Marketing Against The Grain

Episode: How to Make the Most Realistic AI Videos (Step-by-Step Tutorial)
Date: January 8, 2026
Hosts: Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot CMO) & Kieran Flanagan (HubSpot SVP of Marketing)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kieran Flanagan shares his honest, step-by-step process for creating a professional AI-generated video ad using VO 3.1 and NanoBanana Pro. Drawing from his own recent, painstaking experience of spending 25+ hours making a two-minute video, Kieran breaks down a highly practical, time-saving workflow aimed at non-experts. The hosts focus on actionable strategies, subtle pitfalls, and the creative boundaries of current AI tools for marketers aiming to produce realistic, on-brand video content—without relying solely on "miracle" AI hype.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Real AI Video Creation Experience

• Reality Check on “Easy AI”
  The episode opens with both hosts debunking the idea that sophisticated AI videos can be conjured in five minutes, as often claimed on social media.

  • Quote: “[Everyone] on X or LinkedIn is like, I built this awesome thing. It took five minutes.” (Host, 02:03)
  • Kieran: “It did not take me five minutes.” (02:06)
    Kieran admits his first attempt at a polished AI video ad took 20–25 hours.

• Why the Process Matters

  • Kieran says with better workflow, he could now do similar projects in a few hours, stressing the importance of having a system.

2. Behind the Scenes: The Video Example

• Showcase
  Kieran presents his 70s sitcom-inspired AI video ad, featuring ChatGPT as the hapless “buddy” character consistently giving confident but wrong advice.

  • Quote: “This is a 1970 sitcom and this is ChatGPT, my buddy. And ChatGPT is always confidently right until it's not.” (Kieran, 03:30)

• AI Comic Relief
  The video includes comic moments, such as AI giving erroneous survival guides after driving off a cliff (“Would you like 5 Ways to Remove a car from the bottom of a cliff?” - Host, 04:36).

• Technical Limitations Exposed

  • Difficulty having two AI characters interact—Kieran shares he had to “kill off” one character for the dialogue to function:
    • Quote: “I told it to kill Teddy... That's the only reason that ChatGPT says words is because I said Teddy is dead.” (Kieran, 03:50)

• Consistency is Key

  • Big challenge was to maintain consistent character design, rooms, and clothing across different scenes, which he points out is rarely discussed, but crucial for professional polish.

3. The Four-Step AI Video Creation Framework

[09:05] Step-by-Step Breakdown

Step 1: Nail the Idea & Storyboard

• Don’t Outsource the Idea to AI:
  Kieran emphasizes that while AI can help brainstorm, the core concept must come from the creator.
  • Quote: “You cannot outsource the idea.” (Kieran, 06:38)
• AI as Thought Partner:
  Use ChatGPT to organize the storyboard—scene order, visual descriptions, suggested dialogue.
  • Quote: “ChatGPT is actually a good partner...to get the right scene, sequence, visual description, and audio/dialogue.” (Kieran, 09:05)

Step 2: Create Reference Images for Consistency

• From Ingredients to Video—not Just Text to Video
  The winning move is to build a “reference set” of images for each scene to feed AI tools, ensuring style and character consistency.
  • Quote: “What you want to do is go from ingredients to video.” (Kieran, 11:01)
  • This involves storyboarding in detail (Kieran uses Figma), specifying the look/feel, and going scene-by-scene to determine exactly what assets to create.
• Iterate with Reference Prompts in NanoBanana Pro
  • “When I create this in nanobanana Pro, I give it a previous image of Teddy to make sure that Teddy is consistent… just his clothing updates.” (12:37)

Step 3: Compile Scenes Using VO 3.1 & Editing Tools

• AI Clip Assembly
  • Use Labs Google Flow app for stitching 8-second clips made from reference images.
• Light Editing for Non-Experts
  • Use simple editors (iMovie, Capcut) to piece together clips, no advanced skills required.
    • Advice: “For non-video experts. So I used iMovie; you can use Capcut…” (Kieran, 15:35)

