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How to make an animated explainer with no paid API keys with Open Montage

Generate a narrated animated explainer using free Piper narration and Remotion composition.

  • Content
  • Intermediate
  • 45 minutes
  • From the README
  • Any agent

Who it is forA teacher or developer who wants a short explainer video and has no budget for paid AI services.

The problemMost AI video tools need paid accounts before a first video can be made, which blocks quick experiments.

The outcomeA rendered 60-second animated explainer with offline narration, built from the free tools in the default setup.

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 and run make setup.
  2. Leave the .env keys empty, since every key is optional.
  3. Open the project in your AI coding assistant.
  4. Send the request: "Make a 60-second animated explainer about how neural networks learn".
  5. Watch the render and check that the narration and subtitles are correct.

Prompt for your agent

In the OpenMontage repo at <repo-path>, produce a 60-second animated explainer about <topic> using only free tools such as Piper TTS and Remotion. Save the final MP4 and verify with ffprobe that the duration is about 60 seconds.

Caveat. The README describes Piper as free offline narration, but the visual quality of zero-key output depends on the free stock and Remotion scenes the agent can build.

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