What if videos: how to make them with AI (with ideas)
A "what if" video takes one impossible premise ("what if dinosaurs came back tomorrow?", "could you survive 24 hours with a dragon?") and walks the viewer through what would happen, step by step, to a payoff at the end. They work on Reels, Shorts and TikTok because the question is the hook and the answer arrives only at the end, so people watch to the finish and send them to friends. With BakeVideos you type the question and get a finished vertical video: script, AI-made scenes or real footage, voice, captions and music.
Why the format works
- The hook writes itself. The title is a question, and the first line repeats it. Nobody needs context.
- It has a built-in timeline. "The first hour… by day three… a year later." Every beat makes the viewer ask what comes next, which is what keeps watch time high.
- It is easy to share. "Could you survive this?" is a question people send to a friend, and shares are one of the strongest signals on Instagram (how the Reels algorithm works).
- It works in any niche. Science, history, animals, fantasy, money ("what if you invested $100 a week from age 20?").
Our own first reels were "what if" videos: on a new Instagram account they reached about 2,700 and 1,200 views with a 4% like rate in their first days (the experiment log).
The story shape
| Part | Length | What it does | Example ("What if the moon disappeared tonight?") |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hook | 1 line, 2 to 3 s | Ask the question, add one stake | "Tonight the moon vanishes. By morning, the oceans have noticed." |
| Escalation | 4 to 6 lines | A timeline where each step is bigger | "The first hour… the first week… the first year…" |
| Turn | 1 line | The surprise nobody expected | "And the strangest change is the length of a day." |
| Payoff | 1 line | Answer the question, end on something to share | "So, could we live without it? Barely. Would you want to?" |
At a natural speaking pace that is 35 to 60 seconds, the sweet spot for Reels and Shorts.
Pick the right kind of video
- Animated story for anything a camera cannot film: dragons, giants, talking animals, dinosaurs, life in 1715. Every scene is AI-made in one look for the whole video (3D cartoon, anime, cinematic, comic book and more), with the same characters in every scene.
- Real footage for real-world "what ifs": the moon, the oceans, money, the human body. BakeVideos picks licensed stock clips for each line.
The studio picks the kind from your idea; one tap changes it.
Ideas you can make now
Each link opens the studio with the idea filled in:
- Could you survive 24 hours with a baby dragon as your pet?
- What if dinosaurs came back tomorrow?
- What if the moon disappeared tonight?
- Could you survive one week on a pirate ship in 1715?
- What if every ocean dried up overnight?
- Could you survive 24 hours inside a giant's house?
Writing your own: start with "What if…" or "Could you survive…", add the timeline you want ("hour by hour", "day by day"), say how it should end ("end on a twist", "end with a question"), and name a look if you have one in mind ("anime style").
Use original characters
"What if [famous character] became real?" videos get views because fans already care, but the characters belong to someone else. Rights holders can have those videos taken down, and a channel built on them is hard to monetise. Invent your own creature, or use a public-domain legend (dragons, giants, mermaids, Greek gods), and the channel is yours to keep. If you have a character you drew, upload it as a reference image and it becomes the main character in every scene.
FAQ
What are "what if" videos? Short videos that take an impossible or hypothetical premise, like "what if the moon disappeared?", and walk through what would happen step by step, ending with a payoff. They are popular on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok.
How do you make a what if video with AI? Type the question into BakeVideos, for example "What if dinosaurs came back tomorrow? Hour by hour. Cinematic style." It writes the script with a hook first, makes the scenes, adds a natural voice, captions and music, and gives you a vertical video to post.
How long should a what if video be? 35 to 60 seconds for Reels and Shorts: a hook, four to six escalating beats, a turn and a payoff. Bigger topics can be 2, 3 or 5 minute long videos on a paid plan.
Can I make what if videos about anime or game characters? You can try, but those characters belong to their owners, who can have the videos removed, and that makes the channel hard to monetise. Original characters, public-domain legends or a character you drew yourself are safer for a channel you want to grow.
What are good what if video ideas? Natural disasters that never happen (the oceans drying up), animals in the wrong place (a dragon as a pet), history ("survive a week in 1715"), science (no moon, no gravity for 5 seconds) and money ("what if you saved $10 a day from age 18?").
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