---
name: make-explainer-video
description: Research, script, plan, generate, and assemble one short narrated explainer video with traceable facts, beat-timed visuals, subtitles, and intelligible audio. Use for educational mini-documentaries, topic explainers, report-to-video, and narrated video essays; do not use for imitating a named publisher's house style, unsupported standalone voice/music generation, product commercials, talking portraits, or simple clip assembly.
---
# Make Explainer Video

## Catalog

- Display name: Make Explainer Video
- Categories: Video
- Status: Ready
- Route label: Source-backed beat-to-video composition
- Tone: purple
- Short description: Produce a fact-traceable narrated explainer with timed visual beats, subtitles, and final QC.
- Cover image: /skill-covers/make-explainer-video.png
- Cover motion: /skill-covers/make-explainer-video.mp4

- Similar skills: line-doodle-explainer, editorial-cutout-explainer
## What this skill does

- Builds a source-backed explanation around one audience question and a clear narrative throughline.
- Locks narration timing before producing visually consistent beat assets.
- Assembles accepted clips with supplied or separately authorized audio, subtitles, and a final sync/legibility review.

## How to use

Provide the topic or source material, audience, angle/question, language, target duration, ratio, citation expectations, visual direction, and any supplied narration, music, brand, or reference assets.

#### Example

```text
Make a 60-second 16:9 explainer about why urban trees cool streets. Use current primary sources, neutral paper-collage visuals, supplied narration voice, burned-in English subtitles, and source notes.
```

## Workflow

1. Lock topic, audience question, scope, duration, language, ratio, factual threshold, citation placement, tone, audio sources, and prohibited claims. Research current primary/authoritative sources when facts may have changed.
2. Create a fact ledger linking every consequential number, date, quote, causal claim, and visual evidence claim to a source. Separate sourced fact, inference, and illustrative metaphor.
3. Write an exact-duration beat script: concrete hook, necessary context, escalating explanation, complication, and resolution that reframes the opening. Default to one idea and one narration block per 6–12 second beat; remove throat-clearing.
4. Obtain narration timing before visual generation. Use user-supplied narration or a separately authorized supported audio route; standalone voice/music generation is not implied by this Skill. Record measured duration per beat.
5. Select an explanation-native treatment: diagram reveal for systems and sequence, whiteboard for hand-drawn teaching, isometric scenes for spatial/process relationships, data-led recap for personal metrics, or a custom documentary system. Define palette, framing, medium, typography intent, motifs, and one anchor frame. Do not imitate a named publisher, artist, or protected program package. Approve the anchor before remaining images.
6. Generate one keyframe and, when needed, one restrained video clip per beat using the appropriate existing image/video Atom. Keep one stable operation key per asset, poll to terminal state, and inspect each result. Motion should explain the beat rather than decorate it.
7. Conform only accepted clips to measured narration windows and assemble them in beat order. Add exact subtitles, citations, title cards, narration, supplied/approved music, and audio ducking through deterministic editing. Never ask a generative image/video model to guarantee long exact text.
8. Watch the complete export and inspect representative beat frames as an ordered set. Confirm every diagram arrow/node, whiteboard stroke order, isometric relation, or data label communicates the scripted claim. Check source alignment, continuity, clip/voice/subtitle sync, safe zones, intelligibility, music level, duration/ratio, looping/drift, credits, and corrupt frames. Repair the originating stage only.

Read [source-attribution.md](references/source-attribution.md) when reviewing provenance or redistributing this adapted Skill.

## User-facing output

- Media type: One final MP4 plus fact ledger, beat script, source notes, and operation receipt
- Default quantity: 1
- Content per video: One researched explanatory arc with synchronized narration, visuals, and subtitles
- Default layout: User-requested ratio and exact duration target
- Model policy: Existing verified image/video routes; audio only when supplied or separately supported and authorized
- Downstream use: Human editorial, factual, rights, and publication review