Curriculum

1. Introduction πŸ‘‹

Welcome to Launch Backstage

Follow the course as organized in the curriculum to setup and soon you will be launching Backstage in your organisation

1.1. Why Backstage πŸŽ₯

  • A phone or a camera
  • A tripod or a table
  • A video editing software
  • A green screen (optional)

1.2. Mindset 🧠

  • Get it done, not perfect
  • Creativity happens randomly
  • The more you create, the easier it gets

1.3. Viral video structure πŸ“Š

  • Wow! effect (2 to 5 seconds) to hook the viewer
  • Storyline (30 seconds to 1 minute) to keep the viewer engaged
  • Call to action to convert

2. The movie 🎬

Let's find a movie you can use to promote your startup.

2.1. Find the movie πŸ”Ž

  • What's special about your product? The answer helps you find a relevant movie.
  • Only pick super popular movies
  • Avoid movies before the 90s

2.2. Choose the best scene 🍿

  • Search for the best scenes of the movie
  • Prioritize dialogue scenes with 1+ famous actors
  • Famous actor should say/do something fun/odd/interesting
  • Chronological order is not important
  • Select only 1 scene in the movie
  • Change movie if you can't find a good scene

2.3. Avoid traps 🚫

  • Old movies
  • Actors not famous
  • Actors overlapping each other
  • Camera shaking (not fixed)
  • Night scenes
  • Window, mirror, or glass scenes
  • Unconventional actor positions (upside down, lying down, etc.)

3. The script πŸ“

Let's write a catchy and promotional script for your video.
  • 4 to 12 dialogues
  • 30 to 60 seconds
  • Tell one of the 7 stories

3.1. Find the wow! effect 🀯

  • Hook the viewer in the first 3 seconds
  • Embed yourself in a unique scene of the movie with the famous actor

3.2. Write the storyline with AI πŸ€–

Create a GPT Assistant using any model. Copy paste the following instructions and replace the content inside the [square brackets].
You are an excellent scriptwriter for movies. We are making a mini-movie (skit) to introduce [STARTUP NAME], [STARTUP PURPOSE]

PLOT LINE:
[Write everything you have about the video so far. Give the assistant every detail: dialogues, scene descriptions, etc.

First, describe the scenes from the movie you picked. For instance: β€œMatt raises his hand”, β€œBianca says Hello!”. Explain to your assistant these scenes are random and unorganised and we need to fill in the blanks β€” like a puzzle.

Then ask the assistant to write one or more scripts for the skit. When you like a line, a dialogue or anything written by the assistant, update this section. Step by step, the plot line will fill itself. Refine until the script is done.]


STYLE:
- The skit is about [TIME] long.
- The video's tone is [TONE].
- Dialogues are short and easy to understand.
- [ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT: β€œin the style of Matthew McConaughey in Wolf Of Wall Street”]
Then run the assistant with simple commands:
Write the script for the skit
Make 5 variations for the script for the skit

Use the generated script(s) to feed the plot line in the assistant's instructions. Refine until you are satisfied with the script.

  • Use OpenAI Assistants to write all the script
  • Give the assistant all the pieces of information available: what happens in the movie clips, what you want to say, and current storyline.
  • Give the assistant instructions: tone, story type, length of the script, etc.
  • Use the generated script as a base to refine the assistant, like a puzzle.
  • Repeat until you're satisfied with the script.

3.3. Advertise your product πŸ“£

  • Convert the attention of the viewer into a call to action
  • It can be a simple text, a voice-over, or a video overlay

4. The shooting πŸŽ₯

It's Hollywood time! Let's prepare your video clips to embed yourself in the movie.

4.1. Checklist πŸ“

  • Prepare all your equipment (camera, mic, green screen, tripod, etc.)
  • Prepare props (chair, glasses, etc.)
  • Turn off AC or noisy items
  • Close doors, pull curtains if too sunny
  • Dress simply, use unicolor clothes with minimal shapes (especially if don't have a green screen)
  • Match the light as in the movie β€” watch the movie and see if the light comes from the left or right
  • Speak loud
  • Use landscape mode because movies are landscape mode (we can scale later for TikTok)

4.2. Use a green screen 🟩

  • I recommend using a green screen β€” cheap and easy
  • Alternative: Unicolor wall with no texture and contrasting colors
  • Alternative: Instagram green filter
  • Alternative: Green image on your phone β€” full breakdown

4.3. Set up your camera πŸ“·

  • Match camera angles: imagine how they set it up when recording
  • Match light with the one in your room
  • Match the eyesight level

4.4. Hollywood time! 🎬

  • Repeat the entire script for every camera angle
  • Keep the camera ON and add a few seconds between each scene
  • Behave as if there was the actor in front of you, even if you're not talking
  • Don't look at the camera, look at the imaginary actor
  • Don't be afraid to make mistakes, you can erase them later
  • When you're done with 1 camera angle, turn OFF the camera and change angle

5. The editing 🎞️

We're almost done! Use a video editor to embed yourself in the movie.

5.1. Extract movie clips πŸŽ™οΈ

  • Find the movie in good quality (at least 720p)
  • Download Blackhole to extract the audio
  • Record your screen with the sound output in Blackhole

5.2. Create fake backgrounds 🎨

  • Use free AI tools like SnapEdit to remove objects from a movie screenshot
  • Use Figma to extract objects from a movie screenshot

5.3. Embed yourself πŸͺ„

  • Extract the green screen with a keyer effect
  • Level your voice with the movie audio
  • Adjust saturation & brightness to match the movie colors
  • Scale, crop, skew, and rotate your video
  • Add fake backgrounds and props

5.4. Add special effects πŸŽ†

  • #1 Movie static background + You
  • #2 Movie static background + You + Props
  • #3 Movie video background + You (+ Props)
  • #4 You + Movie embed

5.5. Create the video 🀌

  • Alternate between your scenes and the movie scenes
  • Cut when too slow
  • Change camera angle from time to time
  • Detach audio to overlap scenes
  • Add visual and sound effects to make it real
  • Polish the 3-second introduction β€” cut until too short
  • Fasten your clip by up to 10% if too slow
  • Plug your ad at the end, not too long with a clear call to action
  • Ask a friend to watch it and make tiny edits

5.6. Add subtitles πŸ”€

  • Do it only when you're done with the video
  • Use an AI tool (paid) or do it manually (free)
  • Don't add unnecessary subtitles (like 'laughing' or 'hmm')
  • Subtitles should be short, max 1 sentence, in 1 line
  • Add drop shadow for contrast if needed

6. Go viral! πŸš€

You're done! Now, it's time to launch your video, go viral, and grow your startup.
  • Export in good quality (1920x1080)
  • Make a tweet with the video and link to your startup launch
  • Send me feedback ❀️

7. Video breakdown πŸ§‘β€πŸ«

Here's a breakdown of videos I've made, so you can get inspired.

7.1. LogoFast (Beginner)

7.2. ByeDispute (Advanced)

7.3. HeroFit (Alternative)

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