City & Tourism
Set to a spring song, Haidian's gardens, culture and everyday tech life come together in a city film played on the stage of an offline event.
01 / Background
We made this promo video for an offline event in Haidian, to be played on the screen behind the stage. The spring imagery in the song had to match the real Haidian: gardens and campuses, but also tech companies, robots and residents' daily lives, adding up to a complete picture of the district.
The shots follow the lyrics, combining real-location references, AI-made sequences and city and people footage supplied by the client. The garden sections had to be recognizable as real places and clearly show the season, while the tech sections imagine the future. Transitions between the two are planned so that viewers see Haidian's many sides simply by following the song.
02 / Creative Highlights
With lots of garden footage, landscape after landscape can leave viewers unsure what they're looking at. Willow branches, flower fields, water and historic buildings appear one by one as the lyrics name them, and red-and-white handwritten subtitles keep viewers on the lyrics, so the scenery's rhythm matches the song.
The opening had to feel AI and tech right away, so the double-helix landmark was made into a blue-purple holographic landscape, then the lawns, buildings and water were restored in the same composition. The garden section follows with a bright, true-to-life look, and the labs, robots and future vehicles that come later open up the imagination. Each kind of image has its own part, and the thread of the city never breaks.
In the robot-hands-over-water scene, the main view is the delivery rider's face, with the robot shown only from behind with its tray, so viewers see the person being cared for and the way he takes the cup. In the canteen, people of different ages share a table and chat, echoing the “three meals a day” lyric. Technology shows up through how the people using it feel, which moves viewers more than simply showing off equipment.
03 / Scene Breakdown
The prelude starts at the double-helix landmark in Zhongguancun, then one lyric, one scene: misty willows on the West Dike, the grassy slopes of the Western Hills, painted boats on the Kunyu River, swans at the Old Summer Palace, wild geese over the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, tulip fields, and finally the footbridge at sunset by the Qinghe River.
The double-helix sculpture, buildings and reflections drawn in blue-purple wireframe turn, in the same composition, into a golden sculpture with green trees and water in the sun, then cut to a pleasure boat below Longevity Hill.
A white curved roof is reflected in still water; the next shot rises into the air, looking down on the light trails of traffic beside the venue.
A traditional-style painted boat glides across the lake, weeping willows and pink peach blossoms fill one corner of the frame, and visitors stroll along the lakeside path.
A black swan leads a few fluffy cygnets across the water in front of the ruined columns of the Old Summer Palace; in the next shot a line of wild geese flies over the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, its arches lit gold by the evening sun.
First a tulip field fills the view, then a low-angle shot from ground level shows pink and yellow blooms against the blue sky, while the words being sung are enlarged one by one.
A curved footbridge spans the water, and the figures on it are reflected in the river along with the sunset glow, closing the garden section.
The lyrics move from “Meeting you made it extraordinary” to “In the institutes, researchers tackle tough problems.” After encounters on campus comes an interlude of local companies and tech parks (some of the company buildings and aerial shots are client-supplied footage), then the tech section with labs, robots and aerospace.
Students with backpacks walk through Tsinghua University's gate in twos and threes; by Weiming Lake, a young man and woman shake hands as they meet, with a band playing behind them.
Several researchers in dark blue uniforms run an experiment together around a holographic device; then a long scroll unrolls, with the CCTV Tower and garden buildings floating on the paper as blue holograms.
A humanoid robot crosses the finish line and waves to the audience, while people on both sides take photos on their phones and applaud.
Holographic screens surround a spacecraft awaiting launch as engineers in white coats inspect it below; the next shot shows a row of students in blue vests holding remote controls, tuning robots on a table.
The pace picks up: a band on stage, visitors looking through photos, a marathon, young people on self-balancing shoes, then an interlude back to the Marble Boat and palace roof ridges of the Summer Palace. The few city aerial shots at the end of the section come from client-supplied footage.
Stage pyrotechnics shoot up, a band plays in the lights, and the crowd waves colorful glow sticks.
