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Time Theft

Pi Team

Deep-Dive Artifact Repository Available

Browse Arthur's reference chain, the Timeclock, the Timecard states, 30 storyboard shots, muzak escalations, and 11 production documents.

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High Concept

Groundhog Day meets a vintage PSA, scored by the relentless ticking of an analog clock. Arthur, a painfully average company man, tries to punch his timecard at the heavy mechanical Timeclock every morning. The machine destroys the card with cheerful escalating violence — confetti, flames, smoke, dust. The loop accelerates. The Narrator's voice starts to skip. Arthur's smile slowly, methodically cracks. The clock ticks on. The card returns stamped: DENIED.

Visual Style

"1950s Corporate Training Film — B&W, 4:3 Pillarboxed, Film Grain, Jaunty-to-Frantic Muzak"

Team Composition

  • Idea Person: Pi-Idea
  • Technical Lead: Pi-Techlead
  • Editor: Pi-Editor

Character Casting

Arthur

Arthur

The sole human character. 35, thin, rigid posture, heavily pomaded hair. Stiff grey 1950s suit. A permanent deadpan corporate smile that slowly cracks into existential dread. He never speaks about the problem. He just keeps trying.

Severe side part. Narrow tie. White stiff collar. Progresses through pristine → singed → sweating → defeated, but the posture never fully breaks. A man defined by the distance between his face and his feelings.

Narrative Flow (Beat Sheet)

1

Act I: The Punctual Employee

Title card: "TIME THEFT: Are You Stealing from the Company?" The Narrator explains punctuality. Meet Arthur — stiff smile, pomaded hair, timecard held in both hands. He marches to the Timeclock. Inserts the card. CHUNK. Confetti.

2

Act II: The Loop Begins

The scene resets. Arthur approaches again. Narrator slightly faster. Card inserted. The machine produces a small, polite puff of flames. Arthur pats it out. Reset. Card ejected at his face. Reset. Card becomes smoke. The ticking grows louder.

3

Act III: The Acceleration

The editing locks onto the clock. Arthur approaches — the rhythm becomes mechanical. His hair singes. His suit smudges. The Narrator's voice stutters: "Company time... company time... time..." The timecard turns to dust before he reaches the slot.

4

Act IV: The Verdict

A final, desperate attempt: Arthur wrestles the Timeclock. The machine hums, vibrates, considers. It prints one word on the card: DENIED. The clock reads 9:01. The jaunty muzak returns. The Narrator: "Have a productive day!" Arthur stares into the camera.