Session 1 of 3

Your First AI Character Video

Create a complete 60-second video of King Henry VIII creating a dating app profile. Learn the fastest commercial workflow.

⏱️ 1 Hour 👤 No AI Experience Required 💰 Free Trial Tools

🎯 What You'll Create Today

▶️

60-Second Video Preview

King Henry VIII on a dating app

Your Final Video Will Include:

  • ✅ Animated historical portrait (King Henry VIII)
  • ✅ Custom British voice with period-appropriate tone
  • ✅ Synchronized lip-sync to your script
  • ✅ Auto-generated subtitles for social media
  • ✅ Proper background (throne room or plain for keying)
  • ✅ 1080p HD quality, ready to upload
Total Time: 45-60 minutes (including account setup)

🛠️ Tools You'll Need

Essential

ChatGPT or Claude

For writing your comedy script

Cost: Free tier works fine

Sign up: chatgpt.com or claude.ai

Time: 2 minutes setup

Essential

HeyGen

Main tool for creating talking avatar

Cost: Free trial (1 min video), then $29/mo

Sign up: heygen.com

Time: 5 minutes setup

Optional

ElevenLabs

For custom British voice (optional - HeyGen has built-in voices)

Cost: Free tier (10 min/month)

Sign up: elevenlabs.io

Time: 3 minutes setup

Optional

CapCut or Descript

For adding subtitles and polish

Cost: Free (CapCut) or $12/mo (Descript)

Sign up: capcut.com or descript.com

Time: 5 minutes setup

💡 Budget Note: You can complete this entire session using only free tiers. HeyGen's free trial gives you 1 minute of video - perfect for learning!

📋 The Complete Workflow

We'll follow the proven "Power Stack" approach: Script → Voice → Video → Polish. Each step builds on the last.

Step 1

Write Your Comedy Script

⏱️ 10 minutes

First, we need a funny script. We'll use AI to help write it in the character's voice.

1.1 Open ChatGPT or Claude

Go to chatgpt.com or claude.ai and log in (create free account if needed).

1.2 Use This Exact Prompt

Write a 60-second comedy monologue (approximately 150 words) where King Henry VIII is creating a profile on a modern dating app. 

His personality should be:
- Pompous and self-important
- Secretly insecure about his marriages
- Trying too hard to sound modern
- Making references to his historical reputation

The tone should be funny and self-aware. Include jokes about his six wives, his love of food, and his royal status.

Format: Write it as a script, with only what Henry says. No stage directions.

1.3 Review and Edit

Read the output. If it's not funny enough, ask: "Make it funnier with more specific jokes about his six wives." If it's too long, ask: "Make it exactly 150 words."

💡 Pro Tip: Good comedy scripts are 140-160 words for 60 seconds. This gives the voice breathing room and natural pauses.

1.4 Save Your Script

Copy the final script to a text file or Word document. You'll need it in the next step.

📝 Example Output

"Greetings, fair maidens of Tinder! I am Henry, eighth of my name, King of England, and... let's be honest, quite the catch. Yes, yes, I know what you've heard about my marital history, but that's all in the past! Six wives? More like six learning experiences. I'm looking for someone who enjoys the finer things: banquets, jousting, and overthrowing the Pope. Swipe right if you're ready for a royal romance! Just... don't mention Anne Boleyn. Still a bit sensitive about that one. My interests include: eating, ruling with an iron fist, and trying on doublets. Looking for: Someone who won't lose their head around me. Too soon?"

Step 2

Choose Your Voice

⏱️ 5 minutes

You have two options: use HeyGen's built-in voices (easier) or create a custom voice in ElevenLabs (better quality).

Option B: ElevenLabs Custom Voice

  • ✅ Superior voice quality
  • ✅ Can clone your own voice
  • ✅ More character control
  • ❌ Extra tool to learn

Choose this if: You want the best possible audio quality.

Option A: Using HeyGen Voices

Skip to Step 3 - we'll select the voice directly in HeyGen's interface. Look for voices like:

  • "James - British Narrator" (deep, authoritative)
  • "Oliver - British Mature" (classic English)
  • "Arthur - British Regal" (perfect for royalty)

Option B: Creating Custom Voice in ElevenLabs

  1. Go to elevenlabs.io and sign up
  2. Click "Speech Synthesis" in the sidebar
  3. Browse voices - search for "British" or "Mature Male"
  4. Paste your script into the text box
  5. Click "Generate" and wait 10-30 seconds
  6. Download the MP3 file
💡 Voice Clone Tip: If you want to use your own voice, record a 1-minute sample of yourself reading in a British accent, then use ElevenLabs' "Instant Voice Clone" feature (requires paid plan).
Step 3

Create the Talking Avatar in HeyGen

⏱️ 20 minutes

This is where the magic happens! We'll turn a static portrait into a talking, animated character.

3.1 Find a Historical Portrait

You need a public domain image of King Henry VIII. Best sources:

Download a portrait showing his face clearly. Frontal or 3/4 view works best.

⚠️ Copyright Alert: Only use public domain or Creative Commons images. Modern photos require consent. Never use photos of living people without permission.

3.2 Sign Into HeyGen

  1. Go to heygen.com
  2. Click "Sign Up" (free trial - no credit card needed initially)
  3. Verify your email
  4. You'll land on the dashboard

3.3 Create New Video

  1. Click the big "Create Video" button
  2. Choose "Photo Avatar" from the options
  3. Upload your King Henry VIII portrait
  4. Wait 5-10 seconds for it to process
💡 Image Quality Tip: Higher resolution images (at least 1024x1024) give better results. The face should be well-lit and clearly visible.

