Text on B-Roll

Create scroll-stopping short-form videos by compositing bold on-screen text over AI-generated b-roll footage. The full pipeline: topic in, rendered MP4s out.

Prerequisite skills (loaded automatically):

• video-generator - Veo 3.1 API for b-roll generation
• video-caption-creation - Hook frameworks and text patterns
• one-liners - 12 core one-liner patterns
• nano-banana-image-generator - Optional: generate a matching static thumbnail

When to Use This Skill

• Promoting a blog post, article, or newsletter on Reels/TikTok/Shorts
• Creating text-forward social videos from a topic or theme
• Building a batch of short-form content around one visual concept
• Any time you want bold text + cinematic b-roll without filming anything

This skill is NOT for:

• Podcast clips with audio (use youtube-clip-extractor)
• Videos with voiceover or dialogue (use video-generator directly)
• Static image posts (use nano-banana-image-generator)

Workflow Overview

1. Understand the topic - What's the article/theme about?
2. Generate b-roll - One photorealistic Veo clip that matches the topic
3. Write 8-12 text options - Framework-fitted to proven patterns
4. User selects favorites - Pick 2-4 lines
5. Scaffold Remotion project - From template
6. Preview in Studio - User approves look
7. Render to MP4 - One video per text option

Step 1: B-Roll Generation

Generate one strong b-roll clip using video-generator. The visual should be:

• Photorealistic - not illustrated or stylized
• Extreme close-up or tight shot - intense, tactile, sensory
• One simple action - hands doing something, a single motion
• Ambient audio only - no dialogue, no music
• 9:16 vertical, 1080p, 8 seconds

B-Roll Prompt Template

Extreme close-up, shallow depth of field. [Subject performing tactile action].
[Specific sensory details - textures, colors, materials]. [Paper/surface reacts to the action].
The sound of [specific ambient audio]. Photorealistic, handheld micro-movement,
warm natural light from a nearby window.

B-Roll Quality Checklist

• Photorealistic (not AI-looking)
• Strong tactile/sensory quality
• Simple composition (one focal point)
• No text or symbols in the footage
• Vertical 9:16
• Motion is slow and deliberate (not chaotic)

Running the Generation

cd "/Users/charliedeist/Desktop/New Root Docs/OpenEd Vault"
export GEMINI_API_KEY=$(grep GEMINI_API_KEY .env | cut -d'=' -f2) && \
python3 ".claude/skills/video-generator/scripts/generate_video.py" \
  "Your prompt here" \
  --aspect 9:16 --resolution 1080p --duration 8 \
  --name "descriptive-name" \
  --output "Studio/SEO Content Production/" \
  --negative "text overlays, watermarks, blurry, cartoon, illustration, anime"

Veo takes 1-6 minutes. If the first result has artifacts, regenerate - don't rework.

Step 2: Write Text Options

Generate 8-12 on-screen text options using proven patterns. The text must work WITHOUT audio context - it stands alone over silent b-roll.

Pattern Library (Use These)

Text Quality Rules

• McDonald's Test: If a truck driver wouldn't get it, simplify
• First 3 words do 80% of the work. Front-load the punch
• Mix lengths: Include punchy (2-5 words), statement (5-8), narrative (9-15), and full-quote (15+)
• No AI-isms: No "delve," "comprehensive," "crucial," "landscape"
• No correlatives: Never "X isn't just Y - it's Z"
• Conversational: Would you text this to a friend?
• Specific > vague: "Stop acting like worksheets are learning" beats "Education should be better"

Text Sizing Guide

Step 3: Remotion Composition

Template Location

Reusable template files are at: .claude/skills/text-on-broll/template/

Quick Setup

# Create project directory
mkdir -p "Studio/[project-name]/text-on-broll"
cd "Studio/[project-name]/text-on-broll"

# Init and install
npm init -y
npm install --save remotion @remotion/cli @remotion/player react react-dom
npm install --save-dev typescript @types/react

# Create directories
mkdir -p src public

# Copy b-roll video
cp path/to/generated-video.mp4 public/bg-video.mp4

Then create three files from the templates below.

