---
title: "Starter kit by Refs — launch videos tutorial and best practices for AI video"
description: "Rebuild a Refs blueprint as your own film in Remotion or HTML: frame-exact timing, motion blur, master, check. Install in Claude Code, Codex and Grok with one command."
url: https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/refs-starter-kit
updated: 2026-11-01
---

# Starter kit 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=<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`.

Rebuild a Refs blueprint as your own film in Remotion or HTML: frame-exact timing, motion blur, master, check.

- **Type:** [Guide](https://varg.ai/how-to/guides.md) · [Launch videos](https://varg.ai/how-to/browse/skills/launch.md)
- **Slug:** `refs-starter-kit`
- **Status:** live
- **Publisher:** Refs (vendor)
- **License:** Refs: free download, no license file in the ZIP
- **Source:** https://refs.video/connect
- **Works in:** Claude.ai, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Any MCP client
- **Requires:** Node 20+ and ffmpeg (with ffprobe), macOS or Linux shell, Python 3 with numpy for the music bed (uv fetches it), Refs Pro for real timelines (get_blueprint); the sample timeline works without
- **Cost:** The kit is a free download and renders on your machine. Real timelines come from get_blueprint (Refs Pro, 5 credits). Shots made on varg cost varg credits.
- **Runtime:** renders on your machine; a 15 s sample at 60 fps renders in minutes on a laptop

## What it does

Refs' starter kit (refs.video/starter.zip, 45 files) is the render plumbing for a film rebuilt from a Refs blueprint. Pull the timeline (get_blueprint("REF-####", format: "json") → timeline.json; a reduced real sample ships so everything renders out of the box), fill brand.json (font, background, ink, accents, logo, CTA, size, fps, motion blur), then build either in Remotion 4 (one <Sequence> per measured shot with a labelled placeholder, CameraMotionBlur, helpers for frames, eases, measured moves and drawing on twos or threes) or in plain HTML (renderFrame(t), captured with Playwright as motion-blur sub-frames blended in linear light). scripts/bed.py writes an original music bed on the reference's beat grid, master.sh masters to −14 LUFS for X and YouTube, −12 for TikTok or −16 for web at −1 dBTP, encode.sh writes H.264 High CRF 16 with BT.709 tags, and measure.mjs measures the result for check_render. Every frame number goes through seconds with one rounding rule, so a cut at 3.667 s lands on f110 at 30 fps and f220 at 60 fps in both routes.

## Use when

- Building a launch film on the measured timing of a reference
- Swapping each placeholder shot for your own UI capture, varg shot or animation
- A correct encode and loudness master before posting

## Not for

- Generating footage: bring captures or make shots on varg
- Windows without WSL

## Install

- Claude Code: `curl -fsSL -o /tmp/refs-starter.zip https://refs.video/starter.zip && unzip -oq /tmp/refs-starter.zip -d . && cd refs-starter && claude mcp add --transport http refs https://refs.video/mcp`
- Codex: `curl -fsSL -o /tmp/refs-starter.zip https://refs.video/starter.zip && unzip -oq /tmp/refs-starter.zip -d . && cd refs-starter && 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-starter-kit`

## Example output

https://s3.varg.ai/files/4325c578-378d-4c43-ae53-3cc3218df1ea/file_e49f74b26ed1.mp4 — 6.5 s cut from Refs' film: Claude Code writes the scenes from the plan and renders out/launch.mp4 with Remotion. (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.
- [Launch video formulas by Refs](https://varg.ai/how-to/skills/refs-formulas.md): 28 video formats distilled from 132 measured films: the shape in timed beats, the constants, a template prompt.