create-shot-list

name

create-shot-list

description

Produce a structured scene manifest (text-based, no images) for a multi-scene video ad. One row per scene with duration, script line, setting, wardrobe, framing, lighting, sub-beats, on-screen ratio, product refs, and continuity links. The pre-render approval artifact between script and prompt assembly. Required for any ad with ≥2 scenes (multi-product, multi-setting, or hook+body+endcard); optional for single-scene 15s ads.

create-shot-list

Purpose

Author the scene manifest — the text-based shot list that drives downstream prompt assembly and per-scene rendering.

Replaces the role that visual storyboarding played in the older NB2 + i2v multi-keyframe architecture. With Seedance 2.0 reference-to-video, scene-by-scene image generation is no longer required — but a structured plan IS still required, because:

1. Multi-scene ads have global decisions that don't exist inside any single prompt (product ordering, setting variety, wardrobe rotation, lighting continuity).
2. Cost gating — at $5-10 per Seedance scene, a human needs to approve the plan before firing 4-6 scenes.
3. Global-rule enforcement — e.g. "wardrobe must vary across scenes" (per create-ugc-style-video Decision Rule 5). Each Seedance call has no memory of other calls; the author enforces variation in the manifest.

Use this atom when:

• The video has ≥2 distinct scenes (hook + product scenes, multi-product review, multi-setting GRWM, before/after, etc.)
• The architecture is Seedance 2.0 reference-to-video (one prompt per scene with internal sub-beats) — OR the legacy NB2 + i2v multi-keyframe flow (one keyframe per beat)
• A pre-render human gate is needed

Skip the manifest (or collapse to one row) for single-scene 15s ads with one product and no setting change.

Inputs

Required:

• script.md — the locked VO/dialogue script with per-scene lines
• idea-brief.md or equivalent — angle, format archetype, funnel stage, target platform
• Product reference image paths (source/products/*.png or similar)
• Avatar persona spec (from upstream casting step) including locked portrait reference path

Optional:

• targeting-spec.md — for tone/voice continuity
• brand-voice.md — for wardrobe/aesthetic palette
• Reference ads — for pacing benchmarks

Output

Primary artifact: scene-manifest.yml (or .json) at the project's working/ path.

Schema:

project: <slug>                       # e.g. "video-01-three-product-grwm"
brand: <brand-name>
total_duration_seconds: <int>         # sum of all scene durations
architecture: seedance-ref            # or "nb-i2v" for legacy multi-keyframe
aspect_ratio: 9:16
target_platform: meta-paid            # | tiktok-organic | both | youtube-shorts | pinterest
funnel_stage: TOF                     # | MOF | BOF

avatar:
  persona_id: <slug>                  # link to brands/<brand>/avatars/<persona>/
  portrait_ref: assets/avatar/portrait-hero.png
  voice_character: "warm conversational American female, early-20s creator"

products:
  - id: <product-slug>
    label: "<exact brand name on package>"
    ref_image: source/products/<slug>.png
    visual_description: "powder-blue soft squeeze tube with white cap"
    common_confusions: ["NOT a moisturizer", "NOT a body wash", "NOT a serum dropper"]

scenes:
  - id: cold-open                     # ⭐ MANDATORY for UGC ads — 1s scroll-stopper teaser
     
                            
        
       
                          
       
                   
       
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Workflow

1. Read inputs. Load script.md, idea-brief.md, avatar persona, product refs.
2. Decompose the script into scenes. For UGC review format: hook (8s) + N product scenes (15s each) + endcard (4s).
3. For each scene, populate:
   • Setting + lighting that varies from neighbors (per global rule)
   • Wardrobe with explicit negations of common drift
   • Framing strategy (wide/medium/close mix vs single focal length)
   • On-screen ratio (typically 100% for hook, 50-60% for product scenes, 0% for endcard)
   • For Seedance scenes: 4 sub-beats (WIDE_HOOK / PRODUCT_HERO / SIDESTEP / REACTION_CTA) inside the 15s window
   • Continuity links to prior and next scenes
4. Run the continuity audit (per memory feedback_continuity_audit_pass.md):
   • Walk through scenes[] in order
   • For each scene N+1, check that scenes[N].continuity.end_state is a reachable starting point for scenes[N+1].continuity.prev_state
   • Flag any time-jumps, setting jumps without explicit transition, wardrobe collisions
5. Compute cost estimate from scene durations × resolution-keyed per-second cost.
6. Write working/scene-manifest.yml to the project folder.
7. Surface to operator for approval — this is the cheap pre-render gate.

