🔍 Read the full analysis: A Night Of AI Filmmaking: Making Hollow House And Revising Version One on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
Thorsten Meyer says Hollow House, a 97-second AI-generated horror-comedy, took three versions to complete between the evening of Oct. 27 and about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 28. His account says the first cut looked polished but felt slow; the final version used three segments generated by one model with the cast supplied as references. The reported production cost was 2,220 Higgsfield credits, about $95 at the creator’s plan price.
Thorsten Meyer says he made and revised Hollow House, a 97-second AI-generated horror-comedy, across three versions in one night, finishing at about 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 28. In a behind-the-scenes account published Oct. 28, Meyer says the first cut looked good but was too slow, prompting a change in editing rhythm and production method before the final version was completed.
Meyer describes the story as a real ghost joining the staff of an extreme haunted attraction, where employees treat the supernatural emergency like a workplace issue. In one scene, a guest says the safe word, “cotton candy,” but the scaring does not stop; the shift lead responds by asking whether the ghost signed a waiver. The film’s characters, voices and sets were AI-generated, according to the account.
The production began with eight character reference images made using Google’s Nano Banana 2 image model through the Higgsfield platform. Meyer says those images were used as references for subsequent frames and video, helping keep appearances and costumes consistent. For the first version, the team generated 20 stills and animated them with Google’s Veo 3.1 fast mode. That cut ran 2 minutes 15 seconds.
Meyer says the first version’s problem was pacing, not image quality. By his count, it averaged 5.6 seconds per cut, while the short that inspired the project averaged about 1.8 seconds per image. After two unsuccessful versions, the final approach used three roughly 30-second segments generated with one model supplied with references for the full cast. The finished film runs 1:37. Meyer reports spending 2,220 Higgsfield credits, valued at about $95 under his plan, plus roughly 2,100 ElevenLabs characters for music and sound effects.
Why the Editing Changes Mattered
The account presents pacing and revision as the central production challenges, rather than simply generating convincing images. Meyer says the first cut had attractive visuals but lacked the quick rhythm he wanted for comedy. His comparison of cut lengths offers a concrete explanation for why the early version felt slow: its average shot was more than three times as long as the benchmark he used.
The workflow also shows how human choices shaped an AI-generated short. Meyer identifies three decisive interventions: rejecting the first cut as boring, changing how the cast was supplied to the video model, and applying the final colour grade. The account does not establish how broadly this process applies to other productions, but it documents one creator’s experience of using repeated generation, reference images and editorial judgment to finish a short film.
For viewers and filmmakers, the reported expense is another useful detail, though it reflects Meyer’s plan pricing and does not include a full accounting of labour or other possible costs. The production illustrates that a short AI film may involve substantial iteration even when the final runtime is under two minutes.
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From Character Sheets to Three Cuts
Meyer says the idea combines an extreme haunted attraction with an administrative workplace: staff have waivers and safe words, but the ghost does not follow the rules. He credits the structure to inspiration from an AI horror-comedy short shared on X, while saying the script, characters and jokes were his own. That distinction is based on Meyer’s account.
Before generating video, Meyer created one full-length reference image for each of eight characters. He says the images cost two credits apiece at 2K resolution and took less than two minutes to make. He used them to reduce visual drift between scenes, such as changes in hair colour, clothing or body shape. The first version then paired generated start frames with animated clips and built a 20-shot sequence.
Meyer also describes limitations encountered during that attempt. Veo rendered a shouted “HEY!” as the individual letters, and attempts at a full 180-degree head turn moved the character’s body as well. A scene intended to lift a guest off the floor was blocked in its first wording; a revised description of floating passed but produced little lift. Meyer says he checked generated dialogue with Whisper speech recognition, which helped identify wording errors and prompted a retake.
““Terribly boring and amateurish.””
— Thorsten Meyer, describing his first cut
What the Production Account Leaves Open
The production details come from Meyer’s own account; no independent production records or separate verification are provided in the source material. The article does not identify the precise model used for the final three segments, beyond saying one model received references for the whole cast, nor does it give a full breakdown of costs by version.
Meyer’s comparison with the inspiration short is based on his count of its cuts and runtime. The source does not provide an independently checked edit analysis or further details about the original short. It also does not specify how much of the reported overnight schedule was active work, waiting for generations, or editing. The figures should be read as the creator’s account of this production, not as general benchmarks for AI filmmaking.
The Film and Its Making Of
The completed Hollow House is available as a 1:37 short on YouTube, according to Meyer’s post. His account says it includes behind-the-scenes material such as character sheets, generated start frames, failed attempts and a contact sheet of the final cut. No further release, screening or production plans are specified in the material provided.
The immediate next step for readers is to watch the short alongside Meyer’s documented examples and compare the final pacing with the first version he describes. Whether the creator will publish more detailed cost records or a fuller breakdown of the second attempt is not stated.
Key Questions
What is Hollow House?
Hollow House is a 97-second horror-comedy short about a ghost joining the crew of an extreme haunted attraction. Meyer says its characters, voices and sets were AI-generated.
How many versions did Meyer make?
Meyer reports making three versions overnight. The first ran 2:15; the final cut runs 1:37. The source describes the final method but gives fewer specifics about the middle attempt.
What changed between the first and final versions?
Meyer says the first version used 20 shots averaging 5.6 seconds each and felt too slow. The final version used three roughly 30-second segments generated with one model that had references for the cast.
How much did the production cost?
Meyer reports using 2,220 Higgsfield credits, which he values at about $95 under his plan, plus around 2,100 ElevenLabs characters for music and sound effects. The figure is his account and is not presented as a complete production-cost audit.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
