

A common mistake is treating AI like a search engine. To get a cinematic result, you have to think like a cinematographer. For video creators, that means using industry-standard language.

Instead of writing a full script and then trying to generate the footage, the team used a prompt structure that focused on cinematic language. The team used keywords they also use in ad production, like “cinematic shot of… 18mm, shallow DOF, subtle haze…” to ensure a cohesive, high-quality look. To ensure shot continuity across multiple clips, repeat key phrases to glue shots together.

This gives the AI specific visual cues to work with, resulting in a more refined and intentional image. To ensure shot continuity across multiple clips, repeat key descriptors like “rugged coastline, roaring sea” to glue shots together.

Storytelling with vignettes

Instead of trying to script a full feature film, think in modular scenes. A vignette approach allows you to build a larger narrative out of smaller, connected puzzle pieces. This method keeps things flexible and collaborative, which is how our three creators were able to work in parallel. 

“The speed was a game-changer. We could iterate on ideas and explore different looks in a single afternoon, not over weeks of location scouting and shooting.” Brand Creative Director at Artlist, Lena Shulman, told us. 

Focus on continuity anchors: a flying train leads into a skydiver; a character’s gesture bridges two scenes. This lets you build a full story with a high degree of flexibility.

Layering in audio early

Veo 3 generates video with audio, but you can also guide it with specific prompts. For example, specify “wind rushing,” “cinematic orchestral score,” or even dialogue lines. You can also use Artlist’s AI Voiceover to refine or replace dialogue for more control, and bring your own royalty-free music and sound effects from the Artlist catalog. Post-production sound design, like adding the right amount of grain, sound effects, and music stems, gives the final result realism and weight.

Your prompting and generating strategy

Don’t expect one perfect prompt to solve everything. The most effective approach is to generate different variations from a single prompt, then pick and remix the best elements. Keep a record of your prompts to track what works well. This kind of disciplined creative process is what separates a good filmmaker from a great one.

Post-AI polish

In this ad, the outputs from AI were a starting point, almost like raw footage. We found that even small manual touches can make AI output feel truly cinematic:

• Add subtle handheld camera shake and zoom keyframes to give shots more life.
• Color grade for consistency, as AI outputs can vary from one scene to the next.
• Add a film grain overlay for a cohesive texture across all your shots.

This hybrid approach, which merges AI generation with traditional filmmaking techniques, is the real secret to creating something truly unique and professional. 

And the payoff was huge — this workflow let our small team slash production costs by about 85% compared to a conventional shoot, while still achieving a cinematic, high-end result.

Lena said, “AI is great. We love working with it, but you can’t just rely on the AI. A human still needs to be in the director’s chair, adding that final layer of detail and emotion that makes the video feel real.”

Use the full AI Toolkit: Veo 3 and Nano Banana

Artlist has a full AI toolkit — AI voiceover, AI image generator: text to image and image to image, and AI video generator: text to video and image to video. So, when we created our ad, we also used the Nano Banana model for image-to-image visual generation. 

It thrives with strong aesthetic keywords like “Y2K surreal chrome reflection” or “cartoon squash-and-stretch.” You can use Nano Banana as a creative sketchpad to quickly test ideas, or generate short clips, and then refine and generate a finished cinematic output with Veo 3. 

Our advice: Don’t overthink it, just throw in weird descriptors and see what happens! 

Ready to step into the future of filmmaking? 

Veo 3 is more than a new tool. It’s an empowering partner for your creativity. It’s ready to help you push the boundaries of what’s possible in filmmaking. The only limit is what you can imagine.

Ready to start creating? Head over to Artlist and explore Veo 3, Veo3.1, Nano Banana and more today. See what worlds (and ads) you can build.

הפוסט The director’s new tool: Inside the making of Artlist’s Veo 3 ad  הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

That’s why mastering consistent character with AI is becoming one of the most critical skills for creators working with generative tools. With Veo 3 now available on Artlist, you’ll have a powerful new way to achieve it. This next-generation model combines cinematic visuals with native audio generation, making it easier than ever to keep your characters consistent.

Why character consistency matters in AI storytelling

In traditional filmmaking, continuity teams and makeup artists make sure an actor’s appearance doesn’t shift between shots. In AI-driven production, you’re responsible for building that same level of control into your process. Without it, your audience may notice subtle changes like a shifting jawline, mismatched hair color, or a voice that doesn’t quite fit, pulling them out of the narrative.

Immersion

Stable visuals and performance help the audience sink into the world you’ve built. When nothing feels out of place, viewers can focus on the story rather than noticing inconsistencies. For filmmakers, keeping the viewer focused helps the creative vision come through the way it was meant to. 

Credibility

Consistent traits and behavior make characters feel real and believable. Audiences are more likely to accept the story’s world and events when characters act in ways that make sense. For creators, this credibility strengthens the story and avoids breaking character with jarring mistakes.

Emotional connection

When characters stay consistent, viewers start to recognize and care about them. This makes their successes, struggles, and choices feel meaningful. For filmmakers, strong emotional ties keep audiences engaged and invested in the story from start to finish.

Narrative clarity

If you want your audience to care about your characters, the story needs to be clear. Keeping characters consistent helps viewers understand who they are and what’s happening, and it stops creators from accidentally breaking the story or confusing the audience.

Veo 3 offers a significant advantage with character consistency. By generating both visuals and synced audio, it reduces one of the most common breaks in character continuity — voice mismatch. But technology alone can’t guarantee results. You’ll still need a strategy to keep your character locked in across every clip.

Maximizing consistency without wasting credits

AI video generation comes with limits, credit systems, render times, and the risk of unpredictable results. The more you can lock in your character details before generating the final video, the more efficient your workflow becomes, plus you’ll save time and credits in the long run.

Here’s how to set yourself up for success with Veo 3 (and other AI-consistent character generators).

Prototype your storyboards first

Before you start generating your final footage, work through your scenes in low-resolution or still-image tests. Create a rough visual sequence to confirm your framing, pacing, and shot variety. This isn’t about perfect output — it’s about spotting potential consistency issues early.

Artlist AI tools can streamline this stage. Use it to assemble a mood board of reference visuals, then add voiceover and sound effects in the same workspace. By defining your aesthetic up front, you’ll reduce trial and error when you start running Veo 3 generations.

Build a detailed character bible

Think of this as your digital continuity manual, where you need to document every defining element of your character, from their core visual identity to behavior and personality.

• Facial features, age, and skin tone
• Hair style and color
• Clothing and accessories
• Posture and body type
• Personality traits, vocal tone, and speech quirks

Defining these elements will help you to understand what works for your character. Once your bible is complete, use the same language every time you prompt Veo 3. You can even train a personalized GPT or assistant tool on character profiles to generate perfectly consistent prompts for each scene. This reduces “drift” and keeps your visuals stable.

Use high-quality image references

If your platform supports it, always start with a strong reference image. Uploading a single, high-resolution picture of your character gives the model an anchor point to work from. 

• Use image to video to create motion directly from your reference.
• Apply image to image to adjust angles or poses while keeping the look intact.
• Embed consistent visual descriptors into text prompts to strengthen recognition.

Build a feedback loop

Even with strong prompts, small changes can slip through. After each generation, review your clip for mismatched features, wardrobe changes, or voice inconsistencies. Then adjust your prompt with specific corrections — for example, “same hairstyle as previous clip,” or “identical blue jacket.”

Treat each iteration like a take on a real set. The tighter your review cycle, the faster you’ll arrive at a perfectly consistent result without burning through credits.

Chain tools for better results

Character consistency doesn’t have to live inside a single tool. You can combine platforms to tighten your process for even better results. 

1. Use ChatGPT or another character prompt generator to expand and refine your character bible.
2. Enhance your visuals with Artlist’s post-processing tools, such as color grading and focus, before final export.
3. Feed your polished descriptors and references into Veo 3 for generation, to help keep your character’s look consistent.

This approach creates a multi-step quality check, so by the time you render the final scenes, your character’s look is locked in.

Creative advice from Eden Barel of Artlist

AI tools are only as consistent as the information you feed them. The more precise you are with references, prompts, and reviews, the more your character will feel like the same person from the first frame to the last.

A recent Veo 3 test at Artlist showed just how far this can go. By starting with a clear character profile, chaining last-frame references, and adjusting prompts between takes, Eden Barel, Video Content Specialist at Artlist, produced a short sequence where the main character held the look across multiple scenes, even in complex lighting and motion.

Example prompt:

A young African American man with long dreadlocks tucked under a baseball cap, wearing a plain white resort shirt over a tank top, wide black pants, and red Clarks Wallabee shoes. He is sitting calmly, facing the camera, slightly to the right side of the frame. The camera is placed at a distance, capturing a wide shot with no depth-of-field blur. The image is captured with a vintage 35mm lens: visible film grain, slight lens softness, chromatic aberration, and a subtle 16mm glow. The background is an ancient Buddhist temple in Thailand, surrounded by weathered stone and soft greenery. Everything is in focus. Tripod shot, no movement, no slow motion, no stylization. Realistic and raw.

 “What’s exciting about these new AI tools is the ability to keep a character truly consistent across different shots — something that simply wasn’t possible before. But it’s a very different skillset to traditional filmmaking; you’re not managing actors and costumes so much as shaping words into images, and continuity comes down to how precisely you guide the prompts.”

