Film & Time — The Story Studio

The Story Studio

Give a moment a little more time.

The repairer · Completed example

Explore the repairer’s completed film plan

Move between the six parts to see how each choice supports the story. The completed fields are read-only.

The parcel with no return address

Your film plan in six parts

1. Open on the change

Begin with the picture the first words need.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

A brown-paper parcel tied with red string sits on the stone doorstep of a closed green repair-shop door.

A brown-paper parcel waited outside Mara’s repair shop with no return address, and Mara wondered if its sender was afraid to be found.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Picture 1 — The parcel. Match to the passage beginning “A brown-paper parcel waited outside Mara’s repair…” and keep it through that story moment.

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Change to this picture at 0 seconds. Keep it still through its passage and pause; the next picture begins at 11.5 seconds.

2. Settle into the time and place

Move to the place as the narration takes us there.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Hands in cream sleeves untie the red string of a brown-paper parcel on the sunlit repair-shop workbench.

When Mara opened the shop at nine, she carried it to her workbench and untied the string.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Picture 2 — At the workbench. Match to the passage beginning “When Mara opened the shop at nine,…” and keep it through that story moment.

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Change to this picture at 11.5 seconds. Keep it still through its passage and pause; the next picture begins at 18.638 seconds.

3. Hold on the telling detail

Let the listener look long enough to notice the detail.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Hands hold a wooden clockwork bird with one wing missing; a pale replacement wing lies on the workbench.

The wooden bird inside had its left wing missing, and Mara decided Kit’s note—“Can it fly again?”—deserved a careful answer.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Picture 3 — The repair. Match to the passage beginning “The wooden bird inside had its left…” and keep it through that story moment.

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Change to this picture at 18.638 seconds. Keep it still through its passage and pause; the next picture begins at 29.338 seconds.

4. Give the choice its moment

A quiet decision deserves enough time to register.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Mara compares cedar grain with the feathers on the wooden bird’s intact wing.

Mara chose a cedar scrap because its grain ran like the feathers on the bird’s good wing.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Picture 4 — Choosing cedar. Match to the passage beginning “Mara chose a cedar scrap because its…” and keep it through that story moment.

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Change to this picture at 29.338 seconds. Keep it still through its passage and pause; the next picture begins at 36.181 seconds.

5. Let the feeling unfold

Keep the picture with the action—and leave room for its reply.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Mara steadies the bird with its pale cedar wing attached and turns the small brass winding key.

The next morning, she fitted the new wing and wound the small brass key beneath the bird’s tail.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Picture 5 — The first turn. Match to the passage beginning “The next morning, she fitted the new…” and keep it through that story moment.

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Change to this picture at 36.181 seconds. Keep it still through its passage and pause; the next picture begins at 44.495 seconds.

6. Let the ending linger

Let the final image remain after the last words.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

A repaired wooden bird with a pale cedar wing sits inside the window; a child presses both hands to the glass outside.

When the bird chirped and a child outside pressed both hands to the glass, Mara knew the sender had come back, so she opened the door.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Picture 6 — The return. Match to the passage beginning “When the bird chirped and a child…” and keep it through that story moment.

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Change to this picture at 44.495 seconds. Hold it for four seconds after the narration ends.

The complete film plan

The repairer’s viewpoint

1. Open on the change

Picture 1 — The parcel. Match to the passage beginning “A brown-paper parcel waited outside Mara’s repair…” and keep it through that story moment.

Change to this picture at 0 seconds. Keep it still through its passage and pause; the next picture begins at 11.5 seconds.

2. Settle into the time and place

Picture 2 — At the workbench. Match to the passage beginning “When Mara opened the shop at nine,…” and keep it through that story moment.

Change to this picture at 11.5 seconds. Keep it still through its passage and pause; the next picture begins at 18.638 seconds.

3. Hold on the telling detail

Picture 3 — The repair. Match to the passage beginning “The wooden bird inside had its left…” and keep it through that story moment.

Change to this picture at 18.638 seconds. Keep it still through its passage and pause; the next picture begins at 29.338 seconds.

4. Give the choice its moment

Picture 4 — Choosing cedar. Match to the passage beginning “Mara chose a cedar scrap because its…” and keep it through that story moment.

Change to this picture at 29.338 seconds. Keep it still through its passage and pause; the next picture begins at 36.181 seconds.

5. Let the feeling unfold

Picture 5 — The first turn. Match to the passage beginning “The next morning, she fitted the new…” and keep it through that story moment.

