يعرف Kouji Ishiyama ما يلزم لإنشاء مقاطع فيديو باستمرار.

من خلال قناة Gold Coin على YouTube، نجح Kouji في بناء قاعدة جماهيرية تضم أكثر من 1.2 مليون مشترك، ونشر أكثر من 2,000 فيديو. ويركز نشاطه التجاري على بيع العملات الأثرية والذهبية عبر الإنترنت، ويخدم جمهوراً يتكون بشكل أساسي من هواة جمع العملات الذين تتراوح أعمارهم بين 40 و70 عاماً، ومن بينهم أطباء وأصحاب أعمال ومديرون تنفيذيون.

أصبح الفيديو وسيلة مهمة يستخدمها Kouji لتثقيف هذا الجمهور، والترويج لنشاطه التجاري، ومشاركة خبراته.

لكن بعد إنشاء آلاف الفيديوهات، أصبح جزء من العملية مزعجاً بشكل متزايد: أن يصوّر نفسه في كل مرة.

​"كان السبب الرئيسي لاهتمامي بـHeyGen هو أن تصوير الفيديوهات يوميا أصبح يستغرق وقتا طويلا"، قال كوجي. "كنت أبحث عن طريقة لإنشاء الفيديوهات من دون الحاجة إلى تصوير نفسي في كل مرة."

منحته HeyGen نسخة رقمية من نفسه، ما أتاح له الاستغناء عن التصوير ضمن عملية إنشاء الفيديو.

استبدال الكاميرا بنسخة رقمية منه

قبل HeyGen، كان كل فيديو جديد يتطلب سير عمل تقليديا للتصوير.

كان Kouji يكتب نصاً، ويجهّز الكاميرا، ويصوّر نفسه أثناء إلقائه، ثم ينقل اللقطات ويرسل كل شيء إلى محرر فيديو محترف.

لم يكن الظهور أمام الكاميرا هو المشكلة، بل كل ما كان يلزم لتصوير اللقطات.

قال Kouji: "كان من الصعب قراءة النص أو الرجوع إليه بشكل طبيعي من دون أن يبدو ذلك واضحاً، كما أن توصيل الكاميرا ونقل البيانات كانا يتطلبان وقتاً وجهداً إضافيين."

مع HeyGen، أصبحت هذه العملية أبسط بكثير.

​Now Kouji writes his script, generates the video with his avatar and voice, and sends the result to his editor for final production. He still gets the professionally edited videos he wants without setting up a camera and recording himself first.

The quality of HeyGen's avatars was one of the main reasons he chose the platform.

"The quality of the avatars was very good," Kouji said. "I also found the website easy to understand, and I was able to create my avatar quickly without much difficulty."

His first reaction to seeing his digital version was similarly positive.

"It looked natural, and I did not feel much discomfort or awkwardness seeing an avatar version of myself."

Saving up to 30 minutes on every video

Removing filming from the workflow saves Kouji approximately 20 to 30 minutes every time he creates a video.

He no longer has to set up his camera, prepare for the shoot, deliver the script on camera, connect his equipment, or transfer the footage before editing can begin.

"Not having to film yourself is incredibly convenient," Kouji said.

For him, the biggest benefit is getting back the time and effort previously spent filming.

And for someone who has already created more than 2,000 YouTube videos, removing 20 to 30 minutes of repetitive work from every new video can add up quickly.

Today, Kouji publishes about three videos per week. That's intentionally fewer than he used to publish. After building such a large library, he decided to slow his schedule rather than be constrained by production.

Making multilingual video easier

HeyGen has also made it much easier for Kouji to create videos in foreign languages.

Instead of filming himself again for each language, he can use AI to adapt his video content for audiences beyond his primary language.

"HeyGen made it much easier for me to create videos in foreign languages," Kouji said.

Gold Coin’s YouTube has grown to more than 1.2 million subscribers. Kouji believes the ability to create multilingual content more easily has played an important role.

"I believe this was an important factor in helping my YouTube channel grow to more than 1 million subscribers," he said.

HeyGen gives him greater flexibility in what he can create and who he can reach.

Focusing on the information instead of the camera

Despite using an AI avatar of himself, Kouji says audience reaction hasn't been an issue.

"From the beginning, very few people seemed to notice that the videos were created using an avatar," he said.

More importantly, he doesn't think viewers particularly care whether an avatar is involved.

"What matters much more is the quality and value of the information in the video," Kouji said.

That's also why he recommends the technology to other people who regularly create video.

"If someone is regularly producing video content, I would recommend trying it right away," Kouji said.

After more than 2,000 YouTube videos, Kouji already had the expertise, audience, and content strategy. HeyGen didn't need to replace those things. It simply removed one of the most repetitive parts of his workflow.

Now he can write a script, turn it into a video with his avatar and voice, and send it directly into post-production without stepping in front of a camera.

As Kouji puts it, HeyGen feels like "having a reliable virtual version of yourself that can help you create content whenever you need it."