{ "slug": "a-short-film-from-stills-on-one-spark-the-full-recipe", "film": "Golden Hour", "logline": "Daisy Lane and Ama Boateng (AI characters) race the sunset down the coast in Daisy's yellow convertible, Buttercup, to film it from the beach. They make it.", "rating": "G", "ratingWhy": "No violence, peril, intimacy, drug or alcohol use, or language. Two adult characters in everyday clothes drive, walk on a beach and watch a sunset.", "style": "Cinematic 35mm film photograph, warm golden-hour sunlight, soft lens flare, Southern California coast, natural colors, gentle film grain, shallow depth of field, full-frame image filling the entire frame, no text overlays.", "characters": { "DAISY": { "cast": "daisy-lane", "line": "Daisy, a 22-year-old white woman with a light sun-kissed tan and light freckles, long loose honey-blonde beachy waves, small gold hoop earrings and a delicate gold flower pendant necklace, wearing a white fitted crop top with the letters \"LEJ\" in bold hot-pink block letters across the chest and high-waisted light-wash denim jeans" }, "AMA": { "cast": "ama-boateng", "line": "Ama, a 24-year-old Ghanaian American Black woman with dark brown skin and short black tightly coiled natural hair, small gold hoop earrings, wearing an open faded olive-green utility overshirt with the sleeves rolled over a plain white crew-neck tee, matte-black over-ear headphones resting around her neck" } }, "car": "a bright yellow modern Beetle-style convertible with a black interior and its black soft top folded down", "defaults": { "w": 1280, "h": 704, "still_seed": 42, "ltx_frames": 121, "ltx_seeds": [ 42 ], "wan_frames": 81, "wan_seed": 42 }, "_how": "make_film_jobs.py reads this file and writes queue/jobs/15N-*.json and the queue scripts. The LTX, Wan and SeedVR2 scripts re-read stillChoice / chosenTake at run time, so editing this file before a job starts changes what it renders. stillChoice: zimage | klein. chosenTake: ltx42 | ltx1234 | wan.", "shots": [ { "id": "sh01", "beat": "Establishing: Buttercup on the coast road", "hero": true, "foley": true, "still": "Aerial drone photograph of {CAR} driving along a winding coastal cliff road at golden hour, the Pacific Ocean glittering below on the right, long warm shadows across the asphalt, two small figures in the front seats. {STYLE}", "motion": "The yellow convertible drives forward along the winding cliff road, its shadow sliding along the asphalt beside it. The aerial camera tracks alongside the car and slowly rises, revealing more of the glittering ocean. Warm golden-hour light.", "foleyPrompt": "a small car engine humming at speed on an open road, wind rushing past, distant ocean surf, no music", "stillChoice": "zimage", "chosenTake": "wan", "stillNote": "Modern yellow Beetle, top down, coast road; klein drew a classic Beetle with the top half up.", "verdict_wan": "Weak motion: the car barely creeps forward and the camera never rises; the frame is clean and the car holds its shape.", "verdict": "Wan used: the camera pushes in on the car as it comes up the road; badge blurred. LTX drove the car out of frame after about 3 s.", "filmVolume": 0.4, "filmAudio": "foley" }, { "id": "sh02", "beat": "Daisy at the wheel", "chars": [ "DAISY" ], "still": "Medium shot from the passenger seat of {DAISY}, driving {CAR} on a coastal road, both hands on the steering wheel, her hair blowing in the wind, laughing, the ocean and the low sun behind her. {STYLE}", "motion": "Daisy drives the convertible, her blonde hair streaming in the wind. She laughs, glances toward the camera with a grin, then looks back at the road. The coastline scrolls past behind her. Steady car-mounted camera, warm sunlight flickering.", "stillChoice": "zimage", "chosenTake": "ltx42", "stillNote": "Daisy reads 22 and the top is down; klein raised the soft top and aged her. LEJ partly hidden by her arm.", "verdict": "Laugh and glance land; both seeds drift: Daisy reads older by the last second, and the LEJ letters smear when her arm crosses them." }, { "id": "sh03", "beat": "Ama