Inside the diner testbed in Unreal: booths along the windows, a long counter with red stools, a jukebox at the far wall.

Sagnamenn · a solo studio by Paul Lyon

I build lived-in Unreal worlds with AI agents.

AI filmmaking with a human gate. HAMAR, a Grok-powered Unreal agent I direct, does the building. I mark up every frame and make the final call.

See the diner sprint How I work

In-engine still · diner testbed after round 7 + cleanup

  • 7 roundsof markup on the diner layout, in under an hour
  • 71 minfor the whole sprint, cleanup pass included
  • 0 deleted280 meshes audited, 18 strays hidden, every stage backed up

Featured work

Diner layout sprint

An early testbed for an original world I'm making in Unreal. I didn't build this layout. I directed it.

Diner entry aisle after round 1: a long uniform row of stools.
The same view after round 7 and cleanup: fewer, varied stools and a shorter counter.
Round 1Round 7 + cleanup
Drag to compare. Same camera, round 1 against round 7 plus cleanup.

Seven rounds of red pen

  • Too many stools, way too uniform. Vary them.
  • Cut to 4 booths.
  • Kill the wall blocking the view from the entrance.
  • Pull the counter back 60 cm.
  • Too much dead space by the jukebox.

HAMAR built each change while I looked at the next frame. The diner is far from playable. But the iteration speed is wild.

Read the full sprint
Still from the Short: on-screen text reads 'I gave an AI 7 rounds of notes on my diner.' over the diner interior.
The ShortA 14-second cut of this sprint. On its way to YouTube @Sagnamenn.

How I work

I mark up. HAMAR builds. I keep or kill.

That's the whole loop. When trying an idea costs minutes, I try a lot more of them.

  1. 01
    A top-down screenshot of the diner with a red circle around one booth and the note: Cutt this booth we only need 4 booths.

    I mark up

    I grab a frame from the engine and draw on it. Red circles, numbered pins, plain notes. “Cut to 4 booths.” “Kill the wall.”

  2. 02
    Close-up of the jukebox against the tiled diner wall with a potted fern beside it.

    HAMAR builds

    HAMAR, a Grok-powered Unreal agent I direct, makes the change in the level and sends back fresh frames. Every stage gets its own backup first.

  3. 03
    Top-down comparison of the diner floor plan: round 1 on the left, round 7 plus cleanup on the right.

    I keep or kill

    I look at the new frames and make the call. Keep it, kill it, or mark it up again. Nothing leaves without passing my eye.

Then again. On the diner, that loop ran seven times in under an hour.

AI does the heavy lifting. Taste stays human.

I'm not hiding the AI. I'm crediting it. HAMAR built every change in the diner sprint, so HAMAR gets its name on the work.

What changed is my job. I'm not the one holding the brush anymore. My job is judgment: does this space read right when you walk in? I'm still learning how to direct agents well, and I'm sharing it as I go.

Credits

The crew

Director · human gate
Paul LyonMarkup, taste, and the final call on every frame.
Builder
HAMARA Grok-powered Unreal agent I direct. It builds, audits, and backs up.
Engine
Unreal Engine
Music on the Short
Made with ElevenLabs Music

Plus a small crew of AI helpers that keep my notes and draft my posts. I review everything before it goes out.

Follow the build

I build in public

New rounds, cuts, and the occasional kill land on X and YouTube first.

X@Sagnamenn
YouTube@Sagnamenn

Say hi on X.

Working this way too, or want to talk worlds, cinematics, or a collab? The best way to reach me is on X.

Message me @Sagnamenn