AI Video Guide: How to Create Hollywood-Style Videos for Your Cause

Everything is Storytelling. A good story can change the future of anything. And now, AI can turn your stories into videos in literally seconds. I don't know how else to say it - this is as close to magic as we've gotten. No more lights, camera, action - just you, your laptop, and your words.

We don't need big budgets, special skills, or fancy equipment anymore. If I can create stunning videos right from my laptop that everyone else can probably create masterpieces. Type "snow falling in a village" and watch as snowflakes appear. Type "underwater city" and see it come to life.

Why This Matters for Nonprofits

For nonprofits, this changes everything. Videos inspire action, drive attention, and connect emotionally. And now suddenly you have the ability to create as many of these as you need.

The hard part now is coming up with killer story ideas and the words to turn them into videos. But AI can help us there too. And I'll share how in this post below.

prompt: wide cinematic framing, the image quality is vibrant, with striking blue tones contrasting the white ice. the polar bear stands imposingly on a medium-sized iceberg, surrounded by the vast, frigid ocean. water drips steadily from the edges of the ice, its texture slick and glistening in the cold light. cracks spider across the surface, hinting at the instability beneath the bear's feet. small chunks of ice intermittently break free and plummet into the ocean with audible splashes, heightening the dramatic tension. the polar bear peers downward, sensing the shrinking ice, and shifts its weight slightly to maintain balance. the atmosphere is tense yet serene, emphasizing the precariousness of survival in an ever-changing climate. the camera zooms in slightly during close-up framing, heightening the tension of the scene. the polar bear is now situated on a much smaller piece of ice, which visibly wobbles and tilts as it continues to melt beneath the bear's weight.

How AI Videos Work - It's Easy

While Sora by OpenAI has made headlines with its incredible text-to-video capabilities, there are many other AI video generation tools you can use today like RunwayML, Luma, Hailuo, Kling, and others. Google's video generation Veo 2 creates high resolution videos over 1 minute long. And all these tools work in a similar fashion. There are two ways to create videos:

1. Text to Video: Describe the scene, and the AI turns that text into a video, adding visuals and animations that match your message.
2. Image to Video: Upload an image and describe the scene to go along, and the AI animates the image as per your description.

Most of the AI video platforms offer limited free credits to get you started - perfect for experimenting and learning. Folks with a ChatGPT subscription can use Sora to create up to 50 videos per month of 5 seconds duration. Perfect as GIFs and short clips for social media storytelling.

I've been playing around with many of these tools and for me the toughest challenge has been coming up with interesting 5 second video ideas. Which I think is a great constrain as it forces us to distill narratives into their most essential elements. And in an era where attention spans are increasingly brief, 5-second to 1 minute videos works great.

prompt: create a realistic underwater scene featuring a group of dolphins swimming away from the camera. The perspective should be from behind the dolphins, slightly below their bodies, showcasing their tails and fins as they move gracefully through the water. Include dynamic sunlight filtering through the ocean surface above, casting shimmering light patterns on the dolphins and the surrounding water. Use smooth tracking motion to follow their movement, emphasizing the flow of the water and their synchronized swimming. Ensure the atmosphere is serene, with rich blue tones and subtle particle effects to add depth and realism

How to Create Epic Videos

1. Start with AI Brainstorming: Use chatbots to discuss your story idea. Have a conversation with the chatbot, tell them about your mission, what you do, what you want to communicate etc to help craft a script of the story you want to tell.
2. Optimize Prompts: Use chatbots to craft prompts, ask them to suggest camera angles and animation details. Most AI video creation tools have prompt optimization built in but to have better control over the output I would suggest using a chatbot to craft prompts.
3. Use Image to Video: Use Image to video generation for better output. I use Midjourney or Grok to generate an image and then animate it. You have more control over the output when you know what the image looks like and AI generated images are high quality leading to a high quality video
4. Reuse Prompts: Most AI Video platforms have a gallery of videos that others have created. If you like any, you can recreate, reuse or remix the prompt. Sora also allows remixing.

prompt: the scene opens with a wide-angle shot amidst the heart of a lush, vibrant rainforest, as a glowing unicorn emerges gracefully from dense foliage. its soft bluish-white aura pulses faintly with each step, casting gentle illumination over bioluminescent plants and fungi along its path. those plants and fungi pulse softly in hues of blue and green, glowing brighter as the unicorn nears. raindrops fall gently from the dense canopy above, creating ripples in puddles on the forest floor. as the camera pans slightly downward, focus is drawn to the unicorn's radiant light that seems to animate the mossy ground, merging seamlessly with the mystical atmosphere of the scene.grainy and cinematic, with deep blues and greens. the unicorn moves gracefully along the mossy trail, its flowing mane and tail catching the gentle breeze, scattering faint sparkles into the air. shafts of sunlight filter dynamically through the swaying trees and hanging vines, casting shifting beams of light that interact with the unicorn's glow creating faint rainbow-like effects. the camera transitions to a side-tracking shot, closely following the unicorn's elegant steps. it ends with a close-up upward tilt, focusing on its luminous horn, scattering tiny sparkles that merge into the serene, magical rainforest atmosphere.

AI videos are fun, they're powerful, and they're free to try. No more excuses for not having great video content. The tools are easy, the magic is real, and the only limit is your imagination. And they're going to get even more magical in the year ahead.

prompt: A wide shot reveals a glowing bioluminescent jellyfish floating gracefully in a vast cosmic space scene. Its translucent body pulses with vibrant hues of purple, pink, and electric blue, casting a soft glow on nearby stardust and nebula clouds. Long tentacles trail behind, swaying gently as if moved by an invisible cosmic current. The background is a deep space filled with twinkling stars and soft swirling nebulae in shades of teal and violet. Light particles drift by, enhancing the ethereal atmosphere. The camera slowly zooms in on the jellyfish, highlighting the intricate glowing patterns on its body and the fluid movement of its tentacles.

I'm writing tons about AI and how it accelerates social impact. Remember to subscribe to my newsletter on LinkedIn for weekly posts. Also check out my previous AI guides, use cases, and applications.

I was recently on Future Signal Podcast discussing GrantOrb and how it enables everyone to write compelling grant proposals in minutes. Give it a listen ??