tsconfig.json

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ESNext",
    "module": "commonjs",
    "jsx": "react-jsx",
    "strict": true,
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
    "skipLibCheck": true
  },
  "include": ["src"]
}

src/index.ts

import { registerRoot } from "remotion";
import { RemotionRoot } from "./Root";

registerRoot(RemotionRoot);

src/Root.tsx

Register one <Composition> per text variant. All compositions share the same settings:

import React from "react";
import { Composition } from "remotion";
// Import your compositions from TextOverlay.tsx

export const RemotionRoot: React.FC = () => {
  return (
    <>
      <Composition
        id="variant-name"
        component={YourComponent}
        durationInFrames={240}  // 8s at 30fps
        fps={30}
        width={1080}
        height={1920}  // 9:16 vertical
      />
    </>
  );
};

src/TextOverlay.tsx - The Core Component

import React from "react";
import {
  AbsoluteFill,
  OffthreadVideo,
  staticFile,
  useCurrentFrame,
} from "remotion";

const IGText: React.FC<{
  text: string;
  fontSize?: number;
  top?: string;
}> = ({ text, fontSize = 72, top = "38%" }) => {
  return (
    <div
      style={{
        position: "absolute",
        top,
        left: "50%",
        transform: "translateX(-50%)",
        width: "85%",
        textAlign: "center",
        zIndex: 10,
      }}
    >
      <span
        style={{
          fontFamily: "'Helvetica Neue', 'Inter', Arial, sans-serif",
          fontWeight: 800,
          fontSize,
          lineHeight: 1.15,
          color: "white",
          WebkitTextStroke: "2.5px rgba(0,0,0,0.9)",
          textShadow: "0 3px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.5)",
          letterSpacing: "-0.02em",
        }}
      >
        {text}
      </span>
    </div>
  );
};

The IGText Style (Locked In)

This is the approved IG-native text style. Do not change without explicit request:

Composition Patterns

Single line (most common):

export const MyComposition: React.FC = () => (
  <AbsoluteFill>
    <OffthreadVideo src={staticFile("bg-video.mp4")} />
    <IGText text="Your text here." fontSize={68} top="32%" />
  </AbsoluteFill>
);

Two-part reveal (hard cut at midpoint):

export const TwoPartReveal: React.FC = () => {
  const frame = useCurrentFrame();
  const midpoint = 108; // ~3.6s at 30fps

  return (
    <AbsoluteFill>
      <OffthreadVideo src={staticFile("bg-video.mp4")} />
      {frame < midpoint && (
        <IGText text="Setup line." fontSize={66} top="30%" />
      )}
      {frame >= midpoint && (
        <IGText text="Punchline." fontSize={60} top="28%" />
      )}
    </AbsoluteFill>
  );
};

Step 4: Preview and Render

Preview

npx remotion studio --port 3123

Opens at http://localhost:3123. Check all compositions. Look for:

• Text readable over the video at all moments
• No text clipping at edges
• Font size appropriate for text length
• Two-part reveal timing feels natural

Render All Compositions

# Render a single composition
npx remotion render src/index.ts [composition-id] out/[name].mp4

# Render all compositions in batch
for comp in comp1 comp2 comp3; do
  npx remotion render src/index.ts $comp out/$comp.mp4
done

Render Settings

Output Routing

Batch Production Workflow

For creating multiple videos from one topic (e.g., promoting an article):

1. Generate 1 b-roll clip that captures the topic's visual metaphor
2. Write 10 text options across all pattern types
3. User picks 3-4 favorites
4. Scaffold 1 Remotion project with all selected as separate compositions
5. Preview all in Studio, adjust sizes/positions
6. Batch render all compositions
7. Pair each video with a platform-specific caption (from content-repurposer)

This gives you 3-4 unique videos from one generation session, each with different text but the same compelling visual.

Skill Chain

This skill works best as part of a content production chain:

Source Content (article, newsletter, podcast)
    ↓
text-on-broll (this skill) → 3-4 vertical videos
    ↓
content-repurposer → platform captions for each video
    ↓
Post to IG Reels, TikTok, Shorts

Related skills:

• video-generator - B-roll generation (called by this skill)
• video-caption-creation - Hook frameworks (referenced by this skill)
• nano-banana-image-generator - Static thumbnail for the same content
• content-repurposer - Platform captions to pair with each video
• one-liners - Text pattern library
• short-form-video - Broader short-form strategy and philosophy

Examples

Example: Education Article Promotion

Topic: Article about standardized testing and creative agency

B-roll prompt: "Extreme close-up, shallow depth of field. A child's small paint-covered fingers slowly drag through thick finger paint across a standardized test bubble sheet. Paint smears vibrant orange and blue across neat rows of bubbles. The sound of wet paint dragging across paper. Photorealistic, handheld micro-movement, warm natural light."

Text options selected:

1. "Stop grading kids on how fast they fill in bubbles." (Stop + Complaint)
2. "Curiosity doesn't fit in a bubble." (Values)
3. "They said my kid can't think critically." → "She was finger painting while your kid was memorizing answers." (Two-Part Reveal)

Result: 3 vertical videos, same b-roll, different text - each targets a different scroll-stop trigger.