How an interactive film workflow connects video and interaction logic
A playable clip must also state permitted entry, valid choice times, the event committing state and failure recovery. A clip interface sheet turns these agreements into checkable handoff evidence.
Give exits a clear meaning in an interactive film workflow
Every clip handed from video to interaction logic needs an interface agreement: entry states, when choices are accepted, the event ending the clip, writes on exit and exception recovery. The receiving side wires it accordingly; the delivery side proves the agreement with matching images. This is a proposed handoff approach for small projects.
The fictional mystery short film Rainy-Night Storage Locker is a teaching case: investigator Xu Yao finds a recording in the duty room and can play or put it away. Clips, timings and walkthroughs are original designs, not real user cases, measured results or DramaFork features.
This concerns post-production to implementation. Choosing “Play” does not mean the character finished listening. If the click marks “knows passphrase” and video loading then fails, allowing passphrase input next breaks image/logic agreement. Separate intention from story fact and define the exit where the fact becomes effective.
A reusable clip interface sheet
Inputs are locked video, matching subtitles, exit-image descriptions and a state glossary. Each row identifies one independently callable clip version; the header records batch, filename, duration and time reference. Here, times are milliseconds of clip playback, and pause or buffering does not advance the choice window.
| Field | Required content |
|---|---|
| Clip ID | Stable identity bound to this file version |
| Entry condition | Required states and destination if unmet |
| Choice window | Open/close times, options, timeout default, repeat-input rule |
| End event | Natural end or another explicit event, with each destination |
| State writes | Field, value and triggering event; state explicitly when none |
| Failure recovery | Failure type, recovery position, retained and discarded data |
Copy “Clip ID: ____; file version: ____; entry: ____; choice window: ____; end event and destination: ____; writes: ____; recovery: ____.” Add “Image evidence: ____; expected event record: ____; review conclusion: ____.”
“Next clip after playback” is insufficient. Distinguish natural end, playback error and intentional skip; this case forbids skipping the key recording. If implementation cannot distinguish them, do not integrate the clip yet. Adjust implementation or rewrite the agreement first.
From one choice to one state commit
Persistent states “has recording” and “knows passphrase” start true and false respectively. “Pending choice” is temporary to this playback round and does not directly change character knowledge. Define three interfaces as follows:
| Clip ID | Entry condition | Choice window | End event and destination | State writes | Failure recovery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duty01 | Has recording true | 8000–12000 ms; play or put away | Natural end routes to02 or03 by stored choice | No persistent write | Restart this clip; clear pending choice |
| Duty02 | Stored choice play and has recording | None | Natural end enters Cabinet04 | Set knows passphrase true | Keep play choice and retry this clip |
| Duty03 | Stored choice put away | None | Natural end enters Cabinet04 | None | Keep put-away choice and retry this clip |
The window includes 8000 ms and excludes 12000 ms. First valid click locks the option; no choice at closing stores “put away.” Outside clicks change nothing. Duty01 lasts14 seconds and plays to the end after choosing, preserving Xu Yao’s action of setting down the flashlight.
Suppose “Play” is chosen at second9. Store intention only; after01 ends, enter02. Its passphrase dialogue plays fully, and only natural end commits knowledge true and moves to04. Commit and transition are one exit operation; repeated end notices for this round must not transition again.
Cabinet04 admits either knowledge state, but passphrase input is available only when it is known. Shared footage must not say “I already know the answer.” This recording is supplied only once and replay is forbidden. Adding replay needs new entry rules, not guesses based on this sheet.
Acceptance evidence and reasons to return work
Check video and event order together. Post-production marks02’s passphrase-dialogue end and final frame. Implementation supplies a record for the same file version: entry state, valid choice, end event, write result and target clip. A functioning navigation button does not prove correct state commits.
The following acceptance script is proposed, not completed testing:
- Choose play normally: knowledge stays false before02 ends, becomes true after it ends, then04 starts.
- Give no input: closing defaults to put away;03 leads to04 without changing knowledge.
- Click at closing: the same playback time makes it invalid; it cannot overwrite the default.
- Interrupt02: no knowledge write; commit only after successful retry and natural end.
- Repeat an end notice: accept one exit operation this round, never enter04 twice.
Keep expected, actual and review results for each; mark unexecuted items “pending test.” If entry conditions fail, stop invocation and return to a confirmed entry checkpoint. Do not mask illegal state with default put-away behavior.
Wrong file binding returns to the post delivery owner; cut passphrase dialogue to the editor; complete dialogue but premature state write to implementation; conflicting knowledge after convergence to narrative design and editing together. Record clip version, triggering path and mismatched field rather than “wrong here.”
Alternatives and limits
If the in-video choice time is too short, hold a dedicated choice screen after01 ends and start02 or03 after selection. Define the window by screen dwell and update the sheet. Immediate response instead requires prepared image and sound cut boundaries, not merely renaming “leave at end” to “leave on click.”
Small clip sets can use a shared table; more branches may use structured configuration with the same fields, still compared against video. Replacing video under the same ID requires a new version and rechecking windows, end positions and referencing entries.
The sheet integrates edited material into runtime logic, not retrieval, scheduling or character appearance consistency. It cannot supply missing connecting shots. If neither route can reasonably enter one image, split entry clips or rewrite convergence rather than relax conditions to admit a wrong connection.
