Camera Directions — The King’s Ransom

Per-shot camera direction to be merged into the final scene_list.md. These drive the Veo motion prompts in Step 4/5.

Scene 1: The Hijacking

• Shot 1.1 (6s): Static medium shot, slight slow push-in toward Arthur’s face. Shallow depth of field. Neon reflections slide across the window behind him left-to-right.
• Shot 1.2 (4s): Static close-up, locked frame. Morty’s hands grip the briefcase — slight tremble visible. Rack focus from hands to face.
• Shot 1.3 (5s): Static medium close-up. Arthur tilts head back, eyes half-closed. No camera movement — the stillness sells the exhaustion.
• Shot 1.4 (4s): Static wide shot of the partition wall. The partition DROPS into frame sharply — the movement is the event. Camera does not move.
• Shot 1.5 (5s): Low angle close-up from the passengers’ POV looking UP at the thief through the partition opening. Gun enters frame first, then his masked face leans in. Slight handheld wobble to sell the threat.
• Shot 1.6 (4s): Snap cut to tight close-up on Morty. No camera movement. His body curls inward — the motion is all performance.
• Shot 1.7 (4s): Match cut to tight close-up on Arthur. Locked frame. Only his eyes move — a slow blink of disbelief.
• Shot 1.8 (6s): Wide shot of the full back cabin. Slow pan right from the thief with gun to reveal Beatrice sitting in shadow in the far corner, coin bucket in lap. The reveal is the pan.

Scene 2: The Getaway & The Reveal

• Shot 2.1 (9s): Medium shot from behind passenger seat looking at thief in driver position. Slight sway as the car accelerates. Dashboard instruments glow green on his mask.
• Shot 2.2 (10s): Wide shot of back cabin. Camera locked. The limo lurches — all three passengers shift violently. Coins cascade across the floor. The chaos is all in-frame action, not camera movement.
• Shot 2.3 (11s): Medium close-up on Arthur leaning forward toward the partition. Slow, deliberate push-in as he projects authority. Shallow DOF blurs Morty behind him.
• Shot 2.4 (8s): Over-the-shoulder from behind Arthur, looking through the partition at the thief. The thief glances into the rearview mirror — we see his masked eyes reflected.
• Shot 2.5 (10s): Medium shot of thief in front cab. He gestures wildly toward the briefcase on the passenger seat. Camera follows his hand with a slight pan right to the briefcase, then back.
• Shot 2.6 (9s): Medium close-up on Morty. Slow push-in as realization dawns. Color drains from his face. No fast cuts — let the performance breathe.
• Shot 2.7 (10s): Reverse angle — thief through the partition, nodding eagerly. Shot from Morty’s POV. Static frame.
• Shot 2.8 (12s): Extreme close-up on Morty’s face. Locked frame. His expression cycles through confusion, realization, and volcanic rage. The comedy is entirely in the performance within a single held frame.
• Shot 2.9 (11s): Medium shot of thief in front cab. He pulls off the ski mask — slow, defeated motion. Camera holds static as his face crumples into tears. Dashboard glow highlights the tears.
• Shot 2.10 (9s): Medium close-up on Arthur in back cab. Soft focus. His expression shifts from disbelief to quiet sympathy. Slow, barely perceptible push-in. This is the emotional pivot — the camera movement must be almost subliminal.

Scene 3: The Pullover

• Shot 3.1 (5s): Wide shot of back cabin. Static frame. Red and blue police lights suddenly strobe through the tinted windows, violently painting the interior. No camera movement — the light does all the work.
• Shot 3.2 (6s): Medium close-up on Beatrice. Locked frame. She points directly at camera (representing the thief’s POV). Commanding, unflinching.
• Shot 3.3 (5s): Same angle as 3.2. Beatrice turns her head sharply to address Arthur off-screen right. The head turn redirects the entire shot’s energy.
• Shot 3.4 (6s): Arthur now in driver’s seat (SETTING_LIMO_FRONT). Medium shot from passenger side. The police spotlight hits the side mirror — a sudden FLARE of white light washes across Arthur’s face. Camera static.
• Shot 3.5 (5s): Exterior low angle. A heavy tactical flashlight beam sweeps across frame left-to-right through dusty air. The beam is the subject. No camera movement.
• Shot 3.6 (6s): Exterior medium shot. Trooper leans down into the window frame. Shot from slightly behind and above the trooper’s shoulder, looking in at Arthur — establishing the power dynamic. Static.
• Shot 3.7 (6s): Reverse angle — Arthur’s POV looking up at the trooper. He smiles. The rhinestones on his jumpsuit catch the flashlight and glint. Static frame, the sparkle is the visual punctuation.
• Shot 3.8 (5s): Same angle as 3.6. Trooper straightens up, clicks off flashlight. The light disappearing is the beat.
• Shot 3.9 (6s): Exterior wide shot. Police cruiser pulls away from behind the limo. Camera holds on the limo as the red taillights shrink into the darkness. No camera movement — the cruiser leaving IS the motion.

Scene 4: The Open Road

• Shot 4.1 (8s): Front cab medium close-up on Arthur. Locked frame. Long held beat of silence. Then a massive exhale — his shoulders drop, his grip on the wheel loosens. The release is entirely physical.
• Shot 4.2 (8s): Back cabin wide shot. Static. Three exhausted people in the aftermath: thief wiping tears, Beatrice methodically stacking coins, Morty breathing into bag. A tableau of relief.
• Shot 4.3 (10s): Front cab medium shot. Arthur reaches for the radio dial. His fingers turn it. The bassline of “Hound Dog” kicks in. Slow push-in toward his face as a genuine smile breaks. The camera leans in as the audience does.
• Shot 4.4 (8s): Front cab close-up on the rearview mirror. Arthur’s eyes are reflected, looking at the back seat. He speaks to the mirror. Camera static — intimate.
• Shot 4.5 (10s): Front cab medium-wide shot. Arthur drives, tapping the wheel, singing along. Camera slowly widens — pulling back slightly to give him more space in the frame. He is no longer claustrophobic. The frame opens as he does.
• Shot 4.6 (14s): Exterior ultra-wide shot (SETTING_DESERT_DAWN). The limo drives away from camera down the empty highway. Slow, smooth drone-style pull-back to reveal the vast Mojave landscape. Dawn light bathes everything in pink and gold. The car shrinks into the distance. Music at full swell. Fade to black.