Step 4: Polish & Overcome Platform Quirks

• Expect AI Limitations
  • Difficult to have two characters speak together or include public figure names due to system copyright restrictions.
    • Noted Quirk: “Teddy and the computer can never really speak in the same scene…” (Kieran, 15:44)

4. Strategic & Creative Takeaways

• AI Accelerates Experts, Bottlenecks Novices

  • “AI is incredible for people with real domain expertise… If you have really great ideas, it's going to be an accelerant to that.” (Kieran, 08:04)
  • Kipp reflects: Those in the middle (not experts, not beginners) may struggle to get high-quality results from AI tools. (Host, 08:17)

• Research Your Concept for Audience Fit

  • “Once you have an idea, you can definitely use AI to refine and craft that idea for your audience.” (Kieran, 14:33)

5. Practical Challenges, Gotchas, and Cost

• Time Spent: Initial run—25 hours; could be reduced to a couple hours with a solid process. (Kieran, 02:27)
• AI Tool Cost: Creating dozens of video clips cost ~$2 total. (Kieran, 14:07)
• Common Pitfalls:
  • Inconsistent characters across scenes if you rely solely on “text to video”.
  • AI’s struggles with dialogue, naming, and public figures.
  • “Just gotchas, right?...It does not want you saying public figures.” (Kieran, 15:44)
• Audio Quality: Next iteration will use 11 Labs for audio for a more polished result. (Kieran, 06:34)

6. Future Applications & Playful Aspirations

• 8-second Comedy Sketches—A New Niche
  • Kieran is inspired to start a faceless YouTube channel for 8–16-second spicy comedy sketches using this exact technique.
    • Quote: “I want to create a YouTube channel that's sketches where the sketches were only like 8, 16 second clips. This is perfect for a sketch show.” (Kieran, 17:52)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On AI Video Creation Myths:
  Kieran: “We are giving you the real version of this. Not the kind of X we one shotted a Hollywood video.” (01:57)
• On Creative Control:
  Kieran: “You cannot outsource the idea...AI is not going to be able to give you something good for that. It's a good thought partner, but...” (06:38)
• AI’s Value for Experts:
  Kieran: “AI is incredible for people with real domain expertise...it's going to be an accelerant to that.” (08:04)
• On Workflow Efficiency:
  Kieran: “If you follow this process, you can create a professional looking ad in a couple of hours.” (02:27)
• On Platform Limitations:
  Kieran: “Could not get Teddy to say my name because of copyright infringement.” (06:11)
• On Creative Opportunity:
  Kieran: “I could just have a faceless YouTube channel that's just sketches...I will be anonymous because they will be pretty spicy sketches.” (18:06)

Key Timestamps

• 02:12 — Kieran reveals the 25-hour creation time for his first attempt
• 03:30 — Introduction of the AI video concept and characters
• 06:38 — Importance of keeping ownership of the creative idea
• 09:05 — Step 1: Storyboarding with AI
• 11:01 — Step 2: Reference images for scene and character consistency
• 13:14 — Labs Google Flow and AI scene assembly
• 14:07 — Actual cost: $2 for AI video production
• 15:35 — Assembling and lightly editing the final video
• 17:52 — Kieran’s vision for a sketch-based YouTube channel enabled by AI

Final Step-by-Step Guide Recap (For Non-Experts)

1. Develop the Core Idea: Use your own creativity, then brainstorm and structure with ChatGPT.
2. Storyboarding: Let AI help outline scenes, visuals, and dialogue before making anything.
3. Create Reference Images: For each scene, use tools like NanoBanana Pro to generate consistent imagery—characters, settings, outfits.
4. Assemble in VO 3.1: Stitch 8-second video clips, ensuring consistency, then finalize with user-friendly video editors like iMovie.
5. Polish and Refine: Address quirks (audio, dialogue), iterate, and keep the storytelling tight.

For Listeners New to AI Video Creation

This episode cuts through the hype, providing an honest, stepwise process that dramatically speeds up professional-quality AI video ad creation—no video expertise required. Major takeaways: never let AI do all the creative work alone, obsess over consistency, and refine, refine, refine. If you’re a marketer looking to stand out, these are the shortcuts and frameworks to try now.