dvcrn TikTok Dark-Motivation Video Skill
30-90 second vertical (9:16) dark motivational video — @vuongmilano style.
Pipeline: Script (Claude) + Voice (ElevenLabs) + Real Video (Pexels API) + Text (MoviePy) + Grade (FFmpeg)
IMPORTANT: All visuals come from Pexels API (real filmed stock footage). Do NOT use FAL.ai, Replicate, or any AI image generator. Pexels only.
Step 0 - Gather Inputs
- TOPIC: e.g. "discipline", "loneliness", "becoming your best self"
- TONE: dark & stoic | dark & aggressive | dark & poetic (default: dark & stoic)
- DURATION: 30 | 60 | 90 seconds (default: 60)
- VISUAL_THEME: dark city rain | lone warrior | dark nature | minimal shadow (default: dark city rain)
- VOICE_ID: ElevenLabs voice (default: Adam = pNInz6obpgDQGcFmaJgB)
- LANGUAGE: English | Vietnamese | bilingual
Step 1 - Generate Script (Claude API)
System prompt produces JSON with lines, timings, AND Pexels search queries.
SYSTEM PROMPT: You are a master motivational content writer for dark aesthetic TikTok videos. Style like @vuongmilano: short, punchy, deep philosophical lines. Dark, cinematic, poetic. Speaks to the isolated, driven person who wants to level up. Rules: 8-15 lines max. Each line max 8 words. No filler. Every word hits hard. Build tension then release with power. End with one unforgettable closer. Add [PAUSE] markers for dramatic silence. Return ONLY valid JSON (no markdown fences): { "title": "...", "lines": [ {"id": 1, "text": "...", "duration_ms": 3000, "pause_after_ms": 500}, {"id": 2, "text": "[PAUSE]", "duration_ms": 1200, "pause_after_ms": 0} ], "total_duration_ms": 60000, "hashtags": ["#darkmotivation", "#discipline", "#fyp"], "pexels_search_queries": ["dark city rain night", "lone person walking", "shadow dramatic"] }
import json, requests
def generate_script(topic, tone, duration, api_key):
r = requests.post(
"https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages",
headers={"x-api-key": api_key, "anthropic-version": "2023-06-01", "content-type": "application/json"},
json={
"model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
"max_tokens": 1000,
"system": SCRIPT_SYSTEM,
"messages": [{"role": "user", "content": f"Topic: {topic}\nTone: {tone}\nDuration: {duration}s"}]
}
)
raw = r.json()["content"][0]["text"]
return json.loads(raw.replace("```json","").replace("```","").strip())
Step 2 - Generate Voiceover (ElevenLabs)
Voice settings for dark motivation style: stability: 0.75, similarity_boost: 0.85, style: 0.30, use_speaker_boost: True model_id: eleven_multilingual_v2
Top voices: Adam pNInz6obpgDQGcFmaJgB deep, authoritative Antoni ErXwobaYiN019PkySvjV warm, intense Josh TxGEqnHWrfWFTfGW9XjX cinematic, dramatic
from pydub import AudioSegment
import io
def generate_voiceover(script, voice_id, api_key, out="voice.mp3"):
segs = []
for line in script["lines"]:
if line["text"] == "[PAUSE]":
segs.append(AudioSegment.silent(duration=line["duration_ms"]))
continue
r = requests.post(
f"https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/text-to-speech/{voice_id}",
headers={"xi-api-key": api_key, "Content-Type": "application/json"},
json={"text": line["text"], "model_id": "eleven_multilingual_v2",
"voice_settings": {"stability":0.75,"similarity_boost":0.85,"style":0.30,"use_speaker_boost":True}}
)
segs.append(AudioSegment.from_mp3(io.BytesIO(r.content)))
if line.get("pause_after_ms", 0) > 0:
segs.append(AudioSegment.silent(duration=line["pause_after_ms"]))
final = sum(segs)
final.export(out, format="mp3")
return out, len(final)
Step 3 - Fetch Real Video Clips (Pexels API)
Free API key at: https://www.pexels.com/api/
