# Ticking effects list

Recipes / Preset / Edit styles. Checked 2026-11-13.

The viewer sees a counted promise being kept in real time.

- Use when: Capability reels, list reels, launch teasers, portfolio reels.
- Phrase: a locked medium shot, a checklist panel in the right third from the first frame, one item per second, each item's name appearing in its own effect on the word, the checklist ticking along
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/preset/edit-ticking-effects-list
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/preset/edit-ticking-effects-list.json

## Watch out

- An effect more than 0.2 seconds off its own name, a checklist missing from frame 0, or a counter that does not advance: each is a listed failure. (practitioner; Director Chair measurement of a published short, Oct 2026)
- Measured: the fastest pace in the library, 6.83 visual changes per 10 seconds with a median segment of 1.2 seconds, and only 36 spoken words. It never feels random because the counter explains every change. (measured; Director Chair measurement of a published short, 22 Oct 2026)

## Measured on the reference

| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | 20.5 s |
| Aspect | 9:16 |
| Visual changes per 10 s | 6.83 |
| Median segment | 1.2 s |
| First visual change | 0.97 s |
| First spoken word | 0.0 s |
| Spoken words per second | 1.78 |
| Loudness, integrated | -14.1 LUFS |
| True peak | -1.3 dBTP |
| Sound floor | -31.6 dBFS (a bed under the voice) |
| Face in sampled frames | 93 percent, middle third |
| Plays, saves | 61,200 plays, 8.3 percent saved (read 22 Oct 2026) |
| Against the account's median | 12 times |

## The recipe

1. A locked medium shot, the face at about half the height.
2. A checklist panel fills the right third for the whole video: brand-colour ground, numbered items, the current item in white, a counter on top and a total at the bottom.
3. Frame 0 carries the promise in large serif at the top left, a count and a duration, plus a two-line hook caption that is gone by 1.5 seconds.
4. Then one item per 1.0 to 1.3 seconds: the speaker says the name, the name appears in the left two thirds in its own effect, the checklist ticks.
5. Cut to a full-frame card only when the item is a card.
6. A bed under the voice and a hit on each item. Voice at -14 LUFS, true peak at or under -1.3 dBTP.

## Not for

Emotional stories, testimonials, long explanations, regulated sectors.

## Prompts

### Any chat model

```
Give me a production plan: the shots or scenes in order, what each one needs, and the edit settings, for a short video about [your product], for [your audience]. The technique is ticking effects list: the viewer sees a counted promise being kept in real time. How it works: a locked medium shot, a checklist panel in the right third from the first frame, one item per second, each item's name appearing in its own effect on the word, the checklist ticking along. It is right for: capability reels, list reels, launch teasers, portfolio reels. An effect more than 0.2 seconds off its own name, a checklist missing from frame 0, or a counter that does not advance: each is a listed failure. Measured: the fastest pace in the library, 6.83 visual changes per 10 seconds with a median segment of 1.2 seconds, and only 36 spoken words. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing.
```

## Goes well with

- Checklist with a counter: https://directorchair.ai/effect/checklist-tracker
- A finite promise with a counter: https://directorchair.ai/hook/visible-counter
- The edit does what the words say: https://directorchair.ai/hook/edit-does-the-word
- Type behind the head: https://directorchair.ai/effect/type-behind-head
- Word drop: https://directorchair.ai/effect/word-drop
- Every line an effect: https://directorchair.ai/format/format-every-line-an-effect

## Source

Our own reading and measurement of a TikTok by @justyn.ai, posted 17 Oct 2026. The clip is a third-party reference and is not shown; the words here are ours https://www.tiktok.com/@justyn.ai/video/7697695105112755477

Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.