# Board shot grammar A board is a film you can read in ten seconds. Six shots in the order an editor would cut a real shoot: where we are, what it is made of, the one moment only this brand or place has, a human beat (or a second look), a change of light, and a calm last image. `scripts/build-shot-list.mjs` writes this order; this file says what goes in each slot. ## The six slots | # | Slot | Shows | Size and angle | Camera (for the film) | 30 s film | 20 s teaser | | --- | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | --------- | ----------- | | 1 | Establishing | The world: the place in its landscape, the street or shop front, the room the product lives in | Extreme wide, drone or high angle | Slow drone glide forward or descent | 6 s | 4 s | | 2 | Detail | One texture or material that says what this is: steam, grain, fabric, light on glass | Close or macro, no people | Very slow push-in | 4 s | 4 s | | 3 | Signature moment | The one action only this brand, product or place offers: a pour, a swim, the product at work | Varies; often low, tracking or over the shoulder | Slow tracking move | 5 s | 4 s | | 4 | People | One fictional person or a couple, from behind, in silhouette or small | Medium, three-quarter back | Locked off or slow push-in | 5 s | 4 s | | 4 | Second angle | With no people: a contrasting look at the same world (overhead, low, a reflection, a doorway) | Overhead or extreme low | Slow rise | 5 s | 4 s | | 5 | Light change | The same world in other light: golden hour, blue hour, candlelight, neon | Wide or medium wide, backlit | Slow lateral dolly | 5 s | 4 s | | 6 | Hero close | The product or the place at its best, calm, with room for an end card or caption | Close (product) or wide (place), still | Slow push-in, then hold | 6 s | 4 s | Slot 4 is "People" with `--people fictional` and "Second angle" without. Four shots: establishing, detail, signature, hero (5 s each). Five shots: add People (or Light change without people). The seconds are generation lengths: the film Skills trim about 0.2 s at each end, so a 30 s board (31 s planned) cuts to about 29 s plus the end card. ## Cutting rules to plan for - Every cut changes size: wide, close, medium, wide. Two similar sizes in a row read as a jump cut, so the board should never show two near-identical frames side by side. - Something moves in every frame: steam, water, fabric, light, leaves, snow. Write it into the prompt now, because the film can only move what the still shows. - One time of day, or one clear progression (morning to dusk). Slot 5 is the only planned change of light. - The first frame decides whether people keep watching on social: make the establishing shot the most striking. - End on a hold, not on action, so a caption, logo or end card has room. - People are rarely the subject. A board about a place or a product reads better with one human beat than with a person in every shot, and it keeps the faces problem small. ## Filling the slots by subject | Subject | Establishing | Detail | Signature moment | People / second angle | Light change | Hero close | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | | Coffee, tea, drinks | The roastery, farm or cafe from above | Beans, leaves, ice, condensation | The pour, the bloom, the first sip | Hands at work; a figure at the window | Low sun through steam | The pack beside a full cup | | Skincare, beauty | A calm bathroom or studio | Cream swirl, oil drop, stone | Application on a hand or shoulder | A figure in a robe from behind by water | Window light at dusk | The bottle on stone, label sharp | | Gadget, gear | The place it is used: desk, trail | Brushed metal, stitching, a light | It switches on, unfolds, clicks in | Hands only; overhead of the kit | Neon or blue hour | The product on a plain surface, low angle | | Fashion, accessories | The street, dunes or cyclorama | Fabric moving, a buckle, a seam | A stride or turn that shows the cut | Model from behind walking away | Backlit silhouette showing the shape | The piece alone, folded or hung | | Food, restaurant | The street or the dining room | Steam, flour, glaze, a knife edge | The plating, the flip, the pour | A cook from behind at the pass | Candle hour at the tables | The dish, close, room on one side | | Hotel, lodge, resort | The property in its landscape | A window, linen, a lantern | The pool, sauna steam, the boat | A couple from behind by the fire or water | Blue hour, windows glowing | The building at its best moment | | City venue, bar | Skyline or street at blue hour | Ice, a garnish, a brass detail | The cocktail being made | A guest at the bar from behind | Neon on wet streets | The facade or the empty bar, lit | | Brand (no one product) | Where the brand lives | The material it is made of | The craft: making, testing, packing | The maker from behind | End of the working day | The product range or the sign on the door | ## Choosing the look The grade sets `locks.look`, the line appended to every frame prompt, so the six stills feel like one roll of film. The film Skills grade the finished film to match. | Grade | Looks like | Use for | | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | `warm-kodak` | Warm, creamy, soft contrast | Food and drink, cosy interiors, autumn, makers and craft | | `teal-amber` | Teal shadows and water, amber light, slightly muted | Beaches, lakes, summer, golden hour, desert | | `cool-fuji` | Cool, soft, muted greens and blues | Spa and wellness, Nordic places, rain, minimalist products | | `blue-hour` | Blue ambient light, warm windows and lamps | Winter, dusk, night, cities after sunset | | `natural` | True colour with a soft curve | When the brand colours or a real product's colours must stay exact | The Cinematic brand film Skill has no `blue-hour` grade: the handoff asks for `--grade` (the frames keep their blue-hour look line; only the finished film's grade changes). The Destination teaser Skill has all five. ## Real places and real products - Use the user's photos as references (`--place-photos`, `--product-photo`). The prompts then say the place or product is exactly the one in the photo. - Show only rooms, views, features and product details that really exist. If the user wants something the place does not have (a pool, a sea view), say it would misrepresent it, and suggest leaving it out or calling the film a concept. - Compare each frame with the photos side by side: roof shape, window count, materials, label layout. Re-roll anything that changed. - People in the frames are always fictional. Never draw a real guest, member of staff or customer from a photo. ## Vertical (9:16) films - Plan natively vertical (`--aspect 9:16`). Never plan a 16:9 film and crop it later: the subject and half the resolution are lost. - Keep the subject in the middle third. The top 12% (account name) and bottom 20% (caption, buttons) are covered by the app; `compose-board.mjs --guides` marks them on every frame. - Vertical lines help: a path leading up to a building, steam, a pour, trees, a person standing. - On a 16:9 board, six vertical frames sit in one row; on a 9:16 board, in two rows of three. ## Lengths - 30 s (`--length 30`, 6 shots): 6, 4, 5, 5, 5 and 6 s, 31 s planned. For the Cinematic brand film Skill. - 20 s (`--length 20`): 4 s per shot for 5 or 6 shots, 5 s per shot for 4 shots. For the Destination teaser Skill, or a short brand film. - Every video route has its own clip lengths: Veo makes 4, 6 or 8 s clips, Seedance at least 4 s, Wan at most about 10 s. The price table bills each shot the way each route would.