Culture & ArtsAI visuals support
From a girl in blue to a divine bird carrying stones, unyielding will becomes action you can see.
01 / Background
“Jingwei Fills the Sea” on “Exploring China Through Idioms” uses AI visuals to tell the myth of Nüwa, a girl lost at sea who becomes the Jingwei bird and flies back and forth between the mountains and the sea. Liandan AI Studio provided the story visuals: viewers had to see that the girl and the divine bird are the same life, and “carrying stones and twigs and dropping them into the East Sea” had to be told clearly.
We first defined the girl with water-blue clothes, hair ornaments and ribbons, then carried that palette over to the divine bird, with blue-and-white feathers, a warm-toned crest and glowing details. Dawn light, storms, underwater light and moonlit nights: the setting keeps changing, while the movements and colors keep viewers sure of who the hero is.
02 / Creative Highlights
Nüwa and Jingwei share the same blue palette and flowing lines. Golden streams of light underwater lead into blue-and-white wings, so the transformation after the shipwreck reads clearly on screen; the character changes form, but viewers still know it is the same life.
The warm light on the meadow and the sunlit sea gives way to dark clouds, lightning and deep water, and the mood turns from light to heavy. Close shots of the girl's face alternate with wide shots of the small boat, capturing what she feels while showing how small a person is before the sea.
The picture clearly shows the stone in Jingwei's beak, then cuts to her skimming low over the water and to twigs underwater. Action, object and the result of falling into the water are linked, so filling the sea is no longer just a line of narration but something viewers see with their own eyes.
Mountains, sea, wind and rain and a huge moon keep changing while the little bird keeps flying. Wide shots show how vast heaven and earth are, close shots hold on her determined gaze, and the contrast of one small bird against the boundless sea runs throughout.
03 / Scene Breakdown
First the mystery of the sea: islands, sunrise, giant waves glowing with fluorescence; then onto land: a palace in the mountains, a rabbit in the grass and a smiling girl in blue.
The camera flies from misty islands to the coast as sunrise lights the sea, then a giant wave rises, its crest glowing an eerie blue.
A palace among the mountains is wreathed in mist; the next shot lands on a rabbit in the grass with its ears pricked up.
A girl in blue smiles at the camera, butterflies fluttering around her, then picks up the rabbit. The first person viewers meet is a lively young girl.
Nüwa takes a small boat out to play on the East Sea; sunshine and leaping fish turn in an instant into dark clouds and lightning. The boat is swallowed by huge waves, and she sinks into the sea.
An overhead shot of a small boat drifting on the blue sea, Nüwa sitting at the bow as golden fish leap out of the water around her.
The sunlight on the sea is swallowed by dark clouds, and lightning links up into a web across the sky.
In the wind and rain, Nüwa looks back in panic, her face streaming with seawater; in the next shot she has already sunk beneath the waves, her ribbons floating up in the water.
A burst of golden light wells up underwater, a pillar of light shoots from the sea into the sky, and a small blue-and-white bird flies out, skimming the waves.
Golden streams of light glow in the water, then a pillar of light shoots from the surface into the sky as the blue-and-white Jingwei spreads her wings out of the waves.
Jingwei skims over the crests of the waves, just a tiny speck against the sea. The narration says that although the Jingwei bird is small, her will is extraordinary.
Jingwei spreads her wings toward the morning sun; the next shot cuts back to Nüwa lying with her eyes closed on the seabed. Her new identity and her past are joined.
A close-up of Jingwei's eyes shows her resolve: she will fill the East Sea. She then flies back to the mountains and carries back stones and twigs.
A close-up of Jingwei's eyes, her gaze sharp; the camera pulls back as she flies low over the sea at sunset. The narration says she has made a grand vow.
The image of Nüwa underwater with her eyes closed flashes back once more, followed by misty mountains, where Jingwei will gather her stones.
Jingwei flies through the mountains at sunset with something in her beak, then all the way out over the East Sea.
The stone drops, and the sea is still the same sea. Through storms and moonlit nights, Jingwei flies trip after trip without stopping.
Jingwei flies over the spray by the reef and drops the stone into the sea; the camera sinks underwater into deep blue with no bottom in sight.
Dark clouds and lightning bear down on the sea as Jingwei flies on against huge waves, followed by a close-up of a wing spread with all her strength.
Under a huge moon, the little bird's silhouette flies across the sea; after daybreak, she spreads her wings again in the sunlight.
The full version we delivered runs about 2 minutes and has a few more passages than the broadcast version: the ripples and calm after a stone falls into the water, the little bird on Mount Fajiu, and Jingwei still filling the sea at the end.
From underwater, a twig falls into the sea and sinks to the bottom; then rings of ripples spread across the surface and quickly settle back to calm within the same frame.
Mountains with peach blossoms are wreathed in mist, a Jingwei perches on a branch, and a close-up of her head shows her crest and white beak.
A close-up of Jingwei in the rain, her gaze resolute; finally she flies over the sunlit sea as the narration says she is still filling it, without end.
