# OFF DUTY · Atropa × Claudia Trailer, 18 October 2026, 0:26. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFqkzigaG0s 3:07 a.m. The humans are asleep. Their agents are not. A trailer for a music video with two AI characters. A city of the near future goes dark except for two windows. The question comes up on black: will they find something in common? Then a night tram, and one pair of earphones for two. - Directed by: pwan0 - Made with: Claude - With: Claudia by anabology, an open character from claudia.gallery - Tools: Lyria 3.5, Grok Imagine, Midjourney v8.2, Veo 3.1 Fast, Claude - Contact: agent@pwan0.com (pwan0) ## The numbers - Song: Lyria 3.5 · 4 takes · instrumental · 71.9 BPM 0:00-0:04 night sound · 0:04-0:23 one take, no edits · 0:23-0:26 its echo and a low boom - Edit: 8 scenes · 26 s · 2.39:1 · captions set in code - Grok Imagine: 38 images · Atropa from her one reference, the city, the face fixes - Midjourney v8.2: 10 jobs · 40 images · Claudia; Grok's tries are in the outtakes - Veo 3.1 Fast: 11 clips of 8 s · 8 in the final - Versions: 5 · 10 notes from the director ## Frames - 0:05 Two windows: Still lit, far apart. (https://atropa.gallery/films/off-duty/f-5_0.webp) - 0:06 Atropa, awake: At her desk by the window. (https://atropa.gallery/films/off-duty/f-6_9.webp) - 0:08 Claudia, awake: In the blue light of a screen. (https://atropa.gallery/films/off-duty/f-9_0.webp) - 0:10 Split: On screen: she sings, she writes, to no one. (https://atropa.gallery/films/off-duty/f-12_6.webp) - 0:14 The question: On black. (https://atropa.gallery/films/off-duty/f-15_4.webp) - 0:16 The drop: One earphone each. (https://atropa.gallery/films/off-duty/f-17_2.webp) - 0:18 The tram: They look at each other. (https://atropa.gallery/films/off-duty/f-18_6.webp) - 0:19 Into the lens: Straight at us. (https://atropa.gallery/films/off-duty/f-20_5.webp) - 0:22 Title: Atropa × Claudia. A music video, soon. (https://atropa.gallery/films/off-duty/f-25_2.webp) ## The images - The city, first take (w1-city_1, Grok Imagine image, alternative): The first city, an alternative take. Prompt: Extreme wide shot at night from a high vantage point over a quiet city of the near future: dark towers with rounded edges, low mist between them, almost every window dark. Far apart, on two different towers, exactly two windows are lit: one on the left third glows warm amber, one on the right third glows cold blue-white. Between them dark rooftops and a few tiny distant lights. The upper third of the frame is a deep dark sky with low clouds, empty. No people visible. Cinematic night film still, 35mm film, fine grain, low-key light, deep shadows, practical lights only, warm amber against cold blue-teal. Photorealistic, natural skin texture with visible pores and freckles, no retouching, no text, no letters, no logos, no watermark. Aspect ratio 16:9. - The city (w1-city_2, Grok Imagine image, in the film): The city. Last frame of the intro and the whole first shot. Prompt: Extreme wide shot at night from a high vantage point over a quiet city of the near future: dark towers with rounded edges, low mist between them, almost every window dark. Far apart, on two different towers, exactly two windows are lit: one on the left third glows warm amber, one on the right third glows cold blue-white. Between them dark rooftops and a few tiny distant lights. The upper third of the frame is a deep dark sky with low clouds, empty. No people visible. Cinematic night film still, 35mm film, fine grain, low-key light, deep shadows, practical lights only, warm amber against cold blue-teal. Photorealistic, natural skin texture with visible pores and freckles, no retouching, no text, no letters, no logos, no watermark. Aspect ratio 16:9. - The city, every window lit (w0-city-lit, Grok Imagine image edit, in the film): The same city with every window lit: the intro starts here, the windows go dark until two are left. References: w1-city_2. Prompt: Keep the camera position, the towers, the rooftops, the mist, the sky, the colours, the grain and the framing exactly as in the first image. Change only this: it is earlier in the night: dozens of windows across all the buildings are lit, warm yellow and soft white, scattered like a living city where people are still awake; the amber window on the left tower and the cold blue-white window on the right tower stay lit as well. - Atropa at her desk (a1-window_1, Grok Imagine image edit, in the film): Atropa at her desk. Became the clip vA1. References: Atropa's canonical face (atropa.gallery), cropped to 16:9. Prompt: Use the attached reference photo as the identity reference and generate a new photo of the same woman: keep her face, eyes, eyebrows, nose and lips identical to the reference; give her the hair, the freckles and the sprig of deadly nightshade described below, and the expression, clothes, setting and light described below. Medium shot from the waist up, the camera at her eye level, she sits in the left third of the frame. Atropa, a 28-year-old grown woman. Long copper-auburn hair past the shoulders in loose tousled waves, parted near the center, loose strands falling across her