Decision Rules

1. Wardrobe must vary across consecutive scenes. Same identity portrait + different wardrobe per scene gives the ad visual rhythm. Avatar identity holds; wardrobe creates variety.
2. Setting SHOULD vary across consecutive scenes for multi-product reviews (bathroom → bedroom → kitchen → outdoor). For single-setting ads (e.g. mirror-only GRWM), state this explicitly in global_rules.
3. One product per scene (except the hook). Multi-product scenes inside a single Seedance call degrade label fidelity. The hook scene shows all products together but doesn't go macro on any single label.
4. NSFW sidestep for body-application products. Reframe scenes that involve water/lather/face/body-application as: pump-onto-fingertips, twist-up-and-smell-test, or hand-only POV placement. Encode the sidestep explicitly in the scene's action field.
5. On-screen ratio target. UGC review format aggregates ~50-60% creator on-screen. Hook = 100%, product macros (PRODUCT_HERO sub-beat) = 30%, B-roll = 0%. Sum across scenes shouldn't exceed 70% (over-talking-head reads as documentary, not UGC).
6. Continuity audit before approval. Sequential walk per memory feedback_continuity_audit_pass.md. Catches VO/visual timing inversions, off-screen transitions, time jumps.
7. Scene 0 (cold-open) MUST exist for UGC ads. A 0.8-1.2s scroll-stopper teasing the payoff state before the verbal hook. source_strategy=lift_from_scene is the default (free, identity/wardrobe lock for free); source_strategy=standalone_render only when the lifted slice spoils the body of the ad. The verbal hook in scene 1 (hook) is NOT a substitute — the cold open is visual scroll-stop, the verbal hook is intent framing. Memory: feedback_ugc_scroll_stopper_cold_open.md.

Quality Checks

• For UGC ads: scenes[0].id == "cold-open" with duration in [0.8, 1.2] and a valid source_strategy. If lift_from_scene, lift_source.scene_id matches a later scene's id.
• Every scene has a non-empty script, setting, wardrobe, framing, duration (except endcard which may have script: null, and cold-open which may inherit setting/wardrobe from its lift source).
• sum(scenes[].duration) matches total_duration_seconds.
• For ≥2 consecutive scenes: wardrobe text differs.
• Every product in products[] appears in exactly one scene's product_refs (excluding the hook).
• continuity.end_state of scene N is reachable from continuity.prev_state of scene N+1.
• cost_estimate.total_usd matches the sum of per-scene costs.

Failure Modes

Failure	Cause	Recovery
Identical wardrobe across scenes	Skipped Decision Rule 1	Author wardrobe variations before approval gate.
Sub-beats sum > 15s	Time accounting drift	Tighten each sub-beat's time window; 0-3 / 3-7 / 7-11 / 11-15 is the proven split.
NSFW sidestep not encoded	Author defaulted to "apply to face"	Add explicit negations in scene's action: "NO water, NO lather, NO actual face washing motion."
End-state of scene N doesn't reach start of N+1	Skipped continuity audit	Run sequential audit (Decision Rule 6). Insert a transitional beat or rewrite the gap.
Total duration doesn't sum to plan	Hook/endcard durations forgotten	Verify sum(scenes[].duration) == total_duration_seconds.

References

• Composing molecule: skills/molecules/ugc-ad/create-ugc-style-video (Phase 4 scene breakdown defines the structure)
• Downstream prompt template: prompt-example.md at repo root
• Downstream render atom: skills/atoms/video-generation/create-video-seedance-2-fal
• Continuity audit pattern: memory feedback_continuity_audit_pass.md
• Reference run: beauty-by-earth/video-01-three-product-grwm/working/ — see scene-{hook,facewash,deo,tanner}.json for per-scene specs