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Nicolas Neubert’s Genesis looks like a glimpse of a much larger science-fiction production: humans, machines and a dystopian future compressed into a 45-second trailer. But it was a concept piece, not a finished film—and its creation was directed by a person, using generative tools to build and animate images. Neubert said the work took about seven hours across two sessions, drawing on a visual world he had already begun developing.
Who is Nicolas Neubert?
When VentureBeat interviewed him in August 2023, Neubert was a senior product designer at Elli, Volkswagen Group’s electric-mobility subsidiary, and was based in Cologne, Germany. He was not presenting himself as a conventional film director. His route into Genesis came through product design and experimentation with Midjourney: making images, refining visual ideas and exploring what generative tools could let one person create.
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That distinction matters. Genesis was not a film autonomously made by AI. Neubert conceived its premise and visual direction, generated and selected material, decided what to animate, and edited the final sequence. His current portfolio presents him as working across AI creative direction, product design and creative projects; those career details are his own portfolio’s account, rather than an independently audited résumé. Neubert’s portfolio
An image world came before the trailer
The project began with images, not a conventional screenplay-and-shoot plan. In the week before he made the trailer, Neubert had posted three related science-fiction image series. They established a world of humans, robots, militarized settings and conflict. He had a pool of roughly 40 images to draw on. The arrival of Runway Gen-2’s image-to-video feature gave him a reason to turn some of those stills into moving shots.
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Neubert’s stated premise was a human struggle against humanoid machines. The visual language draws on familiar dystopian science-fiction themes, but he named influences including Star Wars, Silo, Starfield and Cyberpunk 2077 as part of his wider interest in the genre—not as evidence that Genesis adapts any of those properties. He also said science fiction suited the image tools he was using because they could produce compelling genre imagery.
How Neubert made Genesis
- Build and refine the visual material. Neubert used Midjourney to generate science-fiction stills, adapting prompts and imagery from the world he had already established. He selected images with compositions and subjects that could plausibly work in motion.
- Animate chosen stills. He brought selected images into Runway Gen-2, the image-to-video system available at the time. VentureBeat described the early system as generating clips of about four seconds, adding motion such as camera movement and a sense of depth. The result was a collection of short shots, not a controllable, continuous 3D scene.
- Add music. Neubert used music sourced from Pixabay. Forbes identifies the track as one by Stringer_Bell via Pixabay. That is a record of the project’s reported source, not a guarantee that the same track—or any Pixabay track—is cleared for every use today. Forbes’ report on the trailer
- Assemble and shape the trailer. He edited in CapCut, adding timing, cuts, transitions, graphics and music. He told VentureBeat that he chose CapCut because it was free and Adobe Premiere was not installed on the computer he was using.
- Publish and explain the process. Neubert first posted the trailer on X, then shared it through Instagram and LinkedIn. He also shared prompts and a walkthrough, making the production method part of the story around the finished video.
Neubert estimated that the trailer itself took around seven hours: about five hours in one night, with missing scenes and final edits completed the next day around his regular job. That figure describes a concentrated production burst, not the full time behind the project’s visual development. It excludes, at minimum, the preceding image-series work and familiarity with the tools. After publication, he said the wider Genesis image world grew to roughly 500 images.
The original project used Runway Gen-2 in 2023. Runway’s current product offering has since evolved, so the old model, generation limits and interface should not be treated as a present-day workflow guide. Runway’s current product overview
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What AI did—and what Neubert did
The tools supplied visual material and motion. They did not independently decide what Genesis was about or turn a complete story into a finished film. Neubert supplied the premise, prompted and iterated, chose images, decided which clips were usable, built the sequence, set its pace and selected the music. Those choices are part of authorship and direction, even when some of the images and movement are generated.
This is why “AI-assisted” or “human-directed” is more accurate than “made entirely by AI.” The trailer’s strongest moments may suggest a coherent world and a larger story, but a cinematic montage is not the same thing as a developed screenplay, consistent cast, controlled scene coverage or completed feature.