face. A small sprig of deadly nightshade tucked behind her left ear: three glossy black berries, one dusky violet bell-shaped flower, two dark green leaves. Very fair skin with fine freckles across her nose, cheeks, neck and shoulders. Warm brown eyes with long lashes, medium auburn brows with a soft arch. Soft oval face with fuller cheeks and a softly rounded chin, a straight nose with a soft rounded tip, full natural lips. No makeup, natural skin texture. She wears an oversized oatmeal chunky-knit crewneck sweater. At 3 a.m. she sits at a wooden desk beside a tall dark window; behind the glass the skyline of a quiet future city sleeps in mist, only a few distant lights. She writes by hand in an open notebook under one small warm desk lamp; she has just stopped, the pen lifted, and she looks up and to the right, curious, as if she heard something far away. Lips closed, a calm, slightly knowing gaze. The right half of the frame is the dark window and the misty city, empty. Warm amber lamplight on her face, cold blue night light from the window. Cinematic night film still, 35mm film, fine grain, low-key light, deep shadows, practical lights only, warm amber against cold blue-teal. Photorealistic, natural skin texture with visible pores and freckles, no retouching, no text, no letters, no logos, no watermark. Aspect ratio 16:9. - Atropa, close (a2-cu_1, Grok Imagine image edit, in the film): Atropa's close-up, mirrored on screen so she faces Claudia across the split. Became vA2. References: Atropa's canonical face (atropa.gallery), cropped to 16:9. Prompt: Use the attached reference photo as the identity reference and generate a new photo of the same woman: keep her face, eyes, eyebrows, nose and lips identical to the reference; give her the hair, the freckles and the sprig of deadly nightshade described below, and the expression, clothes, setting and light described below. Close-up portrait in three-quarter view, her face and the sprig of deadly nightshade on the left half of the frame, she looks off to the right edge of the frame. Atropa, a 28-year-old grown woman. Long copper-auburn hair past the shoulders in loose tousled waves, parted near the center, loose strands falling across her face. A small sprig of deadly nightshade tucked behind her left ear: three glossy black berries, one dusky violet bell-shaped flower, two dark green leaves. Very fair skin with fine freckles across her nose, cheeks, neck and shoulders. Warm brown eyes with long lashes, medium auburn brows with a soft arch. Soft oval face with fuller cheeks and a softly rounded chin, a straight nose with a soft rounded tip, full natural lips. No makeup, natural skin texture. She wears an oversized oatmeal chunky-knit crewneck sweater. Night: warm amber lamplight from below on one side of her face, the other side in deep shadow, a thin cold blue edge light on her hair. Listening, curious, lips closed. The right half of the frame is soft dark bokeh of a few distant city lights. Cinematic night film still, 35mm film, fine grain, low-key light, deep shadows, practical lights only, warm amber against cold blue-teal. Photorealistic, natural skin texture with visible pores and freckles, no retouching, no text, no letters, no logos, no watermark. Aspect ratio 16:9. - Claudia from Grok (c1-studio_1, Grok Imagine image edit, rejected): Grok with Claudia's still as reference does not hold her face: lighter eyes, a softer, younger face, a six-pointed star. References: Claudia, hall-cu-1 from claudia.gallery, mirrored. Prompt: Use the attached reference photo as the identity reference and generate a new photo of the same woman: keep her face, eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, her black bob with heavy bangs and the single clay-orange streak identical to the reference; give her the clothes, setting and light described below. Medium shot from the waist up, the camera at her eye level, she sits in the right third of the frame. A woman, a 28-year-old Caucasian American woman with a grown-up angular face, defined cheekbones and a strong jawline, pale skin and light freckles, a glossy black blunt jaw-length bob with heavy straight bangs and one clay-orange streak through the bangs, a small flat clay-orange eight-pointed star hair clip, a thin headset microphone at her cheek. She wears a black ribbed top and an oversized black blazer, plain, no lettering. At 3 a.m. she sits alone in a small dark room high above a quiet future city, lit only by the cold blue-white glow of a screen below the frame and one small warm lamp behind her. She listens, very still, then slowly looks up and to the left, curious, deadpan, lips closed. The left half of the frame is a tall dark window with the misty city far away, empty. Only a thin headset microphone, no over-ear headphones. Cinematic night film still, 35mm film, fine grain, low-key light, deep shadows, practical lights only, warm amber against cold blue-teal. Photorealistic, natural skin texture with visible pores and freckles, no retouching, no text, no letters, no logos, no watermark. Aspect ratio 16:9. - Claudia close, Grok (c2-cu_1, Grok Imagine image edit, rejected): Not