# Why each element appears in the reference, and where it is used in this reel

Source: reference.mp4 (AJE reel, 3:13), read at 2 fps over every passage (`timing/*.jpg`) against its word-level transcript (`ice/edit/transcripts/reference.json`), plus measured curves (sharpness, luminance, frame difference) over all 5,790 frames. Times are reference seconds.

## A. Graphic elements

| Element | What triggers it in the speech | What it means | On whom or what | In and out | Reference evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red halo with a dark silhouette | A person, group or side is named in the narration (Trump, "voices within Iran", "Israeli leaders", the deal "on the table") | "This is who the sentence is about." The subject is shown dark and rim-lit, never the narrator. The narrator stays lit (he is only on the halo, lit, for the first second, during the light-up) | The named subject: a figure, a crowd with its flag, or a meeting table | Cut in on the clause that names the subject; held for that clause, 1.5 to 2.5 s; out on a 0.3 s defocus blur | 3.5-5.0 table "ON THE TABLE"; 5.5-8.0 Trump "SIGNED / ON SUNDAY"; 9.5-11.5 Iranian flags "VOICES WITHIN IRAN"; 12.0-14.0 Netanyahu "YET TO RESPOND" |
| Big headline (white or pale pink, scanlines, semi-transparent) | The key phrase of the sentence, word for word | The idea of that sentence, set large | Over the subject's halo, over the presenter, or over a photo of the person whose words are reported | Enters on the first word of the phrase as a defocused, slightly larger image that sharpens in about 0.2 s; holds to the end of the phrase or the clause; out on the shot's blur | 2.0 "THE END OF THE WAR?" over the presenter; 4.0 "ON THE TABLE"; 45.5 "NOT TO SPECULATE" over Araghchi's photo |
| Pink translucent title over black-and-white footage | A chapter opens after the hook ("Here's what you need to know"); no narration over it | Series title and where we are in the story (day count) | Grey archive footage with film texture | About 2.3 s, in on a white flash, out on a blur | 18.7-20.9 "WAR ON IRAN / DAY 106" |
| Red dot bullets | The narration lists facts or numbers ("we know it's a 60-day agreement, extending the ceasefire, ...", "$100bn ... sanctions relief") | The list, kept on screen as it builds | Beside the presenter on a dark red panel | Panel appears on the first item; each item lands on the word that says it (paraphrased to a short noun phrase); holds until the next cut | 52.4-63.3 four items; 86.4-89.9 two items; single item 76.0 "400KG OF HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM" |
| Split screen (presenter top, image bottom) | The narration points at a physical place or object while the argument continues | Keep the speaker and show the thing he talks about | Satellite images of the nuclear sites, changing about every second | Whole sentence about the place; soft blurred seam | 69.5-77.2 sites, with the 400 kg callout on the seam |
| Place and date tag (top right) | Footage of a dated event or a soundbite from a named source | Provenance: where and when this was filmed | Soundbites and event footage, not the presenter | Whole shot | 91-100 Araghchi "TEHRAN, IRAN 13 JUN 2026"; 129-133 Nabavian; 134-155 Tehran crowds |
| Name strap (red name on white, title strip) | A person speaks on camera for the first time | Who is speaking | The presenter at his first studio shot; each interviewee | About 3 to 6 s from the start of their speech | 15.0-18.4 MOHAMED HASSAN / AL JAZEERA; 91-97 ABBAS ARAGHCHI; 129-133 MAHMOUD NABAVIAN |
| Quote captions in pink | Words spoken by someone other than the narrator | Their words, not AJ's | Soundbites and crowd chants | Same timing as captions | 91-100, 129-142 |
| Post card on the studio screen with a red highlight | The narration quotes a written statement ("This was Trump on Saturday night") | The source document, shown and pointed at | Trump's post | Card for the whole quote; the quoted line turns red when it is read | 21.5-29.5 |
| Portrait cards on the studio screen | People are named one after another in the narration (Pakistan's Prime Minister, Iran's leaders) | The cast of the story, with name and role | Photo, name, role, on the map screen | Each card pops on the name; stays while they are discussed; resized when the camera moves in | 30.5-42.5 |
| Low-key portraits on black | An analysis line enumerates the sides ("one that justifies their losses, one that plays to their domestic audiences ... rarely, if ever, align") | Each side of the conflict, judged | Trump, an Iranian official, Netanyahu | One portrait per clause, slow push | 176-183 |
| Big word over the presenter | The concept the whole piece lands on ("isn't a peace deal, but a victory narrative") | The takeaway | Over the presenter | On the words, about 1 s each | 173.4 "PEACE DEAL"; 174.3 "VICTORY NARRATIVE" |
| Logo bug, progress bar, captions | Always | Channel identity and reading aid | Every shot except the end card | Whole film | everywhere |
| End sting and card | Sign-off ("Stay with us on Al Jazeera") | Channel close | Ring wipe over the presenter, then the card | Last 4.8 s | 188.3-193.1 |

## B. Finishing (measured)

| Finish | Where it appears in the reference | How much (measured) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defocus blur transition | 21 transitions: the cold-open hits (2.97, 8.93, 11.73), studio camera changes (69.4, 77.2, 128.1, 142.1, 170.5), into and out of B-roll | 0.1 to 0.57 s; sharpness drops below 35% of the local median | Joins two images without a hard jump; it is the reel's main cut style |
| White flash | Into the title card (18.7), into a new chapter (51.6), into B-roll or a soundbite (63.3, 90.0, 100.9, 108.4) | 4 to 8 frames, luminance up 100 to 177 levels | Marks a chapter or a change of source |
| Headline defocus-in | Every big headline | Defocused and slightly larger on the first frame, sharp after about 0.2 s | The word "lands" without sliding |
| Motion blur | Fast graphic moves (strap and bullet wipes, ring wipe) | Smear on frames of fast moves only | Fast moves read as motion, not stutter |
| Film texture (grain, dust, flicker) | The black-and-white title card only | Grain 2.1 levels (studio 1.5); frame-to-frame flicker 2.9 levels (studio 0.15); dust specks and scratches | Says "archive" for the title card's footage |
| Halftone | Not found in the reference | none | Not used |
| Vignette | Built into the studio and halo lighting; light on B-roll | Corner to centre: studio 0.45, halo 0.25, photos 0.81, soundbites 0.81 | Keeps the eye on the centre |
| Glow | The red halo and the red pillars | Halo core plus wide glow | Light source behind the subject |
| Grade | Studio: teal map with red; B-roll photos desaturated; portraits crushed and low saturation; title card lifted blacks | Saturation: studio 153, halo 160, photos 49, portraits 59; title card black level 59 | Each source type gets one look |
| Embers and smoke | Halo shots only | Small red specks, smoke at the bottom | Atmosphere behind the subject |