Beirut, Unfolding: A City Brought to Life with AI
Project Overview
This short animation is a heartfelt tribute to the city of Beirut, conceived as a living, breathing world that unfolds from the pages of a map. The project was born from a desire to capture the city's vibrant spirit in a unique, stylized aesthetic—a warm, sun-drenched miniature diorama. This entire visual language was discovered and defined in collaboration with AI, which served as the creative North Star for the 3D modeling, animation, and final cinematic execution. It's a technical exploration and an artistic love letter, crafted from my studio here in Dubai.
Storyboard
The Concept: The Pop-Up Soul of a City
The core idea is "The Living Map." The animation begins with a tangible, folded map—a symbol of history, plans, and memory. This map then magically transforms, its 2D lines and shapes rising and taking form. This "pop-up" effect is a metaphor for the city's dynamic soul, a representation of its culture, architecture, and spirit blossoming into a tangible, beautiful reality. The final diorama presents Beirut as a cherished jewel box, intricate and full of life.
Render
The AI-Powered Creative Workflow
This project's unique look was achieved through a seamless hybrid workflow, where AI-driven art direction guided the entire 3D production pipeline.
1. AI Art Direction & World-Building The entire visual foundation was built using the AI image generator Midjourney. My goal was not photorealism, but a specific, charming aesthetic. I directed the AI with descriptive prompts to find the perfect style.
This process allowed for rapid visual development, creating a definitive "hero frame" that established the color palette, lighting, architectural style, and overall mood. This AI-generated image became the single source of truth for the entire project's look and feel.
2. From 2D Blueprint to 3D Reality With the art direction locked, the vision was translated into three dimensions using Blender / Cinema 4D.
Modeling: Each landmark, building, and element was meticulously modeled to match the stylized, miniature aesthetic of the AI concept.
Animation: The most intricate part of the process was choreographing the transformation from the 2D map into the 3D city. This required complex rigging and keyframing to create a seamless and magical "pop-up" effect.
3. Compositing & Atmosphere The final step was to bring all the elements together in Adobe After Effects. The 3D renders were carefully composited, and the scene was enhanced with subtle atmospheric touches to bring it to life. The final cinematic color grade in DaVinci Resolve was used to perfectly match the warm, golden tones of the original AI vision.
Tool Stack
AI for Art Direction & Concept: Midjourney
3D Modeling & Animation: Blender / Cinema 4D
Compositing & Post-Production: Adobe After Effects, DaVinci Resolve
Conclusion
"Beirut, Unfolding" is a testament to the power of modern creative tools to tell personal and heartfelt stories. It showcases how AI can serve as a powerful collaborator in art direction, enabling a solo artist to design and execute a unique visual concept with depth and emotion. This project is a fusion of technology and artistry, all in service of celebrating a city's enduring spirit.
