Animated Explainer

Generated explainer video from topic/idea - fully AI-produced with narration, visuals, and music. Features a research-first pre-production phase: the agent researches the topic, proposes concepts with cost estimates, and gets explicit user approval before any assets are generated.

Stages

8

Human approval gates

5

Default budget

$2.00

Stages

The agent reads each stage's director skill before working, then writes a checkpoint. Stages marked pause for your approval before the production continues.

1. 1

   Research

   No checkpoint

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/explainer/research-director.md

   Produces

   • research_brief

   Tools

   None — agent reasoning only

   Review focus

   • Content landscape mapped with at least 3 existing pieces
   • Data points are specific and sourced, not vague
   • Audience questions sourced from real forums, not invented
   • At least 3 genuinely different angles discovered
   • All angles grounded in specific research findings

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid research_brief with at least 3 data_points
   • At least 3 angles_discovered, each with grounded_in references
   • At least 5 sources cited with URLs
2. 2

   Proposal

   Human approval

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/explainer/proposal-director.md

   Produces

   • proposal_packet
   • decision_log

   Tools

   None — agent reasoning only

   Review focus

   • Concept options are genuinely different (structure, hook, audience)
   • Each concept is grounded in research findings, not generic
   • Production plan reflects actual tool availability from preflight
   • Cost estimate is itemized and honest
   • Quality/cost tradeoffs are clearly presented
   • Alternative production paths shown at different price points
   • Concept differentiation from reference (if reference-driven)

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid proposal_packet with at least 3 concept_options
   • selected_concept references a valid concept_id
   • cost_estimate has itemized line_items with per-tool costs
   • approval.status is "approved" or "approved_with_changes" before proceeding
3. 3

   Script

   Human approval

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/explainer/script-director.md

   Produces

   • script

   Tools

   None — agent reasoning only

   Review focus

   • Word count within +/-10% of duration target from selected concept
   • Enhancement cue density: 1 per 8-10 seconds
   • Narrative arc: hook -> setup -> build -> climax -> landing
   • Speaker directions present for TTS
   • Voice performance plan includes concrete pacing, pause, emphasis, and sample cues
   • Script incorporates research data points and cited facts

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid script with enhancement_cues per section
   • Total duration matches selected concept target within 10%
4. 4

   Scene Plan

   Human approval

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/explainer/scene-director.md

   Produces

   • scene_plan

   Tools

   None — agent reasoning only

   Review focus

   • Full script duration covered with no gaps
   • Visual variety: no 3+ consecutive scenes of same type
   • Asset feasibility - every required_asset uses a tool from the production plan
   • Playbook adherence - transitions, colors, pacing rules

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid scene_plan with required_assets per scene
   • At least 3 different scene types used
5. 5

   Assets

   Human approval

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/explainer/asset-director.md

   Produces

   • asset_manifest

   Tools

   • tts_selector
   • image_selector
   • video_selector
   • diagram_gen
   • code_snippet
   • music_gen
   • math_animate

   Review focus

   • All asset files exist on disk
   • Narration covers all script sections
   • Narration assets apply the approved voice performance plan and sample settings
   • Total cost within approved budget from proposal_packet
   • Image style consistency across all generated visuals

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid asset_manifest with all required assets generated
   • All file paths resolve to existing files
6. 6

   Edit

   Auto checkpoint

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/explainer/edit-director.md

   Produces

   • edit_decisions

   Tools

   None — agent reasoning only

   Review focus

   • All cuts reference valid assets from manifest
   • Subtitles enabled with playbook-compatible styling
   • Music configured with ducking parameters
   • No timeline gaps or overlaps

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid edit_decisions
   • Full video duration covered
7. 7

   Compose

   Auto checkpoint

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/explainer/compose-director.md

   Produces

   • render_report
   • final_review

   Tools

   • video_compose
   • hyperframes_compose
   • video_stitch
   • audio_mixer

   Review focus

   • Output video exists and is playable
   • Duration within +/-5% of target
   • Audio is clear with proper narration/music balance
   • render_runtime in edit_decisions matches proposal_packet — silent swap to another runtime is a CRITICAL governance violation
   • If render_runtime='hyperframes': `hyperframes lint` and `hyperframes validate` must pass before render

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid render_report with output paths
   • Output file exists and passes ffprobe validation
8. 8

   Publish

   Human approval

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/explainer/publish-director.md

   Produces

   • publish_log

   Tools

   • export_bundle

   Review focus

   • SEO metadata complete and keyword-rich
   • Chapter markers present
   • Export package structured correctly

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid publish_log
   • Export directory contains video, metadata, and thumbnail concept

Manifest: openmontage/pipeline_defs/animated-explainer.yaml. Director skills live under openmontage/skills/.