Is AI the Future of Video Creation? We Asked Wistia’s Head of Production

Video has become a cornerstone of modern marketing, landing front-and-center in many marketing strategies.

Yet, despite being an ROI powerhouse and top lead generator, video is a hard medium to pull off.

To state the obvious, video creation isn’t quick. On average, it takes marketers two weeks to create a video from start to finish.

But what if there was a way to streamline the process — to quickly come up with ideas and execute them in a fraction of the time?

The solution could be here already, and it’s with artificial intelligence.

Here, I spoke with Chris Lavigne, Head of Production at Wistia, to learn how AI is changing the way we create videos, and how it can power your next marketing video.

How AI is Changing Video Marketing

Imagine creating a video without writing a script or picking up a camera.

Thanks to new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools, it’s not only possible, it’s already happening.

Generative AI uses existing content like audio, video, and text to generate original content. In this case, video marketers can automate many stages of the process — like scripting, editing, and transcription — in a matter of seconds.

The ability to create videos in record time is an obvious benefit of using AI. But for Lavigne, it’s more than just saving time. It also has the potential to push the creative envelope.

“For me, AI is opening the door to new ideas, new executions, and new visuals that I may not have come up with on my own. It’s expanding my creative palette, not just saving me time,” he told me.

For instance, Lavigne and his team at Wistia created a video almost entirely powered by AI.

The process began with Lavigne opening up ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot, to generate a 60-second script about how to make an apple pie in the style of a YouTube video. He then uses AI software Synthesia to create a human avatar of himself to read the script.

To top it off, he adds a few final touches with visuals and b-roll. Here’s the end result:

Let’s take a look at more ways you can use AI in the video creation process.

How AI Can Power Your Next Video

1. Ideation and Script Writing

For most video marketers, the hardest part of the process is coming up with a great idea, followed by a compelling script.

For Lavigne, using AI for scriptwriting has been a game-changer. Specifically, he uses ChatGPT to create a framework.

“I can input a prompt and get an incredible starting point to take me from zero to 100. I can input how long I want the video to be, how detailed I want it to be, and what style of video I want it to be. The results are quite remarkable when you prompt it with the right things,” he told me.

For example, you can prompt ChatGPT to write an ad in the style of an info-mercial or a TikTok video. You can even request a specific tone, such as funny or academic.

However, Lavigne is quick to caution against simply copying and pasting AI-generated content.

“AI can give you a rough edit, but you still need to add your perspective, personality, or brand touch. It’s not as simple as inputing a prompt and pasting the output into your marketing efforts. You’re missing a huge opportunity if you treat AI in that regard,” he says.

2. Video Editing

At Wistia, Lavigne has been exploring different AI tools in the post-production stage. 

One of these tools is Runway Al, which can quickly remove objects from the background of a video. Historically, this would be a time-consuming process that involves moving frame-by-frame to trace it out. Now, AI can do the heavy lifting.

Another tool Lavigne uses is Descript, which transcribes raw footage into text within minutes. This allows him to edit and rearrange video content without the need to constantly pause and rewind.

Turning raw footage into a final product takes a lot of time — but AI tools can streamline the process. 

As Lavigne puts it, “When you find the use case that you can use this software for, it blows your mind how much time you can possibly save. It gets me excited for where these tools are going in the future.”

3. Video Production

While artificial intelligence is remarkable, it does have its limitations in terms of video production.

Lavigne gives the example of human avatars. Yes, they look like humans. They talk like humans. But they’re not human enough to be believable.

Image Source

He told me, “There’s no substitute for shooting a real human being. AI has yet to replicate the image or likeness of humans, or the emotions they have on their face. That’s not to say it will never change. But currently, it’s a huge limitation in the world of production.”

This leads us to an important point: AI is not a perfect solution for everything. While it can assist in other areas in the production stage — like creating B-roll — you need to know when to use this technology, and when it’s better to do things the old-fashioned way. 

What AI Can’t Do For Video Creators

Almost 70% of decisions are based on emotion. In video marketing, you have to visually appeal to people’s emotions to make an impact.

The problem?

AI can mimic human intelligence, but human creativity isn’t as easy.

“It’s almost instinctual for a great editor to understand beats, pacing, camera movements, and what music can best elevate a scene at a certain time. All of these pieces are rooted in the creative and personal decisions by the storyteller. There’s no substitute for that,” Lavigne observes.

As a consequence, Lavigne predicts that we’ll see an influx of generic, mediocre content generated by AI in the near future. However, he also sees this as an opportunity for video marketers to showcase their creativity and stand out from the crowd.

He adds, “Now is the time for video marketers to put their creative fingerprints over their work. That’s how you’ll stand apart.”

Is AI the Future of Video Creation?