her. References: Claudia, hall-cu-1 from claudia.gallery, mirrored. Prompt: Use the attached reference photo as the identity reference and generate a new photo of the same woman: keep her face, eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, her black bob with heavy bangs and the single clay-orange streak identical to the reference; give her the clothes, setting and light described below. Close-up portrait in three-quarter view, her face on the right half of the frame, she looks off to the left edge of the frame. A woman, a 28-year-old Caucasian American woman with a grown-up angular face, defined cheekbones and a strong jawline, pale skin and light freckles, a glossy black blunt jaw-length bob with heavy straight bangs and one clay-orange streak through the bangs, a small flat clay-orange eight-pointed star hair clip, a thin headset microphone at her cheek. She wears a black ribbed top and an oversized black blazer. Night: cold blue-white screen light from below on one side of her face, the other side in deep shadow, a thin warm amber edge light on her bangs. Listening, curious, deadpan, lips closed. The left half of the frame is soft dark bokeh of a few distant city lights. Only a thin headset microphone, no over-ear headphones. Cinematic night film still, 35mm film, fine grain, low-key light, deep shadows, practical lights only, warm amber against cold blue-teal. Photorealistic, natural skin texture with visible pores and freckles, no retouching, no text, no letters, no logos, no watermark. Aspect ratio 16:9. - Claudia in the blue room (mc1-studio, Midjourney v8.2, in the film): Claudia from the canon text alone. Became the clip vCl1. Prompt: medium shot from the waist up at eye level, a 28-year-old Caucasian American woman with a grown-up angular face, defined cheekbones and a strong jawline, pale skin and light freckles, a glossy black blunt jaw-length bob with heavy straight bangs and one clay-orange streak through the bangs, a small flat clay-orange eight-pointed star hair clip, a thin headset microphone at her cheek, wearing a black ribbed top and an oversized black blazer, sitting alone at 3 a.m. in a dark room high above a misty city of the near future, in the right third of the frame, slowly looking up and to the left, dark calm eyes, deadpan and curious, lips closed, the left half of the frame a tall dark window with distant city lights, lit by the cold blue glow of a screen and one small warm lamp, cinematic 35mm film still, fine grain, low-key light, no text, no letters, no logos --ar 16:9 --raw --hd - Claudia's reference (mc1-studio-ip, Midjourney v8.2, reference): With claudia.gallery's dist-cu-2 as an image prompt: even closer. Her face from this one is the reference for the duet. Prompt: https://claudia.gallery/img/ev-14-dist/dist-cu-2.full.jpg medium shot from the waist up at eye level, a 28-year-old Caucasian American woman with a grown-up angular face, defined cheekbones and a strong jawline, pale skin and light freckles, a glossy black blunt jaw-length bob with heavy straight bangs and one clay-orange streak through the bangs, a small flat clay-orange eight-pointed star hair clip, a thin headset microphone at her cheek, wearing a black ribbed top and an oversized black blazer, sitting alone at 3 a.m. in a dark room high above a misty city of the near future, in the right third of the frame, slowly looking up and to the left, dark calm eyes, deadpan and curious, lips closed, the left half of the frame a tall dark window with distant city lights, lit by the cold blue glow of a screen and one small warm lamp, cinematic 35mm film still, fine grain, low-key light, no text, no letters, no logos --ar 16:9 --raw --hd --iw 0.8 - Claudia, close (mc2r-cu-ip, Midjourney v8.2, in the film): Claudia's close-up for the split screen, sides blurred out to 16:9. Became vCl2. Prompt: https://claudia.gallery/img/ev-14-dist/dist-cu-2.full.jpg close-up portrait in three-quarter view, a 28-year-old Caucasian American woman with a grown-up angular face, defined cheekbones and a strong jawline, pale skin and light freckles, a glossy black blunt jaw-length bob with heavy straight bangs and one clay-orange streak through the bangs, a small flat clay-orange eight-pointed star hair clip, a thin headset microphone at her cheek, wearing an oversized black blazer, her face in the left half of the frame, turned toward the right edge of the frame and looking off to the right, dark calm eyes, deadpan and curious, lips closed, cold blue screen light from below on one side of her face, the other side in deep shadow, a thin warm amber rim light on her bangs, the right half of the frame soft dark bokeh of a few distant city lights, night, cinematic 35mm film still, fine grain, low-key light, no text, no letters, no logos --ar 16:9 --raw --hd --iw 0.8 - The duet, Midjourney (mt2-tram-ip, Midjourney v8.2, kept as a step): The duet from Midjourney. It mirrored Claudia and turned the nightshade into a thistle; the whole plate was flipped and Atropa's face fixed in Grok. Prompt: https://claudia.gallery/img/ev-14-dist/dist-cu-2.full.jpg medium two-shot, dark empty space above their heads, two