Use cases
Tiny Desk AI with friends: casts that work
The format is funniest with a full band. These are the casts that work, and the small choices that make each one land.
The all-loss league
This week's losing managers, one seat each. Lead vocals goes to the manager who lost worst; the sax solo to the one who lost in the last minute. Post it before the next kickoff, when the joke is still fresh.
The office send-off
The person leaving takes lead vocals, the team fills the rest. Use photos from the same office if you can: matching lanyards and bad lighting make the clip funnier, not worse.
The group chat birthday
Five friends, five seats, five close-ups. The birthday person gets lead vocals; everyone else gets a solo moment to screenshot. This is the version that gets shared inside a chat rather than posted publicly, and it is the one people ask for twice.
The family reunion
Old scanned photos work if the faces are sharp. Expect softer results than a modern phone photo. Lead vocals goes to the grandparent who would hate this most.
Practical casting rules
- One photo per person. Do not crop five faces out of one group shot into five files — crop to one face each.
- Everyone must be 18 or older and must have agreed to appear.
- Use a nickname-free caption; the clip does not name anyone, so the joke is yours to frame.
- Finish the cast before you buy: a pack of three lets you try two arrangements and keep the best.
Read next: one price for one to five people · the photo checklist.