Default queries by theme:
THEME_QUERIES = {
"dark city rain": ["dark city rain night", "rain street cinematic", "dark alley bokeh", "night city slow motion"],
"lone warrior": ["lone person silhouette night", "person walking alone dark", "shadow warrior", "lone figure darkness"],
"dark nature": ["dark forest fog cinematic", "storm clouds dramatic", "night mountain silhouette", "dark ocean storm"],
"minimal shadow": ["shadow dark minimal", "dark room single light", "dramatic low key lighting", "black shadow person"],
}
import os
def fetch_video_clips(theme, duration, pexels_key, output_dir="clips", script=None):
os.makedirs(output_dir, exist_ok=True)
# Use Claude-generated queries if available, else use theme defaults
queries = (script or {}).get("pexels_search_queries") or THEME_QUERIES.get(theme, THEME_QUERIES["dark city rain"])
needed = max(3, duration // 15)
collected = []
for query in queries:
if len(collected) >= needed:
break
print(f" Pexels: searching '{query}'")
r = requests.get(
"https://api.pexels.com/videos/search",
headers={"Authorization": pexels_key},
params={"query": query, "per_page": 5, "orientation": "portrait", "size": "medium"}
)
for video in r.json().get("videos", []):
if len(collected) >= needed:
break
# Pick best MP4 file >= 720px wide
files = sorted(video.get("video_files", []), key=lambda f: f.get("width", 0), reverse=True)
url = next((f["link"] for f in files if f.get("width",0)>=720 and "mp4" in f.get("file_type","")), None)
if not url:
continue
path = os.path.join(output_dir, f"clip_{len(collected):02d}.mp4")
with open(path, "wb") as f:
for chunk in requests.get(url, stream=True, timeout=60).iter_content(8192):
f.write(chunk)
collected.append({
"path": path,
"duration": video.get("duration", 10),
"photographer": video.get("user", {}).get("name", "Pexels")
})
print(f" Downloaded clip {len(collected)}/{needed}")
if not collected:
raise RuntimeError("No clips fetched. Check PEXELS_API_KEY.")
return collected
Pexels notes:
- Free: 200 req/hour, 20,000/month
- orientation=portrait returns vertical-friendly clips
- Attribution required in TikTok caption: "Video footage via Pexels"
- Best keywords: dark, night, shadow, rain, fog, cinematic, dramatic, silhouette, alone
Step 4 - Compose Video (MoviePy)
Crop all clips to 1080x1920 vertical. Layer dark overlay. Sync text to voice timing.
Font: Download Bebas Neue from fonts.google.com -> save as fonts/BebasNeue-Regular.ttf
from moviepy.editor import (
VideoFileClip, AudioFileClip, ColorClip, TextClip,
concatenate_videoclips, CompositeVideoClip, CompositeAudioClip
)
def crop_to_vertical(clip, w=1080, h=1920):
clip = clip.resize(height=h)
if clip.w < w:
clip = clip.resize(width=w)
return clip.crop(x_center=clip.w/2, width=w).resize((w, h))
def compose_video(clips_info, audio_path, script, out="output.mp4", bg_music_path=None):
audio = AudioFileClip(audio_path)
total_dur = audio.duration
# Assemble background from Pexels clips
pool = clips_info * 4
parts, remaining = [], total_dur
for info in pool:
if remaining <= 0: break
try:
c = crop_to_vertical(VideoFileClip(info["path"], audio=False))
dur = min(c.duration - 0.3, remaining)
if dur <= 0: continue
parts.append(c.subclip(0, dur))
remaining -= dur
except: continue
if not parts:
raise RuntimeError("No clips could be loaded")
bg = concatenate_videoclips(parts, method="compose").set_duration(total_dur)
# Dark overlay - essential for mood
dark = ColorClip((1080,1920), color=(0,0,0)).set_opacity(0.55).set_duration(total_dur)
# Text synced to script timing
texts = []
t = 0.0
for line in script["lines"]:
if line["text"] == "[PAUSE]":