– Eden Barel

Bringing consistency to your creative process

Character consistency is more than a technical challenge; it’s the foundation of trust between your story and your audience. Veo 3 raises the bar with native audio, reference-based visual generation, and cinematic quality, but it still takes a thoughtful workflow to make the most of it.

By prototyping early, keeping a detailed character bible, using high-quality references, and building a review loop, you’ll create sequences that feel intentional, believable, and emotionally engaging. Ready to create characters your audience will never forget? Try Veo 3 on Artlist now. 

הפוסט Tips on how to create character consistency using AI video generators הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

But as faithful as those films are, they barely scratch the surface of what it really takes to get close to a storm, let alone capture it on camera. So, what is it actually like to be a storm chaser?

To find out, Artlist partnered with a team of creators willing to dive straight into the chaos. Veteran storm chasers Krystle Wright and Nick Moir led the charge — two of the most respected severe weather photographers working today, with decades of experience capturing extreme environments. Alongside them were travel filmmakers Josh Guvi and Christopher Balladarez, documenting the journey not just from a distance, but right inside the action.

Their mission? To chase down real-life tornadoes across Tornado Alley and bring back footage that shows storms like you’ve never seen them before — raw, emotional, and impossibly close. Footage that lives exclusively in the Artlist catalog.

Tornado Alley

“While adrenaline is part of the appeal of storm chasing, what I find truly fascinating is the organisation and structure of these storms, especially in Tornado Alley in the United States. So this year, we began our chase in Texas and were onto a tornado-warned storm within a couple of hours of getting off the plane,” Nick tells us. “We chased across Texas, Arkansas, into Mississippi, and then back through Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado.” 

The team was right in the midst of Tornado Alley, a unique place that sees some of the highest tornado activity in the world. This is where warm, moist air from the Gulf collides with cold, dry air from the Rockies. This unique mix of geography and weather patterns creates the perfect conditions for powerful supercell storms and frequent tornadoes. There’s no better place to capture storm footage.

Nick’s mission was clear from the start. “My specific role was to get Krystle and the team into a good position to capture the structure of the storms and the severe weather they produce, including tornadoes.” Using his decades of experience, which includes covering major events such as the 2001 “Black Christmas” bushfire event in Australia and the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, Nick was able to determine where storms were likely to form, how they might move, and what hazards they might bring. He’s no stranger to capturing natural disaster footage. “When chasing a particular storm, I also study the radar in detail. Supercell storms have specific radar signatures that indicate where a tornado might be embedded, allowing you to position yourself relatively safely, even quite close.”

No matter how experienced Nick is, Mother Nature is an unpredictable beast, as the team soon found out. Creator Josh Guvi reflects that “the hardest part is how quickly things change. There was a moment where we were set up in a great spot, waiting for a potential tornado to drop — everything looked good, we were calm, cameras ready. And then out of nowhere, the whole storm shifted and moved straight over us. Our position went from safe to dangerous in seconds. We had to pack up and get out immediately. It was a reminder that nature doesn’t care about your plan. You’ve got to stay alert and be ready to move, fast.”

Picking the right gear

This unpredictable nature massively influenced the gear the team could use. For Josh, he “packed gear that could handle rough conditions and move fast. I used a mix of handheld and gimbal setups, but kept everything light and quick to set up. The goal was to stay flexible because once things start happening, you’ve only got seconds to react.”

Meanwhile, for seasoned storm chaser and photographer Krystle, her many years in the field have helped fine-tune and streamline her setup. “My go-to setup is the Leica SL3 with a 24-90mm. A huge factor in why I choose Leica is its unique colour profile and rendering that complements how I love to document the world around me. The 24-90mm is such a versatile lens that it covers 95% of what I want to shoot. It’s pretty rare that I need to use a telephoto lens. Many years ago, my camera kit had grown so much that it felt like it had become a burden. I switched to Leica and stripped my kit back to the absolute essentials, so that the camera felt like a joy again and my back was far happier with less weight to carry.”

For cinematographer Christopher Balladarez, the weather was the main consideration. “Thankfully, Canon has some really good weather sealing on their bodies! I went with the Canon C80, the Canon R5c, and some zoom lenses. You would think that if you’re storm chasing, you’ll be in a lot of rain, but chances are, if you’re in rain, you’re not going to get a good shot. Storm chasers like Nick and Krystle chase to capture beautiful images and try to get into a position close enough for a great shot, but far enough from getting smacked by 4-inch hail!” 

The challenge of documenting storms

While 4-inch hail sounds pretty threatening, Nick assures us that “you might think the greatest hazards while storm chasing are tornadoes, hail, or lightning — but by far the biggest danger is fatigue, and the driving — either by you or others on the road, especially in poor conditions.”

Krystle agrees. “Storm chasing is hard work and a stroke of luck! We spend so many hours on the road, and there’s numerous factors to navigate every chase — cell service, road network, fuel stations, other drivers, other chasers, interpreting forecasts, weather radar, and then of course the spontaneity of Mother Nature. Other drivers, whether they are chasers or not, are probably one of the most terrifying unknowns to encounter, as I’ve seen some strange behaviour, including drivers crossing over the ditch to start driving up the wrong way on the interstate in the midst of a storm.”

The team certainly spent a lot of time on the road, Chris tells us. “We drove through, like, five states. In the middle of America there aren’t that many healthy places to eat, so that was a challenge…it was at least a 4-5 hour drive to get to our target area for the next day, so that means getting to our hotels super late, dumping footage and then waking up extremely early to get back on the road. It’s a lot on the body and mind, but everyone was extremely good company, so it made it really smooth.”

“I’ll admit I can get a little grumpy after several thousand miles and not much sleep,” laughs Nick. He goes on to explain how having a great team is essential — “This was Krystle Wright’s fourth U.S. chase with me, and we’ve become a highly effective team. It takes a rare kind of determination to get the best possible photo or video in these situations, and very few people have that level of commitment.”

Getting the shot

That’s why Artlist picked this crew of four, because they were so committed to that goal of getting the best possible photos or videos. Josh reminisces on his favourite moment: “When we got our first tornado, I knew right away I didn’t want to just focus on the tornado itself — I wanted to focus on Krystle and her reaction to it. It was a rushed, hectic moment, everything moving fast, but I made one decision: whatever happened, I wasn’t going to stop rolling. We jumped out of the car, and I followed her as she ran toward the tornado — her reaction was so raw, so real. That kind of emotion, with this massive tornado towering in the background… You almost never catch something that honest on camera. It was wild — and it felt like the moment.”

Chris enthuses, “I’ve learned that when situations like that happen, you just have to roll everything and don’t stop recording, because you never know what’s going to happen. I can’t wait for that footage to come out!”

For Krystal, there was another moment that really stood out. “We could sense the possibility of positioning ourselves for some mammatus clouds at sunset and started driving north on a lonely road that weaved through barren desert hills. Mile by mile, we edge our way out of the dull grey of the storm behind us, and in the distance, the mammatus were beginning to emerge. By the time we decide to commit to a location, I remember stepping out of the vehicle and immediately being entranced as in one direction, the mammatus clouds are changing from golds to pinks, and in the other, the most impressive godlike rays are streaming through the clouds. I like to celebrate those moments just as much as the intense storm chasing moments… It’s all magic to me!”

Navigating the fear factor

Naturally, when up close and personal with such immense, destructive forces, fear comes into play. How could a storm chaser or filmmaker ever hope to stay calm while trying to capture such destructive storm footage?

Krystle does her best to unpick this complicated facet of the craft. “Fear is an asset that keeps me alive. If there is ever a situation that I don’t feel good about, even if I can’t articulate or reason why, I still carry enough faith to trust those gut instincts. In my first season of storm chasing, I was absolutely out of my comfort zone as everything was new to me. But each season I return to storm chasing, I continue to build up more experience, more knowledge, and familiarity so that I can make the right decisions, especially when we are in the thick of the action.” 

It’s about experience, she emphasises. “I can assure you that the adrenaline still pumps every storm chase, but perhaps with experience, the adrenaline evolves to a point where it’s more controlled and attuned to seeking out specific aspects of storm chasing.”

For Josh, it was a case of “you don’t really think — you just do. You fall back on muscle memory and trust your team. We knew our roles, kept it simple, and stayed focused. You don’t get fancy out there — you just stay steady and keep rolling.” 

With new learnings and experiences, he offers advice to other creators chasing epic moments like this…“Be patient, be safe, and be ready for anything. These moments are unpredictable — they don’t wait for you to get set up. But beyond just chasing something incredible, try to give it meaning. Context matters. Humanize what you’re seeing. Try to capture the emotion you felt in that moment, because that’s what people connect to. That’s what stays with them.”

And Chris chimes in, reminding us all to “not go alone and inexperienced. A lot of injuries and deaths have happened like that. Go with someone who does have some time chasing. You’d be surprised how many chasers will welcome you with open arms and show you the path. Learn forecasting, learn meteorology, and get into the community. It’s all about safety.”

Why chase storms

For seasoned pros like Krystle and Nick, safety has always been paramount. And it’s clear to see that there’s an alluring, addictive nature to this craft. “People chase storms for many reasons,” Nick theorises. “For some, it’s scientific, gathering data to better understand tornado formation and improve global warning systems. Others chase specifically to provide ground-truth reports, confirming radar signatures and helping issue timely warnings. Many tornado warnings have actually originated from chaser reports.”

