Templates
Template families
Compare the four Vidquel template families — Cinematic Story, Minecraft duo commentary, Social media chat, and Freeform.
A template family is the visual and narrative engine behind your video. Picking the right family is the most important creative decision on the Create page — it determines how your story is told, not just how it looks.
Cinematic Story
Cinematic Story uses a single narrator over portrait cinematic visuals with subtle motion per scene. Beats follow a classic arc: setup, tension, twist, resolution, and call to action.
- Best for: brand stories, documentaries, emotional testimonials, thought leadership
- Typical length: 35–50 seconds
- Voice pairing: Atlas or Sage for authority; Luna for intimacy
- Platforms: YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok story-style posts
Minecraft duo commentary
This family features two characters in dialogue — one voices the problem, the other pitches your solution — over Minecraft-style gameplay backgrounds. The format feels native to gaming and commentary feeds.
- Best for: product explainers, SaaS promos, relatable problem/solution skits
- Typical length: around 30 seconds
- Voice pairing: Nova for high energy; Luna for playful banter
- Platforms: TikTok and Shorts commentary niches
Tip
Name your product clearly in the prompt. The dialogue beats allocate lines between the two characters automatically — you refine wording in the scene editor.
Social media chat
Social media chat renders your story as an authentic messaging thread — typing indicators, reactions, and optional notifications. No stock B-roll; the UI is the visual.
- Best for: drama hooks, confessionals, customer support stories, viral texting energy
- Typical length: 30–40 seconds
- Voice pairing: Luna or Nova for conversational rhythm
- Platforms: TikTok, Reels — especially mute-first viewers who read on-screen text
Freeform
Freeform is the flexible montage family. Vidquel routes your prompt through a fast stock-visual pipeline with hook-first pacing — ideal when no specialized UI or character format fits.
- Best for: tips, roundups, faceless channels, hybrid niches, rapid volume
- Typical length: 18–45 seconds depending on scene count
- Voice pairing: any voice; Nova and Atlas work well for punchy retention
- Platforms: all — especially YouTube Shorts faceless channels
How families relate to viral formats
Three viral formats map directly to families: Minecraft (duo commentary), Cinematic (Cinematic Story), and Social chat (Social media chat). The other six viral formats — Lightning tip, Listicle, Mini story, Before/after, POV skit, Hot take — typically run through Freeform or narrative beat structures.
Choosing a family
- List your goal: educate, entertain, sell, or tell a story
- Decide if dialogue, narration, or chat UI carries the message
- Match visual energy to your audience expectations
- Pick the family on Create, then refine beats in the scene editor
Important
Switching families after generation means starting a new project. Experiment with short drafts before committing to a long Campaign batch.
Family-specific guides
For step-by-step workflows, open the dedicated guide for each family: Cinematic Story, Minecraft Commentary, Social Media Chat, or Freeform.