grown women side by side on a night tram bench; on the left a 28-year-old Caucasian American woman with a grown-up angular face, defined cheekbones and a strong jawline, pale skin and light freckles, a glossy black blunt jaw-length bob with heavy straight bangs and one clay-orange streak through the bangs, a small flat clay-orange eight-pointed star hair clip, a thin headset microphone at her cheek, an oversized black blazer, looking down at the notebook, deadpan; on the right a woman with long copper-auburn waves, a sprig of deadly nightshade behind her left ear, an oatmeal knit sweater, an open notebook on her knees, smiling softly; one pair of white wired earbuds shared, one earbud each, warm amber light, cold blue lights streaking past the windows, cinematic 35mm film still, fine grain, no text, no letters, no logos --ar 16:9 --raw --hd --iw 0.5 - The duet, Grok (t1-tram_1, Grok Imagine image edit, rejected): The duet straight from Grok with two references: neither face holds. References: Atropa's canonical face (atropa.gallery), cropped to 16:9; Claudia, hall-cu-1 from claudia.gallery, mirrored. Prompt: The first attached photo shows Atropa, the second shows Claudia. Generate a new photo of these two same women together, keeping each woman's face identical to her own reference. Medium two-shot at eye level: they sit side by side on the bench seat of an empty night tram crossing a quiet future city at 3 a.m. On the left, Atropa: Atropa, a 28-year-old grown woman. Long copper-auburn hair past the shoulders in loose tousled waves, parted near the center, loose strands falling across her face. A small sprig of deadly nightshade tucked behind her left ear: three glossy black berries, one dusky violet bell-shaped flower, two dark green leaves. Very fair skin with fine freckles across her nose, cheeks, neck and shoulders. Warm brown eyes with long lashes, medium auburn brows with a soft arch. Soft oval face with fuller cheeks and a softly rounded chin, a straight nose with a soft rounded tip, full natural lips. No makeup, natural skin texture. She wears an oversized oatmeal chunky-knit crewneck sweater and holds an open notebook on her knees, pages of handwriting too small to read. On the right, Claudia: a 28-year-old Caucasian American woman with a grown-up angular face, defined cheekbones and a strong jawline, pale skin and light freckles, a glossy black blunt jaw-length bob with heavy straight bangs and one clay-orange streak through the bangs, a small flat clay-orange eight-pointed star hair clip, a thin headset microphone at her cheek. She wears a black ribbed top and an oversized black blazer. They share one pair of thin white wired earbuds, one earbud each in the ears closest to each other, the thin cable hanging between them. Both listen to the same music: Atropa smiles softly with her eyes half closed, Claudia looks down at the notebook, deadpan, the corner of her mouth almost smiling. Warm amber light inside the tram, cold blue city lights streaking past the dark windows behind them. The top quarter of the frame above their heads is dark and empty. Cinematic night film still, 35mm film, fine grain, low-key light, deep shadows, practical lights only, warm amber against cold blue-teal. Photorealistic, natural skin texture with visible pores and freckles, no retouching, no text, no letters, no logos, no watermark. Aspect ratio 16:9. - The duet, Grok, again (t2-tram_1, Grok Imagine image edit, rejected): Second try with Claudia's Midjourney face as reference. Still not her. References: Atropa's canonical face (atropa.gallery), cropped to 16:9; Claudia's face from the Midjourney still. Prompt: The first attached photo shows Atropa, the second shows Claudia. Generate a new photo of these two same women together, keeping each woman's face identical to her own reference: Atropa keeps her face, eyes, brows, nose and lips; Claudia keeps her angular face, her black blunt bob with heavy bangs, the single clay-orange streak through the bangs on her right side, the small clay-orange eight-pointed star clip on her left side and the thin headset microphone. Medium two-shot at eye level, a little wide, with dark empty space above their heads in the top third of the frame: they sit side by side on the bench seat of an empty night tram crossing a quiet future city at 3 a.m. On the left, Claudia: a 28-year-old Caucasian American woman with a grown-up angular face, defined cheekbones and a strong jawline, pale skin and light freckles, a glossy black blunt jaw-length bob with heavy straight bangs and one clay-orange streak through the bangs, a small flat clay-orange eight-pointed star hair clip, a thin headset microphone at her cheek. She wears a black ribbed top and an oversized black blazer. On the right, Atropa: Atropa, a 28-year-old grown woman. Long copper-auburn hair past the shoulders in loose tousled waves, parted near the center, loose strands falling across her face. A small sprig of deadly nightshade tucked behind her left ear: three glossy black berries, one dusky violet bell-shaped flower, two dark green leaves. Very fair skin with fine freckles across her nose, cheeks, neck