completes his initial Union force in 1:72nd scale.
Having done a music video for Empress Carlotta, I felt compelled to make one for Emperor Maximilian.
The process was the same. First, to use AI to generate first-draft lyrics, which I then refined:
(Verse 1)
A ship set sail from Miramar, across the salt and foam
To a land of ancient eagles, a thousand miles from home
With a crown of golden laurel and a heart of Austrian blue
He thought he’d bring the order that the Old World always knew
But the soil of Queretaro doesn't care for foreign kings
And the desert wind is cold despite the promises it brings.
(Chorus)
Oh, Maximilian, the crown was made of lead
The map you drew in Vienna is painted now in red
You traded in your gardens for a throne upon the sand
A lonely Hapsburg shadow in a sovereign, sun-baked land.
(Verse 2)
Carlota’s in the palace, she’s writing to the Pope
While the French retreat to Veracruz and take with them his hope
Juárez keeps the mountain, and the liberal fire burns
And the favor of the people is a tide that never turns
He stood before the firing squad, the morning air was still
A Emperor’s final penance on the brow of Bells Hill.
(Bridge)
"I forgive you all," he whispered, as the rifles found their mark
A flash of silver lightning just before the coming dark
He gave the men his gold, asked them "Aim straight for my chest"
Then the Emperor of Mexico was finally laid to rest.
(Outro)
The empire was a fever.
The crown was just a ghost.
Now the dust of Cerro de las Campanas
Is all he has to boast.
(I found that this time, the AI could pronounce 'Juarez' without my having to spell it out. I didn't notice until just now that the lyric says 'A Emperor' rather than 'An Emperor'.)
Nano Banana AI came up with the art:
I switched to other art AIs to remove the logo from the picture, and animate the burning candle. To my surprise, the AI animated more than just the flame, resulting in this 10-second loopable video:
The final step was to combine the music and the animating art with titles, using ClipChamp:
That's the second completed historical music video!
Note that this time, I remembered to tell the AI not to zoom the camera during the animation. Also, while making the titles, I mistakenly changed the name of the song from 'Austrian Blue, Mexican Sand' to 'Austrian Gold, Mexican Sand'.
I've also posted the video as a reel on the TMP Facebook page – this is a link to the later English-captioned video, as the original video had no captions – where it has been well received. This is a large file, so you may find it easier to view on Facebook if you have access there.
Hopefully, these videos will spur some interest in military history, and specifically in Maximilian and Carlotta.