Produce a short explainer video from a brief with OpenMontage
An agent runs the whole production from a written brief, stops for your approval on the proposal and scene plan, and renders a finished video with a record of where every asset came from.
The problem
A short product or explainer video needs research, a script, a scene plan, visuals, voice, and an edit, and each step usually means a different person or tool.
What you get
A working system with the steps, tools, checkpoints, and expected return made explicit.
- Setup
- 120 minutes
- Back each week
- 4 hours
- Difficulty
- agentic
Expected return
The working case
A planning estimate, not a guaranteed result. Measure the first four weeks against your own baseline.
192
hours returned per year
At 4 hours/week across 48 working weeks.
1
week to earn back setup
Compare the setup estimate with the weekly time returned.
Operating contract
Input
The source material, constraints, and examples a human would need to do this work well.
Checkpoint
A person reviews judgment calls, sensitive content, unfamiliar tools, and irreversible actions.
Success signal
Track time returned, corrections required, and exceptions. Keep it only if the measured result compounds.
Before you start
- ·Claude Code
- ·Python 3.10+, Node.js 18+, and ffmpeg
- ·A written brief with the facts the video may use
The steps
- 01
Install OpenMontage. It needs Python 3.10 or later, Node.js 18 or later, and ffmpeg. Run: git clone https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage.git, then cd OpenMontage and make setup.
- 02
Open the folder in Claude Code. It runs with no API keys. Add keys in .env only for the providers you want, such as ElevenLabs for voice or FAL for generated video.
- 03
Give Claude Code the brief and ask it to run the pipeline.
Copy this prompt
Use the OpenMontage pipeline. Make a [length] [aspect ratio] video for [audience] about [topic]. The one thing they should remember is [message]. Use only these facts: [facts]. Stop after the proposal and after the scene plan so I can approve them.
- 04
Approve or edit the proposal and the scene plan. These are the cheap places to change direction.
- 05
Let it source assets, edit, and compose. Review the render and the asset provenance record before you publish.
What it runs on
- OpenMontage
Open source agentic video production pipeline. AGPLv3.
- Claude Code
Drives the pipeline stages and the approval stops.
- Remotion
Bundled for composition and rendering.
Where this goes wrong
- OpenMontage is AGPLv3. If you change it and run it as a service for others, you must publish your changes.
- Paid provider keys can run up cost on a long pipeline. Start with the free providers and add keys one at a time.
- The script can state facts the brief did not give. Check every claim before you publish.
Definition of done
Run it for four weeks. Then make it earn its place.
- □ Baseline the manual time before launch.
- □ Keep a human approval step for consequential output.
- □ Record corrections and exceptions, not just successes.
- □ Expand, revise, or retire it after the first review.
Build the system around it
Related workflows
If this one stops working, tell us. Three reports in a month and it leaves the library until a person has looked at it again.