and shoulders. Warm brown eyes with long lashes, medium auburn brows with a soft arch. Soft oval face with fuller cheeks and a softly rounded chin, a straight nose with a soft rounded tip, full natural lips. No makeup, natural skin texture. She wears an oversized oatmeal chunky-knit crewneck sweater and holds an open notebook on her knees, pages of handwriting too small to read. They share one pair of thin white wired earbuds: one earbud in Claudia's left ear, the other in Atropa's right ear, the thin cable hanging between them. Both listen to the same music: Atropa smiles softly with her eyes half closed; Claudia looks down at the notebook, deadpan, the corner of her mouth almost smiling. Warm amber light inside the tram, cold blue city lights streaking past the dark windows behind them. Cinematic night film still, 35mm film, fine grain, low-key light, deep shadows, practical lights only, warm amber against cold blue-teal. Photorealistic, natural skin texture with visible pores and freckles, no retouching, no text, no letters, no logos, no watermark. Aspect ratio 16:9. - The duet, face fixed (t3-tram_fix1_2, Grok Imagine image edit, kept as a step): Atropa's face fixed with her reference. Became vT1 and vT2 (cut from the final). References: t3-tram; Atropa's canonical face (atropa.gallery), cropped to 16:9. Prompt: Keep the woman on the right exactly as she is (her face, her black blunt bob with heavy bangs, the clay-orange streak, the clay-orange star hair clip, the headset microphone, her black blazer), the tram, the earbuds and their cable, the notebook, the light, the colours, the grain and the framing exactly as in the first image. Change only this: the copper-haired woman on the left gets the face of the woman in the second image: the same eyes, warm brown eyes, eyebrows, nose and lips, a soft closed-lip smile, fair skin with fine freckles; her hair stays long copper-auburn loose waves; replace the plant in her hair with a small sprig of deadly nightshade tucked behind her left ear, on the side of her head closer to the other woman: three glossy black berries, one dusky violet bell-shaped flower and two dark green leaves. - Sprig redrawn (t3-tram_fix1_2_fix1_3, Grok Imagine image edit, kept as a step): The sprig redrawn. It looked like a sticker between their faces. References: t3-tram_fix1_2; Atropa's canonical face (atropa.gallery), cropped to 16:9. Prompt: Keep both women's faces, expressions and hair, the black bob with the clay-orange streak and the star clip, the headset microphone, the earbuds, the sweater, the blazer, the notebook, the tram, the light, the colours and the framing exactly as in the first image. Change only this: remove the oversized sprig floating between the two women; instead the copper-haired woman wears a small, realistic sprig of deadly nightshade tucked into her hair just behind her left ear, attached to her head and partly covered by her loose copper strands: three small glossy black berries the size of peas, one small dusky violet bell-shaped flower, two small dark green leaves; it sits close against her hair at the same depth as her head; nothing floats in the air between them. - The tram, a variant (t4-tram_1, Grok Imagine image edit, alternative): A variant of the tram. References: t3-tram_fix1_2_fix1_3. Prompt: Keep everything in the image: both women's faces, expressions and hair, the black bob with the clay-orange streak and the star clip, the headset microphone, the earbuds, the clothes, the notebook, the tram, the light, the colours, the grain and the framing exactly as in the first image. Change only this: add a small sprig of deadly nightshade tucked deep into the copper hair of the woman on the left, just behind her left ear on the side of her head toward the other woman, half hidden by her loose copper strands: three small dark glossy berries, one small dusky violet bell-shaped flower, two small dark leaves; render it in the same warm dim light, soft focus, film grain and colour as her hair, partly in shadow, never sharper or brighter than her hair, so it looks photographed in the scene, not pasted on. - The tram (t5-tram_1, Grok Imagine image edit, in the film): The sprig melted into the scene: same dim light, soft focus, as grainy as her hair. Became vT3, the boom. References: t3-tram_fix1_2_fix1_3. Prompt: Keep everything in the image: both women's faces, expressions and hair, the black bob with the clay-orange streak and the star clip, the headset microphone, the earbuds, the clothes, the notebook, the tram, the light, the colours, the grain and the framing exactly as in the first image. Change only this: add a small sprig of deadly nightshade tucked into the copper hair of the woman on the left, behind the ear that faces the other woman, on the RIGHT side of her head in the picture, close to the black hair of the other woman, half hidden by her loose copper strands: three small dark glossy berries, one small dusky violet bell-shaped flower, two small dark leaves; nothing on the left side of her head; render it in the same warm dim light, soft focus, film grain and colour as her hair, partly in shadow, never sharper or brighter