spots the sun", "chars": [ "AMA" ], "still": "Medium shot of {AMA}, sitting in the passenger seat of {CAR} on a coastal road, holding a small black mirrorless camera in her lap and looking down at its screen, warm low sun lighting her face from the side. {STYLE}", "motion": "Ama looks up from the camera toward the sunset, her eyes widen and she smiles, then she points ahead through the windshield. The coastline scrolls past behind her. Steady car-mounted camera.", "stillChoice": "zimage", "chosenTake": "ltx1234", "stillNote": "Ama on-model: coily hair, headphones, olive overshirt, top down; klein raised the top and slicked her hair.", "verdict": "Seed 1234 lands all three beats (looks up, smiles, points ahead); seed 42 lifts the camera to her face instead of pointing." }, { "id": "sh04", "beat": "Racing the sun", "still": "View from the back seat over the dashboard of {CAR} on a winding coastal road at golden hour, the low orange sun hanging just above the ocean horizon straight ahead, the backs of two heads in the front seats in soft silhouette, palm trees lining the road. {STYLE}", "motion": "The car drives forward along the curving coastal road toward the low sun. Palm trees pass on both sides and the sunlight flickers between them. Camera locked to the car, gentle road vibration.", "stillChoice": "zimage", "chosenTake": "ltx42", "stillNote": "Top down, sun dead ahead between palms; klein raised the top.", "verdict": "Steady: palms pass, the low sun stays ahead." }, { "id": "sh05", "beat": "Arrival at the beach", "still": "Wide shot of a small sandy beach parking area with a low weathered wooden fence and a few tall palm trees at golden hour, {CAR} parked beside the fence, the ocean and a wide sandy beach beyond, warm haze in the air. {STYLE}", "motion": "The yellow convertible rolls slowly forward a short distance and comes to a stop beside the wooden fence. Warm dust drifts in the low sunlight and the palm fronds sway. Static wide camera.", "stillChoice": "zimage", "chosenTake": "ltx42", "stillNote": "Same modern Beetle as shots 1-4; both stills usable.", "verdict": "The car rolls a few feet and stops; dust in the light. Clean." }, { "id": "sh06", "beat": "Daisy runs for the water", "chars": [ "DAISY" ], "still": "Photograph from behind and slightly to the side of {DAISY}, running across golden sand toward the ocean, a coral canvas tote bag over her right shoulder, her hair flying, the low sun ahead of her over the waves. {STYLE}", "motion": "Daisy walks briskly across the sand toward the camera, her hair blowing in the sea breeze and the coral tote swinging on her shoulder, then she laughs and glances back over her shoulder at the waves. The camera backs away in front of her. Warm backlight.", "stillChoice": "zimage", "chosenTake": "ltx42", "stillNote": "Ignored 'from behind' and drew Daisy walking toward camera; kept it and rewrote the motion line. klein printed LEJ on the back of her top.", "motionOriginal": "Daisy runs across the sand toward the waves, her hair bouncing, then turns her head back over her shoulder and laughs toward the camera. The camera follows behind her at a jog. Warm backlight.", "verdict": "Seed 42 walks toward camera and laughs, LEJ steady; seed 1234 turns her away and the tote grows." }, { "id": "sh07", "beat": "Ama sets the shot", "chars": [ "AMA" ], "still": "Medium shot of {AMA}, kneeling on the sand beside a small black mirrorless camera on a short tripod pointed at the sunset over the ocean, looking at the camera's flip-out screen, warm backlight rimming her hair. {STYLE}", "motion": "Ama leans in to check the camera's screen, makes a small adjustment to the tripod and gives a satisfied nod with a smile. Waves roll in behind her. Slow push-in.", "stillChoice": "zimage", "chosenTake": "ltx1234", "stillNote": "Same model as Ama's shot 3; both stills usable.", "verdict": "Seed 1234: leans in, adjusts the tripod, smiles. Seed 42: the tripod drifts to a new spot mid-shot." }, { "id": "sh08", "beat": "The camera sees it", "still": "Close-up of a small black