PlayPhrase - Movie Quote Search Engine
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1) What is PlayPhrase and who is it for?
PlayPhrase.me is an AI‑powered search engine that finds real clips from movies & TV where your phrase is spoken and plays them back instantly, one after another. It was created by Evgeny Potapenko (2014) and today covers six languages with millions of clips: English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, and German. It’s used by creators, educators, language learners, and film nerds who want authentic spoken examples—fast.
Free vs access: Without registering you can watch five clips per query; full access is available via the project’s Patreon.
An official iOS app (“Playphraseme”) puts the experience on your phone.
2) PlayPhrase Pricing & account options
- Free: Try the site and watch a limited number of clips per query.
- Supporter plan (Patreon): “Starting at $5/month,” which unlocks full access and supports continued development. (Exact perks and any regional taxes are shown on the Patreon page.)
3) PlayPhrase Quick interface tour (web)
After you search a phrase, PlayPhrase.me immediately starts playing matching clips. Key UI elements:
- Player controls: Large Play / Back / Forward icons to move between clips. The caption shows your searched phrase highlighted.
- Right panel:Common phrases and your Favorites for quick browsing.
- Bottom‑right info: Film title, release year, and the exact running time of the current clip; a clip counter shows how many results exist.
- Bottom‑left:Download video (educationally optimized—details in §9).
- Top‑right menu (three dots): Opens Settings and Keyboard Shortcuts.
4) PlayPhrase Search basics (and the “GR” grammar search)
- Type a short phrase (e.g., “we need to talk”) and press Enter—clips begin to play.
- Language coverage: You can search across English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, and German datasets; translations can show under the captions (see §6).
- English grammar finder: Click the “GR” button to explore grammar structures (e.g., modal forms). Note: grammar search is more limited than phrase search.
Pro tip: The database is optimized for phrases, not single words. Try full snippets (“I’m listening”, “you’ve got to be kidding”) for the most accurate results.
5) Keyboard “commands” (shortcuts)
- Up / Down: Switch between clips; Up quickly replays the previous clip.
- Enter: Pause / resume playback.
- Right Arrow: Manage the suggestion popup while typing in the search box.
You can view all available shortcuts via the keyboard icon in the interface (three dots → Keyboard).
6) Settings & on‑screen options (your built‑in “editing” tools)
Open ⋯ (three dots) → Settings to customize how clips render:
- Subtitles visibility:Always, Only when paused, or Never.
- Phrase translations: Display translations Always / On pause / Never; choose from 50+ languages for the translation line below the captions.
- Common phrases overlay: Show common phrases on pause or never.
- Favorites: Click the ★ star to save a clip to Favorites for quick recall.
- View: Click the frame icon to enlarge; ✕ stops playback.
These settings act like lightweight “editing” controls for learning and presentation: you decide how much text/translation appears, and when.
7) Downloading clips (and what you get)
Click Download video on the player. Downloads are educationally optimized short excerpts (up to 8 seconds) and may include added elements like subtitles or highlights for clarity and fair‑use purposes. Clips are intended for personal, educational, or social‑share use—not commercial re‑publishing.
8) Build a supercut/reel (official Karaoke Mixer script)
If you want to stitch many PlayPhrase clips into one polished video—for TikTok, Reels, Shorts, or lectures—use the creator’s free playphraseme‑karaoke‑mixer tool.
What it does
- Adds karaoke‑style subtitles (word‑by‑word highlighting).
- Optionally translates subtitles (Google/DeepL).
- Concatenates all your downloaded clips into one video.
- Supports preset sizes like 1080×1920 (vertical), 1080×1080 (square), etc.
How to use it (summary)
- On PlayPhrase.me, search a phrase and download matching clips to a folder.
- Get the script from GitHub (MIT‑licensed).
- Install Python and ffmpeg (instructions in the README).
- From the script’s folder, run:
# Basic compile (no translation), default size 640x480
python process_videos.py --video_folder "/path/to/your/clips"
# Vertical Reel with translation to Spanish and “focus” around your phrase
python process_videos.py \
--video_folder "/path/to/your/clips" \
--video_size "1080x1920" \
--translate_lang "es" \
--highlite_phrase "we need to talk" \
--focus
Key arguments you can set
--video_folder(where your .mp4 clips are)--video_size(e.g.,1080x1920,1080x1080)--highlite_phrase(highlight a target phrase)--translate_lang+--google_api_keyor--deepl_api_key--output-dir(where to save the final)--font(choose a TTF, e.g., Roboto)--focus(auto‑trim around the phrase with tasteful fade in/out)
There’s also a hosted demo mentioned in the README (mixer.playphrase.me) if you want to preview the effect.
9) Legal & fair‑use guidelines (must‑read)
- Clips are very short (usually a few seconds, max eight seconds) and intended for education/research.
- Downloads are modified (e.g., subtitles/highlights) to strengthen educational use.
- A download disclaimer states they are for personal use, educational materials, or social media—not for commercial re‑publishing or resale.
- The platform does not offer an API (public or private).
Best practice: Credit the film + year and, when possible, link the IMDb page (clips are associated with source metadata).
10) Best‑practice workflows (creators & educators)
- Language learning: Turn subtitles Always on, enable a translation line below, and replay with Up to compare deliveries by different actors/accents.
- Presentation snippets: Use Only when paused for subtitles to keep the video clean during playback but show text when you pause to explain.
- Social supercuts: Download multiple clips of the same phrase and compile with Karaoke Mixer in 1080×1920; add your branding in a video editor afterward.
11) Troubleshooting & FAQs
Q1: Why can’t I see more than a handful of clips?
A: The free tier is limited (about five clips per query). Consider the Patreon plan to remove limits.
Q2: Where are the keyboard shortcuts?
A: Click ⋯ → Keyboard; common ones include Enter (pause/play) and Up/Down (prev/next).
Q3: Can I filter by grammar?
A: Try the GR button (English). It’s helpful, but not as robust as phrase search.
Q4: What’s the safest way to post clips?
A: Use the site’s download (educationally optimized) and keep edits within fair‑use norms. Avoid commercial reuse.
14) Mobile usage (iOS)
The Playphraseme iOS app brings phrase search to your phone. It mirrors the website’s core experience and is maintained on the App Store
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