3.4 Add Your Script

  1. In the script box, paste your comedy script from Step 1
  2. Click on the "Voice" dropdown
  3. If using HeyGen voice: Select "James - British Narrator" or similar
  4. If using ElevenLabs: Click "Upload Audio" and select your MP3 file

3.5 Choose Background

You have several options:

  • Plain Color: Choose a solid color (good for green screen later)
  • Throne Room: Search HeyGen's background library for "throne" or "royal"
  • Custom Upload: Upload your own background image
💡 Beginner Recommendation: Start with a plain dark blue or burgundy background. It's easier to edit later and looks professional.

3.6 Adjust Settings

Video Quality: Select "1080p" (highest quality)
Aspect Ratio: Choose 16:9 (YouTube) or 9:16 (TikTok/Instagram)
Avatar Size: Use "Medium" or "Large" to show face clearly

3.7 Generate Video

  1. Review everything one last time
  2. Click the purple "Generate" button
  3. Wait 2-5 minutes (HeyGen will process)
  4. You'll get an email when it's ready
⏳ What's Happening: HeyGen's AI is analyzing the face, syncing the voice to lip movements, and rendering the final video. This takes 2-5 minutes depending on server load.

3.8 Download Your Video

  1. Once complete, click on your video in the dashboard
  2. Click "Download"
  3. Save the MP4 file to your computer
Step 4

Add Subtitles & Polish (Optional)

⏱️ 10 minutes

Subtitles increase engagement by 80% on social media. Let's add them automatically.

Option A: CapCut (Free, Beginner-Friendly)

  1. Download CapCut (available on Mac, Windows, mobile)
  2. Import your HeyGen video
  3. Click "Text" → "Auto Captions"
  4. Select "English (UK)" for British spelling
  5. Wait 30 seconds - subtitles appear automatically
  6. Customize font, color, position if desired
  7. Export as MP4

Option B: Descript (Premium, More Powerful)

  1. Go to descript.com (free trial available)
  2. Create new project and import video
  3. Descript automatically transcribes
  4. Click "Publish" → "Add Captions"
  5. Choose caption style (recommended: "Bold" or "Modern")
  6. Export video
💡 Descript Secret: You can edit the video by editing the text transcript! Delete words to remove video segments. This is incredibly powerful for fixing mistakes.

Optional Enhancements

  • Add Background Music: Use royalty-free music from YouTube Audio Library
  • Intro/Outro: Add 2-second title card with character name
  • Sound Effects: Tudor-era ambience or comedic timing sounds
Step 5

Export & Share Your Video

⏱️ 5 minutes

5.1 Export Settings

Format: MP4 (H.264)
Resolution: 1080p (1920x1080)
Frame Rate: 30fps or 60fps
Quality: High (10-20 Mbps bitrate)

5.2 Platform-Specific Tips

📱 TikTok / Instagram Reels
  • Use 9:16 vertical format
  • Keep under 60 seconds
  • Add trending audio as background
  • Use hashtags: #historytok #aiart #kinghenry
▶️ YouTube Shorts
  • 9:16 vertical, max 60 seconds
  • Title: "King Henry VIII tries dating apps 😂"
  • Thumbnail: Clear shot of Henry's face
  • Description: Mention it's AI-generated
▶️ YouTube Regular
  • Use 16:9 horizontal format
  • Add intro/outro cards
  • Create compelling thumbnail
  • Write SEO-friendly description
⚠️ Legal Requirement: You MUST disclose that the video is AI-generated. Add text like "Created with AI" in the video or description. This is required in the UK and most jurisdictions.

🔧 Common Issues & Solutions

❌ Problem: HeyGen generation is stuck at 99%

Solution: This is normal! The final 1% can take 1-2 minutes. Refresh the page after 5 minutes if truly stuck.

❌ Problem: Lip sync looks weird/unnatural

Solution: Try a higher quality portrait (1024x1024+). Make sure the face is well-lit and frontal. Avoid portraits with shadows on the face.

❌ Problem: Voice doesn't match character personality

Solution: Try different voices in HeyGen. For Henry VIII, look for "Mature Male" + "British" + "Deep Voice" combinations. Test 2-3 options.

❌ Problem: Video is too short/too long

Solution: Edit your script! 150 words ≈ 60 seconds. Remove words to shorten, add jokes to lengthen. Regenerate in HeyGen.

❌ Problem: Free trial ran out

Solution: HeyGen free trial is 1 credit (1 minute). For learning, this is enough. Subscribe to Creator plan ($29/mo) for unlimited 30-minute videos, or try D-ID as free alternative.

🎉 Congratulations!

You've created your first AI character video! You now understand the complete workflow: Script → Voice → Video → Polish.

✅ Skills Unlocked

  • ✅ AI script writing with ChatGPT/Claude
  • ✅ Portrait animation with HeyGen
  • ✅ Voice selection and audio generation
  • ✅ Subtitle creation with CapCut/Descript
  • ✅ Export settings for social media

📚 Homework Before Session 2

  1. Create a second 60-second scene with a different historical figure (try Cleopatra, Napoleon, or Shakespeare)
  2. Experiment with different voices and backgrounds
  3. Find or create 2-3 more historical portraits you want to animate
  4. Watch other historical comedy creators on TikTok for inspiration
  5. Write down ideas for your first 3-4 minute multi-scene video