Young people hold up phones and photos to compare with the lake and lotus pond in front of them, and the camera follows the phone screen from photo to real scene.
Runners pour through the arch of the Haidian Marathon; then two young people glide between glass buildings on self-balancing shoes and high-five.
Swallows skim past the Marble Boat at the Summer Palace; the next shot moves slowly along the guardian beasts on a palace roof ridge, with the sunset in the distance.
The lyric about “going to Beijing for the exam, answering at Xiangshan” is shot along the historical route: first Qinghuayuan Station, then the Xiangshan Revolutionary Memorial Hall; after that come the Beijing–Zhangjiakou Railway heritage site, a family of three in a park, stage performances and the Three Hills and Five Gardens.
The camera pushes past the old sign of Qinghuayuan Station, then a young man in a Zhongshan suit walks toward the Xiangshan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, its entrance covered in flowers.
An older man and a young man look through a red booklet together; then come the rust-red walls of the Jingzhang Qinghuayuan museum and the green train carriages parked in the heritage park.
Under a cherry tree, a father holds his child, who offers a candied hawthorn to the mother's lips; she smiles and bites one off.
On stage, a man and a woman in hanfu reach toward each other as the landscape scroll behind them comes alive; in the next shot Longevity Hill in the mist slowly turns from realistic to ink wash, then lands on the gold roofs and red walls of the Palace Museum Northern Branch by the lake.
A former director of the Palace Museum, a young scientist, an Olympic champion, an actor and a foreign teacher each say “Welcome to Haidian.” These greeting videos were supplied by the client; we enhanced the image quality and added name and title captions in a single style.
Guests greet the camera, with a blue caption on the left giving their name and title and red handwritten lyric subtitles in the shared style below.
The final section returns to everyday life: a robot hands water to a delivery rider, and an older man and a student share noodles at a Haidian canteen table; then come a digital city, a future convoy, a gong-striking market opening and a signing ceremony, before returning to the opening double helix.
A white robot carries a tray up to a delivery rider, who picks up a cup of hot water and drinks it, with a flowering sidewalk behind.
A robot serves food at the counter to people in line; at a table, an older man and a high school student share noodles and chat.
A child stands in front of a curved screen and, with a swipe of a finger, turns the whole city outside the window into a pale blue digital model.
Streamlined future cars drive side by side past a quantum information institute; in the next shot several guests raise mallets to strike a gong as confetti falls.
A corporate signing ceremony in front of a large blue screen gives way to aerial shots of a campus and city buildings at sunrise, and finally a low-angle shot of the golden double helix as the song sings “Come to Haidian.”
04 / Storyboards & Final Frames
Listed in the order of the finished film, each shot notes its lyric and what's on screen, followed by the approved frame used in the film. Client-supplied live footage and guest videos are not listed here.
Shot 1.1
In the same composition, the blue-purple holographic wireframe turns into a golden double helix and its reflection in the sun, so viewers can tell from the very start that these are AI images.
Shot 1.2
The Tower of Buddhist Incense on Longevity Hill and pleasure boats on the lake make it clear from the opening that this is Haidian.
Shot 1.3
Old meets new: after the gardens comes the permanent venue of the Zhongguancun Forum, its reflections and the light trails seen from above introducing innovative Haidian.
Shot 2.1
Visitors walk along the West Dike, the willows just turning green, with the Tower of Buddhist Incense in the distance.
Shot 2.2
Sunlight falls through willow branches onto the water in bright, fresh greens that say early spring at a glance.
Shot 2.3
A pagoda and grassy slopes in the Western Hills with the city in the distance; a close-up of dew on blades of grass.
Shot 2.4
A painted boat crosses the lake past soft pink peach blossoms on the shore in a bright frame.
Shot 2.5
A river lined with falling cherry blossoms, the CCTV Tower in the distance, the city close to the water; a red pleasure boat passes over the emerald river.
Shot 2.6
In front of the ruined columns of the Old Summer Palace, a black swan leads a few fluffy cygnets; the swans are large enough in frame and the water is emerald, so they're easy to see.
