showtime glossary

One word per idea, used the same way in SKILL.md, references, CLI help, printed output and code. When a sentence needs one of these ideas, use the term below; the Avoid: words are near-synonyms that have caused confusion. Avoid-words in backticks are audited: scripts/check_release.py warns when SKILL.md or a reference uses one. Plain avoid-words are guidance only, because they have other legitimate meanings elsewhere (a "slide" transition, music "sections").

Where things live#

project#

A folder with showtime.json + index.html (plus assets) that showtime render turns into a video. Claude authors it; it is the source, never an output. Created with showtime new <template> <dir>. Avoid: comp, composition folder, workspace

job#

One request carried out end to end, with its own output folder showtime-out/<slug>-<timestamp>/: final.mp4, poster.jpg, share.txt, exports/, work/ (intermediates and logs), SHOWTIME.md (where the job stands) and job.json (versions, timings, warnings, and outputs: the latest file of each kind). <job> in commands and docs is that folder as showtime job init prints it; its name also works (launch = the newest launch-<timestamp> job). A job may contain or point to a project; a footage edit job has no project at all (its EDL lives in <job>/edit/). Avoid: run folder, output project, session folder

template#

A starter project copied by showtime new (dom, film, short, tutorial, data). Avoid: boilerplate, starter kit, theme (a theme is a colour/type token set inside a project)

Time structure (largest to smallest)#

scene#

A section of the video with one idea or message ("the problem", "the demo", "the call to action"). In HTML projects a scene is usually one [data-start][data-dur] element; in footage edits it is a run of segments. Avoid: slide deck page, slide, part, chapter (chapters are YouTube timestamps in share.txt)

shot#

One continuous view inside a scene: a camera angle, a screen recording segment, a zoom target. Cuts happen between shots. Avoid: take (a take is one recording of the same material; you choose between takes)

clip#

A time window on the stage timeline: any element with data-start and data-dur that the clips adapter shows and hides. A clip can hold a whole scene or one caption line. Avoid: timeline layer, track (tracks belong to the audio mix)

beat#

A moment something should land: a word in the voice-over, a music downbeat, a sound-effect hit, a reveal. Beats are timestamps; animation and cuts are aligned to them. Avoid: cue point, sync point, marker

slot#

A narration line's share of the timeline in voice/timeline.json: from the line's start to the next line's start, so it includes the pause (the last slot includes the tail). showtime retime --from-voice makes each narrated scene its lines' slots plus a short pad of picture before the first line. Avoid: line window, voice segment

Versions of the output#

first look#

The first thing the user sees, within minutes: a contact sheet of stills (showtime snap) and/or a draft. Its job is to catch a wrong direction early, not to impress. Avoid: sneak peek, teaser (a teaser is a kind of video)

draft#

A fast, low-cost render for review: showtime render --preview (quick encode) or a lower --scale. Timing and content are real; quality is not. Avoid: proxy render, rough cut (reserve for footage edits before polish)

preview#

Watching a project live in the browser player (showtime preview): scrubber, frame stepping, audio, no file written. Avoid: preview file, preview render (a quick file is a draft, even when named preview.mp4)

final#

The full-quality render the QA gate (showtime qa) passed: final.mp4, or the job's latest final (final-2.mp4 after a re-render, final.poster.mp4 after a poster bake; renders never overwrite). Platform versions made from it are exports. Avoid: release cut, final master, master (reserved for audio)

Sound#

mix#

Combining tracks (voice, music, effects, ambience) with levels, ducking and timing into one audio file, described by audio/mix.json and rendered by showtime audio mix. Avoid: soundtrack, blend (voice blends are a different thing)

master#

The last audio step: loudness to the delivery target (-14 LUFS by default) under a true-peak ceiling (-1 dBTP), with the AAC encode re-checked. showtime audio master. Only audio is mastered. Avoid: final mix, normalise (normalising is one part of mastering)

score#

Music generated by the project itself with Web Audio (ST.score / Synth.score), rendered offline in sync with the frames. showtime score renders only the score. Avoid: procedural track, generated soundtrack

bed#

A music track placed under the video: composed with showtime audio compose, taken from the local library, or supplied by the user. It is one track in the mix. Avoid: BGM, background music file, loop (a loop is a way of filling time)

Studio mode (deciding together)#

style frame#

One still that fixes the look of a video: palette, type, layout, texture. Several style frames are shown so the user can pick a direction. Avoid: moodboard image, concept art, mockup

board#

A page in the local studio server that shows options (concepts, style frames, storyboards, sound samples) with pick buttons and a feedback box. Avoid: studio dashboard, studio gallery, canvas (canvas is the HTML drawing surface)

storyboard#

The planned scenes in order, one frame and one line of intent each, before anything moves. Avoid: shot list (a list without frames), script (the words)

animatic#

The storyboard timed to the voice-over and music as a moving draft: stills or rough motion, real timing. The last hard stop before the full build. Avoid: pre-vis, previs, rough animation

brand kit#

Optional per-project facts about the brand (brand.json / brand.md): name and pronunciation, logo, colours, fonts, voice, formats, words to avoid. Read when present, never required. Avoid: brand pack, brand profile, style guide (a larger document the kit may be derived from)

How showtime works with the user#

quick mode#

The default: at most one or two decisive questions (each with a recommended answer), then a first look, then the final. Assumptions are stated, not asked. Avoid: auto mode, express mode

studio mode#

Opt-in, for high-stakes or open-direction work: boards and hard stops at concepts, storyboard and animatic, with decisions logged in studio/decisions.md. Avoid: pro mode, collaborative mode, interactive mode

Install vocabulary#

tier#

How much showtime setup installs: minimal (CI), core (default), full. Avoid: install profile, edition

extra#

An optional feature installed on request with showtime setup --with <name> (for example asr-turbo, diarize, sf-generaluser). Features that need a missing extra say so and print that exact command; nothing is installed silently. Avoid: add-on, addon, plugin (the whole of showtime is the plugin)

Flagged ambiguities#

• "Preview" means the live browser player, never a file. A quick file is a draft.
• "Master" means the audio step. The picture-and-sound deliverable is the final; its platform versions are exports.
• "Take" is a recording of the same material (choose between takes); a shot is a view within a scene (cut between shots).
• "Track" is audio (the mix has tracks); the stage timeline has clips.
• "Theme" is a token set used inside a project (colours, fonts, motion speed); a template is a starter project; a brand kit is the customer's facts.

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