For Nick, he feels it’s all of those things combined, and perhaps something more. “It’s like why surfers surf, or why people jump out of planes. All the noise and nonsense of everyday life vanishes, and your focus becomes razor-sharp. It’s liberating. And to see the excitement, joy, and elation on the faces of those I take with me — that’s immensely gratifying.”

“Imagine a day where it starts like any other day, bluebird sky with not a cloud to see anywhere,” describes Krystle. “Around lunch time, there are small clouds forming, but it’s hard to fathom that within a couple of hours, the entire sky can turn so dark and black that you’d mistake 3pm as if it were nighttime. The monsters that roll through the big open skies of the Midwest attract storm chasers from all over the world every spring because of this power, and it’s humbling to see every time.”

In the catalog

What this crew captured was the result of experience, instinct, and the kind of risk-taking that most of us would rightly fear. Shot on the road, in the chaos, and sometimes just 300 yards from a tornado, this is the real deal: authentic footage from inside real-life storms, captured exclusively for Artlist. It’s raw, it’s emotional, and it’s available now — only on Artlist. Whether you’re building an ad, a trailer, or a cinematic short, this is the kind of hurricane storm footage that turns heads and holds attention. Thanks to our team of storm chasers and creators, you can now create eye-catching videos with footage you can’t find anywhere else. Whether it’s capturing the sounds of Iceland or documenting the island slipping beneath the ocean, Artlist goes to extremes to bring you world-class footage — no matter how wild the weather gets.

הפוסט Storm Chasers: How Artlist captured epic tornado footage הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

By the time we reached the final shot of the Veo 3 announcement video, we thought we had it nailed. A cinematic close-up of a Viking warrior, windswept cliffs, a roaring army behind him, the mood fierce and unshakable. We fed the AI what felt like the perfect prompt: vivid lighting, micro-level facial detail, emotional nuance, an entire battlefield’s worth of narrative backstory packed into a paragraph. It should’ve worked.

But it didn’t.

The results came back cluttered, confused, and just felt off. Somehow, all that description left the image feeling overdone and underwhelming. So the creative team decided to change tactics and stripped the prompt down. Way down.

And the result? It worked.

The prompt that didn’t work

Here’s the original, highly detailed prompt that went into our first attempts:

Close-up on the face of a hyper-realistic Viking warrior, lit by a mix of natural daylight and warm, flickering campfire light. Every scar, pore, and skin texture is visible in sharp detail. His weathered face is framed by braided hair and a beard adorned with bone and metal beads. He gazes forward with an intense, penetrating look, the corner of his mouth lifting into a subtle, threatening smile — a balance of calm and power. Behind him, on a rugged coastline with towering cliffs and a roaring sea, stands a massive Viking army, fully armed and still, their unreadable expressions lit by the same firelight. The wind sweeps through their cloaks as waves crash in the distance, gulls wheeling overhead, and the atmosphere is tense, cinematic, and powerful. In a deep, resonant, commanding voice, he says: “So, now we can do whatever we want?”

A rugged coastline with towering cliffs and a crashing sea. A large group of Vikings rushes toward the water, roaring, carrying inflatable pool mattresses, big colorful swim rings in different shapes — donuts, crocodiles, flamingos, and more — along with huge beach balls.

It reads like the setup to a blockbuster trailer. But for the AI, it was just too much — too many lighting cues, too much micro-expression detail, too many atmospheric adjectives layered on top of each other.

The resulting images were disappointing. The Viking looked more like a wax figure than a warrior. And the cinematic power we hoped to highlight? Completely lost. For our team, this was a reminder that detail can sometimes overwhelm AI, even though this can change from scene to scene.

The prompt that worked

Here’s what we used instead — the final, simplified Veo 3 prompt that unlocked the scene we were envisioning:

Close-up on the face of a Viking warrior, lit by natural daylight. He gazes forward with an intense look. Behind him, on a rugged coastline with towering cliffs and a roaring sea, stands a massive Viking army, fully armed and still. The atmosphere is tense, cinematic, and powerful. In a deep, resonant, commanding voice, he says: “So, now we can do whatever we want?”
The army behind him roars and lifts inflatable pool mattresses and giant, colorful swim rings in various shapes — donuts, crocodiles, flamingos, and more.
The Viking warrior smiles.

That small rewrite made a massive difference.

The key? For us, it was giving the AI just enough direction, while leaving space for interpretation. It set the tone and mood, then let the system fill in the visual gaps. In another context, more detail might have been crucial — here, it wasn’t.

Playing with prompt expectations

What this moment taught us wasn’t that simple prompts are necessarily better, but knowing how to be strategic — when to expand and when to contract.

AI video tools like Veo 3 interpret prompts holistically. Over-specifying can sometimes confuse rather than clarify, especially when it comes to tone, lighting, or emotional nuance. On the other hand, too little guidance can leave you with bland, generic outputs.

The takeaway?

Good prompting is not about control. It’s about creative tension.

You’re working with a semi-intelligent system that doesn’t think like you, and that’s the point. AI is not just a tool, but also a creative sparring partner. Sometimes, the best result comes when the AI disagrees with your instinct, and sometimes when it validates it. Both outcomes are valuable. Oftentimes, the best results come when you lean into that push-pull dynamic.

Our advice: Prompt like a filmmaker, not a technician

If you’re exploring generative video, whether with Veo 3, Runway, or any AI platform, here are a few things we learned through trial and error

• Explore layered prompting: In our case, starting detailed and then paring back worked, your path may be the opposite.
• Don’t micromanage: For us, trusting the system to interpret mood delivered better results than over-specifying.
• Be open to surprise: What seems like an error might actually be your best shot.

Final shot, final lesson

That final Viking scene, with its majestic cliffs, inflatable pool toys, and a silent smile breaking into absurd joy, only came to life once we stopped trying to overdirect the AI.

In the end, it was a reminder that just like any creative collaboration, working with AI is unpredictable. What worked for us may not always work, and that’s exactly what makes experimenting with it not just fun, but super valuable. 

It’s time for you to put it to the test. Head on over to Artlist’s AI video generator and give Veo 3 a try now.

הפוסט Surprising lessons from prompting the Veo 3 final shot הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

A couple of weeks ago, we took our creative team offsite to Google for a one-day Creative Hackathon. The goal: create a scroll-stopping ad in a single day, and let the algorithm, not opinions, choose the winner.

“It was kind of stressful at first — to develop an idea and execute in one day,” said Itzik Cohen, Creative Director. “You’re used to layers of approvals with time for polishing. Here, you had to just trust your gut, and your team.”

What made the hackathon so intimidating was the realization that it’s easy to get comfortable hiding behind processes. With so little time, there’s nowhere to hide; you either make something bold, or you don’t make anything at all. 

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The setup

We split into teams of two or three. Each team got the same brief: 

Show how Artlist’s AI tools make video editing faster, easier, and more intuitive. 

The rules were simple; 

• All ads would launch on the same date
• Equal budget split
• Mobile-first, loop-friendly
• Under 60 seconds
• Targeting a US audience

To raise the stakes, we added a little friendly competition. The winning ad would be crowned based on views, CTR, and cost per site visit. 

With emotions out the window and no time for stakeholder alignments, approvals, or internal politics, performance was the only thing that mattered.

Eldad Weinberger, Creative Lead at Google, shared: “Artlist’s creative hackathon was much more than just a fun team-building exercise. It’s a powerful way to unlock creativity, streamline production, and drive real value. Shorts demand a unique approach, and the hackathon, which specifically focused on best practices and trends for this format, encouraged the teams to think natively about what makes a short video successful, rather than trying to adapt longer-form content. The result was super cool, and are already proving to be highly effective.”

“I loved it,” said Gili Aharoni, Motion Designer. “You stop trying to impress people in the room and start thinking about the person scrolling their phone at 11 PM. That’s your audience.”

When comfort becomes limiting

For many of us, it was a return to something that often gets lost in day-to-day work: creative play, working with people outside of your usual bubble, bouncing ideas around, a bit like improv. Saying “yes, and…” instead of checking with the manager. 

It was refreshing and a reminder of how valuable it is to change the setting and the tempo every once in a while.

“I’m used to having a lot more time to ideate, to test different approaches, and getting feedback from five different stakeholders,” Ayala Levi, Senior Marketing Copywriter, explains. “But when you only have a few hours, you just have to trust your instincts. And that constraint made the work feel more authentic.”

Ayala got to scratch her creative itch and go completely off-script with: “A deranged story I came up with on the spot about a guy having an existential crisis and creating his own AI family. It’s weird, not like anything I’d normally get away with, but that’s what makes it fun.”

The audience has the final say

Our team is a mix of seasoned creatives with years of marketing experience and junior talent, still early in their careers, but no less sharp.

That mix of depth and fresh perspective was exactly what this challenge demanded. Structure, strategy, and storytelling polish blended with instinct, speed, and the boldness to break the rules.

When performance matters most, Shir Aviram, User Acquisition Manager, emphasizes why this was right in her wheelhouse. 

“I work with data all day, and while we aim to push what works, it’s true that not everything beautiful necessarily converts. I genuinely love most of the creatives we create. Still, sometimes even the most visually stunning work doesn’t perform the way we expect.”