Shot 2.7
A line of wild geese over the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, clearly visible in frame, with the bridge's arches lit by the evening sun.
Shot 2.8
Looking down on the pavilions of the new Changchun Garden by the water, the lake clear and bright.
Shot 2.9
First the whole tulip field, then a low-angle shot up at the blooms to bring out their bright, lively colors.
Shot 2.10
An aerial view of a lake surrounded by green trees, with the city skyline in the distance.
Shot 2.11
The lake reflects weeping willows, peach blossoms and the pagoda on the hill, with clear distant mountains and vivid blossoms.
Shot 2.12
A curved footbridge at sunset, the figures on it reflected in the water along with the evening glow.
Shot 3.1
No close-up on any one person; instead a group of students seen from behind walks through Tsinghua's gate, and Weiming Lake is framed by spring leaves.
Shot 3.2
The AI Origin Community is shown as buildings with holographic light effects, followed by a wide shot of a neat tech park.
Shot 3.3
Several researchers run an experiment together around a holographic device, with no one person singled out.
Shot 3.4
First-and-last-frame shot: a robotic hand takes up a brush and paints Haidian on a long scroll, with the CCTV Tower and garden buildings in blue hologram.
Shot 3.5
The red Zhongguancun No.1 sign stands among the buildings, lifted by its reflection on the ground.
Shot 3.6
A humanoid robot crosses the finish line, then waves to the audience.
Shot 3.7
An aerospace workshop surrounded by holographic screens for a more futuristic feel.
Shot 3.8
Students in blue vests tune robots in an arena.
Shot 3.9
Robotic arms and researchers gather around a glowing holographic model, showing large AI models and human-machine collaboration.
Shot 4.1
A bright shopping complex and a lively pedestrian street set up the youth section.
Shot 4.2
A concert stage, glow sticks waving in the crowd, dazzling lights.
Shot 4.3
Young people holding photos and phones compare them with the spring lake in front of them.
Shot 4.4
The start of the Haidian Marathon, with runners crowding under the arch.
Shot 4.5
Two young people glide between glass buildings and high-five.
Shot 4.6
Swallows skim past the Marble Boat, with peach blossoms and willows on the shore marking spring.
Shot 5.1
In historical order: first Qinghuayuan Station, then the Xiangshan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, which was drawn from real photos.
Shot 5.2
An older man and a young man look through a red booklet together.
Shot 5.3
The museum walls and green train carriages at the Beijing–Zhangjiakou Railway Heritage Park, with the fresh green leaves of spring.
Shot 5.4
In an outdoor park, a child offers a candied hawthorn to the mother's lips.
Shot 5.5
“Culture” is shown through performance: a packed theater, with a landscape scroll as the stage backdrop.
Shot 5.6
Two performers in hanfu reach toward each other on stage, wrapped in flowing light from the landscape behind them.
Shot 5.7
Longevity Hill appears realistic first, then slowly bleeds into ink wash; next comes the Palace Museum Northern Branch by the lake.
Shot 5.8
A young couple takes photos in front of a red wall and peach blossoms.
Shot 6.1
A robot hands water to a delivery rider: the rider faces the camera, the robot is seen from the side and back, and the uniform is clean and neat.
Shot 6.2
A family looks at a space station model in an aerospace exhibition hall, close enough to the camera that you can see what they're looking at.
Shot 6.3
A red canteen sign on a storefront that blends tech and classical styles; a robot serves food at the counter.
Shot 6.4
An older man and a high school student share noodles; young people in brightly colored clothes carry trays and say hello.
Shot 6.5
With a swipe in front of the screen, a child turns the whole city into a digital model.
Shot 6.6
Primary school students in red scarves throw paper airplanes on the grass.
Shot 6.7
A streamlined future car drives past a quantum information institute, the grass lush and green.
Shot 6.8
A gong strike opens trading, followed by a group scene at a major corporate signing ceremony.
Shot 6.9
An aerial shot of a campus with the sun rising on the right, for a grand ending.
