# Beat Direction

How to plan and direct individual scenes (beats) in a multi-scene composition. Read before writing any multi-scene video.

## Contents

- Per-beat direction
- Concept
- Mood direction
- Animation choreography
- Transition
- Depth layers
- SFX cues
- Rhythm planning
- Velocity-matched transitions

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## Per-Beat Direction

Each beat is a WORLD, not a layout. Before writing CSS specs and GSAP instructions, describe what the viewer EXPERIENCES. The difference between a great storyboard and a mediocre one:

**Mediocre:** "Dark navy background. '$1.9T' in white, 280px. Logo top-left. Wave image bottom-right."
**Great:** "Camera is already mid-flight over a vast dark canvas. The gradient wave sweeps across the frame like aurora borealis — alive, shifting. '$1.9T' SLAMS into existence with such force the wave ripples in response. This isn't a slide — it's a moment."

The first describes pixels. The second describes an experience. Write the second, then figure out the pixels.

Each beat should have:

### Concept

The big idea for this beat in 2-3 sentences. What visual WORLD are we in? What metaphor drives it? What should the viewer FEEL? This is the most important part — everything else flows from it.

### Mood direction

Cultural and design references, not hex codes:

- "Geometric, rhythmic, precise. Think Josef Albers or Bauhaus color studies."
- "Warm workspace. Nice notebook energy, not technical blueprint."
- "Cinematic title sequence. The kind of opening where you lean forward."

### Animation choreography

Specific motion verbs per element — not "it animates in" but HOW. Verbs come from the beat's concept and content, not from an energy bucket. A wellness brand's "slow" beat might still have something that DROPS if the content is about letting go. A stats beat might FLOAT if the brand's identity is weightless.

The vocabulary of motion verbs (organized by physical character, not by energy level):

**Impact / weight:** SLAMS, CRASHES, PUNCHES, STAMPS, SHATTERS, DROPS (with force)
**Directional / deliberate:** SLIDES, PUSHES, PULLS, WIPES, CUTS
**Reveals / builds:** DRAWS, FILLS, GROWS, EXPANDS, ASSEMBLES, COUNTS UP
**Organic / ambient:** FLOATS, DRIFTS, BREATHES, PULSES, ORBITS, MORPHS
**Mechanical / precise:** TYPES ON, CLICKS, LOCKS IN, SNAPS, STEPS

Every element gets a verb. If you can't name the verb, the element is not yet designed. The verb should follow from the beat's concept — not from a lookup of what "high energy" or "low energy" beats use.

For text elements specifically, you can name a deterministic, named effect by ID (e.g. `typewriter`, `kinetic-center-build`, `soft-blur-in`) instead of inventing timing from scratch — the 24-effect vocabulary and how to load it live in `skills/hyperframes-animation/adapters/animate-text.md`.

### Transition

How this beat hands off to the next. Specify the type and parameters.

**When to pick which:**

| Choose shader transition for                                                    | Choose CSS transition for                                                           | Choose hard cut for                                            |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Reveals, big reaction shots, product/logo unveils, energy shifts, "wow" moments | Continuous camera-motion beats where the scene feels like one move broken into cuts | Rapid-fire lists, percussive edits on the beat, comedic timing |
| Any moment the music/VO punctuates with a downbeat or SFX hit                   | Beats that ease from one composition into the next with shared motion vocabulary    | Sequences of 3+ quick tempo-matched switches                   |
| Brand moments where the transition itself _is_ the visual                       | Minimal/editorial pacing                                                            | Anytime a 0.3-0.8s transition would feel too slow              |

Rule of thumb: if the beat is the _centerpiece_ of the video, shader-transition into it. If the beat is connective tissue, a CSS crossfade is fine. A brand reel of 5-7 beats usually wants 1-2 shader transitions (the hero reveal + the CTA) — too many flatten their impact.