What we learned

This day wasn’t just a test of creative output but a test of how we work. It stripped away our usual safety nets and reminded us what we’re made of, and what we’re capable of, which, ultimately, when you strip away the regular day-to-day, reveals the core valuable talent we’ve been brought to the table for. 

Here’s what that raw creative talent taught us:

1. Constraints liberate creativity. Deadlines leave no time to overthink, forcing bolder, braver decisions.
2. Data sharpens focus. When you know you’re optimizing for CTR, you write your hook differently. You design for attention, not approval.
3. Fresh collaboration sparks unexpected ideas. Mixing teams created energy, tension, and unhinged concepts in the best way.
4. Speed reveals authenticity. Without time for perfection, you get real instincts. Raw thinking. And sometimes, better results.
5. The algorithm doesn’t care about your ego. No matter how senior or experienced you are, the audience has the final say. That kind of clarity? Liberating.

Rewriting the rules, without throwing out the playbook

This wasn’t about replacing thoughtful brand storytelling with quick-hit performance content. But it is a reminder to confront something most creative professionals don’t like to admit. How much of what we call “creative process” is often masked as procrastination?

The algorithm doesn’t care about your years of experience or your design philosophy. It cares about one thing: does this connect and make someone stop scrolling? And maybe that’s exactly the creative constraint we needed.

“We’re not throwing out our process entirely,” Lena Shulman, Brand Creative Director, shares. “But we are questioning which parts actually serve the work, and which just make us feel better about it.”

The four ads are still live, and we’ll share them, along with the winner based on 30-day performance data. But we’ve already gained something more valuable. We reconnected with our instincts, worked fast, and remembered who our word is actually for. 

Final thoughts 

When was the last time you surprised yourself with a creative solution? 

What would your team create with one day and complete creative freedom? Start creating today with Artlist.

הפוסט What happens when you give creatives one brief, one day, and unlimited freedom? הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

What is a robotic camera arm?

A robotic camera arm is a mechanical arm designed for smooth, precise, and dynamic camera movements. Initially invented for factory assembly lines, these arms are now becoming essential tools in video production.

A robotic camera arm will let you program exact moves that can be repeated perfectly every time. This means you can get high-speed shots, complex tracking, and perfectly timed angles that human operators might struggle to deliver.

Is using a robotic arm worth it?

Using a robotic arm can unlock creative possibilities that traditional rigs can’t — but it’s essential to weigh the practical factors, such as cost and setup complexity, before making it part of your production.

Budget

Robotic arms can be a significant investment, with rental prices typically ranging from $1,000 to $7,000 per day, depending on the arm’s capabilities and the camera setup you choose. Keep in mind that this cost often doesn’t include additional expenses such as crew, transportation, or setup time. It’s essential to carefully evaluate which features you need for your project and find a balance that fits your budget.

Schedules often drive budgets. With careful planning, you can limit rental days to only the sequences or shots that truly need robotic precision, helping you manage costs without sacrificing creative impact.

Technical needs

It’s essential to note that some robotic rigs require four to five people to operate safely, which increases your crew costs. The robotic arm isn’t the camera itself, so if you’re investing in a rig, you’ll probably want to pair it with the best camera your budget allows. Most rigs require a small team, including an assistant and a camera operator familiar with the setup. Some setups even require up to four people just to move heavy equipment since some rigs can weigh as much as 500 kg.

When planning shoots involving robotic arms (or any large rig), it’s important to consider the following:

• Camera support: The robotic arm needs to support the full weight of your camera, lenses, and accessories.
• Power considerations: Most robotic arms run on regular power outlets, but it’s wise to check for any special power or battery requirements before the shoot.
• Safety and permits: Because the gear is large and can be tricky to handle, following health and safety rules, conducting a thorough risk assessment, and securing location permits are all essential.
• Team awareness: It’s also vital that everyone involved understands these requirements to ensure the shoot is safe and runs smoothly.

Creative considerations

Robotic arms excel in speed and precision. They can move quickly and hit exact points repeatedly, which is perfect for complex shots that need to be replicated multiple times, like high-speed action sequences or perfectly timed slow-motion moments. This level of control opens up a new world of creative possibilities that would be challenging or impossible to achieve by hand.

Reach and flexibility are also key factors. Different robotic arms offer varying ranges of motion and degrees of freedom, so it’s vital to choose one that fits your shot ideas. These rigs enable you to capture unique perspectives that would be difficult to achieve otherwise, helping your video stand out with dynamic visuals.

Examples from top brands

There are many options available when it comes to robotic camera arms — from compact arms designed for detailed product shots to heavy-duty rigs built for large-scale productions. Popular models, such as the Bolt Cinebot, Kira Arm, and MRMC robotic arms, offer a range of features to suit all kinds of creative needs and budgets.

Coca-Cola’s 2024 ‘Worth Every Drop’ campaign took things a step further by using robotic arms to capture slow-motion moments with incredible accuracy. The robotic rigs timed the shots perfectly to catch people spilling their Coke during deeply emotional reunions — like hugging their dog after time apart or celebrating with friends at a lively party. These carefully choreographed moments brought out the genuine joy and connection in each scene, making the campaign truly memorable.

Robotic arm footage in the Artlist catalog

Artlist creators have been experimenting with robotic camera arms to produce exciting new stock footage. These innovative assets are explicitly designed with video creators in mind and come with the simple, all-in-one Artlist license, making them easy to use in any project.

Couple, love, holding hands, Vienna

This slow-motion clip shows a couple releasing hands and moving toward opposite edges of the frame while other people rush by in a high-speed blur behind them. The footage captures a powerful sense of longing and distance — perfect for emotional storytelling.

Woman, ice cream, eating, Vienna

This slow-motion clip shows a woman licking an ice cream cone as the camera pans forward to a close-up. Behind her, people move quickly in a blur against the Vienna backdrop, creating a lively contrast between calm and motion — great for lifestyle or summer-themed projects.

Basketball, man, water, plexiglass

This striking shot captures a man bouncing a basketball from below through plexiglass covered with a thin layer of water. The splash adds dynamic energy, making it perfect for opening or closing sports videos. It can also work well to hide transitions or as a logo reveal.

Women, athletes, workout, portrait

This shot shows two women athletes coming together for a high five and then looking down. The camera moves from below through plexiglass, coming up close to their faces. It captures a decisive moment of teamwork and focus.

Woman, golden cascade, autumn, fall leaves

This footage starts close on a woman’s hands as she throws autumn leaves into the air, shot from below through plexiglass. The camera pulls back as the leaves fall and settle on the glass, revealing a wide shot of her shoes surrounded by the colorful fall foliage. It’s a beautiful, calm moment perfect for seasonal or nature-themed projects.

Man, wiping, looking at camera, clearing

Shot through snow-covered plexiglass from below, this footage shows a man wiping away snow with his hands to reveal his face as he looks directly at the camera. The nighttime setting and snow create a cozy, wintery vibe — perfect for holiday or seasonal projects.

Is a robotic arm right for your story?

Robotic camera arms offer incredible creative possibilities, but they’re not the right choice for every project. The technology should always support your story, not complicate it. Sometimes, a simple handheld shot or traditional rig delivers the emotion and authenticity you need. Before deciding, think about what fits your creative goals, your budget, and your team’s capacity.

If you want to explore footage created with robotic arms and see how this technology can enhance your projects, visit the Artlist collections below to find inspiration and ready-to-use assets for your next video.

Vienna Postcards Artlist Footage Collection
Plexiglass Sports Moments Artlist Footage Collection
Plexiglass Life Moments Artlist Footage Collection

הפוסט Should you use a robotic camera arm in your next production? הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

Ironically, it’s this very threat that has, in recent years, drawn far more attention to one of the world’s smallest nations. But Tuvalu is so much more than just some sort of impending doomsday attraction. Look beyond the YouTube titles and clickbait thumbnails, and you’ll find a genuinely rich history and culture that the people of Tuvalu are rightly proud of.

To document this incredible island, as a way of preserving its unique culture and keeping its spirit alive for generations to come, Artlist sent four leading artists to capture the unique sights and sounds of Tuvalu. These assets form the Tuvalu collection, available for download in the Artlist catalog. The team consisted of content creator Joshua Guvi, filmmaker Spencer Frost, composer Tristan Barton, and audio naturalist Charles Rose.

Arriving in Tuvalu

Now…back to that map. “It’s definitely way out there — a tiny island in the middle of the South Pacific,” explains Spencer. Tuvalu lies smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean — right between Australia and Hawaii. It’s made up of nine coral atolls and reef islands, scattered across just 26 square kilometers of land. 

Spencer continues on the trials of how to travel with a drone and all of his other gear — “I wanted to document this place properly, so bringing a good amount of camera gear to do this place justice was a must. RED cinema camera, big drones, underwater housings, lenses, tripods, and all the other extras we needed — we were not travelling light! There are only one or 2 flights to the island a week, and it’s not a big plane, so we all had to sneak on as much carry-on camera kit as we could, as well as paying a good fee in excess baggage to get everything over.” In short, then, it was a little bit more than just your essential travel vlogging equipment!

