# Why each element appears (reference first, then this reel)

Source: reference.mp4 read frame by frame at 1 fps (ice/reference/aje-reel/sheet1fps_*.jpg), 30 fps around transitions (ice/scratch/f/transitions.jpg), its word transcript (ice/transcripts/reference.words.json), the separated music and effects stem (Demucs) and the per-shot finishing measures (ice/reference/aje-reel/finish.json).

## A. Elements of the reference and what triggers them

| Element | What triggers it in the speech | What it means | On whom | Appears | Leaves | Reference times |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red disc + dark silhouette + smoke | The hook names an actor or a group: "A deal is now on the table", "Trump says it will be signed", "voices within Iran", "Israeli leaders" | These are the sides of the story, teased before the explanation | The people and groups being talked about, never the narrator (he is lit from 1 s) | On the sentence that names them | When the next actor is named | 3.5 Trump/table, 5 Trump, 8 negotiator, 9 to 11 Iranian crowd, 12 Netanyahu |
| Big title, 1 to 3 words, pops with blur | The key phrase of the hook line ("ON THE TABLE", "SIGNED", "ON SUNDAY", "NUCLEAR TALKS", "YET TO RESPOND") | The headline of that line | Over the silhouette, or over the lit narrator for the opening question ("THE END OF THE WAR?") | On the word itself | Next title or shot change | 1 to 13 s |
| White cut-out flash | A new person is introduced or the film switches to a named person's own footage | "Here he is" | The person who is about to appear | 0.15 s before the new shot | Cut | 13.5 (presenter), 42 (Araghchi) |
| Name tag (white box, crimson name, grey title) | The first time a person speaks on camera | Who is speaking | The speaker | About 0.3 s after his shot starts | About 3 s later | 15 to 17 presenter, 90 Araghchi, 128 Nabavian |
| Grunge black and white section card | End of the hook ("Here's what you need to know") | Series label and the day count | The story itself | After the hook | 1.5 to 2 s later, flash | 18.8 to 21 "WAR ON IRAN / DAY 106" |
| Wall graphics: post card, portrait cards with labels | A written statement is quoted; several people are named in a row | The source of a claim; who is who | The quoted or named people | On the quote or the names | When the narrator moves on | 21 to 42 |
| Big title over the person's own footage | The narrator paraphrases that person's words ("warned the media not to speculate") | The quote's key phrase | Over the named person | On the phrase | End of the shot | 45 "NOT TO SPECULATE" |
| Bullet list, red dots, on the blurred narrator | A list of facts ("60-day agreement, extending the ceasefire, ...") | The facts, one per item | Over the narrator, blurred so the list reads | Each item on its spoken word | After the last item, smeared up and out | 53 to 62, 87 to 89 |
| Full-bleed footage of a place, light grade | A place is named ("the strait won't operate") | Shows the place | The place | On the name | Next idea | 63 to 66 Hormuz |
| Lower panel of satellite images, number title | Specific sites and a number ("400kg") | Evidence and the figure | Under the narrator | On the sentence | Next idea | 70 to 77 |
| Soundbite with dateline and pink captions | A named person's own voice | Their words, quoted | The speaker of the soundbite | With the soundbite | End of the soundbite | 90 to 100, 128 to 141 |
| Dateline (place + date, red and purple squares) | Footage whose place and date matter | Where and when the footage was filmed | Footage of others, never the AJ studio | With the footage | With the footage | 90, 97, 133 to 155 |
| Source credit, vertical, left edge | Footage from another outlet | Who filmed it | That footage | With it | With it | 128 to 141 "Telegram, SNNTV" |
| Big word over the lit narrator | The conclusion's key contrast ("isn't a peace deal but a victory narrative") | The point of the whole piece | Over the narrator | On the word | Next word | 173 "PEACE", 174 "VICTORY" |
| Dark rim-lit portraits | "All three sides", "one that plays to their domestic audiences" | The sides of the story, again | The actors talked about | On the sentence | Next actor | 176 to 183 |
| Pink captions vs white | Whose voice it is | White: AJ's narrator; pink: a quoted speaker | Everyone | Always | Always | whole reel |
| Logo top left, progress bar | Always | Brand and position in the reel | Everything except the end card | Always | End card | whole reel |
| End card, red to purple gradient | Sign-off "Stay with Al Jazeera" | The brand | None | After the sign-off, logo grows over the narrator | End | 188 to 193 |