mirrorless camera on a short tripod on the beach, silhouetted against a huge orange sun low over the ocean, its flip-out screen glowing with the sunset image, waves out of focus behind. {STYLE}", "motion": "Waves roll in behind the camera on its tripod and the low sun shimmers on the water. A slow push-in toward the camera's glowing screen. Static tripod, gentle breeze.", "stillChoice": "klein", "chosenTake": "ltx42", "stillNote": "Bigger sun, screen glowing; both usable.", "verdict": "Clean push-in to the camera's glowing screen.", "filmVolume": 0.35 }, { "id": "sh09", "beat": "Made it", "hero": true, "foley": true, "chars": [ "DAISY", "AMA" ], "still": "Three-quarter rear view of two friends sitting side by side on a striped beach towel on the sand, watching the sun set over the ocean: on the left {DAISY}; on the right {AMA}. Both are smiling, waves rolling in ahead of them. {STYLE}", "motion": "Daisy leans her head on Ama's shoulder; Ama laughs and points up at the glowing sky. Waves roll in and slide back over the sand in front of them. Static camera, warm low sun.", "foleyPrompt": "gentle ocean waves rolling onto sand, soft breeze, distant seagulls, no music, no voices", "stillChoice": "klein", "chosenTake": "wan", "stillNote": "Has the striped towel the prompt asked for. Both models printed LEJ on the BACK of Daisy's top in this rear view.", "verdict_wan": "Both beats land: Daisy leans her head on Ama's shoulder, Ama points at the sky; both stay on-model. LEJ stays printed on the back of Daisy's top, as in the still.", "verdict": "Wan and LTX seed 1234 both land the lean and the point; Wan holds both faces steadiest. LTX seed 42 lands the point only at the end.", "filmAudio": "foley", "filmVolume": 0.4 }, { "id": "sh10", "beat": "The sun touches the water", "still": "Wide shot of a huge orange sun touching the ocean horizon, waves rolling onto a glassy wet beach that mirrors the orange and pink sky, two tiny silhouettes sitting far away on the sand. {STYLE}", "motion": "Waves roll in and slide back over the mirror-like wet sand. The sun sinks slowly into the horizon. Slow pan to the right. Calm, warm evening light.", "stillChoice": "klein", "chosenTake": "ltx42", "stillNote": "Stronger sun path on the wet sand, two silhouettes; both usable.", "verdict": "Waves slide over the wet sand; the two silhouettes drift a little.", "filmVolume": 0.35 }, { "id": "sh11", "beat": "Daisy's look", "hero": true, "chars": [ "DAISY" ], "still": "Close-up portrait of {DAISY}, sitting on the beach at sunset, her face lit warm orange by the low sun, a light breeze in her hair, looking off toward the horizon. {STYLE}", "motion": "Daisy watches the sunset, then turns her head to the camera and breaks into a big warm smile with a small laugh. The breeze moves her hair. Static close-up camera, warm sunset light.", "stillChoice": "zimage", "chosenTake": "wan", "stillNote": "Same model as Daisy's shots 2 and 6; freckles, pendant, LEJ readable. klein also good.", "verdict_wan": "Clean: Daisy turns to the camera and smiles; face, freckles, pendant and LEJ letters hold steady across all 12 sheet frames.", "verdict": "Wan holds her face, pendant and LEJ letters steady. Both LTX seeds push in until the frame crops the letters and her face changes." }, { "id": "sh12", "beat": "Blue hour, heading home", "chars": [], "still": "Wide photograph at blue hour of {CAR} parked at a cliff-top pullout above the ocean with its headlights on, the sky deep blue with a last thin band of orange on the horizon, two small figures walking up a sandy path toward the car, one carrying a tripod. {STYLE_BLUE}", "motion": "The two small figures walk up the sandy path toward the parked car. The headlights glow and the last band of orange light slowly fades on the horizon. Static wide camera.", "stillChoice": "zimage", "chosenTake": "ltx42", "stillNote": "Two figures walking to the car with headlights on; klein drew one figure. Z-Image raised the soft top.", "verdict": "The two figures walk toward the car; headlights glow. Clean." } ] }