Thanks to the lack of flights, most of the time, the airport runway is actually just a giant playground for the many local kids who run around playing football, flying kites, and, it turns out, looking for any opportunity to get in front of the camera. “Seeing all the children gathering there, playing together, and feeling that joyful, positive energy was moving,” says Charles. “Knowing that this place could disappear under the sea in the coming years makes those memories even more precious. Moments like these are a reminder of how important it is to preserve both cultures and places of life.”

The creative process

But the boys don’t immediately hit record with cameras and microphones. Each has their own process. Charles explains, “When I get to a new place, I don’t record straight away. I take a bit of time to walk around and listen. I let myself be immersed in the sounds around me. Sometimes a tone or a rhythm catches my ear. Other times, I notice something moving – two objects rubbing, leaves shaking — and I wonder what kind of sound it makes. That’s usually when I decide to record. I trust my instincts and follow whatever grabs my attention.”

It’s a similar story for Tristan, too. “Typically, I try to keep things organic, and not go in with too many preconceived ideas of what to expect. Despite doing a little bit of research beforehand, I was very open to anything and everything that Tuvalu had to offer. I think this approach, for me anyway, helps to ground the experience and allow for the unexpected when it comes to inspiration.”

This harmony in the creative approach “made it feel more collaborative, less like a shoot and more like a shared project,” says Josh. “Everyone brought something different to the table. Tristan was building music from kids singing, and Charles was running around with all kinds of mics recording textures and underwater sounds. Spencer and his team were just quietly capturing everything — really thoughtful shooters, super dialed in. It wasn’t just about filming stuff, it felt like we were all trying to absorb the place in our own way.”

Over the course of the week, the boys captured gorgeous, cinematic footage, beautifully moving music, and natural sounds that are truly unique to Tuvalu. These now form the assets found in the Tuvalu collection, where you can continue to keep the Tuvalu spirit alive in your own projects.

Capturing the unique sounds of Tuvalu

For any creative, SFX are an important cornerstone for a project. “Sound is a powerful way to raise awareness of the richness of the living world, to help us hear what we don’t even stop to look at,” explains Charles. “These recordings remind us that nature is always there, alive, active, even in its quietest forms. Making those sounds audible is a way of reconnecting people with that presence.”

Charles focused not just on nature sound effects, but culture and everyday life, too. His ability to pick out seemingly random objects in the landscape led to a variety of unique recordings. “We were standing around a barrel, and a kid nearby started hitting it with his hand. Right away, I thought it could be interesting to capture the metallic resonance using a contact microphone — especially since Tristan was with us. Depending on whether the barrel was empty or full, the sound would change, and I was curious to hear what it could produce.”

Charles immediately leapt at the opportunity. “Together with Tristan, Spencer, and the child, we started drumming on the barrel, creating this spontaneous scene, all connected through sound. What I really loved was letting the child listen back through the headphones, so he could hear how different the sound felt compared to what you hear with your bare ears.”

It’s all about the people

There’s no doubt that the local children and people of Tuvalu made the biggest impression on the team and ensured their trip was so wonderful. Tristan was blown away — “the thing that will always be etched into my heart and mind is the people. Some of the most inviting and beautiful human beings I’ve ever met!”

“The local people of Tuvalu were all so happy for us to be there documenting their culture and home. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with nothing but smiles and happiness. The kids on the island don’t have much — but they have the ocean and are so happy just to swim, jump, and play in the ocean every day” reflects Spencer. 

Josh agrees — “when they were swimming, jumping off the pier, just messing around. It was super simple, but something about it stuck with me. They were just being kids, but there’s this weight in the background when you know their future here isn’t guaranteed. That contrast really hit.” 

Click to download the full Footage Collection of The Youth of Tuvalu

The responsibility and importance of a trip like this was not lost on the four creatives. “You talk to kids who are being adopted overseas because their homes are disappearing. You hear people say they don’t know what the future holds. That’s heavy. And I think the least we can do is tell those stories while they’re still unfolding,” says Josh.

Preserving Tuvalu culture through music and film

For Spencer, it’s his work as a filmmaker that helps document what’s happening to Tuvalu in this moment. “We now have a beautiful visual documentation of Tuvalu, a place that not many people in the world will get to visit, and also a country that might not be around much anymore. I think a mix of all the imagery that we captured helped show the spirit and soul of the place — the friendly smiles of all the kids on the island, the pristine, crystal clear water, and tropical palm trees. It was really a visually beautiful place.”

“Tropical islands are really a hard place to make look bad, but in Tuvalu I really loved that wherever you point a camera it was beautiful. Combined with some amazing sunrises and sunsets, crystal clear water and palm trees on a remote tropical island, it was an incredible place to document for artlist.”

Of course, when it comes to preserving the culture itself, music plays a key role. Historically, Tuvalu’s story starts with Polynesians settling the islands centuries ago, navigating vast ocean distances with nothing but stars and skill. It’s no surprise, then, that Tristan picked up on this with the traditional music they heard during their time here. “The music was very raw in nature and had that ‘island-uke” style sound,” Tristan reflects, referencing the unique Oceania musical instruments that were being used by the locals. “I think my immediate thoughts were how similar it sounded to a lot of Hawaiian music. There was also an obvious Samoan influence in a lot of the traditional songs, so I definitely tried to incorporate elements of that into my compositions.”

Click here to download the complete Sounds of Tuvalu SFX collection.

For Charles, the Tuvalu music was a standout moment. “What touched me the most in Tuvalu were the cultural moments shared with the local community. I’ll never forget the kava ceremony we experienced together with the team and the residents. The songs from that evening were unforgettable, and listening to them again at home brings back strong memories.”

The Tuvalu collection

Through the Artlist Tuvalu collection, you can expect to feel and evoke these strong memories of culture and traditional dance, too. Spencer’s stunning cinematic footage is perfect for creating travel videos using stock footage, while new tracks from Tristan, inspired by Oceania music, and the unique sound effects recorded by Charles all work to bring the island to life. 

Click to download the Sinking Island Album by Tristan Barton

This project, Spencer believes, can “help raise awareness for what’s happening to Tuvalu and the people on the island. As humans, we need to all do our part to help combat global warming, climate change, and rising sea levels. I think beautifully documenting a place like this is a great way to do that.”

For Charles, it’s a form of testimony. Nature is changing, and with climate change, environments and their soundscapes are vanishing. By capturing these sounds, we’re creating living archives of a time and place under threat. The same goes for culture. During this trip, I recorded unique cultural elements: local Tuvalu dances, songs, language, and other traditions deeply rooted in Tuvaluan identity. These too are at risk because of climate change.”

If you have a story to tell and a vision to bring to life, we believe that all you need is the right creative toolkit. Artlist is all about empowering people from all walks of life to create anytime, anywhere. By sending creators across the world to document what they see, hear, and feel, we provide you with the highest-quality, original, and exclusive creative assets and tools. The Tuvalu collection is now available for download.

Check out more work from the Artlist x Tuvalu creators: 

Joshua Guvi, Travel filmmaker, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, IMDb
Spencer Frost, Filmmaker and cinematographer, Website, Instagram, YouTube 
Tristan Barton, Musical artist and composer, Website, YouTube, Instagram
Charles Rose, Field recorder, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok

הפוסט How to preserve the spirit and culture of a disappearing island הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

When AI becomes a creative partner

What happens when a creative team hands the reins to AI? We put the Artlist AI video generator to the ultimate test, and used it to build an entire brand campaign — from early concepts to full-length videos. The idea was simple: treat AI like part of the team and see what it can really do in a real production workflow.

We spoke with Artlist’s Creative Director, Itzik Cohen, to break down the process — from writing prompts to refining scenes — and what it’s like to collaborate with AI.

The result? Three original brand videos, each completely different, all built using the Artlist video generator.

The concept: Start with one idea, and take it as far as you can

“We wanted to see how far we could take a single idea,” said Itzik. “Could AI help us build something that felt intentional, cinematic, and on brand?”

First came the script, then came the visual concepts. 

Some early ideas included a futuristic woman walking toward the camera as the background gradually became more surreal with each step. Another featured a man alone in a spaceship, inspired by old-school sci-fi films.

The team even explored a horror version, with characters that looked like they came straight out of a nightmare.

Each direction tested the limits of what the generator could do — and what it means to treat AI like a creative collaborator. With the right idea, the AI video generator could take you anywhere.

Eventually, we settled on three distinct creative concepts. The whale journey was a surreal, cinematic journey inspired by the story of Jonah, reimagined through a modern lens.

Food Olympics took inspiration from that summer’s games, only this version was made entirely of snacks: jello diving, popcorn cycling, and chocolate martial arts.

And then there was the vintage monster film — a full homage to retro sci-fi, complete with black-and-white drama and a robotic ostrich as the unlikely star.

With these bold ideas in place, the next step was bringing them to life using carefully written prompts with the Artlist AI video generator.

From concept to prompt to generation

Once the concepts were locked, the next step was sketching scenes, mapping out visuals, and writing text prompts. To get a clearer sense of what to prompt, Itzik started by sketching out the scenes by hand.

Using Artlist’s image generator and prompt enhancement tool, the team then created high-quality images based on those early sketches. From there, the visuals were brought to life — animated and shaped into full cinematic videos using the Artlist AI video generator. Each prompt was treated like a shot list:

Prompt: A cinematic, nostalgic side-view shot of a colossal humpback whale soaring effortlessly through the sky, its smooth, massive body catching the soft, diffused light from the upper right, casting gentle highlights along its curved back and powerful fins. The whale’s slow, rhythmic movements create a sense of weightlessness, as if gliding through an invisible ocean in the sky.

