Introduction:

Hello friends, welcome to another creative web design project. Today, we’re going to create a responsive full screen background video website using just HTML and CSS. This kind of design is not only visually stunning but also highly effective for grabbing a visitor’s attention. It works well for travel websites, personal portfolios, creative agencies, or even a landing page that makes an impact right away.

The best part? It’s beginner-friendly, simple to build, and looks great on all devices.

What is a Fullscreen Background Video?

A full screen background video is exactly what it sounds like — a video that plays in the background and covers the entire screen. Unlike static images, background videos add motion and life to your design, making it more engaging. These are often used to deliver a bold first impression.

In this project, we will build a hero section (the top part of a website) that contains a full-size video background and overlay text with a button. The content will appear on top of the video using CSS positioning, and the layout will adapt based on the device’s screen size.

HTML Code:

 <html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8" />
    <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <title>Background Video</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
  </head>
  <body>
    <section class="hero">
      <video autoplay loop muted plays-inline class="back-video">
        <!-- change the video to your own -->
        <source src="assets/video.mp4" />
      </video>

      <section class="content">
        <h1>Journey</h1>
        <a href="">Explore</a>
      </section>
    </section>
  </body>
</html>

Understanding the Structure of the Website:

This project consists of two main files: an HTML file for the structure, and a CSS file for styling. The HTML file starts with a section that holds both the background video and the content. Inside this section, there is a <video> tag which is responsible for playing the background video.

To ensure the video plays smoothly and automatically, we use attributes like autoplay, loop, muted, and playsinline. These attributes make sure the video runs continuously without sound and works on mobile devices too.

Overlaying the content over the video is done by adding a nested section inside the main container. This section contains a heading (<h1>) and a button (<a>), which are placed centrally using CSS flexbox. The content is designed to stand out over the darkened video background, making it readable and visually appealing.

CSS Code:

 * {
  padding: 0;
  margin: 0;
  box-sizing: border-box;
  font-family: sans-serif;
}

.hero {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100vh;
  background-image: linear-gradient(rgba(12, 3, 51, 0.3), rgba(12, 3, 51, 0.3));
  position: relative;
  padding: 0 5%;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
}

.content {
  text-align: center;
}

.content h1 {
  font-size: 160px;
  color: #fff;
  font-weight: 600;
  transition: 0.5s;
}

.content h1:hover {
  -webkit-text-stroke: 2px white;
  color: transparent;
}

.content a {
  text-decoration: none;
  display: inline-block;
  color: #fff;
  font-size: 24px;
  border: 2px solid white;
  padding: 14px 50px;
  margin-top: 20px;
  transition: 0.5s;
}

.content a:hover {
  background: #fff;
  color: #000;
}

.back-video {
  position: absolute;
  right: 0;
  bottom: 0;
  z-index: -1;
}

@media (min-aspect-ratio: 16/9) {
  .back-video {
    width: 100%;
    height: auto;
  }
}

@media (max-aspect-ratio: 16/9) {
  .back-video {
    width: auto;
    height: 100%;
  }
}

Styling the Video and Content Using CSS:

The CSS begins with a universal reset to remove default padding and margin and applies a modern sans-serif font throughout the website. The .hero section is styled to take up the full height of the viewport (100vh), and a semi-transparent linear gradient is applied on top of the video to darken it slightly. This improves the visibility of the white text layered above it.

The video itself is placed behind all content using absolute positioning and a negative z-index. This ensures that the video always stays in the background, while the content stays in the center and front. CSS media queries are used to handle the responsiveness of the video — adjusting its width and height based on the aspect ratio of the screen.

The heading inside the .content class is styled to be large and bold, making it the focal point. There’s also a smooth hover effect that turns the solid text into outlined stroke text, giving it a clean and animated feel. The button below the heading is styled with a border, padding, and color changes on hover, encouraging user interaction while maintaining the elegant theme.

Making the Website Responsive:

Responsiveness is a key part of modern web design. This website uses media queries to detect the screen’s aspect ratio and adjust the video size accordingly. On wider screens (landscape), the video takes up full width with auto height. On taller screens (portrait), it switches to full height with auto width. This ensures the video always fills the screen without getting stretched or cut off awkwardly.

Additionally, since the layout uses flexbox, the heading and button automatically remain centered regardless of screen size. Font sizes, padding, and spacing are also chosen in a way that scales naturally on smaller screens.

Final Output:

Once the code is added and styles are applied, the result is a visually rich, full screen video website with:

  • A smooth looping video in the background

  • Centered heading and call-to-action button

  • Stylish text animation on hover

  • A fully responsive layout across all devices

It looks professional, loads fast (with an optimized video), and creates a modern first impression for any brand or personal site.

Conclusion:

Designing a full screen background video website using HTML and CSS is a fantastic way to improve your front-end skills. It combines layout design, responsive behavior, and creative styling — all without using JavaScript or heavy frameworks. This kind of project not only looks impressive but also helps you understand how real-world landing pages are built.

You can customize this template to suit your needs — change the heading text, use your own video, add navigation, or even include more sections below. Keep experimenting, and you’ll be amazed at what you can create with simple tools and your own imagination.