How Created Zack D Films–Style Videos for Free Using AI Tools

If you've ever watched a short historical video that felt like a mini-movie — dramatic, eerie, and almost unbelievable — you’ve probably seen something in the style of Zack D. These captivating 30-60 second videos manage to turn obscure historical facts into gripping stories... and the best part? You can make them for free using AI tools.

In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the exact prompts and workflow I used to generate viral-worthy Zack D–style videos without spending a dime.

🔍 Step 1: Generating Video Ideas

You don’t need to be a historian to find mind-blowing stories. Use this prompt in ChatGPT to quickly uncover incredible real-life events:

Prompt: Idea Generation
“Give me 10 true, eerie, or shocking historical stories that sound unbelievable but actually happened. Each story should be short and cinematic — like ‘people being buried alive leading to the invention of the safety coffin.’ Focus on strange inventions, forgotten disasters, bizarre medical practices, unexplained events, or moments of fear, survival, or genius in history. Make each story dramatic enough to turn into a viral 30 sec video.”

This will give you a list of attention-grabbing stories that are perfect for cinematic short-form content.

🎬 Step 2: Turn Your Idea Into a Script + Visual Prompts

Once you have your story, use this script-to-visual format to bring it to life:

Prompt: Script + Visuals
“Write a short, dramatic 1-minute storytelling script based on the title: [insert story title here]. Make the narration feel like a historical thriller or emotional mystery, using vivid sensory language and a gripping hook.”

After the script, break it into 4–6 scenes and create 3D-rendered photorealistic visual prompts perfect for AI image generation. Each scene should feel like a cinematic game cutscene — intense, era-accurate, and full of emotion.”

This not only gives you your voiceover script but also high-quality prompts to generate visuals.

✨ Optional Step: Rewrite Existing Scripts

If you’re working with an already transcribed video or historical text, use this prompt to make it more dramatic:

“Rewrite this transcribed YouTube video script to make it more interesting, dramatic, and emotionally gripping — even shocking if it fits the story — but without making it longer. Remove filler words and keep the tone cinematic and vivid.”

Perfect for making dull content viral-ready.

🛠️ AI Tools I Used

You can create your entire video using free or freemium tools:

ChatGPT – Scriptwriting and idea generation
Nano Banana – 3D cinematic image generation
ElevenLabs – AI voice narration
Grok AI – Video animation and scene building
CapCut – Final video editing and effects

🚀 Final Thoughts

This workflow has helped me produce dramatic, viral-ready short videos that feel professionally created — without needing filming equipment or expensive software.

Whether you’re creating for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, or Instagram Reels, this method gives you everything you need to turn history into high-performing cinematic content.

If you found this helpful, consider subscribing to the source creator and supporting the AI tools listed. They truly unlock next-level creative possibilities!