Shot 6.10
A panorama of tech buildings in the sun.
Shot 6.11
A low-angle shot of the golden double helix against blue sky, white clouds and green trees, echoing the opening.
05 / Results
We completed a roughly 3:34 landscape city music promo that played on the stage backdrop at an offline event in Haidian, accompanying the performance of “Shang Haidian” as performers danced in front of the big screen. The live performance went very well and won the approval of the officials and audience on site.
Case Study
On stage, performers dance with red fans in hand.
Behind them, a whole wall of screen changes scenes with the lyrics: misty willows on the West Dike, swans at the Old Summer Palace, robots in Zhongguancun, a bowl of noodles at the Haidian Canteen.
This is the city promo MV we made for the General Office of the Haidian District People's Government, Beijing. At 3 minutes 34 seconds, it played on the stage backdrop at an offline event in Haidian, accompanying the performance of “Shang Haidian.”
01
“Shang Haidian” is a song supplied by the client. It borrows the tune of “Shang Chunshan” (Up the Spring Mountain), with new lyrics about Haidian's places and stories.
It sings about a lot: the Summer Palace, the Western Hills, the Kunyu River, the Old Summer Palace, and also “Two Bombs, One Satellite,” “the Zhongguancun spirit” and “the Haidian Canteen, three meals a day.” When the number is performed, the performers dance up front and the audience can look up at the big screen behind them.
So the film's first requirement was: whatever line is being sung, the screen shows that place. We first broke the lyrics down line by line by timecode, then matched shots to each line, splitting the whole film into more than seventy shots. The garden sections had to be recognizable, the tech sections imaginative, and the everyday-life sections warm and familiar.
02
The client had two ideas for the opening: the first frame should be iconic and instantly say Haidian, and it should also be a little “cool,” so people know from the start that these are AI-generated images.
We tried a few directions: a drone scanning the landmark, and a gongbi painting turning realistic. In the end we chose hologram to real scene: Zhongguancun's double-helix sculpture first appears in blue-purple wireframe, with trees, buildings and reflections all drawn in glowing lines, then, in the same composition, becomes a golden sculpture with green trees and water in the sun.
The buildings, trees and water sit in exactly the same places in both versions, so the change doesn't jump. The film ends on the same double helix, bringing it full circle.
In the same composition, the blue-purple wireframe double helix becomes a golden sculpture in the sun, then cuts to Longevity Hill.
03
A promo film shows real places, so the images can't just be “pretty scenery.” After reviewing it shot by shot, the client gave very specific notes: yellowing leaves looked like autumn and needed to be fresh green; the peach blossoms should be pinker; the Summer Palace is close to the city, so the buildings in the distance can't be too far away; the swans needed to be clearly visible and the geese bigger.
Our approach: Wherever a real location could be found, we followed it. For places like the Xiangshan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, the Beijing–Zhangjiakou Railway Heritage Park and Qinghuayuan Station, we found real photos as references before generating. Any image that didn't match a real place was cut; we never made up a place.
For the line “to Beijing for the exam, answering at Xiangshan,” the client wanted the shots in historical order: setting out from Qinghuayuan Station, then on to Xiangshan. So we put the station first and the memorial hall second, letting viewers follow the route through the lyrics.
A black swan leads its cygnets past the ruined columns; a line of wild geese flies over the Seventeen-Arch Bridge lit by the evening sun.
04
The tech lyrics are weighty: “In the institutes, researchers tackle tough problems,” “Two Bombs, One Satellite,” “Powered by AI, driving innovation.” The client made a key point: the people in the film are AI-generated, not real individuals, so a big close-up on any one person means nothing.
. So we turned these shots into group scenes: several researchers running an experiment together around a holographic device, students tuning robots together, and a joint signing ceremony in front of a big screen in place of a single signing. The sense of technology comes from holographic screens, robotic arms and glowing models, while the people are there “doing the work.”
For the running robot, the client felt the movement was too repetitive. We added a wave to the audience after it crosses the finish line to give the shot some variety, and redesigned the future convoy with streamlined shapes that don't resemble any existing car model.
