Archetype Gallery
Explore 14 visual styles that control every aspect of your video's look and feel.
OpenReels includes 14 visual archetypes. Each archetype controls colors, caption style, motion intensity, AI image prompting, lighting, and composition rules.
All Archetypes
| Archetype | Best For | Pacing |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial Caricature | News commentary, satire, social issues | Standard |
| Warm Narrative | Storytelling, history, human interest | Cinematic |
| Studio Realism | Professional photography, editorial, luxury | Cinematic |
| Infographic | Data, facts, explainers, rapid-fire content | Fast |
| Anime Illustration | Dynamic, action-oriented, pop culture | Standard |
| Pastoral Watercolor | Nature, contemplative, hand-painted aesthetic | Cinematic |
| Comic Book | Action, adventure, energetic content | Fast |
| Gothic Fantasy | Dark themes, mythology, epic content | Cinematic |
| Vintage Snapshot | Nostalgic, intimate, personal stories | Cinematic |
| Surreal Dreamscape | Sci-fi, fantasy, mind-bending topics | Cinematic |
| Warm Editorial | Lifestyle, people stories, general purpose | Standard |
| Cinematic Documentary | Factual, historical, science | Cinematic |
| Moody Cinematic | Mystery, tension, crime, dark history | Cinematic |
| Bold Illustration | Educational, how-to, listicles | Standard |
Using Archetypes
Let the AI choose the best archetype for your topic (default):
pnpm start "the fall of the Roman Empire"Or specify one explicitly:
pnpm start "5 stoic lessons" --archetype warm_narrativeConfiguration
Each archetype is defined as a JSON file in src/config/archetypes/. See Archetype Configuration for the full schema.