How to Make the Smalltown Boy AI Video: The Wide-Angle Scream Duo
The Smalltown Boy scream trend explained, the Bronski Beat song behind it, what happens in the 21 seconds, two-photo tips, the pet version and the price.
A face pressed right up to a wide-angle lens, both hands clutching the head, mouth open in a scream, while a friend dances in the background. Then they swap. That's the Smalltown Boy trend, one of the most replayed duo formats on TikTok and Reels. Here is what it is and how to make your own version from two photos.
1Upload one photo per friend
Photo 1 screams first, photo 2 joins in second.
JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC · under 20 MB0/2 photos
Add 2 photos, one each, in the order of the slots.
Photos that work best
- Clear, waist up
- Screenshots, stickers
- Head only
- Too dark or blurry
2Pick a template
- 21 s video
- 3:4, like the original
- Original song available
- No watermark
3Version
By making a video, you confirm you own these photos or have permission from everyone in them, and they don't show celebrities or anyone under 18.
Renders in about 5–10 minutes. We email you the link. Automatic refund if the photo is rejected or the render fails.
What is the Smalltown Boy trend?
A two-person video in four beats:
- The first scream. One person leans into a wide-angle lens, hands in their hair, mouth wide open, while the other dances behind.
- The swap. The dancer takes the lens and screams; the first person dances behind.
- The backyard dance. The shot cuts wide and the pair dance side by side, with one low-angle shot against the sky.
- The lunge. Both rush the camera for one last scream.
The joke is the contrast: a dreamy 80s synth track under two people losing it on camera. It is also hard to film yourself, because the distortion only works with the right lens held inches from the face.
What song is it?
"Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat, the British synth-pop band's 1984 debut single. Jimmy Somerville's falsetto over that looping synth line took it into the UK top three. This site is independent and not affiliated with Bronski Beat, its members or labels.
How to make it
- Open the Smalltown Boy template.
- Add two photos. Photo 1 screams first and stands on the left in the wide shots; photo 2 screams second and stands on the right. One person per photo, face sharp and front-facing.
- Pick a quality and generate. The clip is about 21 seconds in 3:4.
- Download or share. The song is in the MP4, synced to the picture.
Photo tips
- Sharp and front-facing. Each close-up puts a face a hand's width from the lens.
- Nothing over the face. No sunglasses, masks or hands.
- Hair you like. It is kept down to length, curl and color, and the hands go right into it.
- Most dramatic friend in photo 2. That close-up is the longest and ends with the biggest shocked face.
Can pets do it?
Yes. The pet version takes two pet photos: two cats, two dogs or any pair. More pet trends in AI pet video trends.
What does it cost?
Smalltown Boy renders the whole 21 seconds on Premium: 40 credits at 480p, 80 at 720p and 145 at 1080p, with the song and no watermark. Credit packs start at $9.90 with no subscription, and failed renders are refunded automatically.
Caption ideas
- "Us when the group chat says the trip is cancelled"
- "Me and my bestie finding out it's Monday tomorrow"
- "POV: you both forgot the assignment was due today"
Add #SmalltownBoy and post with the original sound.
Can You Make the Smalltown Boy AI Video for Free?
Short answer: you can film it for free, but none of the AI tools we checked on 31 October 2026 gives a free Smalltown Boy video. The free sign-up credits on offer don't cover one. Here's what each route costs, MemeFX AI included, which is one of the pricier ones because it renders the full 21 seconds.
The routes at a glance
| Route | What's free | What a video costs | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film it yourselves | Everything | Nothing but takes | Yours |
| Flowlio AI | 80 credits on sign-up, plus daily check-ins | 500 credits at 480p (sale), 1,600 at 720p | 21 s, 3:4 |
| Smalltown-boy.com | Nothing | $9.99, or 3 for $19.99 | 12 s, 9:16, 720p |
| MemeFX AI | Nothing | 40 credits at 480p, or $19.99 without an account | About 21 s, 3:4 |
Film it yourselves
The free route, and the original one. Switch the phone to its 0.5x ultra-wide camera and hold it a hand's width from the face: one of you screams into it with both hands in the hair while the other dances behind, then swap, then step back to dance side by side and rush the lens together. Add the Bronski Beat sound from the app's library when you post.
What it costs you: a friend in the same place, a phone with an ultra-wide camera and a few rounds of takes. CapCut can cut the result to the song for free; it can't film the close-ups.
The AI tools
- Flowlio AI makes the 21-second two-photo version in 3:4 with the track, no watermark. Signing up gives 80 credits and a daily check-in adds more, but a 480p video costs 500 credits on its current sale price, 1,600 at 720p.
- Smalltown-boy.com sells a 12-second, 9:16, 720p clip from two photos for $9.99, or three for $19.99. That's cheaper, and also about half the trend's length.
What it costs you: a pack either way; on the cheaper one, a shorter clip.
When paying makes sense
- You can't film together. Two photos from two cities still end up screaming in the same yard.
- No ultra-wide camera, or no patience for the angle. The distortion is in the video.
- You want the full routine. All 21 seconds, not a cut-down clip.
When it doesn't: you and a friend are in the same place with a 0.5x camera (film it).
Smalltown Boy CapCut Template vs AI: The Wide-Angle Scream Without the Wide-Angle Lens
The short answer
- You have a friend, a phone with a 0.5x camera and a backyard: film it, then cut it in CapCut.
- You can't film together, or you want it from two photos: the Smalltown Boy template.
What CapCut offers
- A trend guide. CapCut has a Smalltown Boy page that describes the format, one performer filling an ultra-wide close-up with a scream while the second dances behind, then swapping, and sends you to its AI video tool rather than to a ready-made template.
- User templates. Templates set to the song cut your own clips or photos to its timing. If you've already filmed the screams, they're a quick way to edit them; if you haven't, there's nothing for the template to cut.
The hard part of this trend isn't the edit, it's the shot: a face a hand's width from a 0.5x lens, both hands in the hair, while someone dances in the background. A template can't film that.
Side by side
| Film it + CapCut | Smalltown Boy (AI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Your own footage | Two photos, one person or pet each |
| The wide-angle screams | Only if you film them up close on 0.5x | Yes |
| Both of you in one place | Required | No, photos are enough |
| Pets | Hard to direct | Yes, two pets |
| Length | Yours | About 21 s |
| Price | Free | 40 credits and up, or $19.99 without an account |
Using both
The two combine well: make the duo here, then open the MP4 in CapCut to add "Us when the group chat says the trip is cancelled" or put it next to your own clips.
Use photos of people who agreed to it; celebrities and other public figures won't pass review.
