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How to build a real-footage documentary montage for free with Open Montage

Have an agent assemble a real-footage montage from free archives and stock with music and no narration.

  • Top pick
  • Content
  • Intermediate
  • 45 minutes
  • From the README
  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • Cursor
  • Gemini CLI

Who it is forA filmmaker or content creator who needs a moody B-roll piece and wants to avoid stock licensing fees.

The problemFinding free, usable motion footage and cutting it into a finished piece takes hours of manual searching and editing.

The outcomeA rendered 75-second montage built from free open archives and stock footage, with music and the requested tone.

What you need first

  • Python 3.10+
  • FFmpeg installed and on the PATH
  • Node.js 18+
  • An AI coding assistant such as Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Windsurf, or Codex
  • Optional: API keys in .env for paid or free stock providers

Steps

  1. Install prerequisites: Python 3.10+, FFmpeg, and Node.js 18+.
  2. make setup
  3. Open the Open Montage folder in your AI coding assistant.
  4. Send the request: "Make a 75-second documentary montage about city life in the rain. Use real footage only, no narration, elegiac tone, with music."
  5. Review the approval points the agent raises before the final render.

Prompt for your agent

Use the OpenMontage repo at <repo-path> to make a 75-second real-footage montage about <topic> with no narration and an elegiac tone. Read AGENT_GUIDE.md, pick the matching pipeline, and render an MP4. Verify the output with ffprobe that it is about 75 seconds long and has an audio track.

Caveat. The README does not state how much free footage matches a given topic, so the agent may need to adjust the subject or length.

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