Video Generator (Remotion)

Create professional motion graphics videos programmatically with React and Remotion.

Default Workflow (ALWAYS follow this)

1. Scrape brand data (if featuring a product) using Firecrawl
2. Create the project in output/<project-name>/
3. Build all scenes with proper motion graphics
4. Install dependencies with npm install
5. Fix package.json scripts to use npx remotion (not bun):

   "scripts": {
     "dev": "npx remotion studio",
     "build": "npx remotion bundle"
   }
   

6. Start Remotion Studio as a background process:

   cd output/<project-name> && npm run dev
   

   Wait for "Server ready" on port 3000.
7. Expose via Cloudflare tunnel so user can access it:

   bash skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh start 3000
   

8. Send the user the public URL (e.g. https://xxx.trycloudflare.com)

The user will preview in their browser, request changes, and you edit the source files. Remotion hot-reloads automatically.

Rendering (only when user explicitly asks to export):

cd output/<project-name>
npx remotion render CompositionName out/video.mp4

Quick Start

# Scaffold project
cd output && npx --yes create-video@latest my-video --template blank
cd my-video && npm install

# Add motion libraries
npm install lucide-react

# Fix scripts in package.json (replace any "bun" references with "npx remotion")

# Start dev server
npm run dev

# Expose publicly
bash skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh start 3000

Fetching Brand Data with Firecrawl

MANDATORY: When a video mentions or features any product/company, use Firecrawl to scrape the product's website for brand data, colors, screenshots, and copy BEFORE designing the video. This ensures visual accuracy and brand consistency.

API Key: Set FIRECRAWL_API_KEY in .env (see TOOLS.md).

Usage

bash scripts/firecrawl.sh "https://example.com"

Returns structured brand data: brandName, tagline, headline, description, features, logoUrl, faviconUrl, primaryColors, ctaText, socialLinks, plus screenshot URL and OG image URL.

Download Assets After Scraping

mkdir -p public/images/brand
curl -s "https://example.com/favicon.svg" -o public/images/brand/logo.svg
curl -s "${OG_IMAGE_URL}" -o public/images/brand/og-image.png
curl -sL "${SCREENSHOT_URL}" -o public/images/brand/screenshot.png

Core Architecture

Scene Management

Use scene-based architecture with proper transitions:

const SCENE_DURATIONS: Record<string, number> = {
  intro: 3000,     // 3s hook
  problem: 4000,   // 4s dramatic
  solution: 3500,  // 3.5s reveal
  features: 5000,  // 5s showcase
  cta: 3000,       // 3s close
};

Video Structure Pattern

import {
  AbsoluteFill, Sequence, useCurrentFrame,
  useVideoConfig, interpolate, spring,
  Img, staticFile, Audio,
} from "remotion";

export const MyVideo = () => {
  const frame = useCurrentFrame();
  const { fps, durationInFrames } = useVideoConfig();

  return (
    <AbsoluteFill>
      {/* Background music */}
      <Audio src={staticFile("audio/bg-music.mp3")} volume={0.35} />

      {/* Persistent background layer - OUTSIDE sequences */}
      <AnimatedBackground frame={frame} />

      {/* Scene sequences */}
      <Sequence from={0} durationInFrames={90}>
        <IntroScene />
      </Sequence>
      <Sequence from={90} durationInFrames={120}>
        <FeatureScene />
      </Sequence>
    </AbsoluteFill>
  );
};

Motion Graphics Principles

AVOID (Slideshow patterns)

• Fading to black between scenes
• Centered text on solid backgrounds
• Same transition for everything
• Linear/robotic animations
• Static screens
• slideLeft, slideRight, crossDissolve, fadeBlur presets
• Emoji icons — NEVER use emoji, always use Lucide React icons

PURSUE (Motion graphics)

• Overlapping transitions (next starts BEFORE current ends)
• Layered compositions (background/midground/foreground)
• Spring physics for organic motion
• Varied timing (2-5s scenes, mixed rhythms)
• Continuous visual elements across scenes
• Custom transitions with clipPath, 3D transforms, morphs
• Lucide React for ALL icons (npm install lucide-react) — never emoji

Transition Techniques

1. Morph/Scale - Element scales up to fill screen, becomes next scene's background
2. Wipe - Colored shape sweeps across, revealing next scene
3. Zoom-through - Camera pushes into element, emerges into new scene
4. Clip-path reveal - Circle/polygon grows from point to reveal
5. Persistent anchor - One element stays while surroundings change
6. Directional flow - Scene 1 exits right, Scene 2 enters from right
7. Split/unfold - Screen divides, panels slide apart
8. Perspective flip - Scene rotates on Y-axis in 3D

