# Shot grammar

A brand film feels "shot by a real crew" when the shots follow the order an editor would cut a real shoot in: establish the world, bring the subject in, get close, show the one thing only this brand has, change the light, and leave. `scripts/build-shot-list.mjs` writes this order; this file explains each slot so you can fill it for any brand.

## The nine slots (45 s) and the seven (30 s)

| # | Slot | What it shows | Size and angle | Typical camera move | Gen length | On screen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Establishing | The world: place, skyline, landscape, the store front, the factory floor | Extreme wide, drone or high angle | Slow glide forward, slow reveal, slow descent | 6 s (5 s in the 30 s cut) | 4.5–5.5 s, carries the title card |
| 2 | Arrival | The subject enters: walking away from camera, opening a door, unboxing | Wide or medium wide, eye or hip height | Gimbal follow behind at walking pace | 5 s | 4–4.5 s |
| 3 | Insert | A detail of place or product: fabric, steam, light through glass, texture | Close or macro, no people | Very slow push-in while something in frame moves | 4 s | 3–3.5 s |
| 4 | Medium (45 s only) | The subject at rest, three-quarter back or profile | Medium | Locked off or a very slow push-in | 5 s | 4–4.5 s |
| 5 | Signature | The single action only this brand offers: a swim, a pour, a ride, a first sip, a run | Varies; often a special angle (underwater, low, tracking) | Track alongside the action | 5 s | 4–4.5 s |
| 6 | Close | Hands, hair, skin, the product in use | Close-up, face turned away or out of frame | Steady with a slight handheld drift | 4 s | 2.5–3.5 s |
| 7 | Second angle (45 s only) | A contrasting perspective: overhead drone, reflection, low angle | Overhead or extreme low | Slow rise or rotation | 5 s | 4 s |
| 8 | Golden hour | Change of light: sunset, blue hour, candlelight, neon; subject backlit or in silhouette | Wide or medium wide | Slow lateral dolly | 5 s | 2.5–4 s |
| 9 | Closing | Calm last image: the place at dusk, the product hero, the empty set | Wide, still | Slow pull back | 6 s | 5 s, then the end card |

The 30 s grammar drops slots 4 and 7. Shorter than 30 s is a teaser, not a film; longer than 45 s means more shots, not longer shots: add a second insert or a second signature beat, never stretch a shot past about 5 s on screen.

## Cutting rules

- Every cut changes shot size or angle (wide → medium → close). Two similar sizes in a row read as a jump cut.
- Cut on action: leave a walking shot mid-stride, an underwater shot mid-kick. Trim the first 0.2 s of every Seedance clip (the frame often settles) and stop before any odd gesture.
- Hard cuts inside one time of day; a 0.5–0.8 s dissolve only where time or place jumps (into the water, into sunset, into night). Three dissolves in a 40 s film is plenty.
- Keep screen direction: if the subject walks left to right in one shot, do not have them walk right to left in the next unless a cut-away separates them.
- The film slows down at the end: the last two shots are the longest on screen.
- A held "nothing happens" shot (curtains moving, steam rising) between two people shots lets the film breathe. Put one in every 3–4 shots.

## Filling the slots by brand type

| Brand type | Establishing | Arrival | Insert | Signature | Close | Golden hour / light change | Closing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resort, hotel, villa | Drone over the property and coast | Guest walks a path, pier or corridor | Curtains, linen, pool ripples, breakfast tray | Swim, spa, boat, hike | Hands in water, wet hair, a key on wood | Silhouette at sunset, terrace | Property lit at dusk |
| City hotel, restaurant, bar | Rooftop or street at blue hour | Doorman opens the door; guest crosses the lobby | Cocktail being garnished; menu texture | Chef plating; first sip | Glass rim, hands on the bar | Neon or candlelight | Facade from across the street at night |
| Product (drink, skincare, gadget) | The world the product lives in, no product yet | Hand enters frame and picks it up | Material macro: condensation, cream swirl, brushed metal | The product doing its job: pour, apply, unfold, light up | Label or detail, product large in frame | Same product in warm evening light | Product hero on a surface, room for the end card |
| Fashion, accessories | Location wide (street, dunes, studio cyclorama) | Model walks toward or away from camera | Fabric moving, stitching, buckle | A move that shows the garment: turn, stride, wind in fabric | Hands on a collar, a sleeve, a bag strap | Backlit silhouette showing the cut | Model walks out of frame, location holds |
| Food and drink | Farm, market or kitchen wide | Cook enters, ties an apron | Steam, flour, oil in a pan, ice in a glass | The cut, the pour, the flip, the first bite (from behind) | Hands, crumbs, glaze | Dinner table at candle hour | Empty table, last glass, the room |
| Outdoor, sport, travel | Mountain, coast or trail from the air | Hiker or runner sets off | Boots on gravel, map, gear texture | The climb, the jump, the paddle | Breath in cold air, hands on a rope | Summit or shoreline at sunset | Tent or cabin glowing at dusk |
| Real estate, interiors | Building and neighbourhood from the air | Front door opens, light falls in | Material: oak floor, marble, linen | The best room revealed by a slow move | Hand on a railing, a tap running | Same room at golden hour | Exterior at blue hour, lights on |
| Wellness, beauty | Calm landscape or bright studio | Person walks into the space | Water drop, oil, towel, stone | The ritual: application, stretch, plunge | Skin texture, hands, hair | Candle or window light | Empty space, product or tea on a tray |

People are optional. A film can run with no person at all (place or product only): use `--person none`, and turn slots 2, 4, 6 and 7 into object, light and environment shots.

## Vertical (9:16) films

- Compose every keyframe vertically from the start (`--aspect 9:16`); cropping a 16:9 film loses the subject and halves the resolution.
- Put the subject in the middle third; keep the top 12% and bottom 20% free of anything important (app buttons and captions sit there).
- Aerials work best looking down at a winding road, a coastline or a pier: lines that run top to bottom.
- Title text goes in the upper or lower third, never across the subject.

## Durations

Seedance generates 4–30 s; this Skill uses 4–6 s per shot and trims. A 45 s film is 45 s of generated video; a 30 s film 34 s. Never generate one long multi-shot clip and cut it up: each shot needs its own approved keyframe for consistency.