DEDUPED Hot AI repos, turned into use cases Get 5 a day

How to break a reference film into shots and rhythm notes with Saas Motion Kit

Turn a video you admire into a shot list, rhythm stats and a contact sheet to learn its grammar.

  • Content
  • Intermediate
  • 30 minutes
  • From the README
  • Any agent

Who it is forA creative lead who wants to learn the pacing and cut structure of a launch film they admire before writing their own storyboard.

The problemWatching a reference over and over does not show how many cuts it has, how long shots run, or how fast the opening moves.

The outcomeShot breakdown, cuts per 10 seconds, shot lengths, a contact sheet and a draft ledger, filed under the git-ignored .references/ folder with a credit header.

What you need first

  • Python to run the tools in tools/
  • A copy of the repo, or a new repo created from the template with Use this template
  • A storyboard file written from templates/STORYBOARD.md
  • HyperFrames, if you build the film itself (the README links to it but does not describe the install steps)
  • Claude Code, if you want the /saas-motion-video skill to run the process with you

Steps

  1. Save the reference video file locally, with the creator's permission or under the rules of your use.
  2. Run python tools/breakdown.py launch.mp4 --id 01 --creator "@handle" --title "v2 launch" --url https://x.com/handle/status/…, replacing the file, handle, title and link with your own.
  3. Open the contact sheet and the draft ledger in .references/.
  4. Add the reference to REFERENCES.md and credit it in any shot notes that borrow from it with ref:01.
  5. Borrow only grammar such as rhythm, structure, transition types and camera ideas, not assets.

Prompt for your agent

Use the saas-motion-kit repo. Run `python tools/breakdown.py <video file> --id 01 --creator "<creator>" --title "<title>" --url <link>` on the reference video. Expected output: a shot breakdown, rhythm stats, a contact sheet and a draft ledger in .references/. Verify that the credit header names the creator and link before any output is reused.

Caveat. The breakdown only detects hard cuts and grammar, so it does not capture the reference's sound, copy or assets, and those must not be reused.

Share: X LinkedIn Hacker News Email Copy link

Disclaimer

Deduped lists open-source repositories that belong to other people. We do not own, maintain, audit, or vouch for any of them, and a repo appearing here is not an endorsement or a safety check. The use cases, steps, and prompts are written by AI and may be incomplete, outdated, or just wrong. Where a use case is marked "Seen in the wild", we link to public posts where someone described something similar, but we have not verified those posts and the use case itself is still our AI's own write-up. Use all of this at your own risk. Only run code, commands, or agents on systems and accounts you are authorized to use, and read the code and every command before you run it, especially anything that touches credentials, files, or the network. Nothing here is professional, security, legal, or financial advice. All trademarks and project names belong to their respective owners, and their use here does not imply affiliation. Content is provided as is, without warranties of any kind. Found a mistake, a safety problem, or something you want removed? Email [email protected] and we will look at it promptly. Full disclaimer page