Mercedes x Avatar AI Commercial

(Video credit: Evotime Films)

AI is no longer just a tool for quick sketches or fun filters.

It's a serious creative powerhouse capable of producing commercials that rival traditional high-budget productions.

The Mercedes AVTR Vision ad, created by Evotime Films, is a perfect example of what’s possible when AI is combined with a clear creative vision and professional cinematic principles.

This tutorial is a full breakdown of how to create your own AI-powered ad with the same level of polish and storytelling.

Whether you’re a solo creator or a small agency, this guide walks you through the entire process—from concept to final cut—with all the tools, techniques, and mindset shifts you’ll need.

Step 1: Develop a Cinematic Concept

Every strong commercial starts with a powerful idea. The Mercedes AVTR ad wasn’t just a showcase of a car—it was a narrative about unity between humanity, technology, and nature.

Your concept should carry an emotional or philosophical weight, not just visual flair.

Ask Yourself:

• What story or feeling do I want to convey?
• Does this product or subject have a deeper meaning I can emphasize?
• Is there a visual world that enhances this message?

Start by writing a one-paragraph treatment or theme statement. This will serve as your creative North Star throughout the process.

Step 2: Reference Real-World Locations for Worldbuilding

To create a believable setting, AI needs guidance. In the AVTR ad, the team drew inspiration from Pandora but used real-world analogs like Kauai’s jungles and the mountains of Zhangjiajie to avoid intellectual property issues. You can do the same.

Steps:

• Research real locations that visually match the theme or environment you want to create.
• Make a list of keywords describing those locations—e.g., “misty tropical jungle,” “bioluminescent flora,” “neon-lit mountain range.”
• Avoid naming IPs or copyrighted characters in prompts. Focus on descriptive triggers instead.

Recommended AI Tools for Worldbuilding:

• Midjourney – best for stylized concept art with strong aesthetics.
• Krea.ai – great for photorealistic environments and lighting control.
• ImageFX – useful for grounded realism and natural color tones.

Step 3: Handle Complex Subjects Through Modular Design

Some subjects are too visually complex for AI to handle all at once. The Mercedes AVTR car, with its transparent doors, alien curves, and glowing accents, broke most models. The solution? Modular generation.

Steps:

1. Break your subject into visual components (e.g., wheels, body panels, interior, lights).
2. Generate each component separately using focused prompts.
3. Composite the parts together using Photoshop, Canva, or by guiding the AI with prompt chaining.
4. Create alternate angles by applying consistent prompt styles to each module.

Pro Tip:

Keep a spreadsheet of your prompt components and outputs for consistency. Modular builds require structure.

Step 4: Generate a Frameboard (AI-Powered Storyboard)

This step replaces the traditional storyboard phase. Instead of drawing thumbnails, you’ll generate high-quality stills that visualize key moments in your commercial.

Steps:

1. Generate 10 to 30 hero stills using your world and subject prompts.
2. Arrange them in sequence.
3. Plan camera movements, transitions, and visual pacing between each shot.

Goal:

Create a visual script that acts as a blueprint for your animation phase. This also helps with client approvals if you’re working in a studio or freelance setting.

Step 5: Animate With AI Video Tools

This is where your stills come to life. Tools like Kling, Luma Labs, and Runway allow you to animate AI-generated images into video sequences. However, they have quirks—especially with dynamic objects like vehicles.

Steps:

1. Upload your frameboard stills into your chosen video generation platform.
2. Set prompts to define motion direction, speed, and focal changes.
3. Use fixed camera paths to maintain consistency if the subject warps during movement.
4. Export multiple versions for each scene and select the cleanest outputs.

AI Video Tools:

• Kling AI – excellent for cinematic, high-frame-rate sequences.
• Luma Dream Machine – smooth transitions, good for FPV-style shots.
• Runway – flexible, integrates well with frameboard planning.

Pro Tip:

Test scenes in isolation before attempting to generate full sequences. Focus on object motion consistency, especially if your subject has moving parts like wheels or limbs.

Step 6: Add Voice and Language Layer

A voiceover can elevate your ad’s emotional impact, especially if the language or message aligns with your theme.

In the AVTR ad, Neytiri’s voice speaking in Na’vi created a surreal, immersive tone.

Steps:

1. Write a short script summarizing your ad’s core message or philosophy.
2. If needed, translate it using ChatGPT into a fictional or real language that fits the narrative.
3. Use ElevenLabs to generate a voiceover. Choose a voice style that matches your character or tone.
4. Adjust pitch, pacing, and inflection manually to match emotion.
5. If using a fictional language, phonetically spell out the words in Latin characters so the AI voice can pronounce them.

Step 7: Creative Transitions and Symbolic Visuals

Beyond basic cuts and wipes, use nature-inspired metaphors in your transitions.

The AVTR ad used morphing butterflies and chameleons to connect scenes, both visually and thematically.

Ideas:

• Use neon-lit butterflies to transition between emotional beats.
• Let foliage or particles sweep across the screen to introduce a new shot.
• Include microtextures (like chameleon skin) to connect organic and technological subjects.

These details elevate your video and create subconscious narrative cohesion for the viewer.

Step 8: Edit and Polish in Post-Production

AI-generated content often requires refinement. This is where traditional video editing tools come in.

Steps:

1. Import all generated sequences into a non-linear editor.
2. Cut, trim, and arrange based on the emotional flow of your narrative.
3. Perform color correction and grading for mood and style consistency.
4. Add music, sound effects, and final voiceovers.

Recommended Post Tools:

• DaVinci Resolve – professional-grade color and edit tools, free version available.
• Adobe Premiere Pro – industry-standard editor.
• Epidemic Sound – cinematic soundtracks and audio effects.

You Don’t Need a Hollywood Budget to Tell a Hollywood-Level Story

What the Mercedes AVTR Vision project revealed—more than anything—is that the future of filmmaking is no longer gate-kept by budget, gear, or team size. It’s defined by how creatively and strategically you use the tools now at your fingertips.

With AI, you can move from idea to polished cinematic output faster than ever. But this isn't about rushing. It’s about removing barriers, not replacing craft. Each step in the process—from modular subject generation to symbolic transitions to AI-driven voiceovers—still relies on your instincts as a storyteller. The difference is that you no longer need a crew of 40 to bring your vision to life.

If you follow the steps laid out in this tutorial, you’ll not only create something visually impressive, but emotionally resonant. And more importantly, you’ll gain firsthand experience with a new creative workflow that’s changing the industry from the inside out.

The tools are powerful, but they’re just that—tools. The vision still has to come from you.

So here’s your challenge:

Think bigger than your current budget.

Choose stories worth telling.

Be bold with visuals, meticulous with emotion, and intentional with every decision.

You’re no longer limited by traditional production bottlenecks. You’re limited only by your imagination.

The future of cinematic storytelling is in your hands.