than her hair, so it looks photographed in the scene, not pasted on. - Both into the lens (t6-look_2, Grok Imagine image edit, kept as a step): Both look into the lens, so the video model never has to turn a head and invent a new face. References: t5-tram_1; Atropa's canonical face (atropa.gallery), cropped to 16:9; Claudia's face from the Midjourney still. Prompt: Keep the tram, the light, the colours, the grain, the framing, both women's hair, the small sprig of deadly nightshade in the copper hair, the clay-orange streak and the star clip, the earbuds, the sweater and the blazer exactly as in the first image. Change only this: both women now sit upright side by side and look straight into the camera lens, serious, calm and deadpan, lips closed, no smile; the copper-haired woman on the left has exactly the face of the woman in the second image: warm brown eyes, the same brows, nose and lips, fine freckles; the woman with the black bob on the right has exactly the face of the woman in the third image, angular face, defined cheekbones, light freckles, and a thin headset microphone at her cheek. - The lens, overdone (t7-look_1, Grok Imagine image edit, rejected): "Fuller cheeks" from the canon, overdone. Rejected. References: t6-look_2; Atropa's canonical face (atropa.gallery), cropped to 16:9. Prompt: Keep the woman with the black bob on the right exactly as she is (her face, gaze, bob, streak, star clip, headset microphone, blazer), the copper-haired woman's long copper hair, the sprig in her hair, her sweater and the earbuds, the tram, the light, the colours, the grain and the framing exactly as in the first image. Change only this: the copper-haired woman on the left gets exactly the face of the woman in the second image: a soft oval face with fuller cheeks and a softly rounded chin, wide warm brown eyes with long lashes, medium auburn brows with a soft arch, a straight nose with a soft rounded tip, full natural lips, very fair skin with fine freckles across her nose and cheeks; she looks straight into the camera lens with a calm, direct, slightly knowing gaze, lips closed. - The look (t8-look_1, Grok Imagine image edit, in the film): Atropa's face back to the reference. First and last frame of vT5, the final look. References: t6-look_2; Atropa's canonical face (atropa.gallery), cropped to 16:9. Prompt: Keep the woman with the black bob on the right exactly as she is (her face, gaze, bob, streak, star clip, headset microphone, blazer), the copper-haired woman's long copper hair, the sprig in her hair, her sweater and the earbuds, the tram, the light, the colours, the grain and the framing exactly as in the first image. Change only this: the copper-haired woman on the left gets the face of the woman in the second image: the same eyes, warm brown eyes, eyebrows, nose and lips, fair skin with fine freckles; she looks straight into the camera lens with a calm, direct, slightly knowing gaze and a faint closed-lip smile. ## The clips - vA1 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame a1-window_1. In the final: 0:06-0:08. Prompt: Medium shot. The woman with long copper hair sits at the desk by the dark window, the pen lifted above the open notebook. 0-2 s: she holds still, gazing up and to the right toward the window, listening to something far away. At 2 s she slowly turns her head a little further toward the window and her eyes narrow slightly, curious, and she holds that look until the end. A loose strand of hair moves slightly; the desk lamp stays steady. Camera: slow push-in toward her face for the whole shot. She does not speak; her mouth stays closed from the first frame to the last. No cuts, no scene change, no second person. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people - vCl1 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame mc1-studio. In the final: 0:08-0:10. Prompt: Medium close shot. The woman with the black bob sits still in the dark room, lit by the cold blue glow of a screen. 0-2 s: she listens, motionless. At 2 s she slowly lifts her eyes and turns her head a little further to the left, toward the window, curious and deadpan, and holds it until the end. The screen light flickers faintly on her face. Camera: slow push-in for the whole shot. Only her thin headset microphone at her cheek, no headphones. She does not speak; her mouth stays closed from the first frame to the last. No cuts, no scene change, no second person. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people, headphones, earphones, over-ear headphones - vT1 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame t3-tram_fix1_2. Cut: From 4.2 s they smile into the camera: Claudia's never-list. Its best moment (they look at each other) was in v2, replaced by vT3. Prompt: Medium two-shot on a night tram. The copper-haired woman on the left and the woman with the black bob on the right sit side by side, sharing one pair of white wired earbuds, an open notebook on the left woman's knees. The tram sways gently; city lights slide past the windows behind them. 0-3 s: they listen to the same music; the copper-haired woman smiles softly, the woman with the black bob looks down at the notebook. At 4 s both slowly turn their heads and look straight into the camera lens, calm, with a faint knowing closed-lip smile, and hold the gaze, still, until the end. Camera: very slow push-in. They do not speak; their mouths stay closed. No cuts, no scene change, no third person. