AI Filmmaking Workshop — Pre-Workshop Setup Checklist

Complete ALL items at least 2 days before the workshop. Some services have email verification delays. Create accounts, verify emails, and confirm you can log in.

⚠️ Critical (Must Complete)

1. ChatGPT (or Claude)

• URL: https://chat.openai.com (or https://claude.ai)
• Cost: Free
• Time: 2 minutes
• Steps:
  1. Create account (Google/email)
  2. Verify email
  3. Start a new chat — type "Hello" to confirm it works
• Workshop use: Module 1 (script writing, ideation)

2. ElevenLabs (Voice Generation + Cloning)

• URL: https://elevenlabs.io
• Cost: Free (10,000 characters/month)
• Time: 5 minutes
• Steps:
  1. Create account → verify email
  2. Go to VoiceLab → Add Voice → Instant Voice Cloning
  3. Upload a ~1-minute clean voice sample (your own voice, or any clean recording)
  4. Name your voice → click Add Voice
  5. Go to Speech Synthesis → select your voice → type "Testing one two three" → click Generate
  6. Confirm audio plays correctly
• Workshop use: Module 3 (dialogue generation, voice cloning)
• Tip: Record your voice sample in a quiet room with your phone (voice memos app). Export as MP3/WAV.

3. Kling AI (Video Generation)

• URL: https://klingai.com
• Cost: Free (_{66 credits/month,} 10-15 short generations)
• Time: 5 minutes + possible wait for approval
• Steps:
  1. Create account (may require phone number verification)
  2. Complete profile setup
  3. Go to Text-to-Video or Image-to-Video
  4. Try generating a short clip to confirm it works
• Workshop use: Module 2 (image-to-video generation from keyframes)
• Backup: Also create at https://app.runwayml.com (free trial: 125 credits one-time)

4. Sync.so (Lip Sync)

• URL: https://sync.so
• Cost: Free tier
• Time: 3 minutes
• Steps:
  1. Create account → verify email
  2. Go to Dashboard → API Keys → create a key (save it!)
  3. Go to Studio → try uploading a short video + audio to test
• Workshop use: Module 4 (lip sync — the core exercise)

5. CapCut (Video Editing — Desktop App)

• URL: https://www.capcut.com (download desktop version)
• Cost: Free (some features watermarked on export)
• Time: 5 minutes
• Steps:
  1. Download and install CapCut Desktop (Mac or Windows)
  2. Create account (TikTok/Google/email)
  3. Open app → create new project → import any video file to confirm it works
  4. Confirm you can see the timeline and basic editing tools
• Workshop use: Module 5 (video assembly, editing)

Alternative (if you prefer pro-grade): DaVinci Resolve — https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve (free, no watermarks, steeper learning curve)

📋 Recommended (Do If You Can)

6. Suno (Music Generation)

• URL: https://suno.ai
• Cost: Free (10 songs/day, 5 generations of 2 songs each)
• Time: 2 minutes
• Steps:
  1. Create account (Google/Discord/email)
  2. Type a prompt like "cinematic ambient background music, piano, strings, 60 seconds"
  3. Click Create → listen to the result
• Workshop use: Module 3 (background music generation)
• Tip: Disable public sharing if you want to keep your generations private.

7. HeyGen (AI Avatar / Talking Head)

• URL: https://heygen.com
• Cost: Free (1 minute/month)
• Time: 5 minutes
• Steps:
  1. Create account → verify email
  2. Go to Create Video → choose an avatar or upload your photo
  3. Type dialogue text → generate
  4. Preview the talking head result
• Workshop use: Module 4 (comparison — talking head vs cinematic lip sync)

8. Canva (Storyboarding / Design)

• URL: https://canva.com
• Cost: Free
• Time: 2 minutes
• Steps:
  1. Create account (Google/email)
  2. Search for "Storyboard template"
  3. Open any template to confirm it loads
• Workshop use: Module 1 (storyboard assembly)

9. Adobe Podcast Enhance (Audio Cleanup)

• URL: https://podcast.adobe.com/enhance
• Cost: Free (browser-based, no install)
• Time: 1 minute
• Steps:
  1. No account needed — just bookmark the URL
  2. Test with any voice recording: upload → wait for processing → download enhanced version
• Workshop use: Module 3 (dialogue cleanup)

🖥️ Demo Station Setup (Organizer Only)

If you're setting up a machine for MuseTalk and ComfyUI demos (requires GPU):

MuseTalk Setup

# Prerequisites: Python 3.10+, CUDA 11.8+, 6GB+ VRAM GPU
git clone https://github.com/TMElyralab/MuseTalk.git
cd MuseTalk
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Download weights: https://huggingface.co/TMElyralab/MuseTalk
# Place in ./models/
python -m scripts.inference --input_video demo.mp4 --input_audio demo.wav

ComfyUI Setup

git clone https://github.com/comfyanonymous/ComfyUI.git
cd ComfyUI
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Download a base model (e.g., SD 1.5) to models/checkpoints/
python main.py
# Open http://127.0.0.1:8188 in browser

Figma Weave (Cloud, No Install)

• URL: https://www.figma.com/weave/
• Create a Figma account (free) → access Weave
• Test: create a simple node pipeline (text prompt → image generation)

📱 Day-of Checklist

Bring to the workshop:

• Laptop (charged + charger)
• Headphones/earbuds (for audio work)
• A 1-minute voice recording of yourself (for voice cloning)
• 2–3 high-quality photos of yourself or a "character" (for keyframe generation)
• A very short script idea (1–3 lines of dialogue)
• All accounts created and logged in (open each tab before arriving)
• Sync.so API key saved somewhere accessible
• CapCut or DaVinci Resolve installed and tested

🚨 Troubleshooting

📞 Questions Before the Workshop?

Contact: [Organizer Name] at [contact info]

Setup time estimate: 30–45 minutes total. Do this at least 48 hours before the workshop to catch any issues.