# Hit for Six — ball storyboards and the commentator

Last updated Oct 27, 2026 · Page: https://freebeeads.com/docs/repo/cricket-storyboards · Markdown: https://freebeeads.com/docs/md/repo/cricket-storyboards.md · All docs: https://freebeeads.com/llms-full.txt

Every ball on the wall is a three-beat scene, the same shape as the walk-in that
already works: **set-up → delivery → payoff**, with a commentator line before
and after that reads the state of the innings. Nothing on the wall says "1 run"
any more; it shows a single being run and a man sliding his bat over the line.

Timings are for the wall engine (`web/public/cricket.html`). Footage is
photoreal broadcast style (v3) and **every ball is two shots cut together**,
the way a broadcast covers a delivery:

1. **The delivery** (`clip_bowl`, 4.2 s): the real broadcast pitch camera, high
   in the stand behind the bowler's arm on a long lens, so the whole pitch runs
   up the frame as a vertical strip with the umpire and non-striker at the
   bottom and the batter at the top. The bowler runs INTO the shot from the
   bottom edge, up the strip, leaps and releases; the ball reaches the batter.
   Start frame `cricket/stadium_v3_pitch.jpg` (also the wall's resting still;
   `v3/idle_pitch.mp4` is a 2.8 s ping-pong of the batter settling). Indian
   players, right-handed batter. It is the same shot for every ball, so the
   player learns to read it.
2. **The outcome** (`clip_dot` … `clip_out`, 8 s): a hard cut to the tight
   pitch-camera framing of the batter at the crease with the ball already in
   the air (start frame `cricket/stadium_v3_crease.jpg`). The ball arrives in
   the first second, the stroke or dismissal happens on screen, then the camera
   follows the ball (or the batter) to the result and the reaction.

Each clip does one thing. The earlier single-clip versions tried to fit the
run-up, the stroke, the ball flight and the reaction into one wide 8-second
shot and none of it read from fifteen metres.

Both start frames were built with the walk-in's batter as the character
reference (`stadium_v3.jpg` wide; `stadium_v3_crease.jpg` tight, same batter,
keeper and LED zing bails, blank perimeter boards); every clip is generated
with Google Veo 3.1 from one of them so the people stay the same. The earlier
cartoon set (v2) is kept only as a fallback. The sponsor's logos are overlaid
by the wall, never baked into the footage.

**Camera grammar borrowed from real T20 broadcasts** (how each moment is
covered on air): the delivery is always seen from the pitch camera at height
behind the bowler; on a shot the camera tilts or whips to follow the ball; a
boundary is tracked low across the outfield to the rope; a six is followed up
into the sky and down into the stands, with pyrotechnics on the boundary
edge; a wicket shows the LED bails flashing, the bowler's roar, then the
batter's walk; runs show the dash, the throw, and the slide or dive into the
crease; a dot shows the beaten edge, the keeper's take and the appeal.

## The beat structure (every ball)

| beat | seconds | wall | kiosk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 set-up (dice, v1.8) | 2.8 | the **Freebee dice** tumbles into the stage and lands on the result (the bee umpire signals six / four / out; pips for 1, 2, 3) with the call under it ("SIX · +1 BALL"); the **pre-ball line** rises | "Watch the big screen…" |
| 1 set-up (bag) | 2.7 | the **pick card** pops in the middle of the stage (the chosen pack, "BALL 3 OF 6 · PACK 7 · SELECTED AT THE KIOSK"), then flies down into its niche; on the shelf the other packs step back, the chosen one wears a SELECTED badge and its ball turns gold; the bowler waits at the top of his mark; the **pre-ball line** rises from the bottom of the stage | "Watch the big screen…" |
| 2 delivery | 2.6 + 8 | the shared run-up clip, then a hard cut to the outcome clip at the crease; big moments (4 / 6 / out) dim the graphics once the cut lands and the word fills the wall | — |
| 3 payoff | 2.2 | the pack flips to its score card, the niche flares, runs tick up with a pulse; the **post-ball line** | unlocks the next pick |

Between balls, while the player chooses at the kiosk, the scorebar carries a
**tension tag**: balls left and what the next prize band needs.

## Storyboards

### DOT — "Beaten"
1. **Set-up.** Pre-ball line (e.g. *"Fresh guard. The field is set."*). Pack pulses.
2. **Delivery.** Bowler runs in, sharp swinging ball. The batter pushes forward and is
   beaten, the ball flies past the edge, the keeper takes it cleanly and holds it up.
   The batter looks down, taps the pitch, shakes his head. The crowd groans.
   *(clip_dot, 8 s, Veo)*
3. **Payoff.** Small white "DOT" over the stage, pack flips to a gold "0", scorebar unchanged.
   Post-ball line: *"Beaten! Nothing on that."* / *"Dot ball. The crowd goes quiet."*

### ONE — "Quick single"
1. **Set-up.** *"Rotate the strike, keep it ticking."*
2. **Delivery.** Nudged softly into the leg-side gap; the batter sets off at once,
   sprinting down the pitch toward the camera, bat outstretched, slides it over
   the crease in a cloud of dust as a fielder's throw misses the stumps. He gets up
   and raises one finger. *(clip_single, 8 s)*
3. **Payoff.** "ONE", pack flips to gold "1", runs +1. *"Quick single. Safe."*

