Build an AI Video Studio with OpenMontage Agents

What this is, in plain English

OpenMontage is an advanced, open-source system that lets you create videos using AI agents. Think of it as turning your AI coding assistant into a full video production studio. Instead of manually editing, you describe the video you want in plain language, and the AI agents handle everything from researching, writing the script, generating images or video clips, editing, and putting together the final video.

This system is “agentic,” meaning it uses smart AI programs (agents) that can plan, use various tools, and execute complex tasks on their own. It’s designed for users comfortable with coding and setting up development environments, as it involves running code and configuring multiple AI services. It is not a simple website or app where you just type a prompt and click a button.

What you can use it for

• Create cinematic trailers: Produce short, dramatic video clips for movies, product launches, or events.
• Generate animated shorts: Make short, cartoon-style videos with characters and stories, like the “LAST BANANA” example.
• Produce historical documentaries: Create factual videos using AI-generated visuals and narration, such as the “Library at Alexandria” example.
• Develop product advertisements: Design promotional videos for new products or services, like the “VOID — Neural Interface” ad.
• Automate video content creation: Generate a large volume of diverse video content quickly for social media or other platforms.

Tools you need

• OpenMontage (free): The core open-source system that orchestrates the AI agents and video production.
• fal.ai (paid): A platform used to access various AI models, including Kling v3 for generating motion clips.
• Google Cloud Text-to-Speech (paid): A service that converts text into natural-sounding speech, used for narration (e.g., Chirp3-HD).
• Remotion (free): An open-source React-based library for creating videos programmatically, used for video composition.
• OpenAI API (paid): Provides access to advanced AI models for tasks like narration, image generation, or scripting.
• Pixabay (freemium): A website offering free stock photos, videos, and music, used for background assets and soundtracks.
• Anthropic API (paid): Provides access to Claude, an AI model that can act as a coding assistant or agent within the system.
• Cursor (freemium): An AI-powered code editor that can serve as your AI coding assistant.
• GitHub Copilot (paid): An AI pair programmer that suggests code and functions as you type, often used as an AI coding assistant.
• Google AI (paid): A general term for Google’s artificial intelligence offerings, including models like Veo for generating motion clips.

How it actually works

OpenMontage is a complex system that runs locally on your computer, often with the help of an AI coding assistant. Here’s a general idea of the steps involved, though the exact instructions are detailed within the OpenMontage GitHub repository:

1. Set up your environment: You will need to clone the OpenMontage project from GitHub to your computer. This involves using a command-line tool (like Terminal on macOS/Linux or PowerShell on Windows) to download the project files.

   # macOS or Linux
   git clone https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage.git
   cd OpenMontage

   # Windows (PowerShell)
   git clone https://github.com/calesthio/OpenMontage.git
   cd OpenMontage

   You will then install the necessary software dependencies, usually Python libraries, by running a command like pip install -r requirements.txt.

2. Configure API keys: OpenMontage uses various external AI services (like OpenAI, Anthropic, fal.ai, Google Cloud). You will need to sign up for these services, obtain API keys (unique codes that grant access), and configure them within OpenMontage, typically by editing a configuration file like .env.example or config.yaml as described in the project’s documentation.

3. Describe your video: You will write a detailed text description of the video you want to create. This description acts as the main prompt for the AI agents. The project’s documentation often includes example prompts you can adapt.

4. Run the video production script: You will execute a script, such as render-demo.sh (for macOS/Linux) or render_demo.py (for Python environments), which kicks off the agentic workflow.

   # macOS or Linux
   ./render-demo.sh

   # Python environment
   python render_demo.py

   The AI agents will then take your description, break it down into tasks (like scripting, finding assets, generating clips), use the configured tools, and work through the “pipelines” to produce the final video.

5. Review and refine: Once the process is complete, you will get a rendered video file. You might need to review it and adjust your initial description or configuration settings to get the desired outcome. The exact values for settings and prompts will depend on your specific video idea and the capabilities of the AI models you are using.

Words you’ll see, explained

• Agentic system: A system that uses AI programs (called agents) which can act independently, make decisions, and use various tools to complete complex tasks, like producing a video.
• Pipelines: A series of automated steps or stages that an AI agent follows to produce a video, from the initial idea to the final rendered file.
• AI coding assistant: An AI tool, such as Cursor or GitHub Copilot, that helps developers write, debug, and understand code more efficiently.
• API key: A unique, secret code that allows your software or application to connect and use services from another company, like an AI model or a cloud service.
• Open-source: Software whose original source code is freely available for anyone to view, modify, and distribute.
• Composition: In video production, this refers to how different elements (such as video clips, images, text, and audio) are arranged and combined to create the final, cohesive video.
• Repository (repo): A central location, usually on platforms like GitHub, where all the files, code, and history for a software project are stored.

Original source

This concept is based on OpenMontage, an open-source project by calesthio available on GitHub. It aims to create the world’s first open-source, agentic system for video production.

Notes & variations

• Do you even need this?: If your goal is to create simple videos quickly without deep customization or the need for an agentic system, consider easier-to-use tools like Canva, CapCut, or other online AI video generators. OpenMontage is for those who want advanced control, customizability, and are comfortable with a technical setup.
• Free-tier limits: While OpenMontage itself is free and open-source, many of the powerful AI models it integrates (like those from OpenAI, Anthropic, fal.ai, and Google Cloud) are paid services. Their free tiers, if they exist for API access, are usually very limited and will likely incur costs for full video production.
• Common pitfall: The most common challenge is the initial setup and configuration. Getting all the dependencies installed correctly and all API keys properly set up can be time-consuming and require debugging. Always refer to the official OpenMontage documentation on GitHub for the most up-to-date and precise instructions.