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Keep this open while you write. Full version: methodology.md · Skill: SKILL.md

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The 5-stage skeleton

1. Core theme           3-6 style tags, | -separated. Shot type → genre → aesthetic.
2. Character & scene     Face / Clothing / Scene. "No beautification." Material first. Moving background.
3. Atmosphere & look     Real camera + lens model. Color tone. Style core. Sound line.
4. Camera rules          Single-shot / Angle (size+angle+motion) / Breathing line.
5. Storyboard            Per-second slices (one-take) OR per-shot slices (multi-shot edit).

Style A · per-second (transformation, weapon-charge, one-take): Action + Camera + VFX per slice. Add-ons: Sound, Face.
Style B · per-shot (narrative, MV): Shot size + Composition + Camera move + Action per shot.

3 counter-intuitive rules

No reference image unless it's high-quality. AI mimics the reference's art style (CG/anime look), not its design. Free-form from text descriptions. Exception: photoreal 3D renders / true live-action photos.
Describe flaws = describe reality. Too perfect = fake. battle damage / paint worn off / oil in joints / preserve minor facial blemishes. Need ≥2 imperfections per character/equipment block.
Rerolls are normal — leave the ending empty. 2-3 to 20+ rerolls per shot is expected. Don't aim for first-try perfection. Don't pile FX on the close.

Camera + lens lookup

Aesthetic	Camera + lens
Epic / big-scene	IMAX film camera + Panavision C-series (35mm, f/4)
Gritty cyber / hard sci-fi	Sony Venice + Canon K-35 series
Hong Kong noir / wuxia	Kodak 35mm vintage film, bleach-bypass
Commercial portrait	Canon EF 85mm f/1.2

Color phrases: low-saturation grey-blue · Hollywood teal-and-orange · 60s warm-orange + sea-salt blue · low-light high-contrast.

Two lines to paste verbatim

Breathing (almost every prompt — both qualifiers are essential, or the AI reads it as heavy shake):

Handheld shot. Throughout, maintain an extremely subtle, breath-like camera float to enhance presence.

Sound (or the AI fabricates music):

Sound: No score. Production audio only.

For scenes with signature ambient sound, enumerate it (rain, thunder, metal scrape, low-frequency hum). Don't make the AI guess.

Empty-ending template

Don't write: blinding light / explosion / victory pose / leap into sky / camera blow-out. Restraint reads more elevated than excess.

No dialogue. No explosion. No blinding light. Just {{subject}} {{action}}, {{environment detail}}.

Example: "Just a figure in unfinished battle-armor standing in place. Wind carries battlefield smoke. A meteor crosses the distant sky."

Pre-delivery checklist

[ ] All 5 stages present
[ ] Camera + lens model named
[ ] Full "breath-like float" sentence verbatim
[ ] Sound: No score. Production audio only.
[ ] ≥2 imperfection descriptions
[ ] Closing is empty / restrained — no FX pile-up
[ ] No vague praise words (perfect / stunning / epic / handsome / 4K / texture-rich)
[ ] No IP names (or warning line added)
[ ] Single-shot ≤ 15s · multi-shot ≤ 8 shots
[ ] Model advice line included (Seedance/Xiaoyunque: no IP names + strict filter; Sora: concise prompts; Kling: strict banned-word filter — sanitize IP terms first, needs explicit motion; Veo: English preferred)