Agent skill

explainer-video-guide

Explainer video production guide: scripting, voiceover, visuals, and assembly. Covers script formulas, pacing rules, scene planning, and multi-tool pipelines. Use for: product demos, how-it-works videos, onboarding videos, social explainers. Triggers: explainer video, how to make explainer, product video, demo video, video production, video script, animated explainer, product demo video, tutorial video, onboarding video, walkthrough video, video pipeline

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Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/inference-sh/skills/tree/main/guides/video/explainer-video-guide

SKILL.md

Explainer Video Guide

Create explainer videos from script to final cut via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

Requires inference.sh CLI (infsh). Install instructions

bash
infsh login

# Generate a scene for an explainer
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
  "prompt": "Clean motion graphics style animation, abstract data flowing between connected nodes, blue and white color scheme, professional corporate aesthetic, smooth transitions"
}'

Script Formulas

Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS) — 60 seconds

Section Duration Content Word Count
Problem 10s State the pain point the viewer has ~25 words
Agitate 10s Show why it's worse than they think ~25 words
Solution 15s Introduce your product/idea ~35 words
How It Works 20s Show 3 key steps or features ~50 words
CTA 5s One clear next action ~12 words

Before-After-Bridge (BAB) — 90 seconds

Section Duration Content
Before 15s Show the current frustrating state
After 15s Show the ideal outcome
Bridge 40s Explain how your product gets them there
Social Proof 10s Quick stat or testimonial
CTA 10s Clear next step

Feature Spotlight — 30 seconds (social)

Section Duration Content
Hook 3s Surprising fact or question
Feature 15s Show one feature solving one problem
Result 7s The outcome/benefit
CTA 5s Try it / Learn more

Pacing Rules

Content Type Words Per Minute Notes
Standard narration 150 wpm Conversational pace
Complex/technical 120 wpm Allow processing time
Energetic/social 170 wpm Faster for short-form
Children's content 100 wpm Clear and slow

Key rule: 1 scene per key message. Don't pack multiple ideas into one visual.

Scene Duration Guidelines

  • Establishing shot: 3-5 seconds
  • Feature demonstration: 5-8 seconds
  • Text/stat on screen: 3-4 seconds (must be readable)
  • Transition: 0.5-1 second
  • CTA screen: 3-5 seconds

Visual Production

Scene Types

bash
# Product in context
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
  "prompt": "Clean product demonstration video, hands typing on a laptop showing a dashboard interface, bright modern office, soft natural lighting, professional"
}'

# Abstract concept visualization
infsh app run bytedance/seedance-1-5-pro --input '{
  "prompt": "Abstract motion graphics, colorful data streams connecting floating geometric shapes, smooth fluid animation, dark background with glowing elements, tech aesthetic"
}'

# Lifestyle/outcome shot
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
  "prompt": "Happy person relaxing on couch with laptop, smiling at screen, bright airy living room, warm afternoon light, satisfied customer feeling, lifestyle commercial style"
}'

# Before/after comparison
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "Split screen comparison, left side cluttered messy desk with papers and stress, right side clean organized minimalist workspace, dramatic difference, clean design"
}'

Image-to-Video for Scenes

bash
# Generate a still frame first
infsh app run falai/flux-dev-lora --input '{
  "prompt": "Professional workspace with glowing holographic interface, futuristic but clean, blue accent lighting"
}'

# Animate it
infsh app run falai/wan-2-5-i2v --input '{
  "prompt": "Gentle camera push in, holographic elements subtly floating and rotating, soft ambient light shifts",
  "image": "path/to/workspace-still.png"
}'

Voiceover Production

Script Writing Tips

  • Short sentences. Max 15 words per sentence.
  • Active voice. "You can track your data" not "Your data can be tracked."
  • Conversational tone. Read it aloud — if it sounds stiff, rewrite.
  • One idea per sentence. One sentence per visual beat.

Generating Voiceover

bash
# Professional narration with Dia TTS
infsh app run falai/dia-tts --input '{
  "prompt": "[S1] Tired of spending hours on reports that nobody reads? There is a better way. Meet DataFlow. It turns your raw data into visual stories... in seconds. Just connect your source, pick a template, and share. Try DataFlow free today."
}'

Pacing Control in TTS

Technique Effect Example
Period . Medium pause "This changes everything. Here's how."
Ellipsis ... Long pause (dramatic) "And the result... was incredible."
Comma , Short pause "Fast, simple, powerful."
Exclamation ! Emphasis/energy "Start building today!"
Question ? Rising intonation "What if there was a better way?"

Music & Audio

Background Music Guidelines

  • Volume: 20-30% under narration (duck 6-12dB when voice plays)
  • Style: match the brand tone (corporate = ambient electronic, startup = upbeat indie)
  • Structure: intro swell (first 3s) -> subtle loop under narration -> swell at CTA
  • No vocals: instrumental only under narration
bash
# Generate background music
infsh app run <music-gen-app> --input '{
  "prompt": "upbeat corporate background music, modern electronic, 90 BPM, positive and professional, no vocals, suitable for product explainer video"
}'

Assembly Pipeline

Full Production Workflow

bash
# 1. Generate voiceover
infsh app run falai/dia-tts --input '{
  "prompt": "[S1] Your script here..."
}'

# 2. Generate scene visuals (in parallel)
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{"prompt": "scene 1 description"}' --no-wait
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{"prompt": "scene 2 description"}' --no-wait
infsh app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{"prompt": "scene 3 description"}' --no-wait

# 3. Merge scenes into sequence
infsh app run infsh/media-merger --input '{
  "media": ["scene1.mp4", "scene2.mp4", "scene3.mp4"]
}'

# 4. Add voiceover to video
infsh app run infsh/video-audio-merger --input '{
  "video": "merged-scenes.mp4",
  "audio": "voiceover.mp3"
}'

# 5. Add captions
infsh app run infsh/caption-videos --input '{
  "video": "final-with-audio.mp4",
  "caption_file": "captions.srt"
}'

Video Length by Format

Format Length Platform
Social teaser 15-30s TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts
Product demo 60-90s Website, landing page
Feature explainer 90-120s YouTube, email
Tutorial/walkthrough 2-5min YouTube, help center
Investor pitch video 2-3min Pitch deck supplement

Transition Types

Transition When to Use Effect
Cut Default between related scenes Clean, professional
Dissolve/Crossfade Time passing, mood shift Soft, contemplative
Wipe New topic or section Clear separation
Zoom/Push Drilling into detail Focus attention
Match cut Visual similarity between scenes Clever, memorable

Common Mistakes

Mistake Problem Fix
Script too wordy Voiceover rushed, viewer overwhelmed Cut to 150 wpm max
No hook in first 3s Viewers leave immediately Start with the problem or surprising stat
Visuals lag narration Confusing disconnect Visuals should match or slightly precede words
Background music too loud Can't hear narration Duck music 6-12dB under voice
No captions 85% of social video watched silent Always add captions
Too many ideas Viewer retains nothing One core message per video

Related Skills

bash
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-video-generation
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@video-prompting-guide
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@text-to-speech
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@prompt-engineering

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