"Imagine" Lyric Video using AI Images

This is the behind the scenes of how the lyric video was made.
How the final video looks after being posted on Vimeo
The AI chat bot and image generator that made this project possible. (Bing Chat and BlueWillow)

Inspiration

I was heavily inspired from the digital storytelling for good using AI course that I took by MEGA. It opened my eyes to the usefulness of AI, and how the united nations are trying to change the world for the better one goal at a time. To be specific, this class gave inspiration for the AI engines I used and the song choice for the lyric video.

What it does

This lyric video is an enticing way of digital storytelling that helps spread the message of having people come together as one and make the world a better place. In a digital age, it is hard for some people to be incorporated in the efforts of changing the world, however, through this lyric video audiences anywhere, at any time can be inspired to change the world.

How I built it

Through the web application of WeVideo, I was able to combine different sounds, text, and images in order to create this lyric video. Within this software, I was able to make smooth transitions such as the page flips and the fading in and out of stanzas. Additionally, in order to make the images, the lyrics that are shown in that frame are used in that prompt. For example, at 0:42-0:54 in the music video when the lyrics, “Imagine all the people, Livin’ for today,” are said, the prompt for that image contained those words. Later, when I put that prompt into Bluewillow, I refined the image with multiple renditions until I was satisfied enough to put it into the final video. On another note, for the background ambient video, I asked Bing Chat for "5 looped ambient background videos in the creative commons." As a result, it gave me links to a few videos, the one I used being Blue Magical Free Background Videos, Motion Graphics, No Copyright | All Background Videos. In fact I did this same type of prompting for "5 different songs about changing the world" and chose the song "Imagine" by John Lennon (I personally chose the Chris Kläfford cover as it made for a shorter lyric video while still portraying the same amount of emotion).This project could not have been done without my utilization of WeVideo and the help of the AI softwares BlueWillow and Bing Chat.

Challenges I ran into

To begin with, one challenge I ran into was that some of the stanzas in the song were very short, and it is very hard to make an AI image prompts with short choppy sentences that don’t have meaning by themselves. To find a solution to this issue, I did one of two things in the final product. The first solution what’s the combine two different short stanzas that we’re right next to each other. To exemplify this, instead of just saying “Imagine all the people,” I was able to combine it with the sentence after it, allowing the prompt to make more sense and clarify the meaning to the AI. This gave more information for the AI to work with as, "Imagine all the people," and "saving all the world," now allow the AI to produce an image that is more relatable to the topic as shown here Imagine all the people, saving all the world . The other way I was able to solve this problem was by adding more than just the lyrics to the prompt. Instead of just saying in the prompt, "Imagine there's no heaven," I would change this prompt to be "Imagine there's no heaven :: sad :: picturesque :: serene." This is one of the skills I picked up in the using AI for good class I took and these additional words help the bot attempt to understand what feelings are, giving a more meaningful image. Another challenge I ran into in this project was from the WeVideo software itself. Without the WeVideo premium, it is a hassle to create a quality video that is over a certain time limit. This is one of the reasons why I could not use John Lennon's version as it was way too long, and as to why the WeVideo logo is on the final product. There were a series of hurdles I had to jump in order to create this project.

Accomplishments that I proud of

I am very proud about how well the images relate to the lyrics. This connection really makes a viewer engaged into what they are watching. I feel that though my use of the AI, I was able to add a sense of feeling to a place where there is only a software, and this skill allowed me to connect to each viewer directly. Once someone is able to gain a connection like this, change is possible in the message I am striving to spread for the United Nations.

What I learned

To begin my incredible introduction of the possibilities of AI, the Digital Storytelling for Good Using AI Class has lit a fire that I never knew was inside of me. From learning about how the AI deciphers different prompts, to playing around with Midjourney and Disco Diffusion, there is a plethora of knowledge that I would have only ever been exposed to from that course. To add even more onto this, this MEGA hackathon has been a true test of what I have learned, and in this project I feel that I successfully showed how human skill/editing, combined with an AI chat bot and image generator can create something awe-inspiring that can change the world.

What's next for Imagine Lyric Video using AI Images

In the future I will definitely make more lyric videos about how to save the earth and the people on it. Through the use of the internet I want to get as many peoples eyes on this topic as possible in order to change the world. This includes going beyond just videos though, and with the help of the internet and AI, I want to be able to social media manage across numerous platforms about the UN's goals about ways people can help right now. With the ability to communicate to people all over the world in a single button, there is no reason why this skill could not be taken advantage of for good in order to spread a message that helps everyone. Changing the world goes beyond just one persons actions, it will take the entire world and new technologies can help do that.