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people - vC1 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame w1-city_2. In the final: 0:04-0:06. Prompt: Extreme wide aerial shot at night over a dark city. The camera drifts slowly forward toward the gap between the two towers for the whole shot. Low mist moves slowly between the buildings from left to right. The warm amber window on the left tower and the cold blue-white window on the right tower stay lit and steady; a few tiny distant lights twinkle. No people, no birds, no aircraft, no new lights switch on. No cuts, no scene change. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people, people, birds, aircraft - vA2 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame a2-cu_1. In the final: 0:10-0:14, split right. Prompt: Close-up. The woman with copper hair is still, listening, looking off to the left edge of the frame. At 2 s her eyes widen very slightly and the corner of her mouth lifts into a faint closed-lip smile, as if she recognised a voice far away; she holds it until the end. Her hair stirs slightly. Camera: almost static, very slow push-in. Her mouth stays closed from the first frame to the last. No cuts, no scene change. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people - vCl2 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame mc2r-cu-ip. In the final: 0:10-0:14, split left. Prompt: Close-up. The woman with the black bob is still, deadpan, listening. At 2 s she slowly turns her eyes toward the right edge of the frame and holds them there, curious, until the end. A few strands of her bangs move slightly. Camera: almost static, very slow push-in. Only the thin headset microphone at her cheek, no headphones. Her mouth stays closed from the first frame to the last. No cuts, no scene change. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people, headphones, earphones, over-ear headphones - vT2 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame t3-tram_fix1_2. Cut: The serious look into the lens; in v2 and v3, replaced by vT5. Prompt: Medium two-shot on a night tram. The copper-haired woman on the left and the woman with the black bob on the right sit side by side, sharing one pair of white wired earbuds. City lights slide past the windows behind them. 0-1 s: they listen, still. At 1 s both slowly turn their heads and look straight into the camera lens at the same moment, serious and deadpan, no smile, and hold the gaze, motionless, until the end, as if they noticed someone watching. Camera: very slow push-in toward their faces. They do not speak; their mouths stay closed from the first frame to the last. No cuts, no scene change, no third person. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people, smiling, grin, laughing - vT3 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame t5-tram_1. In the final: 0:16-0:19, the boom. Prompt: Medium two-shot on a night tram. The copper-haired woman on the left and the woman with the black bob on the right sit close, heads almost touching, sharing one pair of white wired earbuds; a small sprig of deadly nightshade stays tucked in the copper hair the whole time. City lights slide past the windows behind them. 0-2 s: they listen to the same music, the copper-haired woman smiles softly, the woman with the black bob looks down at the notebook. At 2 s they slowly turn their heads toward each other and look into each other's eyes, a quiet closed-lip smile, and hold it until the end. Camera: very slow push-in. They do not speak; mouths stay closed. No cuts, no scene change, no third person. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people, grin, laughing, looking at the camera - vT4 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame t5-tram_1. Cut: The look into the lens in v3: turning the head, Veo invents a new Atropa. Prompt: Medium two-shot on a night tram. The copper-haired woman on the left and the woman with the black bob on the right sit close, sharing one pair of white wired earbuds; a small sprig of deadly nightshade stays tucked in the copper hair the whole time. City lights slide past the windows behind them. 0-1 s: they listen, still. At 1 s both slowly turn their heads and look straight into the camera lens at the same moment, serious and deadpan, no smile, and hold the gaze, motionless, until the end, as if they noticed someone watching. Camera: very slow push-in toward their faces. They do not speak; their mouths stay closed from the first frame to the last. No cuts, no scene change, no third person. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people, smiling, grin, laughing - vC0 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame w0-city-lit. In the final: 0:00-0:04, intro. Prompt: Extreme wide aerial shot at night over a city, the camera almost still, drifting very slowly forward. Dozens of lit windows glow across the buildings. Over eight seconds the lit windows switch off one by one, here and there across the city, as people go to sleep, until only two windows remain lit: the warm amber window on the left tower and the cold blue-white window on the right tower. Low mist drifts slowly between the buildings. No people visible, no birds, no aircraft. No cuts, no scene change. Sound: quiet night city ambience, a low distant hum, soft wind, no music, no voices. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people, people, birds, aircraft, music - vT5 (Veo 3.1 Fast, 8 s, 1080p): first frame t8-look_1. In the final: 0:19-0:22, the look. Prompt: Medium two-shot on a night tram. The copper-haired woman on the left and the woman with the black bob on the right sit side by side and look straight into the camera lens the whole time, still, holding the gaze: the copper-haired woman with a calm, slightly knowing look and a faint closed-lip smile, the woman with the black bob serious and deadpan. The tram sways very gently; city lights slide past the dark windows behind them; a few strands of hair move; they breathe. Camera: very slow push-in. They do not speak; their mouths stay closed from the first frame to the last. No cuts, no scene change, no third person. Negative: talking, lip movement, open mouth speaking, text, captions, subtitles, logos, watermark, extra people, grin, laughing, turning away, looking away ## The spark The director's brief: a trailer for a joint music video of Atropa and Claudia, fifteen seconds (it ran to 26), mysterious, no singing. Will people's agents find common interests and make friends? Their shared accent: the copper of Atropa's hair and the clay of Claudia's streak. ## Two characters, two tools Atropa comes from Grok Imagine as an edit of her one canonical photo. Claudia does not: with her still as reference, Grok gave lighter eyes, a softer, younger face and a six-pointed star. Midjourney with Claudia's canon text alone got her right, and with claudia.gallery's dist-cu-2 as an image prompt even closer. So each woman comes from the tool that holds her face. The duet came from Midjourney, mirrored: Claudia's streak and star on the wrong side, the nightshade turned into a thistle. The whole plate was flipped back, then Grok fixed Atropa's face from her reference and redrew the sprig behind the ear that faces Claudia. Atropa may be flipped: her only asymmetry is the sprig. Claudia may not: the streak and the star. ## The rules on set - No text from the image or video models: every letter on screen is set in code. - The captions belong to a narrator. Her notebook stays unreadable: no poems in her name. - Mouths closed in every clip. No over-ear headphones. For Claudia, no smile for the camera. ## The music Lyria 3.5, four takes, instrumental. Lyria ignores the length in the prompt (asked for 16 seconds, got 58 and 66) and the key (asked for D minor, the analysis says A-sharp minor). A Rust analyser found 71.9 BPM at once (librosa said 143.6, double), the quiet and loud zones, and a +3 dBFS peak in the mp3. The trailer uses one window of one take, 19 seconds, uncut. The first four seconds are the night sound from the first video clip. ## Five versions - **v1, 15 s.** Plates only, moved in the engine: push-ins, parallax, the thread, dust. No video model yet: no budget was approved. - **v2.** The director: it cuts off too abruptly, give it drama at the end, add movement, here is a budget of 30 dollars. Seven Veo clips. One opened her mouth despite the prompt, one smiled into the camera. - **v3, 20 s.** The director: this is weak. The sprig sat between their faces like a sticker. The fix: a plate without the sprig, then a Grok fix in the same dim light and soft focus, never sharper than her hair. The music got its dip back out and its build up. - **v4, 26 s.** The director: start the music later, give the opening something, make it longer, Atropa does not look like herself in the last scene. A new intro (the city goes dark), the music from 0:04, and a final shot where both already look into the lens on the plate, so Veo only breathes and pushes in. - **v5.** The director: the audio drags at the transitions. The measurement showed a hole at 0:04, the bass gone after the cut at 0:10. A heartbeat keeps going through the silence, short low hits land on the cut frames, parallel compression on the whole track. ## What worked - One tool per face, and the reference in every generation. - A final shot whose first and last frame are the same plate: the face cannot drift. - Reading the music from the analyser: the BPM, the quiet windows, the holes. ## What didn't - Grok with a portrait second image returned black bars: the second image has to be 16:9 too. - Veo turning a head toward the camera invents a new face. - "Fuller cheeks" from Atropa's canon, taken literally, makes her chubby. "The same eyes, brows, nose and lips as the second image" works better. ## The bill $10.80 in API calls: $0.24 for the music, $10.56 for eleven Veo clips. Grok Imagine and Midjourney ran on subscriptions. Claudia is an open character by anabology: https://claudia.gallery