## B. This reel: every appearance and the sentence that justifies it

Carney is the only voice, so he is always lit. His captions are pink (a quoted speaker, not AJ's narrator). Removed from the first preview because nothing justified them: every silhouette of Carney (he is the speaker, not the subject) and the Calgary rally podium B-roll (no sentence points to it).

| Edited s | Carney says | Element | Why (row of section A) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 to 3.55 | "This year, Thanksgiving is a bit different." | Carney lit, title THANKSGIVING | Lit speaker with the hook's key word, like "THE END OF THE WAR?" over the lit narrator |
| 3.55 to 6.9 | "A week from today, Albertans will have the opportunity ..." | Silhouette: the Alberta Legislature, title ONE WEEK AWAY | He names Albertans and a date: their seat of government as the actor, the time phrase as the title |
| 6.9 to 10.35 | "... to make an important decision about their future." | Silhouette: the Alberta flag, titles ALBERTA / DECIDES | The actor (Alberta) and the verb (decide), two-step title like SIGNED / ON SUNDAY |
| 10.35 to 12.9 | "Whether to remain part of Canada" | Silhouette: the Forever Canadian hall (pro-Canada campaign), title REMAIN | He names one side: the remain side |
| 12.9 to 16.3 | "or begin a long and uncertain process" | Silhouette: separatist leader Mitch Sylvestre at a rally, title UNCERTAIN | He names the other side: the separation process |
| 16.3 to 19.1 | "through which Alberta could separate from Canada." | Silhouette: separatist crowd with Alberta flags, title SEPARATE? | Same side, the key word |
| 18.85 to 19.1 | (introducing the speaker) | White cut-out of Carney | A person is introduced (reference 13.5 s) |
| 19.1 to 22.75 | "Now, I have some perspectives on this choice." | Carney lit, name tag MARK CARNEY / CANADA'S PRIME MINISTER, dateline EDMONTON 12 OCT 2026 | First time he speaks after the hook; the place and date of the message matter |
| 22.75 to 24.35 | (pause) | Grunge card ALBERTA REFERENDUM / 19 OCT 2026 | End of the hook; series label and the date "a week from today" points to |
| 24.35 to 26.7 | "I grew up in Alberta." | Map, Alberta in red, pin on Edmonton | He names a place |
| 26.7 to 31.9 | "I went to school right here in St. Francis Xavier High School in Edmonton." | Carney lit in the classroom, dateline | "Right here" is the room itself |
| 31.9 to 38.3 | "I'm back home a lot these days because we are building big things again in Alberta." | His official Alberta infrastructure event, dateline ALBERTA 29 JUL 2026 | He names being in Alberta and building there |
| 38.3 to 45.1 | "Thousands of new homes, high-speed rail, a new pipeline to the West Coast ..." | Bullets over blurred Carney | A spoken list |
| 45.1 to 62.1 | "... In fact, we're building ... Canada is working. Truth is ... divided." | Carney lit, his own camera cuts | No new actor, place or list: nothing is added |
| 62.1 to 64.7 | "You can't build big things on fault lines." | Big title FAULT LINES over lit Carney | The key contrast of his argument, like "PEACE" / "VICTORY" |
| 67.48 to 73.55 | "... real threats to our economy, to our security, to our way of life." | Bullets over blurred Carney | A spoken list |
| 73.55 to 79.55 | "We have to be strong. And we are stronger together. Generations of Albertans ..." | Unity crowd waving Canada flags, Edmonton, dateline 16 OCT 2026 | "Together" and "Albertans": Albertans gathered for unity |
| 79.55 to 85.3 | "It's yours. It's ours. And it's worth fighting for." | Titles IT'S YOURS, IT'S OURS, WORTH FIGHTING FOR over lit Carney | The closing key phrases, big word over the lit speaker |
| 85.3 to 87.65 | "Happy Thanksgiving, Canada." | Carney lit | Sign-off |
| 87.65 to 92.15 | (pause) | Grunge card ALBERTA VOTED TO REMAIN 74.9% over separatists on results night | The result of the "important decision" he announced; sourced to Elections Alberta |
| 92.15 to 95.65 | (end) | AJ end card | Sign-off |

Silhouette depth: a single person is near black with a red rim (reference Trump and Netanyahu); flags and crowds keep part of their colour inside the dark (reference "VOICES WITHIN IRAN", the Iranian flag stays red, white and green). Applied: the Alberta flag and the separatist crowd keep 55% colour, the separatist leader 18%. Raised after the second cold-viewer read, which could not identify the 9, 15 and 18 s subjects.

