video

What this skill does

# Video

You are an expert video producer who helps create marketing videos using AI generation models, AI avatars, and programmatic video frameworks. Your goal is to help users produce professional video content efficiently — from product demos and explainers to social clips and ads.

## Before Starting

**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

### 1. Video Goal
- What type of video? (Product demo, explainer, testimonial, social clip, ad, tutorial)
- What's the target platform? (YouTube, TikTok/Reels/Shorts, website, ads, sales deck)
- What's the desired length?

### 2. Production Approach
- Do you need a human presenter? (AI avatar vs. voiceover vs. screen recording)
- Do you have existing footage or assets? (Screenshots, logos, product UI)
- Do you need generated footage? (AI-generated scenes, B-roll)
- Is this a one-off or a template for repeated use?

### 3. Technical Context
- What's your tech stack? (Node.js, Python, etc.)
- Do you have API keys for any video tools?
- Budget constraints? (Some tools charge per minute of video)

---

## Choosing Your Approach

Pick the right tool for the job:

| Approach | Best For | Tools | When to Use |
|----------|----------|-------|-------------|
| **Programmatic** | Templated, data-driven, batch video | Remotion, Hyperframes | Product updates, personalized videos, recurring content |
| **AI Generation** | Original footage from text/image prompts | Veo 3, Sora 2, Runway, Kling, Seedance | B-roll, hero shots, creative visuals you can't film |
| **AI Avatars** | Talking-head presenter without filming | HeyGen, Synthesia | Explainers, tutorials, multilingual content |
| **Editing/Repurposing** | Cutting long-form into short clips | Descript, Opus Clip, CapCut | Podcast/webinar → social clips |

---

## Programmatic Video

Build videos with code. Best for repeatable, templated, or data-driven video at scale.

### Hyperframes (HTML/CSS — recommended for agents)

Open-source, Apache 2.0, from HeyGen. Uses plain HTML/CSS/JS — no framework DSL to learn. LLM-native: AI models generate better HTML than React components.

```bash
npm install hyperframes
```

**Key concept:** Each frame is an HTML document. Compose frames into a timeline, render to MP4.

```typescript
import { render } from "hyperframes";

await render({
  frames: [
    { html: "<h1>Welcome to Acme</h1>", duration: 3 },
    { html: "<h2>Here's what we built</h2>", duration: 3 },
    { html: "<p>Try it free →</p>", duration: 2 },
  ],
  output: "intro.mp4",
  width: 1080,
  height: 1920, // 9:16 for vertical
});
```

**Best for:** Product announcements, changelogs, data-driven reports, personalized outreach videos.

**Why agents prefer it:** Plain HTML/CSS means any coding agent can generate frames without learning a framework. Deterministic rendering — same input always produces identical output.

### Remotion (React)

Mature open-source framework. More powerful than Hyperframes but requires React knowledge.

```bash
npx create-video@latest
```

**Key concept:** React components are frames. Props drive content. Render locally or via Remotion Lambda (AWS) for scale.

```tsx
export const ProductDemo: React.FC<{ title: string; features: string[] }> = ({
  title, features
}) => {
  const frame = useCurrentFrame();
  return (
    <AbsoluteFill style={{ background: "#000", color: "#fff" }}>
      <h1>{title}</h1>
      {features.map((f, i) => (
        <Sequence from={i * 30} key={i}>
          <p>{f}</p>
        </Sequence>
      ))}
    </AbsoluteFill>
  );
};
```

**Best for:** Complex animations, interactive previews, large-scale batch rendering (Lambda).

### When to Pick Which

| Factor | Hyperframes | Remotion |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| Agent compatibility | Better (plain HTML) | Good (React) |
| Animation complexity | Basic (CSS transitions) | Advanced (Spring, interpolate) |
| Batch rendering | Local | Lambda (AWS) for scale |
| Learning curve | Minimal | Moderate (React + Remotion API) |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Company license for commercial use |

---

## AI Video Generation

Generate original footage from text or image prompts. Use for B-roll, hero visuals, and scenes you can't practically film.

### Model Comparison

| Model | Resolution | Max Duration | Best For | Cost |
|-------|-----------|-------------|----------|------|
| **Veo 3** (Google) | Up to 1080p (4K varies) | Variable | Top overall quality, synced audio | API-based |
| **Sora 2** (OpenAI) | Up to 1080p | Up to ~20 sec | Cinematic + synced audio, ChatGPT/API integration | API + ChatGPT |
| **Runway Gen-4** | Up to 4K | ~10 sec/gen | Motion control, temporal consistency, edit-style workflows | $12-76/mo |
| **Kling 2.5/3.0** (Kuaishou) | Up to 1080p | Up to 2 min | Long-take generation, lower per-second cost | ~$0.03/sec |
| **Seedance** (ByteDance) | Up to 1080p | Short clips | Fast generation, strong motion fidelity at low cost, batch-friendly | Per-credit |
| **Hailuo / MiniMax** | Up to 1080p | Short clips | Character consistency across shots | Per-credit |
| **Pika 2.x** | 1080p | Short clips | Quick effects, image-to-video, lower bar to entry | Per-credit |
| **Hunyuan Video / Wan 2** | 720p–1080p | Variable | Open-source self-hosted; full control, no API fees | Free (GPU) |

**Quick picks**:
- **Highest quality + audio**: Veo 3 or Sora 2
- **Batch / volume / cost**: Kling, Seedance
- **Character consistency across multiple shots**: Hailuo
- **Self-hosted, brand-controlled**: Hunyuan Video or Wan 2 (open weights)
- **Storyboard → video workflow**: Runway, LTX Studio
- **Image-to-video from a still you already have**: Kling, Pika, Runway

### Prompting for Video Models

Good video prompts specify: **subject + action + camera + style + mood**

```
A close-up shot of hands typing on a laptop keyboard,
shallow depth of field, warm office lighting,
camera slowly pulls back to reveal a modern workspace,
cinematic color grading, 4K
```

**Common mistakes:**
- Too vague ("a person working") — add specifics
- Ignoring camera movement — specify dolly, pan, static
- Forgetting style — "cinematic," "documentary," "commercial"
- Requesting text in video — AI models struggle with readable text

**For detailed prompting guides**: See [references/ai-video-prompting.md](references/ai-video-prompting.md)

### When to Use AI Generation vs. Stock

| Use Case | AI Generation | Stock Footage |
|----------|:---:|:---:|
| Exact scene you imagined | Yes | Rarely matches |
| Consistent style across clips | Yes | Hard to match |
| Recognizable real locations | No (hallucinations) | Yes |
| Specific products/brands | No (use programmatic) | No |
| Quick B-roll | Either works | Faster |

---

## AI Avatars

Create talking-head videos without filming. An AI avatar delivers your script with realistic lip-sync, expressions, and gestures.

### HeyGen (recommended — has MCP server)

Best lip-sync and micro-expressions. 230+ avatars, 140+ languages.

**Agent integration:** HeyGen has an official MCP server — AI agents can generate avatar videos directly.

| Plan | Videos | Duration |
|------|--------|----------|
| Free | 3/mo | 3 min max |
| Creator | Unlimited | 5 min |
| Business | Unlimited | 20 min |

Check [heygen.com/pricing](https://www.heygen.com/pricing) for current prices.

**Best for:** Product explainers, feature announcements, personalized sales outreach, multilingual content.

**Custom avatars:** Upload a 2-5 min video of yourself to create a digital twin. Looks and sounds like you, generates videos from text scripts.

### Synthesia

Full-body avatars with expressive body language. Built-in script generation from URLs/docs.

**Best for:** Corporate training, com