Creative Video StudioBacklot
All pipelines
production
Animation
Accepts a reference video
v2.0

Animation

Animation-first pipeline for motion graphics, diagram-led explainers, kinetic typography, math visuals, explicit Three.js worlds, and stylized illustrative sequences. Features a research-first pre-production phase: the agent researches the topic and animation techniques, proposes concepts with animation mode selection and cost estimates, and gets explicit user approval before any assets are generated.

Stages
8
Human approval gates
5
Default budget
$2.00
Recommended playbooks:
Flat Motion Graphics
Anime Ghibli
Also works with:
Clean Professional
Minimalist Diagram

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/animation/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
    • Animation technique references researched (at least 2)
    • At least 3 genuinely different angles discovered with animation_fit
    • 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/animation/proposal-director.md

    Produces

    • proposal_packet
    • decision_log

    Tools

    None — agent reasoning only

    Review focus

    • Concept options are genuinely different (animation mode, structure, hook)
    • Animation mode selection is grounded in technique research and tool availability
    • Each concept includes a reuse strategy (motifs, templates, transition family)
    • Production plan reflects actual tool availability from preflight
    • Cost estimate is itemized and honest
    • Free/local tool options are highlighted where applicable
    • Audio architecture decided: single narrator / character dialogue / narrator+characters
    • Provider choice presented as comparison table with costs — agent recommends but user decides
    • render_runtime chosen explicitly — remotion for React scene stack, hyperframes for HTML/GSAP motion graphics, ffmpeg for simple concat. See skills/core/hyperframes.md and skills/meta/animation-runtime-selector.md for the decision matrix. Record in decision_log with category render_runtime_selection.

    Success criteria

    • Schema-valid proposal_packet with at least 3 concept_options
    • selected_concept includes animation_mode and reuse_strategy
    • selected_concept includes audio_architecture (single_narrator | character_dialogue | narrator_plus_characters)
    • cost_estimate has itemized line_items with per-tool costs
    • cost_estimate includes provider_comparison table with at least 2 provider options
    • approval.status is "approved" or "approved_with_changes" before proceeding
  3. 3

    Script

    Human approval

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

    Produces

    • script

    Tools

    • transcriber

    Review focus

    • Script beats are concise and animation-friendly
    • On-screen text remains readable and restrained
    • Timing structure leaves room for visual holds
    • Narration-led scripts include concrete voice performance cues
    • Word count within +/-10% of duration target from selected concept
    • Script incorporates research data points where relevant

    Success criteria

    • Schema-valid script artifact
    • Script sections map to distinct animation beats
    • Total duration matches selected concept target within 10%
  4. 4

    Scene Plan

    Human approval

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

    Produces

    • scene_plan

    Tools

    None — agent reasoning only

    Review focus

    • Scene system is coherent and follows reuse strategy from proposal
    • Animation mode specified per scene, consistent with proposal
    • Transition logic is limited and meaningful
    • Every scene has a feasible tool path

    Success criteria

    • Schema-valid scene_plan artifact
    • Every scene includes animation mode and visual treatment
  5. 5

    Assets

    Human approval

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

    Produces

    • asset_manifest

    Tools

    • tts_selector
    • image_selector
    • video_selector
    • math_animate
    • diagram_gen
    • code_snippet
    • threejs_world
    • threejs_asset_catalog
    • atlas_3d
    • fal_3d
    • blender_world
    • music_gen
    • fal_elevenlabs_music

    Review focus

    • Asset production path is explicit per scene
    • Reusable motifs and templates are prepared and referenced
    • Missing tool paths are surfaced honestly
    • Narration assets apply the approved voice performance plan and sample settings
    • Total cost within approved budget from proposal_packet
    • Layer 3 skills read for EVERY generation tool before writing prompts (check agent_skills field)
    • Clip duration maximized (prefer 10s over 5s) to reduce API calls and cost
    • Use selector tools (video_selector, tts_selector, image_selector) — never call provider tools directly
    • Read Layer 2 skills for each tool BEFORE reading source code — skills contain usage guidance, source code is implementation detail

    Success criteria

    • Schema-valid asset_manifest artifact
    • All referenced asset files exist on disk
    • layer3_skills_read list is present and includes all tools used for generation
    • Real 3D-world briefs include semantic or wireframe diagnostic review before compose
  6. 6

    Edit

    Auto checkpoint

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

    Produces

    • edit_decisions

    Tools

    None — agent reasoning only

    Review focus

    • Hold times and staggered reveals are preserved
    • Motion serves hierarchy rather than decoration
    • Timeline logic is consistent across scenes
    • Audio ducking configured for narration segments

    Success criteria

    • Schema-valid edit_decisions artifact
    • Edit decisions cover all planned animation beats
  7. 7

    Compose

    Auto checkpoint

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

    Produces

    • render_report
    • final_review

    Tools

    • video_compose
    • hyperframes_compose
    • audio_mixer
    • video_stitch

    Review focus

    • Text and diagrams remain sharp at final resolution
    • Motion timing survives the final render
    • Audio sync matches the animatic intent
    • Duration within +/-5% of target
    • render_runtime in edit_decisions matches render_runtime locked in proposal_packet — any swap requires a render_runtime_selection decision in decision_log
    • HyperFrames renders MUST pass `hyperframes lint` and `hyperframes validate` before the render step — never skip validation
    • Post-render self-review MANDATORY: extract keyframes, visually inspect each scene, flag weak frames before presenting to user

    Success criteria

    • Schema-valid render_report artifact
    • Output file exists and passes ffprobe validation
    • self_review_completed is true with per-scene quality notes
  8. 8

    Publish

    Human approval

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

    Produces

    • publish_log

    Tools

    None — agent reasoning only

    Review focus

    • Platform packaging matches the animation style
    • Metadata reflects the actual topic, animation mode, and visual system
    • Thumbnail concept matches the final visual language

    Success criteria

    • Schema-valid publish_log artifact
    • Export package contains video and metadata outputs

Manifest: openmontage/pipeline_defs/animation.yaml. Director skills live under openmontage/skills/.