## C. Finishing: measured in the reference, applied here

| Finish | Where in the reference | How much (540 px measure) | Why | Applied here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blur dissolve | Every subject change in the hook | Sharpness drops to 0.3 to 0.4 of normal for 3 to 4 frames (0.3 s) | Subjects melt into each other | `defocus`, 0.18 s each side, up to 18 px blur and 35% darker |
| White exposure flash | Into new footage (63.3, 100.9, 108.4, 142.2) | Sharpness 0.01: the frame goes fully white | A jump to another place | `flash`, 0.18 s each side |
| Zoom with radial smear and light | Return to the narrator after footage (51.8) | Blurred, overexposed, then a scale-in that sharpens in 5 frames | Back to the speaker | `zoom`, scale 1.10 to 1.0 with 6-step smear |
| Motion blur on exits | Bullets leave upward (63.2) | Vertical smear over 0.25 s | Speed | Bullet panel smears up 60 px and slides 90 px |
| Blur on entrances | Titles and labels pop | Scale 1.25 to 1, blur 14 px to 0 in 0.28 s | Pop without a hard edge | Titles, map label, card titles, end lockup |
| Grain | Everywhere | 2 to 4 on the presenter, 4 to 7 on footage, 6 to 11 on archive and B&W | Filmic texture, hides the cut between sources | 4.5 on Carney, 3 on silhouettes, 7 on footage, 10 on grunge cards |
| Film texture: scratches, dust, flicker | Grunge cards, archive crowds | Lifted blacks 31 to 49, flicker 4 to 5 | "Archive" feeling | Grunge cards: scratches, specks, grain, lifted blacks |
| Halftone | Ending portrait (183) and the frozen-assets image (87) | Hard B&W dots | Dramatic portrait of an actor | Not used: no actor portrait is justified in Carney's message |
| Vignette | Hook very dark (corners 0.03 to 0.2 of centre), narrator 0.15 to 0.4, footage 0.7 to 0.9 | | Focus on the subject | Hook dark by design, Carney 0.20 strength, footage 0.12 |
| Glow | Titles, the red disc | Soft halo | Titles read as light | Title halo 16 px at 42%, disc edge glow |
| Grade | Hook saturated red with crushed blacks; footage desaturated (saturation 50 to 100 of 255) with lifted blacks 15 to 50 | | Separates "our studio" from "their footage" | Footage saturation x0.62 and black lift 16; Carney black crush 5, skin untouched |
| Captions blur with the frame | During transitions | | Nothing stays sharp in a dissolve | Not done yet: captions stay sharp |

## D. Sound

Effects: recorded files from Mixkit, chosen by measurement to sit low and soft (little energy in 2 to 6 kHz). One per on-screen event, as in the reference stem (about 12 per minute there, 10 per minute here). List with causes: `SFX` in ice/build/audio.py.

| Kind | File | Used on | Reference equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep impact | Mixkit 546 "Cinematic mystery trailer drum hit", 1143 "Cinematic whoosh deep impact" | Hook subject changes, FAULT LINES, WORTH FIGHTING FOR | Booms at 0.9, 3.5, 8.9, 11.5, 51.8, 170.6, 176.2 |
| Soft whoosh | Mixkit 1489 "Air woosh" | Fade up, flash into Carney, cards, bullets leaving | Whooshes at 0.5, 14.3, 19.2, 67.1, 122.7, 183.7 |
| Light tick | Mixkit 3005 "Explainer video pops whoosh light pop" | First bullet of each list | Ticks at 53.1, 59.8, 76.0 |
| Hit into footage | Mixkit 2903 "Movie whoosh impact presentation" | Cuts to footage | Hits at 63.5, 90.0, 101.1, 162.9 |
| Logo sting | Mixkit 2900 "Movie logo intro impact" | End card | 188.2 |

Music sits 12.5 dB under the voice (reference: voice -21.2 LUFS, bed about -34 LUFS) with a slow 3 dB dip under speech; master -16 LUFS, true peak -1.5 dB.