After our first playful experiment with GenAI in “The Fisheries Agency – An Elof Tale,” Peter Öberg and I couldn’t resist diving into a new Elof story. This time, with “The Northern Link,” we set out to create a short film with a more complex storyline, voice narration, and historical references. Inspired by the ongoing infrastructure project in Gothenburg, our fictional character Elof takes on his own ambitious tunnel-building attempt from the late 1930s. Here’s how we brought this nostalgic, humorous tale to life using GenAI tools.

A few weeks after wrapping up our first GenAI film project, “The Fisheries Agency – An Elof Tale,” my friend Peter Öberg and I found ourselves brainstorming ideas for the “next” Elof adventure. Partly driven by curiosity and partly by a desire to push GenAI tools further, we wanted to see how well AI could handle a more complex short film, incorporating dialogue, voice narration, and a more developed storyline.

This time, we aimed for a film just under two minutes to keep it manageable. Our main goal was to experiment with new techniques, but we also wanted to have some fun with it. We didn’t invest too heavily in scriptwriting or serious plot development—this was about testing the tools, learning, and having a laugh along the way.

The Storyline and Setting

Once again, Elof took center stage in our tale. For this story, we drew inspiration from current events in our hometown of Gothenburg, where an ongoing infrastructure project called Västlänken (The West Link) is reshaping the city landscape with a tunnel construction that’s stirred up public opinion due to delays and budget overruns. We decided to create a fictional backstory for Elof, imagining that he had attempted his own version of this project back in the 1930s, dubbing it “The Northern Link.” Of course, his endeavor was destined to fail—but in a humorous, nostalgic way that locals might recognize.

To make the story feel authentic, we focused on capturing details of the late 1930s Gothenburg, sourcing old photographs and adding “filler” clips of the city and its surroundings. For narration, we used an old journalistic style with a voice we trained specifically in ElevenLabs to resemble the tones of classic Swedish newsreels. We also chose a brass orchestra soundtrack to capture the feel of that era, along with historically accurate fonts for the title graphics. These details helped transport viewers to another time, making the short film feel true to its setting.

Developing Cinematic Techniques

This time, we went beyond the static, silent film approach of the first Elof movie. We wanted to mimic the evolving cinematic techniques of the era, so we analyzed old journal films and noticed a shift in how scenes were presented—more filler shots, smoother transitions, and a balance between narration and action. We tried to capture this in our own scenes, arranging them to keep the narrative flow without overcrowding the main footage with voiceovers.

The entire project took us about 16-20 hours, as we worked with new elements like voice narration and advanced editing. The process was an eye-opener, not only for understanding AI’s capabilities but also for appreciating the art of vintage cinematic storytelling. The end result was a charming little short film that blended nostalgic elements with our own playful take on historical events.

“The Fisheries Agency – An Elof Tale” began as a late-night exploration of GenAI video tools with my friend Peter Öberg. Inspired by the nostalgic charm of old Swedish silent films, we decided to create a one-minute silent film, featuring Peter’s larger-than-life, fictionalized grandfather, Elof. With GenAI as our tool and a vintage aesthetic as our guide, here’s how we turned a simple idea into a quirky short film, complete with classic silent-movie vibes.

The Fisheries Agency – An Elof Tale started as a spontaneous project born from a late-night creative jam session with my friend, Peter Öberg, in autumn 2023 (September 29, to be exact). Our conversation that night drifted toward the possibilities of GenAI video tools, and soon enough, we were brainstorming wild ideas about the kinds of short films we could create with these tools. One tool we used, Pika, was still in beta, with several limitations, including an embedded watermark on all clips, but that didn’t stop us.

We couldn’t resist the urge to create something simple yet unique. Inspired by old Swedish newsreel clips that played before feature films in theaters from the 1920s to the 1950s, we envisioned our project as a short, silent-style film. We aimed to capture that vintage aesthetic, using intertitles (text slides) to drive the storyline and a crackling old record for background music. This approach gave us both a theme and a set of creative boundaries, allowing us to turn the limitations of AI into a stylistic choice.

Crafting the Storyline and Style

Peter suggested his grandfather “Elof” as the protagonist. Elof, as Peter remembers him from family stories, was a bit of a character—a spirited entrepreneur with a reputation for doing things his own way. We set ourselves a one-minute time limit to keep the story focused and fun. With this loose structure, we brainstormed scenes and plot points to showcase Elof’s personality.

With the basic storyline sketched out, we split up the tasks. I created the initial images and generated clips, while Peter assembled the movie’s foundation by organizing frames, adding text slides, and working on sound. Once my clips were ready, I sent them to Peter, who arranged them into scenes, added sound effects, and applied vintage-style filters for that classic silent film look. In just 6-8 hours—from ideation to final product—we had a one-minute “trailer” for The Fisheries Agency, a quirky homage to Elof’s fictional exploits.