Change to this picture at 36.181 seconds. Keep it still through its passage and pause; the next picture begins at 44.495 seconds.

6. Let the ending linger

Picture 6 — The return. Match to the passage beginning “When the bird chirped and a child…” and keep it through that story moment.

Change to this picture at 44.495 seconds. Hold it for four seconds after the narration ends.

From your plan to a finished slideshow

Gather your files in one story folder
Keep six chosen pictures in story order, named picture-01.jpg through picture-06.jpg, or retain their actual file format, such as .png or .webp. Add the complete audio from Sound & Voice, such as narration-final.wav or narration-final.mp3, and Download slideshow handoff to save the text assembly brief in the same folder. Keep your source credits there too. The brief contains instructions, not the picture or audio files; supply those separately.
Assemble the pictures and narration
Open the files in a video editor, give them to a human editor, or use an AI tool that can accept your files and assemble video. A text-only assistant can help with instructions but cannot deliver a video unless it has the tools to make one. Use the assembly brief to match each picture to its spoken passage. In an editor, put the finished audio on the timeline, listen for each passage, and place its picture change there. The six pictures do not need equal durations. Keep them still, preserve the finished sound mix without duplicate effects, and hold the last picture for about four seconds after the audio ends. If a match or file is missing, ask or supply it before continuing; do not invent a replacement.
Review a first cut
Make or request a first cut before the final export. Watch it from start to finish with sound on. Check that each picture arrives with its passage, every word is clear, and the ending has time to rest. Move any early or late picture change and watch again. Check any captions and carry the supplied credits and creation notes into the finished piece. Ask for missing attribution; do not invent it.
Export and keep a copy
Save the editable video project and export a finished video, such as story-final.mp4. Open the exported file and check its pictures, sound, ending, and credits. Keep it with the source pictures, finished audio, original takes, playbook, and assembly brief so you can make another version later. Record the project and video filenames and any changes in the review notes below. Story Studio keeps your text plan; it does not upload these files or render the video.

Optional: use the DIY movie assembly guide for tested FFmpeg commands and a worked example. Opening the guide does not transfer your draft or media; take your files and assembly brief separately.

Open the DIY movie assembly guide

Watch, adjust, and keep a copy

Review notes and filenames

The sequence follows measured passage starts, preserves its sound mix, and holds the final image for four seconds. Keep the editable project and exported video.

The sender · Guided walk-through

Discover the sender’s film plan, one part at a time

Consider each moment, then reveal it. Watch how the story takes shape.

The parcel with no return address

Your film plan in six parts

1. Open on the change

Begin with Kit leaving the parcel. Where should that picture meet the first words?

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Kit crouches at the closed green repair-shop door before dawn, leaving a brown-paper parcel tied with red string.

Before dawn, Kit left a brown-paper parcel outside Mara’s repair shop with no return address, because asking face-to-face felt impossible.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Open on Kit leaving the parcel as the narration begins “Before dawn.” Keep Kit’s hesitation in view through “asking face-to-face felt impossible.”

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Hold through the first passage and its pause. Make the first change when the finished voice begins the next moment; do not assign an equal slice of the recording.

2. Settle into the time and place

The story moves across the street. Let the new picture establish Kit’s distance from the shop.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Kit watches from across the street while Mara unties the parcel at her workbench.

At nine, from across the street, Kit watched Mara carry it to her workbench and untie the string.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Change to the view across the street at “At nine.” Stay with Kit watching Mara carry in and open the parcel.

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Use a simple cut at the new passage. Keep the picture still while the listener takes in the distance between Kit and the shop.

3. Hold on the telling detail

The broken bird and the note carry the question. How long should we stay with that detail?

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

The wooden bird faces left with an empty wing socket beside a note reading “Can it fly again?” and “Kit”.

The box held Kit’s wooden bird with its left wing missing, and a note with Kit’s name beneath the only question Kit could manage: “Can it fly again?”

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Move to the bird and note at “The box held Kit’s wooden bird.” Keep that close view through the question “Can it fly again?”

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Hold through the question and the silence that follows it. Check the first cut: does the note get enough time to matter?

4. Give the choice its moment

Kit watches Mara choose cedar. Give that act of care time to register before moving on.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Seen through the window, Mara compares two cedar scraps beside the bird, whose left wing is still missing; Kit is reflected in the glass.