Animation Timing Reference

// Timing values (in seconds)
const timing = {
  micro: 0.1-0.2,      // Small shifts, subtle feedback
  snappy: 0.2-0.4,     // Element entrances, position changes
  standard: 0.5-0.8,   // Scene transitions, major reveals
  dramatic: 1.0-1.5,   // Hero moments, cinematic reveals
};

// Spring configs
const springs = {
  snappy: { stiffness: 400, damping: 30 },
  bouncy: { stiffness: 300, damping: 15 },
  smooth: { stiffness: 120, damping: 25 },
};

Visual Style Guidelines

Typography

• One display font + one body font max
• Massive headlines, tight tracking
• Mix weights for hierarchy
• Keep text SHORT (viewers can't pause)

Colors

• Use brand colors from Firecrawl scrape as the primary palette — match the product's actual look
• Avoid purple/indigo gradients unless the brand uses them or the user explicitly requests them
• Simple, clean backgrounds are generally best — a single dark tone or subtle gradient beats layered textures
• Intentional accent colors pulled from the brand

Layout

• Use asymmetric layouts, off-center type
• Edge-aligned elements create visual tension
• Generous whitespace as design element
• Use depth sparingly — a subtle backdrop blur or single gradient, not stacked textures

Remotion Essentials

Interpolation

const opacity = interpolate(frame, [0, 30], [0, 1], {
  extrapolateLeft: "clamp",
  extrapolateRight: "clamp"
});

const scale = spring({
  frame, fps,
  from: 0.8, to: 1,
  durationInFrames: 30,
  config: { damping: 12 }
});

Sequences with Overlap

<Sequence from={0} durationInFrames={100}>
  <Scene1 />
</Sequence>
<Sequence from={80} durationInFrames={100}>
  <Scene2 />
</Sequence>

Cross-Scene Continuity

Place persistent elements OUTSIDE Sequence blocks:

const PersistentShape = ({ currentScene }: { currentScene: number }) => {
  const positions = {
    0: { x: 100, y: 100, scale: 1, opacity: 0.3 },
    1: { x: 800, y: 200, scale: 2, opacity: 0.5 },
    2: { x: 400, y: 600, scale: 0.5, opacity: 1 },
  };

  return (
    <motion.div
      animate={positions[currentScene]}
      transition={{ duration: 0.8, ease: "easeInOut" }}
      className="absolute w-32 h-32 rounded-full bg-gradient-to-r from-coral to-orange"
    />
  );
};

Quality Tests

Before delivering, verify:

• Mute test: Story follows visually without sound?
• Squint test: Hierarchy visible when squinting?
• Timing test: Motion feels natural, not robotic?
• Consistency test: Similar elements behave similarly?
• Slideshow test: Does NOT look like PowerPoint?
• Loop test: Video loops smoothly back to start?

Implementation Steps

1. Firecrawl brand scrape — If featuring a product, scrape its site first
2. Director's treatment — Write vibe, camera style, emotional arc
3. Visual direction — Colors, fonts, brand feel, animation style
4. Scene breakdown — List every scene with description, duration, text, transitions
5. Plan assets — User assets + generated images/videos + brand scrape assets
6. Define durations — Vary pacing (2-3s punchy, 4-5s dramatic)
7. Build persistent layer — Animated background outside scenes
8. Build scenes — Each with enter/exit animations, 3-5 timed moments
9. Open with hook — High-impact first scene
10. Develop narrative — Content-driven middle scenes
11. Strong ending — Intentional, resolved close
12. Start Remotion Studio — npm run dev on port 3000
13. Expose via tunnel — bash skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh start 3000
14. Send user the public URL — They preview and request changes live
15. Iterate — Edit source, hot-reload, repeat
16. Render — Only when user says to export final video

File Structure

my-video/
├── src/
│   ├── Root.tsx              # Composition definitions
│   ├── index.ts              # Entry point
│   ├── index.css             # Global styles
│   ├── MyVideo.tsx           # Main video component
│   └── scenes/               # Scene components (optional)
├── public/
│   ├── images/
│   │   └── brand/            # Firecrawl-scraped assets
│   └── audio/                # Background music
├── remotion.config.ts
└── package.json

Common Components

See references/components.md for reusable:

• Animated backgrounds
• Terminal windows
• Feature cards
• Stats displays
• CTA buttons
• Text reveal animations

Tunnel Management

# Start tunnel (exposes port 3000 publicly)
bash skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh start 3000

# Check status
bash skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh status 3000

# List all tunnels
bash skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh list

# Stop tunnel
bash skills/cloudflare-tunnel/scripts/tunnel.sh stop 3000