# Storytelling Framework

A short Seedance clip works best when it has one visible decision or one visible transformation. The model does not need a full plot; it needs a clear before state, action, and changed final state.

## Useful Clip Beats

| Beat | What changes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | A subject enters a new space. | Courier reaches a locked rooftop door. |
| Reveal | Hidden information becomes visible. | Strip light reveals a product label. |
| Decision | A character chooses through gesture. | Character lowers an envelope and looks at the door. |
| Transformation | A material or environment changes. | Frost spreads across glass and stops at the logo. |
| Reversal | Expected action changes direction. | A paper plane turns back toward its sender. |
| Pursuit | One subject closes distance. | Drone tracks a runner through rain. |
| Contact | Two elements meet. | Key touches lock and a blue spark collapses. |
| Disappearance | Subject exits, dissolves, or hides. | Train lights fade into fog. |

## Beat Formula

`Before state -> visible action -> changed final state.`

Camera, lighting, and audio should support that beat instead of competing with it. If the prompt contains several beats, split it into separate clips or write a deliberate time-segmented sequence.

## Micro-Story Checklist

The subject is named or tagged. The action is a verb, not an emotion. The scene has one useful environmental detail. The camera has a start and endpoint. The lighting source is motivated. The sound layer either supports the beat or stays silent. The final frame is different from the first frame.

## Three Scales For Sequence Work

Story layer: initial condition -> objective -> escalation -> final outcome. This layer explains why the project exists, but it does not authorize every event to appear in the current prompt.

Sequence layer: Clip 01 job -> Clip 02 job -> Clip 03 job -> resolution. Each clip has one narrative job and a completed endpoint.

Clip layer: already happened -> actual opening state -> current action -> physical consequences -> completed endpoint -> reserved future action.

## Scope Firewall

Story context informs motivation, performance, atmosphere, and pacing. Story context does not let the current clip perform future events, skip physical handoff states, reveal reserved information, or assume a planned ending that the accepted footage did not reach.