Through the window, Kit saw Mara select a cedar scrap whose grain matched the feathers on the good wing.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Change to Mara choosing cedar at “Through the window.” Keep Kit’s viewpoint through the glass.

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Let the picture stay through the pause after “good wing.” If the sound plan keeps a soft workshop cue here, leave room for it before the next passage.

5. Let the feeling unfold

Keep the winding of the key and the bird’s reply together. Which picture should hold through the cue?

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Kit leans towards the window while Mara turns the brass key of the bird, now fitted with a pale cedar left wing.

The next morning, Kit returned as Mara fitted the new wing and wound the small brass key beneath the bird’s tail.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Show Kit returning to the window at “The next morning.” Keep the same image while Mara winds the key and the bird answers.

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Stay on this picture through the pause and any chosen bird chirps. Do not cut away before the bird has had room to answer. Confirm this against the finished recording.

6. Let the ending linger

Let the open door be the final image. What might the viewer notice once the voice has stopped?

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Kit turns towards Mara as she opens the green shop door; the repaired bird waits in the window.

The bird chirped; relief carried Kit’s hands to the glass, and Mara opened the door.

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Bring in the open-door picture with the final passage. Stay on Kit and Mara as the narration reaches “Mara opened the door.”

Timing, pauses and the picture change

Hold the final image for about four seconds after the narration ends. Keep the image still and let the open door remain. Review the hold by watching, not just by counting.

The film plan so far

The sender’s viewpoint

1. Open on the change

Open on Kit leaving the parcel as the narration begins “Before dawn.” Keep Kit’s hesitation in view through “asking face-to-face felt impossible.”

Hold through the first passage and its pause. Make the first change when the finished voice begins the next moment; do not assign an equal slice of the recording.

2. Settle into the time and place

Change to the view across the street at “At nine.” Stay with Kit watching Mara carry in and open the parcel.

Use a simple cut at the new passage. Keep the picture still while the listener takes in the distance between Kit and the shop.

3. Hold on the telling detail

Move to the bird and note at “The box held Kit’s wooden bird.” Keep that close view through the question “Can it fly again?”

Hold through the question and the silence that follows it. Check the first cut: does the note get enough time to matter?

4. Give the choice its moment

Change to Mara choosing cedar at “Through the window.” Keep Kit’s viewpoint through the glass.

Let the picture stay through the pause after “good wing.” If the sound plan keeps a soft workshop cue here, leave room for it before the next passage.

5. Let the feeling unfold

Show Kit returning to the window at “The next morning.” Keep the same image while Mara winds the key and the bird answers.

Stay on this picture through the pause and any chosen bird chirps. Do not cut away before the bird has had room to answer. Confirm this against the finished recording.

6. Let the ending linger

Bring in the open-door picture with the final passage. Stay on Kit and Mara as the narration reaches “Mara opened the door.”

Hold the final image for about four seconds after the narration ends. Keep the image still and let the open door remain. Review the hold by watching, not just by counting.

From your plan to a finished slideshow

Gather your files in one story folder
Keep six chosen pictures in story order, named picture-01.jpg through picture-06.jpg, or retain their actual file format, such as .png or .webp. Add the complete audio from Sound & Voice, such as narration-final.wav or narration-final.mp3, and Download slideshow handoff to save the text assembly brief in the same folder. Keep your source credits there too. The brief contains instructions, not the picture or audio files; supply those separately.
Assemble the pictures and narration
Open the files in a video editor, give them to a human editor, or use an AI tool that can accept your files and assemble video. A text-only assistant can help with instructions but cannot deliver a video unless it has the tools to make one. Use the assembly brief to match each picture to its spoken passage. In an editor, put the finished audio on the timeline, listen for each passage, and place its picture change there. The six pictures do not need equal durations. Keep them still, preserve the finished sound mix without duplicate effects, and hold the last picture for about four seconds after the audio ends. If a match or file is missing, ask or supply it before continuing; do not invent a replacement.
Review a first cut
Make or request a first cut before the final export. Watch it from start to finish with sound on. Check that each picture arrives with its passage, every word is clear, and the ending has time to rest. Move any early or late picture change and watch again. Check any captions and carry the supplied credits and creation notes into the finished piece. Ask for missing attribution; do not invent it.
Export and keep a copy
Save the editable video project and export a finished video, such as story-final.mp4. Open the exported file and check its pictures, sound, ending, and credits. Keep it with the source pictures, finished audio, original takes, playbook, and assembly brief so you can make another version later. Record the project and video filenames and any changes in the review notes below. Story Studio keeps your text plan; it does not upload these files or render the video.

