How do you make an "I Love the Smiths" AI video for TikTok or Reels?

Every few days someone asks me some version of this: "Okay, I've seen the elevator thing a hundred times. How do I actually make one for TikTok?"

The answer is shorter than the trend makes it look. It comes down to four decisions: frame, photos, generation, caption. Get those right and the rest is just uploading.

Here's the workflow I'd use. you can try make it .

Step 1: Pick 9:16 before you start

The tall frame is what TikTok, Reels, and Shorts all want. It's built for a phone, and it keeps both characters in frame instead of cutting one of them off at the waist.

Decide this first, because the format is set before checkout. You can't pay for a vertical video and switch it to widescreen afterward — that's a separate render and a separate order. Pick 9:16 up front and save yourself the annoyance.

Step 2: Choose the two photos on purpose

The scene has two roles:

Photo 1 is the person in headphones, listening.
Photo 2 is the person who turns and says the line.
Upload order sets the roles. It has nothing to do with gender, so cast it however you like.

A few things that make a visible difference:

Head-and-shoulders beats full-body. The scene is about a face and a glance, and a cropped portrait gives the model more to work with than a group photo taken from across a room.
Even lighting, clear face. Blurry, backlit, or heavily filtered photos are asked to do too much.
One consenting adult per photo. This one isn't a formality. If the person in the photo hasn't agreed to appear in an AI video, don't upload them. A trend is not worth that conversation.
Only one good photo? Photo 1 is the required slot. Generate with just that and let the reference handle the second character.

Step 3: Generate and download the MP4

Checkout happens once, and generation starts after payment is verified. The wait depends on the queue and the provider, so give it some time rather than refreshing the page.

When the video is ready, it shows up in your generated videos in the same browser. The order is tied to a browser cookie, which means switching devices or clearing cookies can cut off normal access. Boring advice, but it saves a lot of "where did my video go" emails.

Download the MP4 within 30 days. These tools are renderers, not permanent cloud storage.

Step 4: Write a caption that doesn't lie

The platform doesn't need to be told a story. A caption like "POV: you meet someone who loves the Smiths" works because it points at the line and lets the video do the rest.

What to avoid:

Claiming it's official film footage or that you're affiliated with the film or the band.
Presenting the generated scene as something that actually happened.
Naming or featuring real people who haven't agreed to it.
Honest captions perform fine. The meme is the format — the elevator, the headphones, the line — not the pretense.

Step 5: Check your audio assumptions

If it's a paid tool, the price usually covers the video, not the music. The output here is for personal, non-commercial sharing, and no separate commercial or music license comes with it.

Practical version: post it as a personal video, keep it non-commercial, and if a platform flags the audio, don't spam the same track until something sticks. Swap the audio in an editor or share it privately instead.

Where the two photos go

Full disclosure: I built a small tool for exactly this at lovethesmithsai.com. You upload two photos, pick 9:16, and it renders a roughly 24-second version of the elevator scene. No prompt writing, one-time payment rather than a subscription. It's an independent, unofficial project — not a film product.

I wrote a longer step-by-step version of this guide here, including the photo and consent details: How to make an I Love The Smiths AI video for TikTok or Reels

And if you're still not sure what the meme actually is, start here: What is the I Love the Smiths meme?

TL;DR

Choose 9:16 before checkout; it can't be changed later.
Photo 1 is the listener, Photo 2 says the line — head-and-shoulders portraits, one consenting adult each.
Download the MP4 within 30 days, in the same browser you ordered from.
Caption it honestly; don't claim it's official footage.
Personal, non-commercial sharing only.
That's the whole thing. The hard part is picking which two people to put in the elevator.