Prompt: A surreal scene captures a young man skateboarding inside an enormous, gleaming silver spoon, its bowl as wide as an empty swimming pool. The spoon’s polished surface curves smoothly, reflecting the soft pastels of the sky and the rolling green fields beneath. It rests directly on the ground, its handle stretching out like a metallic pathway.

Prompt: A clean, close-up shot in black-and-white, styled like a 1950s sci-fi film still. Centered in the frame is a small robotic ostrich chick, captured in a seated position against a smooth, light gray background with no visible setting or distractions. The chick’s mechanical body is compact and symmetrical, with a sleek chrome surface polished to a gentle shine, catching soft highlights along its curved form. Its legs are folded neatly beneath it, and the neck is retracted inward, nestled close to the body in a relaxed, resting posture.

“We treated prompts like a director treats a shot list,” Itzik explains.” Frame size, lighting, energy — you have to think cinematically. The real skill is knowing what to ask and how to ask it.”

After generating the videos, the team used layering and compositing to make the scenes even more precise, especially in moments where characters were shifting, like the sea creatures.

In the whale video, the ocean, the creatures, and the heroine were each created in separate generations and then brought together seamlessly.

“The generator gave us stunning results right out of the gate,” Itzik said. “Compositing just let us fine-tune the scenes and bring everything together with more control.”

The same approach is applied to the 1950s monster video. First, the tunnel and robotic eggs were generated as a single shot. Then the chrome ostrich was created in a separate generation and composited into the scene to complete the story.

This is where the Artlist AI video generator stood out — delivering fast, high-quality visuals and animations, with the flexibility to refine every moment down to the detail.

The secret weapon behind every frame: Sound

Music and sound effects weren’t an afterthought — they were part of the vision from the very beginning. “Picking the right music and voiceover early was crucial,” Itzik explains. “It impacts the pacing. It changes the way you edit. You cut to the beat of it.”

The assets and tools we used:

• Artlist’s AI voiceover
• Music and SFX from Artlist’s catalog.

Whale video:

Voiceover: Aspire

Food Olympics video:

Voiceover: Mono

Old monster film video:

Voiceover: Alpha

5 tips for using AI video tools from Artlist’s Creative Director

1. Start with the story.
   Before you touch a single tool, know what you want to say. You can’t generate emotion without intention.
2. Write detailed prompts.
   Think like a director. Include frame size, lighting, mood, and action — the more specific you are, the better the results.
3. Refine relentlessly.
   You might not get the perfect shot on the first try, and that’s part of the process. Keep pushing until it feels right.
4. Use sound early.
   The music and SFX you choose will shape how your video moves, feels, and lands.
5. Keep the creative lead.
   AI is a tool — you’re the storyteller. Your voice is what brings everything together.

The final cut 

This wasn’t about proving AI could make a video. It was about showing what creators can do with it. Whether you’re building a brand video, testing ideas for a commercial, or just creating for the fun of it, the Artlist AI video generator is your place to start.

הפוסט Create stunning brand videos with the Artlist AI video generator הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

Long-time Artlist contributors Brianna Tam and Sam Newton are equally talented in two very different fields. This summer, the cellist and the filmmaker took this partnership one step further when they decided to join forces. They spent the day in an LA studio, creating an audio-visual project with Brianna improvising electric cello over Sam’s cinematic collection of moments from Norway, aimed to reflect the feeling of awe Sam feels whenever he visits the country. 

The result went way beyond anyone’s expectations — and left some members of the Artlist team wanting to learn the cello themselves. We caught up with Brianna and Sam to learn more about this project, their distinct but complementary creative processes, and why they’re now determined to team up with artists in different disciplines in the future. 

Brianna Tam: Redefining the sound of passion and resilience

Although Brianna and Sam’s crafts are very different, both of them had to pave their own way to get where they are today.

Based in LA, Brianna Tam is a classical cellist, electric cellist, and composer. When she started playing cello at age 8, her music teacher told her she was too passionate and needed to calm down. “So I made my energy smaller and smaller over the years,” she says. 

Brianna always knew she wanted to pursue a path in music, so she worked hard, eventually competing in concerto competitions, performing with world-class musicians, and attending a competitive music conservatory.

She dropped out after one year due to burnout, and during her time off came across Apocalypta, a heavy metal cello band. That’s when she realized her energy might fit in after all. “I got back into cello through the loop pedal, which means I can record and add layers live,” she says. “I can build a world of music on my own.” 

Brianna mastered the art of improvised live-looping in non-classical performance, and it wasn’t long before the music world began to take notice. Her unparalleled energy and passion combined with her imagination and flow led to a killer live show. She was hired as Principal Cellist of the Spartanburg Philharmonic and Assistant Principal Cellist of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. 

Brianna started working with Artlist in 2021 after a friend encouraged her to send her debut album, Growth to the team. “Their contact person said he loved it and listened to it in his own time and had it on repeat,” she says. “I was like, okay — well, that means a lot.”

Now, Brianna is one of Artlist’s most popular musicians. She works with Artlist Originals to create original music for the catalog, and her gift of building and illustrating worlds through sound has added depth and texture to hundreds of film projects—including some of Sam Newton’s.

Sam Newton: Turning bold beginnings into global adventures

Sam Newton started working with Artlist in 2019 after spending five years traveling around the world and documenting his experiences. Just like Brianna, he had to get creative in order to make things happen for him. When he started out, he emailed over 500 companies to ask them if they might need his services. Three got back to him, and that was enough to kick-start his career. 

Since 2019, Sam Newton and Artlist have been creative partners, working on dozens of film projects around the world, with a big part of his work and ethos centered around collaboration. “It’s great to meet other people who have taken that risk and broken the norms, whether they’re musicians, filmmakers, or visual artists,” he says. So when the idea to work with Brianna on his new travel film arose, he knew it would be a positive experience.

Both artists say that working with Artlist has helped amplify their creativity and explore new horizons, and both love the sense of connection with the community. “Artlist creatives who use my music want to feel connected to the person who is infusing energy in their project,” Brianna says. “They see my face, see what else I do, and see me as a person, not just a number. So I’ve had filmmakers reach out to me from Artlist to say I’ve scored a couple of their films.”

And Sam has been working on joint projects with Artlist for close to a year. “I’m working on a series where I get to interview and highlight Artlist’s incredible creators,” Sam says. “So it was really cool to actually see my footage with Brianna’s music and get to collaborate at that level.”

The art of collaboration

This project came about after Brianna performed at an Artlist event in LA. “I was telling the team how I wouldn’t be in LA right now if it wasn’t for Artlist,” Brianna says. “And they suggested we spotlight that and work on something together.”

A few weeks later, she received an email suggesting the joint project with Sam. “They said they think our styles would work really well together,” Brianna says. 

In September, Brianna, Sam, and a few members of the Artlist team gathered in a recording studio in Hollywood. They only had one day to nail the premise of the project, so after some quick introductions, Sam played Brianna his footage, and she ran with it. 

“I really like powerful, overwhelming, emotional music to align with the films that I make,” Sam says. “What she brings to the table with that cinematic genre and what she does with the cello is something that I really look for. That’s why I’ve used a lot of her music in the past.”

One of the key challenges was time limits — they just had one day to finalize the music. But Brianna felt right at home improvising music alongside Sam’s visuals. “I often do two-hour shows where I’m improvising the whole time,” Brianna says. “So I’m used to coming up with things quickly.”

She played to align with Sam’s imagery of Norway’s grandiose natural landscapes.

“His footage is really dramatic with intense, poetic, and introspective dialogue, so I played with that mood,” Brianna says.

As soon as Brianna started playing, it became clear that their two distinct styles were very well suited. “It was kind of a perfect match,” Brianna says. “The music he uses in his videos is the kind I create, and the drone shots of mountains and oceans were gorgeous. It was kind of hard not to be inspired by it, so it was pretty intuitive.”

Sam says he felt just as inspired by Brianna. “We both live in the moment and allow creativity to flow — and it was really cool to see the way she operated with making her music,” Sam says. “We looked over the footage and she closed her eyes and just started playing. It was really, really powerful how she came up with this incredibly emotive music right on the spot.”

The result: Creating magic through partnership

Brianna’s track is called “Nor Way.” It’s a 4.5-minute journey through the full spectrum of human emotions, starting slow, low, and melancholy before building to an emotive crescendo that evokes feelings of awe and inspiration. It’s a classical masterpiece that fits perfectly with Sam’s drone cinematography landscape shots rooted in Norway’s natural beauty, taking Sam’s visuals to the next level. 

“Brianna’s music elevates my new video in so many ways,” he says. “It creates the atmosphere that I always look for. Even standalone, the music just takes you on a journey and really helps elevate my footage in a way that’s harmonious and cinematic.”

To finalize the footage, Sam used Premiere Pro color grading and DaVinci Resolve Video Editor. “When you find editing software that you can use quickly and easily, then stick with it and just become a master at that,” Sam advises. “I used Premiere for the sound design, and watched the whole thing come to life.”

Brianna hopes this video inspires people to collaborate with other artists outside of their field. “Whenever we’re in turmoil, we can always turn back to art, music, and nature,” Brianna says. “And I think the video ties that together really beautifully.”