t += line["duration_ms"] / 1000
continue
dur = line["duration_ms"] / 1000
try:
clip = TextClip(line["text"], fontsize=78, font="fonts/BebasNeue-Regular.ttf",
color="white", stroke_color="black", stroke_width=3,
size=(900, None), method="caption")
except:
clip = TextClip(line["text"], fontsize=78, color="white",
stroke_color="black", stroke_width=3, size=(900,None), method="caption")
texts.append(clip.set_duration(dur).crossfadein(0.25).crossfadeout(0.25).set_start(t).set_position("center"))
t += dur + line.get("pause_after_ms", 0) / 1000
if bg_music_path and os.path.exists(bg_music_path):
mus = AudioFileClip(bg_music_path).volumex(0.08).set_duration(total_dur)
final_audio = CompositeAudioClip([audio, mus])
else:
final_audio = audio
CompositeVideoClip([bg, dark] + texts).set_audio(final_audio).write_videofile(
out, fps=30, codec="libx264", audio_codec="aac", bitrate="8000k", threads=4, preset="fast"
)
return out
Step 5 - Color Grade (FFmpeg)
ffmpeg -y -i output.mp4 \
-vf "curves=blue='0/0.05 1/1.1',eq=contrast=1.15:brightness=-0.04:saturation=0.60,vignette=PI/4,noise=alls=6:allf=t+u" \
-c:v libx264 -crf 17 -c:a copy final_video.mp4
Filters: blue tint shadow + darker contrast + vignette edges + film grain
Master Pipeline
import os, subprocess
def create_motivation_video(
topic, tone="dark & stoic", duration=60,
visual_theme="dark city rain", voice_id="pNInz6obpgDQGcFmaJgB",
output="motivation_video.mp4", bg_music_path=None
):
ak = os.getenv("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY")
ek = os.getenv("ELEVENLABS_API_KEY")
pk = os.getenv("PEXELS_API_KEY")
print("[1/5] Script..."); script = generate_script(topic, tone, duration, ak)
print("[2/5] Voice..."); audio, _ = generate_voiceover(script, voice_id, ek)
print("[3/5] Pexels..."); clips = fetch_video_clips(visual_theme, duration, pk, script=script)
print("[4/5] Compose..."); raw = compose_video(clips, audio, script, "raw.mp4", bg_music_path)
print("[5/5] Grade...")
subprocess.run([
"ffmpeg","-y","-i",raw,"-vf",
"curves=blue='0/0.05 1/1.1',eq=contrast=1.15:brightness=-0.04:saturation=0.60,vignette=PI/4",
"-c:v","libx264","-crf","17","-c:a","copy", output
], check=True)
print(f"\nDone: {output}")
print(f"Tags: {' '.join(script['hashtags'])}")
print("Caption: Video footage via Pexels")
return output, script
Setup
pip install requests Pillow moviepy pydub numpy
# macOS: brew install ffmpeg
# Ubuntu: apt install ffmpeg -y
# Font: fonts.google.com/specimen/Bebas+Neue -> fonts/BebasNeue-Regular.ttf
# .env
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=...
PEXELS_API_KEY=... # free at pexels.com/api
CLI
python scripts/pipeline_full.py --topic "discipline" --duration 60 --theme "dark city rain"
Troubleshooting
No Pexels results -> Broaden queries; verify API key Landscape clips -> crop_to_vertical() handles automatically Text desynced -> Check timing uses /1000 (ms to seconds) Voice monotone -> Lower stability 0.5, raise style 0.5 Font error -> Use full absolute path to .ttf file FFmpeg missing -> brew install ffmpeg or apt install ffmpeg
Best Pexels Keywords for Dark Motivation
Discipline: dark city rain, shadow silhouette night, person walking alone Loneliness: lone figure fog, empty dark room, solitude night Rising up: mountain storm clearing, dark dawn sky, fog path Villain arc: dramatic low key shadow, dark smoke motion, moody portrait Hustle: night city timelapse, urban rain bokeh, dark street light
References
references/pexels_search_guide.md - Full query list by mood references/elevenlabs_voices.md - Voice catalog scripts/pipeline_full.py - Complete runnable script