04 / Storyboards & Final Frames
Shown in the order of the full version, with timecodes from the full version; each shot uses the image that appears in the final film. A few shots after Nüwa falls into the water and of Jingwei skimming the waves aren't included below; you can see them in the clip breakdown.
Shot 1.1
Wide shot: rainbow-colored clouds in the sky, with golden beams piercing through them to form pillars of light.
Shot 1.2
The vast East Sea, with fairy mountains and islands half hidden in the mist.
Shot 1.3
An azure sea and rolling white clouds, with towering cliffs along the shore.
Shot 1.4
Full shot: sunrise breaks through the clouds onto the sea, with the outline of fairy mountains in the distance.
Shot 1.5
Waves as tall as mountains, their crests glowing with the eerie blue light of bioluminescent creatures.
Shot 2.1
Medium shot: an ancient palace among lush green mountains, wreathed in mist, with cranes flying around it.
Shot 2.2
Close-up: a rabbit in the grass.
Shot 2.3
A girl leaning down in the grass, facing the camera, smiling, with glowing butterflies around her.
Shot 2.4
The girl catches the rabbit in the grass and holds it in her arms.
Shot 2.5
Overhead shot: the girl lies in the grass, completely at ease.
Shot 2.6
Low-angle shot of a clear blue sky as white clouds drift by.
Shot 2.7
Low-angle shot: the sky suddenly fills with dark clouds, matching “but fate played a cruel joke on her.”
Shot 3.1
Aerial overhead shot: a small boat drifts on a calm sea.
Shot 3.2
The girl sits at the bow, gazing out to sea.
Shot 3.3
Medium shot: the girl laughs happily in the boat as fish leap out of the water around her.
Shot 3.4
Full shot: dark clouds cover the sea, crisscrossed by lightning.
Shot 3.5
Layers of swirling dark clouds, with lightning linking into a web of energy between them.
Shot 3.6
Full shot: lightning illuminates the whole sea and sky.
Shot 3.7
The small boat is tossed about in the dark wind and rain, the girl sitting in it.
Shot 3.8
Amid wind and waves, the girl looks back in panic.
Shot 3.9
Close-up: Nüwa's face is streaming with seawater against a gloomy sky.
Shot 3.10
Underwater shot: Nüwa lies on the seabed, surrounded by tiny bubbles and firefly-like specks of light.
Shot 4.1
Golden streams of light well up in the water.
Shot 4.2
Full shot: a beam of light rises from the sea, pointing straight at the sky.
Shot 4.3
Close-up: the bird's gaze, sharp and determined.
Shot 4.4
At sunset, Jingwei skims over the heaving sea.
Shot 4.5
Slow-motion replay: Nüwa lies on the seabed with her eyes closed.
Shot 5.1
Full shot: majestic mountains wreathed in mist, bathed in sunlight.
Shot 5.2
Close-up: Jingwei holds a stone in her beak, mountains behind her.
Shot 5.3
Medium-wide shot: Jingwei, a stone in her beak, flies over the spray along the shore.
Shot 5.4
Underwater view: light pierces the deep blue sea, with no bottom in sight.
Shot 5.5
Full shot: amid dark clouds and a raging storm, Jingwei struggles to fly over the sea.
Shot 5.6
Underwater view: a twig falls into the sea.
Shot 5.7
Twigs pile up on the seabed as beams of light pierce the water.
Shot 5.8
Close-up: a stone falls into the sea, sending out rings of ripples.
Shot 5.9
Jingwei spreads her wings and flies between the dark blue sea and sky.
Shot 5.10
Wide shot: Jingwei flies over the sea at night, a huge moon behind her.
Shot 6.1
Full shot: quiet, lush green mountains wreathed in mist.
Shot 6.2
Close-up: Jingwei perches gracefully on a branch.
Shot 6.3
Close-up of her head, matching “her head was like a crow's, with markings on it.”
Shot 6.4
Jingwei, soaked through by the rain, with a determined gaze.
Shot 6.5
Tracking view: Jingwei flies toward a sea glittering in the sunlight.
05 / Script Excerpts
06 / Results
We provided AI story visuals for “Jingwei Fills the Sea,” telling the full story of the girl, the shipwreck, the divine bird's rebirth and her endless effort to fill the sea.
The film has two versions: the two-minute full version we delivered, which ends with the little bird on Mount Fajiu; and the scenario-question segment of about 1 minute 23 seconds cut for broadcast, which aired on CCTV-1. The transformation, carrying and dropping stones into the sea, and the ripples in the water were where we put the most work into the visuals.
Case Study
The girl in blue holding a rabbit in the grass and the little bird carrying stones over the sea are the same “person.”
That is the key idea of “Jingwei Fills the Sea,” and it is exactly where AI most easily breaks the thread: generate the girl and the bird separately, and they easily look like two different characters.
When we made this AI story film for CCTV's “Exploring China Through Idioms,” this was the first problem we solved.
01
Before generating any images, we wrote a character description for Nüwa: a lively girl in flowing, translucent water-blue clothes, with glowing butterflies and little bells woven into her hair and ribbons floating all around her.
