Classification — the format call
| Field | What it holds |
|---|---|
format | One of: b2b_ad, ugc_ad, long_form_doc, short_form_hook, explainer, kids, vlog, tutorial, cinematic, product_demo, news_commentary, other |
format_confidence / format_evidence | How sure the call is, and the one-sentence why |
matched_template | Whether the structure matches a productized template: pile_up_reveal (chaos → hard cut → calm reveal → proof → CTA), numbers_story, before_after, pov_native — or null |
duration_band | micro (under 15s) | short (under 60s) | mid (under 5min) | long (under 20min) | extended |
platform_native | Best-guess home platforms — linkedin, tiktok, reels, shorts, youtube, ctv… |
intent | sell | teach | entertain | inform | inspire |
primary_audience / language / is_ai_generated | Who it’s for, what language, and whether it reads as AI-generated |
Comprehension — the meaning read
Metrics measure a video; comprehension understands it. A vision model watches 12 frames sampled evenly across the runtime — in order, as a storyboard — and can even overrule the metrics-only format guess (format_correction) when the frames tell a different story. It exists because metrics alone once filed a global brand manifesto as a travel documentary and saw its climactic logo reveal as “a frame”.
| Field | What it holds |
|---|---|
logline | One vivid sentence: what this video is |
premise | The situation or world it sets up |
thesis | The single idea it argues, or the feeling it delivers |
selling | What it actually sells — usually a feeling or idea, not a feature |
emotional_target | The intended arc, e.g. “awe → belonging → pride” |
is_branded / brand | Whether there’s a brand, and the brand object: name, appears_at_sec, screen_time_pct, reveal_technique — how restrained the reveal is |
genre / sub_genre | The real genre — brand_film, manifesto, ad, doc, music_video, explainer, ugc, narrative_short… |
subjects / comparable_to | Core themes, and 2–4 well-known reference campaigns it sits beside |
signature_technique | The one move a director would carry into their own work |
director_notes | Two or three sentences on how to rebuild the feeling, plus a list of 3–5 concrete, replicable techniques to reference — patterns, never content |
rebuild_caveats | The gotchas — cost reality, skill required, what the metrics get wrong |
format_correction | A better format call than classification’s, when the frames disagree — otherwise null |
What to do with it
- Steer with the
thesis, not the topic. Two videos about the same product can argue opposite ideas; matching the thesis is what makes a reference actually comparable to your brief. - Study the
brandobject before your own brand placement.appears_at_secandscreen_time_pctquantify restraint — high-performing brand films routinely hold the logo back for most of the runtime. - Use
comparable_toto brief stakeholders. “It’s structured like [known campaign]” lands faster in a review than any metric. - Trust
rebuild_caveatson scope. When the notes say the feeling costs real production, a cheap imitation of the surface won’t inherit the performance.
Related layers
Scorecard
The format-specific rubric this classification selects.
Script analysis
The skeleton delivering this thesis.
Hooks & re-hooks
How the argument earns its first three seconds.
Cast
The people and world carrying the message.