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How I get Claude to animate my reels
Hey, it's Alex. This is the 3-step prompt template I use to get Claude to make animations that match what I'm actually saying, plus the links to HyperFrames and its catalog.
btw, I'm making a free Claude Code course for complete beginners. If you're keen, join the waitlist (only if you want to). The waitlist gets it first.
Set it up
- Open Claude Code in the folder where you keep your videos.
- Install HyperFrames (free, by HeyGen) so Claude can build and render animations:
npx skills add heygen-com/hyperframes- Cut your video first. Claude animates a finished cut, timed to your words.
What my template looks like
A few lines from my own motion-style.md, written by Claude from 12 videos and 55 animations:
- The one rule: literal and word-synced. Show exactly what the line says, and have each thing appear on the word that names it.
- The problem → a real-looking Claude chat where it visibly goes wrong.
- A list of names → each logo pops in on its word.
- The proof → the same panel from the problem, now fixed, with real numbers.
Links
- HyperFrames: HeyGen's free tool that lets Claude build and render animations in code
- HyperFrames catalog: ready-made animations (titles, charts, transitions, captions) Claude can pull in
- HyperFrames on GitHub: the source and install instructions
Step 1: Explain every beat
Do this for your first 10 or so videos. You tell Claude what goes on screen, and it keeps a log of what you asked for and what you approved.
Here's my cut video: [path to video]
Transcribe it with word-level timings. Then build an animation for each section below with HyperFrames. Use the HyperFrames catalog (hyperframes.heygen.com/catalog) where an item fits. Each thing should appear on the exact word that names it.
Section 1 ([start]–[end]): "[what I say]" → [what should be on screen]
Section 2 ([start]–[end]): "[what I say]" → [what should be on screen]
Section 3 ([start]–[end]): "[what I say]" → [what should be on screen]
Render each one at 1080×1920, exactly as long as its section.
After each animation, add an entry to motion-log.md with:
- the line I said
- what I asked for, in my own words
- what you built
- whether I approved it, or what I changed and whyStep 2: Turn it into a template
Once you have a stack of logs, let Claude find your taste.
Read every motion-log.md in this project.
Find the patterns in how I like things shown, and write them into one file: templates/motion-style.md. Include:
- the one rule that runs through everything I approved
- for each kind of line (the problem, a tool reveal, a command or install step, a list of names, the proof or payoff, a process), the treatment I pick, with examples from my logs
- timing: how many animations per video, when the first one starts, how long each runs, and which lines stay on my face
- the look: colours, fonts, and things I always or never want
Quote my own words where they show a preference. Only use what's in the logs. Don't invent rules.Step 3: Point Claude at it
For every new video from now on.
Here's a new cut video: [path to video]
Read templates/motion-style.md and follow it.
1. Transcribe the video with word-level timings.
2. Plan every animation yourself: for each section, the time span, what it shows, and the word each thing appears on. Pick items from the HyperFrames catalog that fit.
3. Show me the plan as a table (line → animation) and wait for my OK.
4. Then build each one with HyperFrames, rendered at 1080×1920 to the exact length of its section.