# Halftone Dossier

A moving case file printed on warm paper. Flat spot inks, visible halftone dots,
misregistered headlines, thick illustrated contours and physical rubber stamps
turn each new idea into an exhibit. Bureaucratic framing can make a small story
funny, or make a complex sequence easier to follow.

## Material language

Use warm cream paper (`#F4ECDD`), dark navy ink (`#1D2340`), cobalt (`#2E55D6`),
hot pink (`#FF5A87`), yellow (`#FFC628`) and a restrained red stamp ink
(`#E8384F`). Two or three spot inks dominate an individual shot. Tone comes
from screened dots and overprint rather than luminous gradients.

The paper persists above the picture: low-frequency mottling, fine grain, a
subtle fold and a vignette. Dark scenes remain ink on paper. Halftone circles
follow radial, edge or linear density fields; vary their radius, screen angle
and ink. At 1080p a grid spacing around 20–26 pixels keeps dots legible after
encoding. Test the actual web encode for moiré.

Give illustrated subjects heavy contours and flat local colors. A restrained
line boil may affect characters and hand-drawn props; keep typography, HUD and
halftone grids stable. Carry one identifiable character through its actions.
A new topic requires new drawings and staging, not replacement captions alone.

## Typography and hierarchy

Use a very heavy serif for headlines, a rounded display face for large exhibit
numbers, heavy sans for captions and stamps, and monospace for case metadata.
Offset a colored second impression behind the headline. Load and measure
fonts before per-character positioning; use fonts licensed for the intended
use. English headlines usually need fewer words and a smaller size than CJK.

Compose each exhibit around one visual action, a short headline and one spoken
line. Keep captions near the bottom on a dark pill with a small offset shadow;
reserve the highlight ink for the meaningful phrase. Leave readable holds.
Case numbers, small exhibit chips and dates sit at the margins rather than
competing with the central action.

## Motion and sound

- Enter elements with a short overshoot, roughly 0.3–0.45 seconds. Stagger
  headline letters without dragging the reading window out.
- A stamp approaches rapidly, lands, rebounds and settles. Its sound and camera
  response share the exact cue. A short pause before the verdict gives it weight.
- Preserve apparent volume in squash and stretch. Match the response to the
  object: rigid files, paper slips and soft characters behave differently.
- Use blinks, steam, breathing and small gestures to sustain a held illustration.
  They support the story; they are not a substitute for scene action.
- Dot wipes should cover the whole frame before the scene changes. Check the
  transition frame by frame, especially its midpoint. Hard cuts can punctuate
  a reveal; avoid routine dissolves.
- Keep the page mostly frontal. Use scrutiny pushes, a close inspection of an
  exhibit, an evidence-board pan or a pullback when the story motivates them.
- A restrained synth groove, marimba-like plucks, snaps, paper slides and short
  stamp impacts suit the print vocabulary. Leave space for a dry report voice.

## Authoring and review

Write the director brief and shot plan, create source artwork, then generate or
import narration. Record one authoritative frame timeline for camera, drawings,
captions and sound. Derive scene state from frame number so seeks are repeatable.
Preserve accepted audio and its source text; inspect and repair missed or repeated
speech. Never assume access to a voice service or credentials.

Inspect each shot, dense transitions and the encoded delivery. Separate automated
frame coverage, sampled visual review, motion playback and actual listening.
Different story content makes a pixel-equality score unsuitable as proof of
style matching. Publishing a sample does not certify equivalence to a reference.

The starter is an empty authoring contract, not a reusable story renderer.
Author the composition for each subject. Keep production scripts, media,
provider jobs and review records in the external project.

## Provenance

The style vocabulary is informed by LemoLab's
[Halftone Dossier](https://github.com/lemomo-ai/lemo-opuscar/tree/main/styles/halftone-dossier),
with Ben-Day dots, offset printing and the case-file framing device as visual
references. See [PROVENANCE.md](PROVENANCE.md). Retain licenses when adapting code.