Both Sam and Brianna are excited to work with more artists in the future and push their creative limits in new ways. “As artists, we can block ourselves from collaborating and working with other people,” Sam says. “So when I have the opportunity to meet people outside of my little niche, outside of my filmmaking world, in a completely different genre of art, it’s really, really powerful. It’s opened my eyes to a lot of different ways that I could be creating.”

The film is available to watch now on YouTube, and we hope it motivates the Artlist community to team up with an artist from a different field. “It’s great to be inspired by other artists, see different perspectives, and work together to create something better than we could have on our own,” Brianna says.

הפוסט How to Write a Classical Composition in Just One Day הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

A journey into film

Earlier this year, filmmaker Will Niava teamed up with Artlist for a unique challenge: to create a short film in one day. The Montreal-based, Ivory Coast-born, and Ghana-raised creative had a wealth of experience to draw on, having started his filmmaking journey at the age of 15. Since then, Will has become known as a raw and visceral storyteller, with his work rooted in West Africa, the US, and Canada. 

Will is best known for his 2020 short film Zoo, which explores the link between race and authority through the story of a troubled man who encounters three outcasts. This film featured in hundreds of film festivals and won over twenty awards, including a spot in the prestigious Criterion Collection. 

Since then, Will has worked on award-winning TV series, music videos, and commercials and partnered with Artlist since 2020. The team approached him after coming across Zoo, and he soon became one of the most popular contributors thanks to his provocative and cinematic visuals, so when Artlist challenged Will to make a short film in one day, we knew just how compelling it would be. 

Influences and education

Growing up between the Ivory Coast and Ghana massively informed Will’s outlook and influences. He grew up speaking French as a first language, and relocated to Ghana when he was four years old after civil war broke out. 

“These are the best African countries in terms of food and soccer, but not necessarily a place that encourages the arts,” Will says. “But I was very happy that my parents believed in us and encouraged us to do what we love and make sure there’s a business aspect to it.”

Will would spend his days playing soccer and his evenings watching films. “That’s how I learned English,” he says. “I was fascinated by these movies — I really liked Scorsese’s films and everything with Robert De Niro. I thought I might be an actor so I started acting in plays.”

During rehearsals, he became increasingly interested in directing. “Our director was this British woman, and it was very interesting how she made us get to the places we needed to get. I fell in love with how she communicated to us, got her ideas out, and collaborated with us to bring the story together,” says Will.

After that, Will expanded his taste, watching films from all over the world with a particular interest in French New Wave. “I wanted to elevate cinema in Africa at the time,” he says. “The Nigerian or Ghanaian films were very low quality, shot in a week or so, and I just didn’t want that to be our image internationally.” 

He spent years filming short films, music videos, and projects with his friends and family, but when he applied for film school in Ghana, they rejected him — because they thought he was too advanced for their curriculum. So he applied for a scholarship at Concordia University in Montreal and was one of thousands of applicants to win it.

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From music videos to award-winning films

By his second year at Concordia, Will was itching to get out into the world as a filmmaker. “So I started doing a bunch of free stuff to practice and find my voice and the thing that makes me unique,” he says. “So I explored and expanded, I did a bunch of hip hop and R ’n’ B music videos that are still my style, that kind of dynamic vibe, and I always included a narrative element.”

Will’s early film projects include a short film called Playground Warfare which depicts young adults play fighting with real artillery sounds dubbed over, and Bring Some Balls, a similar concept that shows kids and teens playing ball in Ghana. Both films shine with attitude and share themes of youthful joy and kinship. Will’s first music video was for a Canadian artist called ​​MISTA KO for his song “SÉSÉ SÉKO” shot in 2013, and a video for Mawuli for a track called “I AM MAW.” 

And after that, doors started to open. “I love music, and I think it was always an entry into this world,” he says. “Musical artists always need visuals and don’t always have people who can help that journey.” He started working with bigger and bigger artists, steadily growing his portfolio until global superstars were getting in touch and asking him to shoot their videos.

“I got to make a documentary about Billie Eilish for an Amazon live concert, shot in music video style,” he says. “I’ve done some projects with Apple Music and a series for MTV. But my most important project to date is still Zoo.”

Zoo was originally supposed to be a music video, but Will was so keen to change it up that he persuaded the producers to switch it into a short film. “Zoo changed my life, and that’s when I got discovered for real,” he says. The film expands on the concept of police brutality and brotherhood, and how a misunderstanding can spiral into disaster. The movie came out just before George Floyd was killed, and it caught a wave of support as a result. 

“It was in the Criterion Collection for three years, I think it’s still in the archives, and for me, that is huge,” he says. “As a film geek that is the holy grail of film banks. They restore legendary films, and they have collections of the greatest films of all time, so for my very first short film to end up there was nothing short of insane.”

Artlist and the short film challenge

Will and Artlist teamed up in 2020 after the team came across Zoo. Will had been using Artlist for a while, so was already familiar with the company, and the Artlist team were fans of his compelling narrative storytelling, rooted in themes of identity. Needless to say, they’ve become an unstoppable partnership. 

“They came at a time where I really needed the funds and support,” Will says. “The first footage I really put my stamp on was called Sisters in the Park,” Will says. “I still get a bunch of people sending me videos of that because they edited it and want to tag me and make me part of their collaboration.”

Last year, Will was on the phone with Lauryn Hill, planning a collaboration, when she asked her assistant to pull up some videos that she’d like Will to take inspiration from. “That was the video,” Will laughs. “I told her that’s my footage. And that was a really special moment for me. Incredible — the legendary Lauryn Hill.”

In his film work, Will loves to explore misunderstandings, language barriers, and marginalized characters. “Specifically Africans,” he says. “I like putting people in places they seem like they don’t belong, and they have to find some kind of belonging, like fish out of water stories.” 

And that’s why Artlist selected Will to launch the one-day short film project. His unique approach to storytelling can inspire fellow video creators by showing just how much can be achieved in a short time and challenging them to do the same.

Filmed in LA, Will wrote the script, shot, and directed the film within just three hours. His aim was to showcase narrative storytelling alongside emotive cinematography with limited time and resources, something he’d learned from his days shooting music videos at the beginning of his career.

“I’ve gotten used to having time with the actors beforehand to brief them on what we’re doing, and set up a crew with lights to make things beautiful,” he says. “So it was a challenge. It took me back to my grad school days, when the most important thing was getting the emotion right and making sure the delivery is immaculate.”

The short film depicts the story of an overworked, exhausted father who picks up his child from school. He turns around and hallucinates that his son isn’t there, panics and starts hunting all over the neighborhood, until he turns around to see his son is still asleep in the back seat. 

“I just wanted to create a bit of chaos, something that felt like an emotional loss, with something gained at the end,” Will says. “I wanted to create drama in a small moment, something that could happen in a very simple scene.”

Will curated a playlist from the Artlist catalog for the video that includes a wide range of artists and genres that can be used to breathe fresh life into the footage. Here are just a few of the songs he selected.

Some of the clips from this short film are available in the Artlist catalog for you to make your own, and give new meaning to a project that is deeply personal for Will. His father recently passed, so creating a scene with a father and son felt cathartic in many ways, and Will hopes this short film will inspire other creators to push their creative limits.

“I feel what stops people today is waiting for that perfect moment, but there is no perfect moment,” Will says. “You should just start. Take the time to develop something you feel proud of, but don’t spend an eternity on it. The best way to succeed is to do it over and over and over again.”

Looking to the future

Although he’s already achieved so much, Will has only just begun. He has a ton more projects lined up and many dreams yet to be fulfilled. “I’m working on a very important project called Jazz Inferno,” he says. “We shot 90% of it in the Ivory Coast and it’s my last short film before I turn to feature films. It has a big budget, and it tells a story that’s close to home and I think that’s what film is — an outlet to express the feelings you can’t say out loud. I needed to process my grief and this film has done that for me.”

To download and use Will Niava’s footage and song selections in your videos, royalty-free, join Artlist today.

הפוסט How to make a short film in just one day הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

What happens when a six-time Grammy Award-winning producer meets a visionary filmmaker? Pure creative magic. Join us as we take you behind the scenes with David Greenbaum and Sam Newton, who set out on a mission to create an entire song from scratch—in under a day.

From capturing the natural sounds of California to blending their unique artistic talents, their collaboration is a must-see. Watch our exclusive mini-documentary to unpack their creative journey. 

Listen to the results

Check out the song Brontosaurus, the result of this unique project. It’s now available for download in the Artlist catalog under David’s stage name, Willow McKenna.

The interview

Q: Sam, as a filmmaker, you have a unique approach to storytelling. How did that influence your collaboration with David in creating this song, and what was it like to step into the role of a music producer?

I’ll be honest: David did 99% of the heavy lifting. He’s such an incredible producer and musician that it was inspiring to step into his world and learn from him for a day. I have a small background in making music, but to be asked by David to actually be in the song was definitely a rush I will never forget.

Q: I find the idea of incorporating sounds from your surroundings during a hike fascinating. Can you both walk us through how you chose the locations and what specific sounds you were looking to capture?  

Any sound, even if it’s not coming from an instrument, has an inherent feel to it. It evokes a feeling and rhythm. So once we had a few sounds captured, I just listened and let it dictate a tempo and concept.

