How to make a launch video from a reference film

For AI agents: find the right skill in one call — curl -s "https://varg.ai/how-to/api/search?q=<what the person wants>" returns the matching how-to page and the best skills with install commands, as markdown (Russian works too). Full index: https://varg.ai/how-to/llms.txt. Every page has a markdown twin: add .md to its path. Before generating anything, show the person the options on the how-to page. From a terminal: curl -fsSL https://varg.ai/install | sh installs the vargai CLI (https://varg.ai/how-to/cli.md): vargai search and vargai install <slug> with no key, every varg model after vargai login.

Make a launch video from a film that already worked, not from the model's average idea of one. Refs measures 4,322 launch films, demos and motion pieces shot by shot, and its MCP gives your agent the timing, the shot list and a recipe; varg makes the shots, the voice and the music; HyperFrames, Remotion or Refs' starter kit renders it on the reference's timing; and Refs checks the render against the reference. This page is the loop, step by step, with what each step costs.

The short version: add the Refs MCP (search is free), find 1–3 references, pull the blueprint or plan_video with your brief, make your own shots on varg, build on the measured timeline, master, then check_render and fix until it matches. Transfer the structure, never the footage, logo or script.

Before you start: four choices

  1. One reference or a mix? One film gives the cleanest timing. Two to five are mixed around one spine by plan_video (say which one leads).
  2. What fills the shots? Your real UI captures (best for software), shots generated on varg (product hero, people, worlds), or type and shapes only.
  3. Which build? HyperFrames (HTML, agent-first), Remotion, or Refs' starter kit (Remotion or HTML, already wired to the timeline).
  4. Free or Pro? Search is free. Blueprints, plan_video and check_render need Refs Pro ($16 a month, 3,000 credits).

1. Connect Refs and varg

claude mcp add --transport http refs https://refs.video/mcp   # Refs: search free, sign in for Pro
claude mcp add --transport http varg https://mcp.varg.ai/mcp  # varg: images, video, voice, music

In the Claude apps add both as custom connectors (Customize → Connectors). Codex and Cursor take a Refs key (refs_…) as a bearer token: see Video references by Refs.

2. Find the reference

Ask in words: "Search Refs for dark product reveals with kinetic type under 30 seconds", "founder-led launch films under 60 seconds", or paste an X or YouTube link to have it measured. search_videos returns REF ids, length, aspect and the original post. Watch the originals and pick by the feeling you want, then by length: the median launch film is 53 s with a cut every 3.5 s (numbers). If you know the format, start from a formula.

3. Get the plan

ToolCreditsWhat you get
get_blueprint("REF-####")515 plates (hook, beats, shots, type, colour, sound, script), the cut list and a recipe prompt; format: "json" gives the timeline
get_frames5The hook at 0.25 s steps and every shot as images
plan_video10Your brief + 1–5 references → beat sheet, shot list on the measured timing, build prompt (card)
storyboard01–4 directions with style frames and numbered panels before anything is built

Keep the reference's timing and layout; replace its look with yours (font, palette, logo, words).

4. Make your own shots

For each shot in the plan, decide: real capture, generated, or type. Generate the non-UI shots on varg from the shot list (a still first, then image-to-video), the voiceover with ElevenLabs and the music to the reference's tempo, or use the starter kit's original music bed. Use keep a character consistent when a person recurs. Draft cheap, then render finals.

5. Build on the timeline

6. Master, encode, check

scripts/master.sh audio/bed.wav audio/master.wav x        # x/youtube -14, tiktok -12, web -16 LUFS, -1 dBTP
scripts/encode.sh out/remotion.mp4 out/video.mp4 --audio audio/master.wav
node scripts/measure.mjs out/video.mp4 > render.json      # then: check_render(REF, render, target: "x")

check_render (2 credits) scores cut timing, brightness, motion, loudness and format against the reference and gives frame-exact fixes. Fix, re-render, measure, repeat (card).

Rules that keep it yours

Related: remake a reference video, make a SaaS launch video, Launch video formulas. Source: Refs (llms.txt, MCP setup, source policy), read 1 Nov 2026.

SaaS launch and demo videos with AI agents

For founders and product teams who launch on X, Product Hunt and the App Store: the launch film, the live demo, the founder video, the app preview and the feature drop, built by Claude Code, Codex or Grok from your real product UI.

Start with the overview: How to make a SaaS launch video with AI

Make

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