Editor Paper Edit & Selects Architect

The problem

Storytelling in the edit suite often stalls when producers and editors move straight to the timeline without a plan. Working directly with media files before aligning on the narrative leads to wasted hours on redundant cuts and expensive revisions.

What it does

• Generates a source-confidence ledger to distinguish between verified quotes and transcript assumptions.
• Maps the story spine from opening hook to resolution based on provided transcripts and logs.
• Creates a paper-edit table with narrative purpose, edit transitions, and b-roll requirements.
• Builds a gap and pickup map to identify missing footage or graphics before production ends.
• Produces a structured review agenda to facilitate stakeholder approval of the story structure.

Why this beats prompting it yourself

This skill enforces a production-hardened workflow that separates story architecture from technical execution. It prevents the common AI tendency to hallucinate timecodes or fabricate quotes by using a strict source-confidence ledger and reasoning-based selects criteria.

Use cases

• Pre-visualizing a documentary narrative from hundreds of pages of interview transcripts.
• Building a structured paper edit for a corporate brand film to get stakeholder sign-off.
• Identifying B-roll gaps and pickup needs early in the post-production cycle.
• Creating a rationale for specific selects to justify creative choices to a client.

Known limitations

This tool does not access, download, or edit actual video files. It requires existing transcripts or footage logs to function and does not provide legal or brand compliance guarantees.