Almost every emerging technology is met with some skepticism, and AI is no exception. For instance, could it eventually replace video marketers entirely?

Fortunately, Lavigne isn’t so convinced. He draws a parallel to the advent of photography, which some believed was the death of traditional art forms. 

He says, “The reaction to AI is similar to the arrival of a bunch of different technologies, like photography. If you can just photograph something, why do you need an artist to paint it? In reality, that’s not quite what happened.”

“We’re going to treat AI as a similar thing. It’s going to change the industry, but it won’t replace video creators,” he adds.

While AI may not replace you, Lavigne argues that the video marketer who uses AI will have an upper-hand. Therefore, video marketers should approach AI as a handy sidekick — not a rival.

Ultimately, Lavigne is enthusiastic about the future of video. In his own words, “I’m excited to use AI to automate the more tedious parts of production, which frees me up to make the best videos possible.”

3 Ways Marketers are Already Navigating Potential Recession [Data]

While economists and investors debate whether we are or aren’t in a recession, 78% of marketers say it’s already here.

Since marketers are usually the first to see budget cuts in an economic downturn, it’s no surprise they’re already being hit hard. As one marketer in our sums it up:

“The company is losing money, having to raise pricing, and the budget for marketing is smaller. Because prices are higher and the marketing budget is lower, there is not enough marketing for the traffic and conversions we need.”

To help marketers recognize they’re not alone, we surveyed 300 marketers to find out exactly how they are being impacted by the recession.

While 47% of marketers said that the economy was already having a negative impact on their work, we also dug deeper to discover three key impact themes marketers are experiencing.

In this post, we’ll highlight those themes, share quotes from anonymous marketers who’s participated, and offer resources or tips to help you navigate this time.

Three Marketing Impacts Caused by Recession Concerns

1. Consumers are spending less and exercising more caution/discretion:

Though not surprising, the biggest impact marketers are seeing is that consumers are cutting costs back due to uncertainty. This aligns well with data we’ve found from multiple consumer pulse surveys over the last six months.  

From inflation to geopolitical uncertainty and lingering COVID-19 concerns, consumers simply have no idea what to expect from the future.

“People are spending less because they do not know how long the recession is going to last. As a result, they spend less on our products,” says one survey respondent.

To make matters worse, a majority (67%) of marketers expect the recession to last more than six months, and one-third expect it to last more than a year:

While we don’t have a crystal ball, aren’t giving legal or financial expert advice, and can’t possibly know what a full-blown recession will feel or look like at this point, it’s important to remember that recessions are often unavoidable. While we can’t prevent them, it’s important to continue leveraging credible sources, data, and experts beyond just a few publications when determining when, if, and how a modern-day recession would impact your business.

2. Inflation has made everything more expensive across businesses.

While consumers are pulling back spending, inflation forces businesses to raise prices and cut budgets for things they’re purchasing to stay afloat.

As a marketer in our survey put it, “higher prices make it hard to make ends meet. I have to delay payments, purchases, and planning.”

Company’s raising prices while consumers are scraping by leads to a misalignment between the two parties, leading to frustration on both sides.

3. 37% of marketers have already seen budget cuts.

Marketers in our survey say they’re “needing to spend more to get similar results from six months ago.” At the same time, their budgets are being cut.

With their usual marketing channels proving to be less effective than before, marketers are having to get creative.

On top of that, one in three marketers say a recession will have an even bigger impact on their marketing activities than COVID-19, while another 33% say it will be about the same.

One way to stay ahead of the game is by following suit of the 80% of established marketing leaders, who participated in another survey we ran, saying they’ve already planned or prepared for a recession. 

If you run a team or major project that requires a budget, and haven’t started strategic planning for different company outcomes, here’s a helpful guide. For marketers at any level, it can also be a great idea to make pivot or backup plans for how you’ll adjust your content, schedules, or other aspects of your work if something unexpected happens. 

What’s Next?

So what now? We’ll run this same survey at a later data in the coming year and keep you updated on how the recession continues to impact marketers. In the meantime, you can review consumers’ take on this time, get insights from marketing executives, or catch up on everything else going on in our quickly-changing field with our 2023 Marketing Strategy and Trends Report. 

Disclaimer: This blog post is not legal or financial advice for you or your company to use in navigating a recession, economic downturn, or any other type of economic landscape. Instead, it provides background information to help you better understand how anonymously surveyed marketers unaffiliated with HubSpot are currently experiencing this time.
This information is not the same as legal or financial advice, where an attorney applies the law or a financial expert applies their expertise to your specific circumstances, so we insist that you consult an attorney or trustworthy financial sources if you’d like advice on your interpretation of this information or its accuracy.
In summation, you may not rely on this as legal advice, or as a recommendation of any particular legal, economic, or financial understanding.