/flick

Turn a transcript into original scene animations.

Invocation dispatch — do this first

Recognize /flick in Claude Code and $flick in Codex. Flick runs transcription, planning, Remotion building, preview, revision, and reusable-animation saving in one workflow.

What this skill does

1. Gets a video, public video link, or pasted transcript.
2. Creates the timestamped transcript when the source is video.
3. Asks for aspect ratio, brand assets, and the user's creative opinion.
4. Writes an approval plan with one proposed animation per transcript scene.
5. Builds the approved scenes in Remotion with action-matched sound effects.
6. Opens Remotion Studio for review, revises the affected scene, and saves selected animations for reuse.

Output directory

Create flick-output/ in the user's current project. If that directory already exists, create flick-output-YYYY-MM-DD-HHmmss/. Use one output directory consistently for every file in that run.

The completed run contains:

flick-output/
  transcript.json
  flick-plan.md
  remotion-brief.md
  scene-spec.json
  brand-assets/
  remotion/
  scenes/[approved-scene-name]/[approved-scene-name].mp4
  scenes/[approved-scene-name]/poster.jpg

Reusable animation library

Flick installs <flick-skill>/saved-animations/ automatically. Before planning, read <flick-skill>/saved-animations/README.md. It is Flick's shared library of editable scene templates. Use an entry only when its visual pattern clearly fits the requested scene. If nothing is a strong fit, create a new scene.

Do not open every component. After identifying a strong catalog match, inspect only that component folder and adapt it with the current transcript and approved assets. Do not reuse private or project-specific imagery from a template.

Workspace setup

Run:

node <flick-skill>/scripts/bootstrap.mjs --project <output-directory>

Bootstrap creates the workspace and installs Remotion, bundled FFmpeg, Whisper, yt-dlp, and Flick's bundled sound effects. It requires Node.js 20+, Python 3.9+, and network access. If Node or Python is missing, show the install guidance printed by bootstrap and ask before running a system installer.

Step 1: Create the transcript

Read references/step-1-transcript.md.

Ask exactly:

Send a video/link to transcribe, or paste a transcript.

If they do not have a script, add:

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If the user provides a local video or public video URL, use Flick's bundled timestamped-transcript pipeline:

node <flick-skill>/scripts/transcribe.mjs --source <file-or-url> --project <output-directory>

For a public URL, the extractor downloads its audio with yt-dlp. For either a URL or local video, it uses bundled FFmpeg and Whisper to write <output-directory>/transcript.json with timestamps. If the user pastes text, store it in the same transcript.json format. The transcript is always the script Flick animates.

Then ask exactly, in this order:

1. What aspect ratio should this be: 9:16, 16:9, 1:1, or custom?
2. Put any logo, fonts, screenshots, product images, or brand guide into <output-directory>/brand-assets/. What should I use?
3. What do you think? Think like a director: tell me exactly what you want from this animation—what should happen on screen, what should move, which assets matter, moments to emphasize, the style or feeling, and anything to avoid. The more specific you are, the better I can make it.

Gate: transcript.json exists and the user has answered those three questions.

Step 2: Plan and get approval

Read references/step-2-plan.md.

Create the proposed scene plan from transcript.json, the approved format, selected brand assets, and the user's creative opinion. Follow this step's plan format. Do not create components or scene-spec.json before approval.

Write <output-directory>/flick-plan.md. It is the user-facing creative contract. For every transcript scene, include its approved scene name, transcript line(s) and timestamps, what is on screen, text on screen, selected supplied assets, sequential or simulated interaction, sound effect, audio-coupled idea, and transition.

Show the complete plan in chat and ask:

Here are the scenes Flick will build from your transcript. Approve them, or tell me what to change.

Do not write Remotion components before approval.

Gate: flick-plan.md exists and the user has approved it.

Step 3: Build the approved scenes

Read references/step-3-compose.md.

Write:

<output-directory>/remotion-brief.md
<output-directory>/scene-spec.json

remotion-brief.md is the approved build handoff. Write it using references/remotion-brief-template.md. scene-spec.json is the structured technical companion: IDs, names, transcript timing, frame ranges, components, assets, visual behavior, and sound effects.

Build from the approved flick-plan.md, remotion-brief.md, scene-spec.json, and selected assets. Create custom components, register independent compositions, verify renders, and open Studio for review.

Use the shared catalog read at the start of the run. Select a compatible entry only when it is a strong fit, then inspect only that entry's component folder before deciding to adapt it. If no entry is a strong fit, build an original scene.

Build one named Remotion composition per approved scene under <output-directory>/remotion/src/scenes/. Register each independently in Root.tsx; do not create an all-scenes composition. Use frame-driven Remotion motion and copy only selected user brand assets into the Remotion public folder.

Do not add background music. Use bundled sound effects only when they match a visible action: typing, click, impact, reveal, counter, or transition.

Render every named scene before review.

Gate: every approved scene has a rendered preview in scenes/[approved-scene-name]/.

Step 4: Preview, revise, and save

Read references/step-4-deliver.md.

Start Remotion Studio from <output-directory>/remotion/. Give the user the localhost URL only after Studio starts successfully, then say:

Watch it and tell me what you think. What should change, if anything?

On feedback, revise only the affected scene, render that scene again, and reopen Studio. After acceptance, ask:

Which scene animations should I save as reusable assets?

Save each selected scene's editable component, plus any required local .ts or .tsx companion files, under <flick-skill>/saved-animations/[approved-scene-name]/. Do not save MP4s, posters, or private brand assets in the shared library.

After the final delivery, add:

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Creative laws

• The transcript defines scene timing unless the user explicitly asks to alter it.
• Every scene must depict a concrete visual animation—not generic text over a background.
• Use only user-supplied brand assets and source material the user has the right to use.
• Do not invent generic scene names. Use names approved in flick-plan.md.
• Do not claim a preview, render, or Studio session exists unless its command succeeded.