Timeline Creative Plan — The Midnight Audit

Author: kappa-editor (Margaux Delacroix)
Date: 2026-05-18
Status: Pre-production planning (will become timeline.json spec for timeline-helper agent)

Global Settings

Resolution: 1280x720
FPS: 24
Master fade_in: 1.0s (from black into title card)
Master fade_out: 2.5s (final fade to black after Shot 22)

Transition Strategy

Within-act transitions

Hard cuts between shots within the same act. Mockumentary convention — sharp editorial cuts maintain documentary authenticity.
Exception: Interview-to-B-roll transitions get a 0.5s crossfade to soften the visual gear shift.

Between-act transitions

1.0s crossfade between acts. These are the “chapter breaks” — the viewer should feel the shift but not be jarred.
Act III → Act IV (Shot 13 → Shot 14): 0.75s crossfade. Tighter — we want the transition into crisis to feel urgent, not smooth.

Special transitions

Shot 21 → Shot 22: 1.5s crossfade. Clippy’s final line dissolves into the ultra-wide desk shot. This is the emotional exhale of the film.
Shot 22 → Shot 23 (Credits): 2.0s crossfade. The rubber band shot bleeds slowly into credits.

Shot Duration & Timing Map

Shot	Planned Dur	Transition In	Notes
0 (Title)	5s	fade_in (master)	Black → title card
1	8s	0.5s xfade from title	VO starts at 2s
1a	8s	hard cut	VO starts at 1s
2	12s	0.5s xfade (B-roll→interview)	Dialogue 1s-9s, 3s silence
3	6s	0.5s xfade (interview→B-roll)	Silent + music
4	12s	0.5s xfade	Dialogue 1s-11s
5	10s	hard cut	Dialogue 2s-7s, 3s silence
--- ACT BREAK ---		1.0s xfade
6	5s	1.0s xfade from Act I	Silent + music
7	4s	hard cut	Silent — dramatic reveal
8	5s	hard cut	Dialogue 1s-4.5s
9a	5s	hard cut	Dialogue 1s-4.5s
9b	6s	hard cut	COMPOUND: Stanton 1-3s, gap, Highlighter 3.5-6s
9c	4s	hard cut	Dialogue 1.5s-3.5s
--- ACT BREAK ---		1.0s xfade
10	4s	1.0s xfade from Act II	VO 0.5s-3.5s (montage energy shift)
10b	4s	hard cut	Silent — montage
10c	5s	hard cut	COMPOUND: Stanton 0.5-4s, Clippy 4.2-5s
11	8s	0.5s xfade (action→interview)	Dialogue 1s-7s
12	8s	0.5s xfade (interview→B-roll)	Silent — failed staple attempt
12b	6s	hard cut	VO 1s-5s
13	12s	0.5s xfade (B-roll→interview)	Dialogue 2s-9s, 3s despair silence
--- ACT BREAK ---		0.75s xfade (urgent)
14	5s	0.75s xfade from Act III	VO 1s-4s (crisis!)
15	10s	hard cut	VO 2s-8s (slow-mo hero moment)
16	6s	hard cut	Silent — tension hold
17	4s	hard cut	Silent — resolution of physical tension
--- ACT BREAK ---		1.0s xfade
18	6s	1.0s xfade from Act IV	Silent — The Hand descends
19	8s	0.5s xfade	Dialogue 1s-7s
20	6s	hard cut	Dialogue 1s-5s
21	12s	0.5s xfade	Dialogue 1s-8s, 4s silence
22	6s	1.5s xfade	Silent — rubber band moment
23 (Credits)	12s	2.0s xfade	Silent (or soft music tail)

Audio Track Layout

Track: “voice” (VO + Dialogue)

All narration and dialogue stems
Track volume: +4 dB (TTS output needs boost per toolkit docs)
Each stem placed with source_in/source_out to trim TTS padding
Timing per scene_list.md Audio Timing column

Speaker Attribution (per Coach directive)

Every audio clip in the timeline JSON must carry speaker identification. Convention:

FENRIR (Stanton): All *_stanton.wav and *_vo.wav narrator stems
PUCK (Clippy): All *_clippy.wav stems
CHARON (Highlighter): All *_highlighter.wav stems

The timeline-helper agent should add a "speaker" metadata comment or label to each voice clip entry for production manifest traceability.

Track: “music”

Need 2-3 music stems from Lyria to cover full runtime
Track volume: -2 dB base
duck_under: “voice”, duck_db: -12 (documentary standard)
Music segments:
1. Opening/Act I-II (~90s): “Tense documentary underscore. Low strings, ambient hum, subtle percussion. Think investigation documentary.”
2. Act III Montage (~30s): “Uptempo mock-military training montage. Percussion-driven, still documentary in tone. Absurdly serious.”
3. Act IV Climax (~25s): “Mock-orchestral crescendo. Full string swell, building to heroic peak. Think Free Solo summit moment — but for a paperclip.”
4. Act V Resolution (~50s): “Melancholic single piano or guitar. Sparse. Documentary denouement. Fades to near-silence for Clippy’s final line.”
fade_in on first music clip: 2.0s
fade_out on last music clip: 3.0s

Track: “sfx” (optional)

HVAC rumble for Act IV (if generated)
Metallic clinks/thuds baked into Veo-generated video audio
Track volume: -8 dB
No ducking needed (environmental, stays low)

Ducking Config Summary

Music track:
  volume_db: -2
  duck_under: "voice"  
  duck_db: -12

Voice track:
  volume_db: +4

SFX track (if used):
  volume_db: -8

Key Editorial Decisions

No music during Clippy’s final line (Shot 21, 1s-8s). Let the dialogue sit in near-silence. Only ambient room tone. Music can return softly at 8s for the pullback.
Act IV music swell peaks at Shot 15 (Clippy’s leap). The orchestral crescendo should hit maximum at ~4s into Shot 15, then cut abruptly at the end of Shot 16 when Clippy clamps down. Silence for Shot 17 (the relief beat).
Interview silences are sacred. Shots 2, 5, 13, and 21 all have deliberate trailing silence. Do NOT fill these with music. The awkward pause IS the comedy. Music stays ducked or absent.
Stanton’s VO in Shots 1/1a sets the documentary tone. Music should be established 2s before VO begins, so the duck transition is audible — listener hears the music “step back” for the narrator.

Timeline Plan