creating-video

name	creating-video
description	Idea → storyboard → Remotion overlays/animation → short renders + stills for fast visual iteration.

Creating Video

Overview

Use this skill to collaborate from idea -> storyboard -> Remotion implementation with a tight verification loop.

Default Workflow

Use code-first by default:

• Put per-video code under src/projects/<project-id>/.
• Prefer descriptive project ids such as object-segmentation, not opaque ticket-style ids, unless the repo already has a legacy id you are intentionally preserving.
• Register the composition through src/projects/registry.js; src/Root.js should continue rendering PROJECT_COMPOSITIONS.
• Keep URLs, cut length, and per-video constants in code (e.g. assets.js).
• Prefer remote-first runtime media in assets.js for compositions that may need cloud render; keep local files as editable source material until they are promoted into the runtime path.
• For media-processing steps, first check $media-toolkit for a suitable command surface (for example transcription, transform, matting, or job status). If it fits the task, prefer it over lower-level backend-specific paths.
• We removed projects/<id>/project.json / scripts/*project*.mjs workflows. Don’t reintroduce them unless the user explicitly asks.
• Wrap major overlays in named <Sequence> blocks so effects are visible in Studio’s timeline.
• Keep transcript timing data as a JSON file committed with the project (prefer src/projects/<id>/transcript_words.json so the project is self-contained).
• For stable recordings, hardcode key effect timestamps in src/projects/<id>/assets.js (don’t re-find phrases at runtime). See references/timeline-patterns.md.
• Don’t depend on “manifest” files at runtime (e.g. projects/<id>/matting.json). If they exist, treat them as scratch notes only.
• For work that may span multiple sessions, keep active execution state in docs/projects/<project-id>/tasks.md.
• Prefer shared house-style blocks from src/effects/ once a visual pattern has repeated. Keep one-off scene wiring inside the project until the abstraction is proven.

1. If the user already has a storyboard:
   • implement overlays/animations from it, then verify with short renders.
2. If the user does not have a storyboard:
   • draft a 3–7 beat storyboard, confirm it, then implement + verify.

References:

• New prompt -> project flow: references/new-project-flow.md
• Intake questions: references/intake.md
• Storyboard format: references/storyboard.md
• Verification loop (render/stills): references/verification.md
• Overlay component catalog: references/overlay-components.md
• Effect extraction rule: references/effect-extraction.md
• Shared effect blocks: ~/GitHub/adithyan-ai-videos/docs/references/effect-library.md
• Shared block preview surface: src/projects/effects-lab/
• Style tokens + readability rules: references/style-tokens.md
• Lessons learned (condensed do/don't): references/lessons-learned.md
• Asset caching (default-on): references/asset-caching.md
• Quick checklist: references/checklist.md
• Commands: references/commands.md
• Also use $remotion-best-practices whenever you touch Remotion code.

Where Things Live

• Per-video code: <repo-root>/src/projects/<project-id>/
• Shared effect blocks: <repo-root>/src/effects/
• Artifact folder: <repo-root>/projects/<project-id>/
• Composition registry: <repo-root>/src/projects/registry.js
• Transcript timing data (recommended): <repo-root>/src/projects/<project-id>/transcript_words.json (keep it “thin”: words + timestamps)
• Active execution state: <repo-root>/docs/projects/<project-id>/tasks.md

Golden Path (Code-First)

1. Scaffold the project: npm run new:project -- --id <project-id> --title "My Video".
2. Fill src/projects/<project-id>/assets.js, refine <Project>Comp.js, and keep editable source notes in projects/<project-id>/.
3. If the work is likely to continue across sessions, create docs/projects/<project-id>/tasks.md and keep the resume state there.
4. Preview: npm start and select the composition in Studio.
5. Render locally first: npm run render.
   • Render a time slice in seconds (recommended for iteration): npm run render -- --from 0 --to 6
   • Full quality: npm run render -- --hq
6. When the project reaches a stable checkpoint, use npm run render:cloud so the repo-owned client handles submission, waiting, status, and the final URL.

Expected Outputs (What To Produce)

For a new video project, the “done” state is:

• <repo-root>/src/projects/<project-id>/ (composition + assets/constants + transcript data)
• <repo-root>/projects/<project-id>/ (storyboard, notes, scratch artifacts)
• <repo-root>/src/projects/registry.js registration
• Remotion code changes (new overlay primitives or a per-project composition wiring), as needed
• <repo-root>/docs/projects/<project-id>/tasks.md when the work needs a durable resume point
• A verification render + stills under repo-local tmp/ (see references/verification.md)

Workflow (Close The Loop)

Use short renders + a few stills to validate quickly while iterating (don’t trust Studio playback alone).

See references/verification.md for the recommended commands and what to look for.

Practical Boundaries

• src/overlay_kit/ is for low-level primitives.
• src/effects/ is for repeated repo-specific beats and compositing blocks.
• src/projects/<project-id>/ is for project-specific assembly, copy, timing, and assets.
• projects/<project-id>/ is for source notes, receipts, sketches, and scratch artifacts.

Self-Improvement (Document Learnings)

When you learn something that is likely to repeat (a reliable workflow, a recurring pitfall, or a reusable contract):

• Update this skill (prefer a short addition to references/* rather than bloating this file).
• Update the nearest AGENTS.md if it is a repo-local operational rule for agents returning cold.
• Prefer turning learnings into reusable artifacts: storyboard.md conventions, named <Sequence> patterns, src/overlay_kit/ primitives, and src/effects/ blocks once the pattern has repeated across scenes.