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ChurchWiseAI Video Generation Strategy

Master strategy document for the ChurchWiseAI Remotion video generation system. This is the single reference for the founder and all Claude agents working on video production.

Owner: ChurchWiseAI LTD Updated: March 2026

Vision​

  • NOT a generic slideshow maker
  • A structured ministry content engine that happens to output video
  • Church-aware, theology-aware, denomination-sensitive video generation
  • Claude agents are the "video editors" — the founder has zero video editing expertise
  • The moat: unified_rag_content (327K records) + 17 theological lenses + church data = context-aware content no stock template can match

Architecture​

  • Input: MinistryVideoRequest (JSON) — video type, church info, scripture, tone, audience, platform
  • Pipeline: normalizeRequest → generateScript → planScenes → resolveAssets → buildCaptions → chooseMusic → validateVideoPlan → Remotion render
  • Output: polished MP4 video + scene plan JSON + script + caption file + asset manifest

Technology​

  • Renderer: Remotion 4.x (React-based programmatic video)
  • Preview: Remotion Studio (browser-based GUI — founder-friendly)
  • Project location: C:\dev\churchwiseai-videos\
  • Package manager: pnpm
  • Languages: TypeScript + React

Video Types (MVP = first 2 only)​

  1. sermon-promo — "This Sunday" sermon teaser (15-60 sec vertical)
  2. social-devotional — Scripture/devotional reel (15-30 sec vertical)
  3. event-promo (future)
  4. welcome-video (future)
  5. product-demo (future — landscape)
  6. training/help (future — landscape)
  7. marketing promo (future)

Asset Sources​

ContentCreatorTemplates.com (Founder Has Membership)​

TRANSITIONS — Download These:

  • Gold/warm light sweep wipe (sermon promos — between scenes)
  • Soft film dissolve / cross dissolve (devotionals — contemplative feel)
  • Light leak / lens flare transition (universal — cinematic warmth)
  • Particle/dust transition (scripture reveals — ethereal feel)
  • Smooth slide/push transition (announcements/CTAs — clean and modern)

DO NOT download: glitch, neon, gaming, tech, or "YouTube creator" style transitions. These feel wrong for churches.

OVERLAYS — Download These:

  • Subtle film grain overlay (cinematic texture — layer over everything)
  • Warm light leak overlay (golden hour feel — loop over b-roll)
  • Soft bokeh/particles overlay (worship/prayer scenes)
  • Clean lower third template (pastor name, church name)

BACKGROUNDS (motion) — Download These:

  • Soft particle/dust motion background (dark, for text-heavy scenes)
  • Gentle light ray motion background (warm, for hopeful scenes)
  • Subtle gradient shift background (scripture cards)

Where to put downloads:

  1. Download MOV files from contentcreatortemplates.com
  2. Place in staging folder: C:\dev\video-assets-raw\
  3. Run conversion script (see below)
  4. Converted files go to: public/transitions/, public/overlays/, or public/video/backgrounds/

Conversion (MOV to WebM with alpha channel):

cd C:\dev\churchwiseai-videos
./scripts/convert-assets.sh C:/dev/video-assets-raw/ public/transitions/

This runs FFmpeg: ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libvpx-vp9 -pix_fmt yuva420p -b:v 2M -auto-alt-ref 0 output.webm

Background Images (Pexels — Free)​

Search and download from pexels.com. Good search terms:

  • Church: "church exterior", "worship hands", "stained glass", "prayer candles", "church interior", "baptism"
  • Nature: "sunrise over water", "calm lake", "mountain sunrise", "wheat field sunset", "storm clouds clearing"
  • Community: "family walking", "community meal", "hands holding", "diverse group prayer"
  • Abstract: "bokeh lights", "gold particles", "dark gradient", "warm light rays"

Place in: public/images/church/, public/images/nature/, public/images/abstract/

B-Roll Video (Pexels — Free API)​

Download from pexels.com/videos. Same search terms as images. Place in: public/video/

Future: automate via Pexels API in resolveAssets.ts

Music (Free First, Upgrade Later)​

  • YouTube Audio Library — free, mood-searchable, large catalog
  • freesound.org — free SFX (whooshes, risers, ambient, page turns)

Curate 2-3 tracks per mood category:

  • public/music/reflective/ — piano, ambient, contemplative
  • public/music/hopeful/ — uplifting, warm, encouraging
  • public/music/warm/ — gentle, inviting, community feel
  • public/music/celebratory/ — joyful, energetic, praise

Upgrade path: Epidemic Sound ($15/mo) or Artlist ($17/mo) when quality matters more

Sound Effects (freesound.org — Free)​

  • Whoosh (scene transitions)
  • Soft rise/swell (building emotion)
  • Ambient church tone (background atmosphere)
  • Gentle notification (CTA moments)
  • Page turn (scripture reveals)

Place in: public/sfx/

Voiceover (Future — Cartesia TTS)​

Placeholder in v1. Future integration with Cartesia TTS MCP tool. Can clone pastor voices for personalized church content.