### TWO — "Hard-run two"
1. **Set-up.** *"There's a gap at deep cover…"*
2. **Delivery.** Driven firmly along the ground into the deep; the camera follows
   the ball as a fielder chases; the batters run one and turn; the fielder slides
   and throws; the batter dives full length into the crease as the keeper breaks
   the stumps; the umpire's arms stay down. Safe. *(clip_double, 8 s)*
3. **Payoff.** "TWO", gold "2", runs +2. *"Hard-run two, that's hustle."*

### FOUR — "To the rope"
1. **Set-up.** *"Short and wide would be a gift here."*
2. **Delivery.** Crisp cover drive, the ball races along the grass, a fielder dives
   full length and misses, it beats him to the rope and crosses it; the crowd
   behind the rope jumps up. *(clip_four, 6 s)*
3. **Payoff.** Full-wall takeover: electric-blue "FOUR" in chrome type, sponsor
   stamp *"Brite Boundary"*, blue confetti, pack flips to the blue "4".
   *"Timed to perfection!"* / *"Nobody's stopping that!"*

### SIX — "Out of the ground"
1. **Set-up.** *"He's looking for the stands…"* (if one hit from a prize band:
   *"A six here and the hamper is his."*)
2. **Delivery.** Steps out and launches it; the camera whips up and follows the ball
   over the fielders and the crowd; it lands in the upper stand; the crowd leaps
   with arms raised; the batter raises his bat. *(clip_six, 8 s)*
3. **Payoff.** Full-wall takeover: gold "SIX" with fireworks keyed over the stadium,
   marquee bulbs chase, sponsor stamp *"Brite Super Six"*, gold confetti, pack
   flips to the gold "6". *"OUT OF THE GROUND!"* / *"That's MASSIVE!"*

### OUT — "Timber"
1. **Set-up.** *"Careful now. The OUT ball is still in there."*
2. **Delivery.** Fast ball; the batter swings and misses; the ball smashes into
   the stumps and the bails fly in slow motion; keeper and bowler leap; the
   batter drops his head, tucks the bat under his arm and walks off to the
   pavilion while the crowd groans. *(clip_out, 8 s)*
3. **Payoff.** Full-wall takeover: red "OUT", white flash on impact, the pack
   flips to the red "OUT" card and the ball under it dims. *"He's GONE!"* /
   *"Timber! Walk back."* Then the full-wall scorecard.

### The innings (already built)
- **Walk-in** (`clip_walkin`, 8 s): the hero walks out of the tunnel, confetti,
  bat raised; the "NOW BATTING" band slides across. Photoreal clip, a deliberate
  style break for the entrance.
- **Scorecard**: glass card, trophy for the day's best, ball sequence, rank, QR.

## The commentator

A small rule engine in the wall (`commentator()` in `cricket.html`) picks a
line from pools keyed on the state of the innings. Every line is one short
sentence written to be read from fifteen metres.

**Pre-ball (set-up)** — first match wins:
| state | lines |
|---|---|
| ball 1 | "First ball. {name} takes guard." · "Fresh guard, new ball. Here we go." |
| last ball | "LAST BALL. Everything on this one." · "Last ball of the over. Make it count." |
| one hit from a prize band | "A six here and the {prize} is his." · "Needs {need} for the {prize}." |
| two dots in a row | "Two dots. The pressure is building." · "The bowler's smiling. Should he be?" |
| after a six | "Can he do it again?" · "The crowd wants another one." |
| after a four | "He's in the groove now." |
| near the top of the board | "{lead} more and he's top of the board." |
| otherwise (taunts, 1 in 3) | "Don't choke now." · "Your friends are watching." · "The OUT ball is still in there…" · "Pick wisely." |
| otherwise (scene) | "The field is set. The bowler turns at the top of his mark." · "Hush in the stands." |

**Post-ball (payoff)** — by outcome, plus milestones:
| outcome | lines |
|---|---|
| dot | "Beaten! Nothing on that." · "Dot ball. The crowd goes quiet." · "Tight line, no run." |
| one | "Quick single. Safe." · "Pushed for one." · "Keeps the strike ticking." |
| two | "Good running, two!" · "Hard-run two, that's hustle." |
| four | "Timed to perfection!" · "Races to the rope!" · "Nobody's stopping that!" |
| six | "OUT OF THE GROUND!" · "That's MASSIVE!" · "Into the stands!" |
| out | "He's GONE!" · "Timber!" · "The stumps are a mess." |
| crossed a prize band | "That's the {prize} banked!" |
| now top of the board | "He's top of the board!" |

**Between balls (tension tag on the scorebar)**: "{left} balls left · {need} for the
{prize}" or "{left} balls left · top of the board is {lead} away".

## What is footage and what is engine

| outcome | footage | fallback when a sponsor uploads no clip |
|---|---|---|
| dot / one / two | clip_dot / clip_single / clip_double | clip_bowl (the delivery) with the word over it |
| four / six / out | clip_four / clip_six / clip_out | a drawn ball over the still |
| walk-in | clip_walkin | the name band over the idle loop |

A sponsor can upload their own clips for any of these; the wall overlays its
logos and tagline, so the footage stays reusable across campaigns.

## Sound (next)
Walls usually have audio. The same beat structure takes sound without changes:
a crowd-hush bed on set-up, bat crack and crowd swell on delivery, a sting on
the payoff, and the commentator lines as recorded voice. Not built yet; it
needs licensed SFX and a voice.