The description also deliberately included one line: the girl's color palette should match the Jingwei bird's; if the bird's feather color changed later, the girl's clothes would change with it. That way, after she falls into the sea and becomes a bird, viewers can link the two forms by color alone.
The moment of transformation is also bridged with light: Nüwa sinks to the seabed, a burst of golden light wells up in the water, a pillar of light breaks through the surface, and the blue-and-white Jingwei flies out of the waves. Later, the film twice flashes back to Nüwa lying on the seabed with her eyes closed, reminding viewers who this bird is.
The names changed to follow the pictures, too: the script originally called the girl “Jingwei” as well, but in the final version she is “Nüwa” before the transformation and only becomes “Jingwei” after she turns into a bird.
After Nüwa sinks into the sea, golden light in the water turns into a small blue-and-white bird.
02
The design of the Jingwei bird went through several rounds. Early images gave it huge wings, making it look like an eagle. The direction we gave was: Jingwei was once a little girl, so she should be a small bird, tiny but stubborn. We made the wings smaller and the expression less fierce, and even tried adding “body shaped like a crow” to the prompt, echoing the original text's description of “a head like a crow's.”
Once the bird's look was settled, every shot was generated from the same set of reference images, with local adjustments when needed, so that from the sea to the mountains, it is always the same bird in flight.
Her stubbornness lives mainly in her eyes. The film has a close-up of Jingwei's eyes, her gaze sharp, and then the camera pulls back as she flies low over the sea at sunset while the narration says she has made a vow: to fill the East Sea.
From a close-up of her eyes out to the sea, a little bird makes her vow.
03
The weightiest line in the original is: each time a stone dropped in, rings of ripples spread across the surface, and then the sea quickly returned to calm.
This line had to show two things: how big the sea is and how small the stone is. During refinement we made several adjustments: “carrying” had to clearly show the stone held in her beak; the line “the East Sea is vast and unfathomably deep” was shot with an extreme wide shot and an underwater shot, deep blue with no bottom in sight.
For the ripple shot, the revision notes asked for “returning to calm” within the same frame: the same stretch of sea, ripples spreading and then slowly flattening out. Our method was to generate motion directly from the ripple image so the water settles on its own; when that wasn't enough, we added an image of calm sea and linked the two with first and last frames.
A twig sinks into the sea, ripples spread across the surface, and the water soon settles back to calm.
The “persistence” of filling the sea is told through changing scenes: flying from the Western Hills to the East Sea, through mountains and sea, day and night, clear skies and storms. The same action repeats under different skies, and time stretches out.
The sky keeps changing, and the little bird keeps flying.
04
This film aired as a scenario question on “Exploring China Through Idioms” on CCTV-1. It is one of the nine AI idiom story films we made for the program, a series with 200M+ views across platforms. The full version we delivered runs about 2 minutes; for broadcast, it was cut to about 1 minute 20 seconds.
It solves a common problem in AI character films: when a character changes form, can viewers still recognize it? Our method is concrete: carry the color from the girl to the bird, bridge the transformation with light, and flash back to her original form in between.
The same approach works for brand mascots, IP character transformations, and commercials where human and anthropomorphic characters appear side by side.
FAQ
In this film, the girl and the Jingwei bird share the same blue: Nüwa wears translucent water-blue clothes, Jingwei has blue-and-white feathers, and the design notes state that their colors must change together. The transformation is bridged with golden light underwater and a pillar of light into the sky, and later the film twice flashes back to Nüwa lying on the seabed.
Settle the design first: Jingwei is a small bird, with wings that aren't too big and an expression that isn't fierce. Once finalized, every shot is generated from the same set of reference images, with local adjustments when needed, so that from the mountains to the sea it is always the same bird in flight.
“Futility” comes from contrast: extreme wide shots and underwater shots show how vast the East Sea is, then a stone falls in, sends out ripples and the sea quickly returns to calm. “Persistence” comes from changing scenes: the same bird flies trip after trip through mountains, over the sea, in storms and on moonlit nights.
The script was revised by late November 2024; in early December we settled the designs of Nüwa and Jingwei and began generating images, with a rough cut in mid-December. In mid-January 2025 we adjusted the ripple, stone-carrying and extreme wide shots based on revision notes, and delivered the full version of about 2 minutes on January 20.
Approach
The pre-production script was divided into sections: the ancient East Sea, the shipwreck, rebirth, unrelenting effort and an eternal legend. Both the girl and the divine bird are blue, so viewers can tell at a glance they are the same character; warm light, reflections on the water and the texture of the feathers keep the whole film's style unified.
In making the visuals, we first checked whether each action could be understood at a glance: picking up a stone in her beak and dropping it into the sea, extreme wide shots to hold the vastness of the East Sea, interspersed with day and night, clear and rainy weather and the results underwater, so the same action repeats in different places and at different times.
Narration and subtitles followed the rules shared across the whole series; background sound effects were produced by the program team, so we could focus fully on the visuals.
More Work
Ideal for brand launches · public-sector communications · cultural-tourism campaigns · IP transformation · event openers · earnings visualization · social campaigns · AI workflow development
