Cinematic Trailer Pipeline

The complete brand-trailer production system for Graeham Watts. Codifies the full workflow from concept to finished MP4. Built from the lessons of building "The Last 47 Days" — what worked, what failed twice, and the editorial craft that saved it.

Stack updated 2026-07-29: the video-generation engine changed from PAI 2.0/UTOPAI (retired) to Higgsfield (Seedance 2.0 primary, Kling 3.0 fallback), matching higgsfield-video/cinematic-hooks. Phase 3 below reflects the new stack. This has not been run end-to-end on a real trailer yet — unlike the PAI version, which was battle-tested on "The Last 47 Days." Treat the new Phase 3 as a first draft; expect to discover new gotchas on the first live run and update this file afterward, the same way the PAI gotchas got documented.

When to use this skill

Use this any time the user wants a cinematic short-form video with narrative structure — typically a 30–90 second piece with:

• A story arc (setup → tension → climax → resolution)
• Multiple distinct scenes / shots
• Voiceover narration
• Music bed and sound design
• A title card / brand drop