Why it attracted attention
Genesis combined a recognizable sci-fi premise with a cinematic short-form edit and a strikingly lean production setup. In mid-2023, image-to-video generation was new enough to make the shift from still images to moving clips a notable demonstration. The trailer also arrived with an accessible explanation of how it had been assembled, which gave viewers a process to discuss as well as a finished video.
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VentureBeat reported about 1.5 million views at the time of its August 2023 article. Neubert told the outlet his X following had risen by roughly 4,000–5,000 over the week after publication, from about 17,000 to around 22,000. These are historical figures reported in 2023, not current audience totals. The coverage included outlets such as CNN and Forbes, according to the interview. VentureBeat’s interview with Neubert
The limits behind the spectacle
Short AI-generated shots can be impressive individually and still be difficult to make work as a continuous film. In an image-to-video workflow, the creator has limited control over motion and may have to contend with faces or limbs changing, costumes and objects drifting, inconsistent environments, unwanted camera movement, flicker or unconvincing physics. A selection of striking clips can also be hard to connect into a story with stable characters and clear cause and effect.
Neubert himself said the quality available at the time was not yet good enough for ordinary commercial projects, and described Genesis primarily as a technology demonstration. Its 45 seconds show that generative tools could help one person prototype an evocative visual world quickly. They do not demonstrate reliable feature-length continuity, a repeatable professional production pipeline, rights clearance or a finished narrative film.
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A traditional 3D approach using tools such as Blender or Cinema 4D, or production in a game engine, could offer more control over characters, environments and camera movement. But it would generally require more technical skill and time; some software may also involve licensing costs. Neubert’s comparison was a practical observation, not a measured study of production budgets. The useful distinction is rapid visual prototyping versus a slower, more controllable production process—not “AI” versus “no work.” A hybrid approach can use AI for concept art or previs while humans retain detailed control over script, design, performance, shots and finishing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.AI, creative work and the Hollywood debate
The 2023 interview took place during the writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood, amid intense debate about AI’s impact on creative jobs. Neubert acknowledged the concern but argued that AI could lower barriers for people with ideas who lack drawing, animation or production skills. He emphasized the continuing importance of human storytelling and emotional connection, and saw the tools as a way for individuals to do more.
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That is Neubert’s view, not a settled conclusion about employment or the economics of filmmaking. A solo concept trailer and a professional production involving writers, performers, designers, crew and editors are different kinds of work. Questions about training data, consent, credit, compensation and the replacement or alteration of jobs are not answered by showing that one person can make a short visual demo quickly.
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Did Genesis become a full movie?
The available sources do not establish that Genesis became a completed feature film. Neubert told VentureBeat he wanted to expand the world and make more stories, while noting that an independently produced feature with the 2023 tools seemed unlikely; he left open the possibility of collaboration with a studio or platform. His current portfolio continues to list Genesis as a major project and presents it as award-recognized, including a Webby Awards Honoree listing. That portfolio entry is not evidence of a feature adaptation. Neubert’s portfolio
What to check before trying a similar workflow
The tool combination that made sense for a 2023 experiment is not a timeless recipe. Image and video models, interfaces, prices, export limits and terms change. Anyone making a new project should check the current terms for each service, especially commercial-use permissions, how uploaded material may be used, and any restrictions tied to a free or paid plan.
Check the license attached to the specific music track, too; “free” does not automatically mean suitable for every client, advertisement or commercial release. Review rights issues involving source images, recognizable people, characters, logos and protected styles. Keep records of the licenses and terms that apply to the assets you use. This is practical rights-checking, not legal advice.
Finally, allow for selection and revision. A workable process needs compatible stills, many possible generations, a video editor and human judgment about which shots support the story. The difficult part is not only making an image move; it is making a sequence feel intentional.
Why Genesis still matters
Genesis was not proof that AI had solved filmmaking or that a feature could be made in seven hours. Its significance is narrower and more useful: it showed how a creator could turn an existing visual idea into a cinematic prototype with a small, consumer-accessible toolchain. The lowered barrier was real; the need for taste, story, editing, continuity and production control did not disappear.
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