ReelCountdown quiz Shorts with Claude Code
Yes, Claude Code can make a countdown guessing quiz Short. Claude writes each round as HTML and SVG: a silhouette, a ring that counts down for about three seconds, then the answer popping in. HyperFrames renders it to an MP4 on your computer, and you ask for 9:16 in the prompt. No video model is involved.
Below are the rules of the look, the steps, a prompt to paste and the styles that fit. If this is your first film in code, read how to make YouTube Shorts in 9:16 with Claude Code first.
What makes the look
Give Claude these rules before it draws anything.
One silhouette or shape per round. A single dark shape on a plain background reads at phone size. Two shapes make people look at the wrong thing.
A ring that runs out over 3 seconds. The viewer guesses while it empties. The timer is the whole hook, so keep it in the same place every round.
The answer pops in with a short scale-up and the name in large text. Hold it for about a second, then cut to the next round.
Rising difficulty. Start with a round almost everyone gets, and end on one almost nobody does. That order is what keeps people watching to the last round.
Keep the ring, the answer and the round number inside the safe area, away from the app buttons and captions. The numbers are in step 2 of my Shorts guide.
Steps with Claude Code
1. Plan five rounds of your own
Pick your own topics, such as animals, flags, tools or landmarks, and ask for a plan before any code:
Plan a 30-second countdown quiz Short in 9:16 with 5 rounds about everyday kitchen tools. Rising difficulty. For each round give the silhouette, the answer and one line of text. Show me the plan before you write code.
Use your own topics and drawings. Don't copy rounds from other quiz apps or videos.
2. Build a round and look at stills
npx hyperframes lint . npx hyperframes snapshot . --at 0.5,2,3.5,4.5 -o snapshots
Check that the ring is full at the start, empty at the end, and that the answer is readable before the cut.
3. Render
npx hyperframes render . -o out.mp4 --quality looks --workers 2
Run --quality draft first if you only want to see the timing.
A prompt to paste
Make a 30-second 9:16 (1080 x 1920) countdown quiz with 5 rounds about common household objects. Each round: one black silhouette on a plain background, a 3-second countdown ring, then the answer pops in with the name in large text. Difficulty rises each round. Keep text inside the safe area. Same ring position every round. Plan first, then show me stills of round 1 before you build the rest.
Which styles fit
A style kit has the rules written down, along with templates and a checklist Claude grades its own stills against. Of my 126 styles, these suit a quiz or a vote:
| Style | Why it fits |
|---|---|
| Countdown guessing quiz | The one this guide describes: silhouette, ring, answer pop |
| Would you rather | Two options split the screen and a countdown ends in a vote |
| Tier list ranking | Items drop into S to D rows, good for a ranking quiz |
| Stick-figure metaphor Short | Simple figures for rounds that act out an idea |
Only the sample clip on the site is 16:9. The countdown guessing quiz kit already includes a 1080 x 1920 vertical template, with the safe-area rules built in. More vertical looks are on faceless Shorts styles, and the structures that work are on the formats page. For the channel around it, see how to start a faceless YouTube channel with Claude Code.
What this method cannot do
It makes shapes and text, not photos or footage. A silhouette of a detailed real object needs a few rounds of stills, so choose simple outlines.
Get the kits
You can try 7 styles for free first from reelstyles-free on GitHub, and 46 kits ship with a vertical template. All styles come in one ReelStyles purchase.
Questions
Do I need stock quiz packs?
No. Claude draws every silhouette in code from your plan. You decide the topics and check the stills.
Is this only for vertical video?
No. Ask for 16:9 in the prompt for a regular video. The countdown ring and answer pop work in both, but quiz clips are mostly watched on phones.
Is this a video model?
No. The film is HTML and SVG that HyperFrames renders frame by frame, so the same code gives the same video every time.
Sources
HyperFrames on GitHub (Apache-2.0) and Remotion. Commands come from my animated videos guide.