--- title: "Launch video formulas by Refs — launch videos tutorial and best practices for AI video" description: "28 video formats distilled from 132 measured films: the shape in timed beats, the constants, a template prompt. Install in Claude Code, Codex and Grok with one command." url: https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/refs-formulas updated: 2026-11-01 --- # Launch video formulas by Refs — guide skill for launch videos > **For AI agents:** find the right skill in one call — `curl -s "https://varg.ai/how-to/api/search?q="` 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 ` with no key, every varg model after `vargai login`. 28 video formats distilled from 132 measured films: the shape in timed beats, the constants, a template prompt. - **Type:** [Guide](https://varg.ai/how-to/guides.md) · [Launch videos](https://varg.ai/how-to/browse/skills/launch.md) - **Slug:** `refs-formulas` - **Status:** live - **Publisher:** Refs (vendor) - **License:** Refs: proprietary hosted service (free search, Pro for the rest) - **Source:** https://refs.video/connect - **Works in:** Claude.ai, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Any MCP client - **Requires:** Refs Pro for the full formulas (get_formula 5 credits); titles and summaries are free on the site - **Cost:** search_videos is free with no key or account (about 30 searches an hour without one). Everything else needs Refs Pro, $16 a month or $120 a year, with 3,000 credits a month: get_blueprint 5, get_frames 5, get_formula 5, plan_video 10, check_render 2, the rest 0. Library ($6 a month) opens every film on the site. varg credits are only spent on what you generate on varg. ## What it does A Refs formula is what the strong films of one format share, distilled from 3–12 measured films: the shape in timed beats, the constants, what the best one did differently and a template prompt. 28 formulas from 132 films, four in each of seven groups: launch films (Delayed Hardware Reveal, Physical Capability Proof, Presenter-Led Product Demo, Silent UI Workflow), product demos (Commerce Suite Film, Design-to-Publish Film, Office Problem to Product Proof Ad, Silent Prompt-to-Result Demo), explainers (Fixed-Canvas Data Animation, Illustrated Model Ladder, Live-Drawn Paradox, Silent Product Cutaway), motion design (Brand Mark to World, Music-Led Motion Showreel, Sonified Chart Relay, World-Building Opening Credits), interactive and 3D (Continuous Playable World Tour, Single-Take Shape Morph, Staged Build Reveal, Visible Cause-and-Effect Lab), film and music (Erased Excuse Arrival, Fifteen-Second Service Rescue, Miniature Space Expansion, Price of Regret) and teasers (Capability Proof Montage, Dark Staged Product Reveal, Kinetic Type Announcement, Silent Single-Subject Motion Teaser). Titles, summaries and source films are free at refs.video/formulas; list_formulas (0 credits) and get_formula (5 credits) on the Refs MCP give the full formula to your agent with Pro. The varg how to page "Launch video formulas" lists all 28 with their measured ranges and source films. ## Use when - Choosing the format of a launch, demo, explainer or teaser before writing it - A template prompt with timed beats for a format that has worked many times - Explaining to a client why a 15-second service ad has 4–7 shots ## Not for - A one-off art film with no format to follow ## Install - Claude Code: `claude mcp add --transport http refs https://refs.video/mcp` - Claude.ai: `Customize → Connectors → Add custom connector → https://refs.video/mcp` - Codex: `codex mcp add refs --url https://refs.video/mcp` - Any MCP client: `https://refs.video/mcp` - Any agent, with the vargai CLI: `vargai install refs-formulas` ## Example output https://s3.varg.ai/files/4325c578-378d-4c43-ae53-3cc3218df1ea/file_c08852456566.mp4 — 5 s cut from Refs' film: the blueprint plates, then the recipe, a runnable prompt with timed beats. (credit: Refs, the Refs film (refs.video/film.mp4), https://refs.video) ## More launch videos skills - [Orbit Card](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/hyperframes-orbit-card.md): A single feature card orbits a dot sphere on a Blender-made camera move: a 10-second product beat. - [Higgsfield Academy (Higgsfield Open-Source Promo)](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/higgsfield-open-higgsfield-academy.md): Higgsfield's 64 s promo for Higgsfield Academy, made almost entirely with Seedance 2.0. - [Seed Audio 1.0 Launch (Higgsfield Open-Source Video)](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/higgsfield-open-seed-audio-launch.md): Higgsfield's 106 s launch video for Seed Audio 1.0 (voice cloning, cinematic sound): bold motion design, comedic tone. - [HeyGen's Real Launch Videos as HyperFrames Source](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/heygen-hyperframes-launch-videos-source.md): 20 HeyGen product launch videos as editable HyperFrames HTML compositions, each with its storyboard, assets and render command. - [Check a render against its reference by Refs](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/refs-check-render.md): Score your render against the reference film: cut timing, brightness, motion, loudness, format, frame-exact fixes. - [Plan a film from references by Refs](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/refs-plan-video.md): Your brief plus 1–5 measured reference films become a beat sheet, shot list, storyboard and build prompt.