A humanoid robot waves to the audience after crossing the finish line as people beside it film on their phones.
05
For the line “Warm Haidian,” we didn't film how advanced the equipment is. We filmed a single action: a robot carrying a tray hands a cup of hot water to a delivery rider.
The camera shows the rider's face, while the robot is seen only from the side and back with its tray, so the first thing viewers see is the person taking the water. The client also pointed out that the rider's clothes should be clean and neat, so we remade the uniform.
“The Haidian Canteen, three meals a day” follows the same idea: a robot serves food at the counter, and an older man and a high school student share noodles at a table. Technology isn't the star here; the people living their lives are.
A robot hands hot water to a delivery rider, who takes it and drinks.
06
The film plays on a big stage screen and the audience sits far away, so the lyric subtitles had to be much larger than usual.
We made a few single-shot font comparisons for the client to choose from and settled on a red-and-white handwritten style; all lyrics were set on a single line with even letter spacing. The client also wanted each word to grow as it's sung, which meant keyframing word by word against the vocals: 357 keyframes across the film.
The subtitles were built as a separate transparent-background project, so after being laid over the picture they can be scaled up as a whole to fit the stage screen and the edges of the characters stay crisp.
“The Monet Garden has gone viral”: each word grows as it's sung, over images of the tulip field.
07
This film includes gardens, tech and everyday scenes we generated with AI, along with company buildings, city aerials and guest greetings supplied by the client. Our job was to string them together to the rhythm of one song, grade them to the same bright spring tone, and add subtitles readable on a big screen.
For government and city promotion, AI isn't only useful for “creating images no one has seen before.” It also lets us revise shot by shot based on the client's notes: swap anything that doesn't look like Haidian, brighten anything too dark, add people wherever people belong.
In the end, it played on stage alongside the performers' dance. The live performance went very well and won the approval of the officials and audience on site.
FAQ
Wherever a real location exists, we first find real photos as references before generating, as with the Xiangshan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, the Beijing–Zhangjiakou Railway Heritage Park and Qinghuayuan Station in this project. Any image that doesn't match a real place is cut; we never generate made-up places. Every shot is approved by the client before it's final.
This project broke the lyrics down line by line into more than seventy shots. A lyric storyboard demo came first in April 2025; full production began in mid-October, the first complete cut was delivered within a week, then each shot was refined based on the client's notes, with the final version delivered in November.
Yes. This film is 1920×1080 landscape and played on the stage backdrop at an offline event in Haidian alongside the performance. The lyric subtitles were enlarged for the big screen and set on a single line, with each word growing as it's sung; the subtitles were made separately on a transparent background, so they can be scaled to the screen size without blurring.
Yes. Some of the company buildings, city aerials and guest greetings in this film came from the client. We enhanced the image quality, brightened the color and unified the subtitle style, then cut them together with the AI-generated shots to the rhythm of the song.
Approach
During production, shots were planned line by line against the lyrics, then checked for landmarks and season: the opening uses the highly recognizable double helix, while leaf color, water, blossom color and overall brightness were all set for early spring, keeping the spring gardens bright and fresh. Sections involving historical reconstruction based their buildings on digital reconstruction materials supplied by the client.
For the same scene we made a holographic version and a realistic version, then used first and last frames to transition between styles, keeping the buildings, trees, sculpture and water in the same positions. For other everyday shots, actions were broken down in finer detail, such as the robot carrying the tray and the rider taking the cup, with careful control of where props sit, so the generated movement says exactly what the lyrics mean.
In post, the picture and lyrics were synced to the song's audio, a red-and-white handwritten typeface was chosen, and the subtitles were built as an After Effects project. Text size, line count and layout direction were all set for viewing from the audience, so people reading the lyrics from their seats follow them at a steady pace.
More Work
Ideal for brand launches · public-sector communications · cultural-tourism campaigns · IP transformation · event openers · earnings visualization · social campaigns · AI workflow development