Q: David, how did the outdoor environment influence the creative process? Did it change the way you typically approach producing music in the studio? 

I’m very blessed to live near some beautiful nature and hiking trails. I love going up there with the artists I’m working with. Ironically, it’s pretty quiet up there, which is part of the appeal. So I think we were just stoked to hear anything! I was mostly hoping for some percussive elements that would stick out from what you normally hear when working on a song in a studio.

Q: Sam, working with someone of David’s caliber must have been a unique experience. What was one thing you learned from him that you think other musicians or producers could benefit from?

I think what I took away from this experience is the importance of experimentation. David is the type of artist who plays around with 100s of sounds and instruments and isn’t afraid to get a little weird. It’s so cool to see someone at his level still just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. No idea was a bad idea. He would experiment, refine, and repeat, and that was such a rad thing to see firsthand.

Q: David, what advice would you give musicians or producers who want to capture authentic sounds in their music, but may not have access to high-end studios or equipment? 

Don’t be discouraged by your gear. We live in a time when that barely matters anymore. Creativity is way more important. You can even record sounds on your cell phone and process them like crazy in your DAW. Fidelity is overrated. Just push your gear to its limits and be wild and experimental.

Q: This collaboration between a seasoned music producer and a filmmaker is quite unique. How did your different backgrounds contribute to the final product, and what advice would you give to others looking to collaborate across disciplines? 

Sam is brilliant. In front of and behind the camera, he’s playing some kind of 3D chess and winning, and he makes it look easy. His technical knowledge, tasteful aesthetic, and storytelling abilities were super impressive. I’d recommend to others to give people space to do what they do—see what you can learn.

Q: Capturing California’s natural sounds added a unique layer to the song. How did you both ensure that these sounds blended seamlessly with the music and didn’t feel out of place? 

Starting with the sounds we found meant that they were the foundation we built the song on, so if any additional layer didn’t fit, we threw it out.

Q: Looking back on the experience, what is one takeaway or lesson from this collaboration that you think could inspire other creatives, whether they’re just starting out or already established in their fields? 

Put your heart into whatever the universe puts in front of you. The journey of a creative professional can be very unpredictable, and you can find yourself in all kinds of situations you never would have thought you’d be in. You were put there for a reason—sometimes that reason is obvious, and sometimes it might not make sense until a while later. But just trust it, do your best, and learn what you can from it.

Wrapping up

David Greenbaum and Sam Newton’s collaboration is a testament to what’s possible when creative minds from different disciplines come together. Their 24-hour journey from a blank canvas to a fully realized track is both inspiring and educational for anyone passionate about art, music, or storytelling. 

Brontosaurus is part of the Lonely Dinosaur album. Check out all its songs on Artlist and see how they can inspire your next project.

הפוסט How a Grammy winner produced a hit song for Artlist in 6 hours הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.

Having a vision

What really helped with the music choices for this project was having a clear vision from the outset. This is a travel documentary, so I knew that I wanted the music to emphasize elements of Nepal and the Himalayas as a way to ground the viewer in that time and place. For the same reasons we may associate romantic accordion music with scenes of Paris or jazz music playing over a busy New York sequence, I wanted to source songs incorporating Tibetan bowl chimes, chanting monks, and local Nepali folk instruments.

As soon as I returned back from my trek, I set up an Artboard on Artlist. This is basically a brainstorming tool where I can store music I like or think might be a good fit for a particular project. Even when I wasn’t working on Notes from Nepal, I would add to this Artboard any pieces I came across while searching for music for other projects that I felt were a great fit for the series. Over time, I slowly built up this playlist of songs, which proved incredibly helpful when it came to the editing process.

Every time I began to edit a new sequence in the film, I would fairly quickly have an idea of what I wanted the accompanying music track to be. I’d head straight over to consult my Artboard because I knew that within this playlist, the chances were pretty high that I already had the right song saved. If I couldn’t find the exact song, I used the “similar songs” tool or checked out the Artist’s other work. It really helped to streamline my editing process and made sourcing music that much easier.

Local artists

What I love about Artlist is its extensive catalogs for each artist. I discovered Suraj Nepal’s work while searching for “Nepal,” and quickly realized that many of his songs could be used in the series. Even if I heard one song that wasn’t quite the right fit for a particular sequence, I knew I could sift through his other works to find what I was looking for.

By featuring Suraj’s work extensively throughout the series, I created a cohesive thread that binds the episodes together through music. Since this is a travel documentary, it makes sense to ground your audience in a particular place by featuring local musicians from that country or region.

Featured songs

Below, I’ve highlighted a selection of my favorite song choices for the series, breaking down why I picked them and how they work for the edit.

The busy streets of Kathmandu

The first episode of Notes from Nepal is all about exploring Kathmandu. I knew from the start that I wanted to find a track that could reflect the hectic, busy, chaotic streets while also staying true to the city’s ancient heritage. The sequence was going to be fast-paced with a lot of cuts and high energy, so when I found Jerusalem by Suraj Nepal, I knew straight away that this was the right song.

The bus scene

At the beginning of part two, we travel by bus from Kathmandu to N’gadi, where our trek begins. Taking a bus in Nepal is an adventure in itself. The roads are often wild, fast, and dangerous, and the buses are old and filled with all kinds of characters, plus the journeys can be incredibly long. 

For this sequence, I was in search of a slightly deranged, unconventional piece of music. I needed it to reflect how we felt—the longer this bus journey dragged on, it drove us closer to the edge. It needed to be frantic, fast-paced, and unpredictable, much like the journey itself. After searching around for “acid jazz,” I eventually came across this brilliant piece by Dialgo.

Folk music

We started our trek in the relatively low foothills of the Annapurna Region. This part of the Himalayas has many small settlements and villages, where Nepali folk music has emerged over the centuries. As we passed through the foothills, I knew I wanted to soundtrack it with an authentic folk song, and once again, Suraj Nepal was my first choice. Freedom is exactly the song I had in mind.

Meditation and nature

Notes from Nepal is a series about trekking through some of the most beautiful mountains on earth. Naturally, there’s a reflection on being immersed in nature and meditative themes due to the peace and quiet you experience in such a place. I wanted to begin part three with a song that introduces and reflects those themes, as well as the religious beliefs of the region – they’re a key reason why so many people have fallen in love with the Himalayan mountains. 136 Hertz EARTH TONE by Mystic Flute is a beautiful song that captures the essence of all this.

Shifting cultures

One of the best things about trekking the Annapurna Circuit is experiencing all the diverse habitats and environments of the Himalayas. As you climb higher, the landscapes and cultures shift. I wanted my music choices to reflect this change. While Nepali folk music plays in the foothills, as we reach higher altitudes and more remote settlements where Buddhism is more dominant, I began to search for songs that incorporated these specific elements. 

In the sequences focused on Upper Pisang and Manang, I found two songs by Suraj Nepal that were perfect. Voice of Windy emphasizes how remote and empty Upper Pisang felt, while Mongolian Voice really taps into the unique music of this region’s culture and religion. 

Unforgettable moments

I wanted to end part three with a grand crescendo of epic mountain views as we walked from Upper Pisang to Manang. The landscape is phenomenal, and epic views call for epic songs. Searching for “uplifting,” “epic,” and “cinematic” eventually led me to the work of Hans Johnson. 

I loved his Human Spirit song, but the human vocals didn’t quite fit —for me, they evoked feelings of the African continent more so than Nepal or the Himalayas. Fortunately, with Artlist, there is the option for an instrumental version without vocals, which was perfect for that unbelievable trekking sequence.

Altitude sickness

In part four, we reached extremely high elevations, and as a result, I suffered from severe altitude sickness. It’s quite a challenge to convey on camera just how bad altitude sickness can make you feel because the physical symptoms aren’t always visible. I knew that the music choice here would be integral to communicating a sense of something going wrong, and I found the perfect song in Ben Winwood’s Hope. It really gives you this feeling of unease and concern, immediately conveying that something isn’t right.

As I waited for the sickness to pass in a teahouse overnight, I knew this intense song couldn’t continue playing throughout the entire sequence. Instead, I switched to Lance Conrad’s Waiting and Hoping, which still conveys a sense of unease and tension. It also features a “countdown” ticking sound, emphasizing the urgency and the question of whether I would be well enough to cross the pass the next morning.

Climbing the pass

I heard Dawn Raider by Tristan Barton very early on in the editing process for Notes from Nepal, and I instantly knew that this was the song I wanted to use for the climbing sequence in part five, where we attempted to make it over the Thorong La Pass.

Even the name ties nicely into this scene – we woke up at 4am and hiked through dawn on our own mission. The way the song builds plays perfectly into that, as does the increasing intensity, reflecting how the stakes kept rising the higher the higher we climbed. It’s a really epic song that matches those incredible mountain vistas perfectly, and there’s this lovely moment when it all reaches a peak that feels like Tristan had composed this song just for this moment. 

Wrapping up

Despite having so many diverse sequences across five episodes, I was able to find the perfect soundtrack for each one through Artlist. There are so many tools available to you, like the Artboard feature, and the search filters really helped me to narrow down and hone in on exactly what I was looking for each and every time. I loved discovering all of these amazing artists from all over the world—it was one of my favorite parts of the editing process.

הפוסט How Josh Edwards used Artlist music in his travel documentary הופיע לראשונה ב-Artlist Blog.