**Mixing shader and CSS crossfade transitions in one composition is supported.** Omit `shader` on any transition entry to get a smooth opacity crossfade — HyperShader manages all scene visibility regardless. Let HyperShader create the timeline (don't pass a pre-built `timeline:` option) and add all composition tweens to the returned `tl` after `init()`. Config snippet in `skills/hyperframes-animation/transitions/overview.md` → "CSS vs Shader".

**CSS transitions** — 30+ patterns across 13 categories. Full code in `skills/hyperframes-animation/transitions/` (route via `catalog.md`). Pick based on the energy and feel:

| Category           | Patterns                                                                 | Motion character                                                           |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Push / slide**   | Push slide, vertical push, elastic push, squeeze                         | Content moves through the frame as if on a continuous surface              |
| **Scale / zoom**   | Zoom through, zoom out                                                   | Perspective shifts — moving toward or away from content                    |
| **Radial / clip**  | Circle iris, diamond iris, diagonal split                                | Geometric reveal — content emerges or is covered by a shape                |
| **3D**             | 3D card flip                                                             | Physical — content flips like a tangible object                            |
| **Dissolve**       | Crossfade, blur crossfade, focus pull, color dip                         | Overlap and blend — both scenes exist simultaneously during the transition |
| **Cover / blinds** | Staggered color blocks, horizontal blinds (6/12 strips), vertical blinds | Structural — content is sliced, layered, or covered                        |
| **Light**          | Light leak overlays, overexposure burn, film burn                        | Organic film — light bleeds across the frame                               |
| **Distortion**     | Glitch (CSS RGB jitter), chromatic aberration, ripple, VHS tape          | Instability — the image itself appears to malfunction                      |
| **Blur**           | Blur through, directional blur                                           | Soft defocus — content blurs in or out                                     |
| **Mechanical**     | Shutter (two-half), clock wipe (9-point wedge)                           | Precision — transitions with visible mechanical logic                      |
| **Grid**           | Grid dissolve (12/120 cells)                                             | Fragmentation — the frame breaks into pieces                               |
| **Destruction**    | Page burn (SVG clip-path + canvas rim)                                   | Dramatic decay — the previous scene is destroyed                           |
| **Other**          | Gravity drop, morph circle                                               | Physical or shape-based motion that doesn't fit other categories           |

Common quick-picks:

- **Velocity-matched upward**: exit `y:-150, blur:30px, 0.33s power2.in` → entry `y:150→0, blur:30px→0, 1.0s power2.out`
- **Whip pan**: exit `x:-400, blur:24px, 0.3s power3.in` → entry `x:400→0, blur:24px→0, 0.3s power3.out`
- **Blur through**: exit `blur:20px, 0.3s` → entry `blur:20px→0, 0.25s power3.out`
- **Zoom through**: exit `scale:1→1.2, blur:20px, 0.2s power3.in` → entry `scale:0.75→1, blur:20px→0, 0.5s expo.out`
- **Hard cut / smash cut**: instant, for rapid-fire sequences

Timing presets: snappy (0.2s), smooth (0.4s), gentle (0.6s), dramatic (0.5s), instant (0.15s), luxe (0.7s).

**Shader transitions** — 14 built-in WebGL GPU effects. Install with `npx hyperframes add <name>` (block name ≠ shader name — see `skills/hyperframes-registry/references/discovery.md`); full API in `packages/shader-transitions/README.md`.

