Editing and versioning

The edit is where generated shots become a performance. A model gives five seconds of a face; the editor decides which two and a half of them are true, what the audience hears over the cut, and what they see when they need to feel something. The editor decides; the code (assembleFilm) executes the decision list.

What the assembler does

• Each clip occupies durations[i] seconds, taken from the start of the clip: tails can be trimmed, heads cannot. Plan every cut with that in mind.
• A join is a hard cut (overlap 0) or a dissolve of the overlap's length; overlaps are per join. Film length = Σ durations − Σ overlaps.
• One grade over the joined film, fade in 0.35 s, out 0.5 s; audio is a finished soundtrack laid under the picture.
• Generated clips are 5 s at 24 fps (121 frames). Narrative episodes are built on that grid: exactly one shot per 5 s of running time (checked), each dialogue line in its own shot (checked).

Story and rhythm

• Cut when the shot has delivered its information or emotion, not when it runs out. Most generated shots have their best second in the middle; video models settle into a hold or drift in the last second. Trim tails freely.
• Vary shot length with intent: tension tightens the cuts, grief lets a shot sit. Five 5-second shots in a row is a metronome, not a scene.
• Each scene has a turn. Find the shot where it turns and give it the most screen time.
• Cut out anything the audience already knows. If a reaction says it, cut the line that explains it.

Cutting on action