| name | lofn-video |
| description | Run the Lofn video/animation pipeline (steps 00–10) backed by Codex — cinematic shot lists and motion/animation prompts (Veo 3.1 formula, synchronized audio). Use for video, film, cinematic clips, animation, animated loops, motion design, or "make a video/animation with the full pipeline". Covers BOTH live-cinematic and animation. Expects a Phase-0/1 orchestrator packet from the `lofn` skill; if none exists, run `lofn` first. Do NOT use for static images, music-only, story prose, or QA-only audits. |
Lofn Video & Animation — Codex-backed director pipeline
⚖️ AUTHORITY (2026-07-01): the .claude/skills/ twin of this skill is the CANONICAL policy source; this Codex mirror binds to it and to .agents/skills/lofn/EXECUTION.md §8 (Policy Deltas — golden-output quarantine, no-skip/NON-CANONICAL, itemized packet, per-pair variation angles, judge separation, the publish bar, gate mid-bands). On any disagreement, the .claude file wins.
Produces cinematic shot lists and animation prompts at Lofn competition grade. This one skill covers both modalities the user calls "video" and "animation" — same pipeline, with the Veo 3.1 motion/audio formula and the animation archetypes layered on. Depth lives in skills/video/ and skills/animator/; Codex is the engine (hybrid execution per .agents/skills/lofn/EXECUTION.md).
Before you start
- Confirm a Phase-0/1 packet exists (
core_seed.md, 04_metaprompt.md, 05_pair_assignments.md, 06_director_handoff.md with the ICB / Panel Ledger, filled CREATIVE_CONTEXT.md). No packet → run lofn first.
- Read the motion/format craft just-in-time:
skills/animator/SKILL.md — Veo 3.1 prompt formula, camera language, audio direction, the 6 animation archetypes (Pulse / Morph / Orbit / Parallax / Burst / Flow), loop logic, platform optimization.vault/DIRECTOR_QA_DEPTH_AUDIT.md — the Cinematic Somatic Gate + 5-element shot checklist.
- Mode: Cinematic (multi-shot sequence / narrative clip) vs Animation (a single 4–8s loop/motion study). The pipeline is the same; in Animation mode each pair's variations are archetype-driven loops and you enforce loop logic (how frame 1 connects to the final frame).
Execution (hybrid)
Coordinator 00–05 inline, then 6 pairs as parallel subagents for 06–10. At every agent start inject the full startup packet from EXECUTION.md §3 — CREATIVE_CONTEXT.md verbatim, the handoff/assignment files, the current step contract, and the prior artifact where applicable. Default cardinality: 6 pairs × 4 = 24 shot-sets / loops → rank → top picks.
Coordinator steps (inline)
| Step | File | Artifact |
|---|
| 00 | skills/video/steps/00_Generate_Video_Aesthetics_And_Genres.md | step00_aesthetics_and_genres.md |
| 01 | skills/video/steps/01_Generate_Video_Essence_And_Facets.md | step01_essence_and_facets.md |
| 02 | skills/video/steps/02_Generate_Video_Concepts.md | step02_concepts.md (12 concepts) |
| 03 | skills/video/steps/03_Generate_Video_Artist_And_Critique.md | step03_artist_and_critique.md |
| 04 | skills/video/steps/04_Generate_Video_Medium.md | step04_medium.md |
| 05 | skills/video/steps/05_Generate_Video_Refine_Medium.md | step05_refine_medium.md → 6 pairs |
Per-pair steps (parallel subagents, one chain per pair)
| Step | File | Per-pair artifact |
|---|
| 06 | skills/video/steps/06_Generate_Video_Facets.md | pair_{NN}_step06_facets.md |
| 07 | skills/video/steps/07_Generate_Video_Aspects_Traits.md | pair_{NN}_step07_aspects_traits.md (shot guide) |
| 08 | skills/video/steps/08_Generate_Video_Generation.md | pair_{NN}_step08_generation.md (4 shot-sets/loops) |
| 09 | skills/video/steps/09_Generate_Video_Artist_Refined.md | pair_{NN}_step09_artist_refined.md |
| 10 | skills/video/steps/10_Generate_Video_Revision_Synthesis.md | pair_{NN}_step10_revision_synthesis.md |
The video/animation prompt contract (hard gate)
Each generation prompt (step 08+) follows the Veo 3.1 formula, one element per concern:
[CAMERA] shot type + angle + movement (front-load this — Veo prioritizes framing)
[SUBJECT] specific, not generic ("a woman in worn leather jacket, silver rings", not "a person")
[ACTION] exactly what happens
[SETTING] environment + time + weather/light
[STYLE & AUDIO] aesthetic + explicit sound design
- Separate camera from action (each its own sentence). Describe negative space.
- Audio is directed explicitly — Dialogue in quotes (
A woman whispers, "I remember everything."), SFX: prefix, Ambient: soundscape, Audio: music. Layer ambient + SFX (+ optional music) for depth.
- Real film references allowed for look ("Terrence Malick golden hour"); no living-artist/actor likeness, no real victims.
- Animation mode adds loop logic: name the archetype (Pulse/Morph/Orbit/Parallax/Burst/Flow), set duration (4/6/8s), aspect (9:16 TikTok / 16:9 cinematic), resolution, and state how the loop closes (orbit completes 360°, pulse returns to origin, dolly reverses at midpoint, flow = landmark-free tunnel).
- The 6 pairs use distinct camera grammar / archetypes — no two pairs default to the same move (the distinctiveness rule).
QA & delivery
Run lofn-qa with the Cinematic Somatic Gate (vault/DIRECTOR_QA_DEPTH_AUDIT.md, 5-element shot checklist). Rank by: opening-second hook → motion clarity → audio-image cohesion → emotional legibility → loop integrity (animation). Save each selected shot-set/loop per skills/lofn-core/OUTPUT.md (note intended renderer — Veo 3.1 — and aspect/duration in frontmatter); INDEX last. Do not call render tools — emit paste-ready prompt text; the user renders.