| Shader                  | Visual description                                                                             | Duration range |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- |
| **domain-warp**         | Organic FBM dissolve — both scenes warp toward each other with an accent flash at the midpoint | 0.5–0.8s       |
| **ridged-burn**         | Multifractal mask reveals the incoming scene through a burn ramp with sparks at the edge       | 0.5–0.8s       |
| **whip-pan**            | 10-sample horizontal motion blur + lateral crossfade — reads like a camera pan between shots   | 0.3–0.5s       |
| **sdf-iris**            | Circle SDF expands from center, with accent-tinted glow rings at the expanding edge            | 0.5–0.7s       |
| **ripple-waves**        | Radial standing-wave UV displacement — content ripples outward as scenes cross                 | 0.6–1.0s       |
| **gravitational-lens**  | Pinch pull toward center + R/B chromatic separation — content bends inward then releases       | 0.6–1.0s       |
| **cinematic-zoom**      | 12 RGB-offset radial zoom blur samples — motion streak radiating from center                   | 0.4–0.6s       |
| **chromatic-split**     | R/B radial channel shift outward, G fixed — channels separate then rejoin                      | 0.3–0.5s       |
| **swirl-vortex**        | CCW swirl with FBM noise — content spirals away and the new scene spirals in                   | 0.5–0.8s       |
| **thermal-distortion**  | Vertical sine + FBM horizontal displacement — heat-haze shimmer across the frame               | 0.5–0.8s       |
| **flash-through-white** | Fade through white midpoint — almost invisible at 0.01s, noticeable at 0.3s                    | 0.01s–0.3s     |
| **cross-warp-morph**    | FBM vector field displaces both scenes; a third FBM biases the wipe direction                  | 0.5–0.8s       |
| **light-leak**          | Fixed off-frame light source with exponential falloff, warmth, and a ridge flare               | 0.5–0.8s       |
| **glitch**              | Line displacement + RGB lateral split + scan modulation + posterization + flicker              | 0.3–0.5s       |

**You are not limited to what's listed here.** These are the built-in options, but you can and should:

- **Write custom GLSL shaders** from scratch for unique transition effects
- **Search online** for shader code (ShaderToy, GLSL Sandbox, GitHub) and adapt it
- **Build custom CSS transitions** that aren't in any category — combine clip-path, transforms, filters in new ways
- **Ask the user** to provide or find specific effects if you need something specialized

If the storyboard calls for an effect that doesn't exist yet — build it. The framework renders anything a browser can run.

### Depth layers

What's in foreground, midground, and background. Every beat should have at least 2 layers:

- "BG: dark navy fill + subtle radial glow. MG: stat cards with drop shadow. FG: brand logo bottom-right."

### SFX cues

What sounds at what moment:

- "On the capture pulse — a soft, warm analog shutter click."
- "Left side carries a faint low drone. On fold: drone cuts. Silence. Then a single clean chime."

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## Rhythm Planning

Before writing HTML, declare your scene rhythm: which scenes are quick hits, which are holds, where do shaders land, where does energy peak. Name the pattern — fast-fast-SLOW-fast-SHADER-hold — before implementing.

**Derive the rhythm from the storyboard and the brand, not from a lookup.** A 15-second social ad for an architectural firm and a 15-second social ad for a gaming brand have different rhythms — both are 15 seconds, but one is slow-reveal-hold-CTA and the other is rapid-fire-SLAM-hook. Video type sets constraints (duration, approximate beat count); the brand and content determine whether those beats are slow or fast, sparse or dense, dramatic or controlled.

Questions that drive rhythm decisions:

- What emotional journey should the viewer take? Where is the peak moment?
- Where does the narration land its heaviest emphasis? That's usually where energy should peak.
- What does the brand's own visual pacing suggest — unhurried or urgent?
- How many beats can the duration actually support without feeling rushed or padded?

A social ad that tries to hook in 2s, showcase 3 features, and end with a CTA in 15s will feel like noise. Sometimes "hook-hold-CTA" with one strong feature is the right rhythm for 15 seconds. Name the rhythm you've planned before implementing.

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## Velocity-Matched Transitions

Exit the outgoing beat with an accelerating ease (power2.in or power3.in) plus a blur ramp. Enter the incoming beat with a decelerating ease (power2.out or power3.out) plus blur clear. The fastest point of both easing curves meets at the cut — the viewer perceives continuous camera motion, not two discrete animations. Match exit velocity to entry velocity within ~5% tolerance.