Folder Mapping​

Asset TypeDownload FromPut InFormat
Transitionscontentcreatortemplates.compublic/transitions/WebM (converted from MOV)
Overlayscontentcreatortemplates.compublic/overlays/WebM (converted from MOV)
Motion backgroundscontentcreatortemplates.compublic/video/backgrounds/WebM (converted from MOV)
Background imagesPexelspublic/images/{category}/PNG/JPG
B-roll videoPexelspublic/video/MP4
Background musicYouTube Audio Librarypublic/music/{mood}/MP3
Sound effectsfreesound.orgpublic/sfx/MP3/WAV
Brand logoschurchwiseai-web/public/public/logos/PNG/SVG
VoiceoverCartesia TTS (future)public/voiceover/MP3

Operator Workflow​

How to Request a Video (Daily Use)​

Tell Claude:

Create a ChurchWiseAI short-form video:

Video type: sermon-promo
Church: Grace Community Church (Baptist)
Audience: visitors and members
Duration: 30 seconds
Platform: Instagram Reel
Tone: hopeful and warm
Sermon: "Peace in the Storm"
Scripture: Mark 4:35-41
Theme verse: Mark 4:39
Announcement: Join us Sunday at 10 AM, stay for coffee after
CTA: Plan your visit this Sunday

Claude produces:

  1. Video brief (normalized request)
  2. Voiceover script
  3. On-screen text per scene
  4. Scene-by-scene plan (JSON)
  5. Asset suggestions per scene
  6. Music mood recommendation
  7. Caption file text
  8. Final JSON payload → Remotion render

Preview & Render​

  1. Preview: Open Remotion Studio: cd C:\dev\churchwiseai-videos && pnpm studio

    • Visual browser-based GUI
    • Play/pause/scrub timeline
    • Edit props in sidebar (Zod schema fields)
    • No CLI knowledge needed

  2. Render: Claude runs pnpm render:sermon-promo or npx remotion render SermonPromo output/sermon-promo.mp4 --props='...'

  3. Output: MP4 video in output/ directory

Brand Constants​

Mirror of churchwiseai-web/src/lib/brand.ts:

  • Name: ChurchWiseAI
  • Tagline: AI-Powered Ministry Tools
  • Sacred Gold: #D4AF37
  • Navy: #1B365D
  • Cream: #FEFCF8
  • Heading Font: Playfair Display
  • Body Font: Inter
  • Logo: public/logos/owl-logo.png

Design Rules​

  • Cinematic but restrained — no cheesy church graphics
  • High contrast captions — white text, dark shadow/outline
  • Safe title margins — text within 80% center frame (Reel/Short UI overlap)
  • No fake text in AI images — use symbolic/scenic visuals only
  • No overuse of motion — subtle fade/slide, not spinning/bouncing
  • Max 8 words per text overlay line (mobile readability)
  • Emotional pacing — hook fast (3s), scripture breathe (4-5s), CTA clear (4s)
  • Mobile-first — all design for 1080x1920 vertical viewing

Theological Rules​

  • Support denomination/theological-lens injection
  • Wording adapts by tradition without caricature
  • Never invent doctrine or attribute positions to denominations
  • Scripture references must be accurate (real book, chapter, verse)
  • When uncertain, use safer general Christian language
  • Available lenses: 17 traditions + universal (from sai_theological_lenses table)

Future Roadmap​

Phase 2: AI Integration​

  • Leonardo.ai API for symbolic scripture visuals (no faces, no fake text)
  • Cartesia TTS voiceover (replace placeholder)
  • Pexels API for automated stock asset resolution

Phase 3: Per-Church Personalization​

  • Church brand packs (logo, colors, pastor name, service times)
  • Church-specific b-roll/photos uploaded by churches
  • Pastor voice cloning via Cartesia

Phase 4: Content Engine​

  • Passage-of-the-week automation: one passage → video + social posts + chatbot content + email
  • Weekly auto-generation per subscribed church
  • SermonWise integration (sermon data → promo video)

Phase 5: Platform Scale​

  • Remotion Lambda for serverless rendering
  • Player embed on churchwiseai.com for interactive previews
  • Self-serve video generation in admin dashboard
  • Template marketplace for churches

Vertical Expansion​

  • Same video engine, swap brand config → FuneralWiseAI, ShopWiseAI, VetWiseAI, LegalWiseAI
FilePurpose
C:\dev\churchwiseai-videos\CLAUDE.mdAgent instructions for video project
C:\dev\churchwiseai-videos\package.jsonRemotion dependencies
C:\dev\CLAUDE.mdCross-project rules (portfolio table)
C:\dev\PRICING.mdStripe pricing source of truth
C:\dev\DECISION_LOG.mdDecision journal
~/.claude/skills/remotion/Remotion best practices skill (37 rule files)