This is the guide from my CAPTAIN reel. I made a dancing boat captain at a marina in two tools: ChatGPT wrote him, and Seedance 2.5 on Kie turned the writing into video. There was no image step. Below are the prompts, rebuilt as templates you can reuse for any character.
Why one AI character can pull 77M views
The account that got me started is Jean Phil (@jean_philanthrope). On October 1 it had 9 reels and 234K followers. The first post went up September 18. The reels have 36.3M, 14.7M, 9M, 5.9M, 5.3M, 3.9M, 1.2M, 1M and 159K views. That's about 77 million in under two weeks, and none of it was filmed.
He has the same blond bob in all nine videos. You know it's him in the first second, so each reel plays like the next episode of a show you already watch. The account never says he's AI. Commenters point it out.
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Step 1: Write the character bible in ChatGPT
The character bible is a short, locked description of your character. You paste it into every video prompt word for word. That's what keeps him looking the same from post to post. Any ChatGPT model can write it. I used GPT-6 Astra, which OpenAI rolled out to Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans.
Fill in the bracket and paste this into a new chat:
You are helping me create a recurring AI video character for short vertical videos on Instagram Reels and TikTok. My idea: [one line, for example: a boat captain at a Florida marina who dances every time a boat docks] Do two things. PART 1: CHARACTER BIBLE Write a locked description I will paste into every video prompt, word for word. Keep it under 120 words and write it as plain visual facts a video model can follow. Include: - Name and age - Face: skin tone, face shape, eyes, eyebrows, facial hair, and one distinctive feature - Hair: color, length, cut, and how it sits. This never changes. - Outfit: every item with its color and material. This is his uniform in every video. - Body type and how he moves - Signature move: one physical move he does in every video, described step by step - Home setting: the place, time of day, weather and lighting After the bible, write 4 short lines of backstory and personality. Those are for me and stay out of the video prompts. PART 2: SCENE 1 Write the first video as a prompt for an AI video model: - Vertical 9:16, 10 seconds, one location - Start with the CHARACTER BIBLE pasted word for word - Then 3 or 4 shots with timestamps (0-3s, 3-6s, 6-10s). For each shot give the framing, the camera movement, what he does, and what we hear. - The first 2 seconds show something odd or funny enough to stop someone scrolling - He does his signature move in the scene - Any spoken line is under 8 words - Realistic phone-camera look, natural light, no on-screen text, no logos, no subtitles Do not base him on any real person's name, face or voice. No brand names and no characters from movies, shows or games.
Save the bible in a notes file. You'll paste it dozens of times.
Step 2: Turn the scene into video with Seedance 2.5 on Kie
Open the Seedance 2.5 playground on Kie (the API model name is bytedance/seedance-2-5). Paste the scene from ChatGPT into the prompt box, or build it from this template:
[PASTE THE CHARACTER BIBLE HERE, WORD FOR WORD] Scene: [one sentence: where he is and what happens] 0-3s: [framing, camera move, what he does] 3-6s: [framing, camera move, what he does] 6-10s: [framing, camera move, ends on his signature move] Sound: [background sounds, music feel, any spoken line under 8 words] Style: realistic vertical phone video, natural daylight, handheld, 9:16. Same face, hair and outfit as described above. No on-screen text, no logos, no subtitles.
Settings I'd use:
aspect_ratio: 9:16.resolution: 480p while you test the prompt, then 720p or 1080p for the clip you post.duration: anywhere from 4 to 30 seconds. The default is 5. I'd stay between 5 and 10.generate_audio: on (it is by default). Seedance makes the sound with the picture.
Step 3: Keep him the same every post
Go back to the same ChatGPT chat for every new episode:
Write scene [2] for the same character. Put the CHARACTER BIBLE from earlier at the top, word for word. Do not change any detail of his face, hair, outfit or setting. New situation: [for example: a tourist asks him for directions and he answers by dancing] Same format as scene 1: 9:16, 10 seconds, 3 or 4 timestamped shots, he does his signature move, no on-screen text. Give me 3 different versions of the first 2 seconds so I can pick the strongest hook.
What keeps the character stable:
- Paste the bible exactly. If "short gray beard" turns into "gray stubble," you get a different man.
- Keep the setting, the time of day and the outfit fixed. Change only what he does.
- Use a reference frame once you have a clip you like. Seedance 2.5 on Kie takes up to 30 reference images, or one first-frame image (you can't use both in the same run). Grab a clean frame of his face, upload it as a reference image, and write "@Image1 is the captain" in the prompt. The
return_last_framesetting hands you the final frame of a clip if you want a starting point for the next one. - Keep clips short. They cost less and are quicker to redo.
- Generate 2 or 3 takes and post the one where his face, hair and outfit match the bible.
What it costs on Kie
Kie charges per second of video. Without a reference video, Seedance 2.5 costs:
- 480p: 28 credits a second ($0.14)
- 720p: 63 credits a second ($0.315)
- 1080p: 158 credits a second ($0.79)
A 10-second clip at 720p is 630 credits, or $3.15. If you run three 10-second tests at 480p ($4.20) and two finals at 720p ($6.30), one posted clip costs $10.50. Kie says these prices are in beta and may change, and new users get some free credits to try it.
Label it as AI
Meta requires you to use its AI label when you post a photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio that was made or changed with AI. It says it may apply penalties if you don't. The label shows on the post as "AI info."
On August 31, 2026, Instagram updated its label for accounts built around an AI-generated person. It's now called "AI-generated profile." You turn it on in Edit profile. Instagram says profiles that skip it may see their reach limited. You can add the label later or appeal in Account Status.
My reel says out loud that I made the captain with AI, and I turn on the AI label when I post. My account is me, a real person, teaching AI, so the label goes on the reel itself. If you build a whole account around a character, turn on the profile label too. Jean Phil's posts never say he's AI, and that's the part I wouldn't copy.
What not to do
- Don't use a real person's face, name or voice, and don't prompt "looks like" a celebrity.
- Don't use characters from movies, shows or games. Make your own.
- Don't have your character praise a real product or business as if he were a real customer.
- Don't make clips that look like real news or real events.
Sources
- Seedance 2.5 on Kie.ai (pricing and inputs)
- Bytedance Seedance 2.5 API parameters | Kie.ai docs
- GPT-6 Astra: A new generation of intelligence | OpenAI
- Labeling AI-generated images on Facebook, Instagram and Threads | Meta
- Our approach to labeling AI-generated content and manipulated media | Meta
- AI-generated profile label update | Instagram for Creators
- Jean Phil (@jean_philanthrope) on Instagram, checked October 1, 2026