Optional: use the DIY movie assembly guide for tested FFmpeg commands and a worked example. Opening the guide does not transfer your draft or media; take your files and assembly brief separately.

Open the DIY movie assembly guide

Watch, adjust, and keep a copy

Review notes and filenames

The sequence follows measured passage starts, preserves its sound mix, and holds the final image for four seconds. Keep the editable project and exported video.

Your Turn · Make it your own

Bring your story together

Work in any order. Return to Example or Walk-Through whenever you need them; your work stays here.

Your story

Your film plan in six parts

1. Open on the change

Begin with the picture the first words need.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Your words for this part will appear here.

Return to your words

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Timing, pauses and the picture change

2. Settle into the time and place

Move to the place as the narration takes us there.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Your words for this part will appear here.

Return to your words

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Timing, pauses and the picture change

3. Hold on the telling detail

Let the listener look long enough to notice the detail.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Your words for this part will appear here.

Return to your words

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Timing, pauses and the picture change

4. Give the choice its moment

A quiet decision deserves enough time to register.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Your words for this part will appear here.

Return to your words

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Timing, pauses and the picture change

5. Let the feeling unfold

Keep the picture with the action—and leave room for its reply.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Your words for this part will appear here.

Return to your words

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Timing, pauses and the picture change

6. Let the ending linger

Let the final image remain after the last words.

From Pictures & Sequences and Sound & Voice

Your words for this part will appear here.

Return to your words

Match this picture to the spoken passage

Timing, pauses and the picture change

From your plan to a finished slideshow

Gather your files in one story folder
Keep six chosen pictures in story order, named picture-01.jpg through picture-06.jpg, or retain their actual file format, such as .png or .webp. Add the complete audio from Sound & Voice, such as narration-final.wav or narration-final.mp3, and Download slideshow handoff to save the text assembly brief in the same folder. Keep your source credits there too. The brief contains instructions, not the picture or audio files; supply those separately.
Assemble the pictures and narration
Open the files in a video editor, give them to a human editor, or use an AI tool that can accept your files and assemble video. A text-only assistant can help with instructions but cannot deliver a video unless it has the tools to make one. Use the assembly brief to match each picture to its spoken passage. In an editor, put the finished audio on the timeline, listen for each passage, and place its picture change there. The six pictures do not need equal durations. Keep them still, preserve the finished sound mix without duplicate effects, and hold the last picture for about four seconds after the audio ends. If a match or file is missing, ask or supply it before continuing; do not invent a replacement.
Review a first cut
Make or request a first cut before the final export. Watch it from start to finish with sound on. Check that each picture arrives with its passage, every word is clear, and the ending has time to rest. Move any early or late picture change and watch again. Check any captions and carry the supplied credits and creation notes into the finished piece. Ask for missing attribution; do not invent it.
Export and keep a copy
Save the editable video project and export a finished video, such as story-final.mp4. Open the exported file and check its pictures, sound, ending, and credits. Keep it with the source pictures, finished audio, original takes, playbook, and assembly brief so you can make another version later. Record the project and video filenames and any changes in the review notes below. Story Studio keeps your text plan; it does not upload these files or render the video.

Optional: use the DIY movie assembly guide for tested FFmpeg commands and a worked example. Opening the guide does not transfer your draft or media; take your files and assembly brief separately.

Open the DIY movie assembly guide

Watch, adjust, and keep a copy

Review notes and filenames

Explore picture order, pauses, and the ending — optional

The parcel with no return address

Your film plan in six parts

1. Open on the change

2. Settle into the time and place

3. Hold on the telling detail

4. Give the choice its moment

5. Let the feeling unfold

6. Let the ending linger

Gather your files in one story folder

Assemble the pictures and narration

Review a first cut

Export and keep a copy

The parcel with no return address

Your film plan in six parts

1. Open on the change

2. Settle into the time and place

3. Hold on the telling detail

4. Give the choice its moment

5. Let the feeling unfold

6. Let the ending linger

Gather your files in one story folder

Assemble the pictures and narration

Review a first cut

Export and keep a copy

Your story

Your film plan in six parts

1. Open on the change

2. Settle into the time and place

3. Hold on the telling detail

4. Give the choice its moment

5. Let the feeling unfold

6. Let the ending linger

Gather your files in one story folder

Assemble the pictures and narration

Review a first cut

Export and keep a copy