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Video Timeline Intelligence

Video editors waste 60-70% of project time on repetitive tasks: scrubbing footage for best takes, creating platform variations (16:9, 9:16, 1:1), syncing audio, finding b-roll - instead of creative storytelling.

App Concept

  • AI assistant that ingests raw footage and auto-generates intelligent timelines with best takes pre-selected, synced, and organized
  • Computer vision analyzes every frame: detects faces, emotions, camera movements, focus quality, composition balance, scene changes
  • Audio analysis: identifies clear dialogue vs background noise, detects music beats for rhythm-based cuts, removes filler words
  • One-click multi-platform export: from single edit, generates optimized 60s TikTok, 90s YouTube Short, 3min YouTube, 10min long-form versions
  • Shot recommendation engine: "This section needs b-roll - here are 5 clips from your library that match tone/color/pacing"

Core Mechanism

  • Ingestion pipeline extracts rich metadata: camera settings, timestamps, GPS, stabilization data, focus points, audio levels
  • ML models score every second: speaker engagement (facial expressions), visual quality, narrative pacing, emotional arc
  • Smart assembly: auto-sequences clips following cinematic rules (establishing shot → close-up → cutaway pattern)
  • Platform optimizer: knows TikTok wants hook in first 3 seconds, YouTube needs 8-second intro, LinkedIn prefers captions
  • Collaboration layer: director leaves timestamped feedback, AI propagates changes across all platform versions simultaneously

Monetization Strategy

  • Freemium: 30 min footage/month, 720p export, watermarked platform variations
  • Creator ($29/month): 5 hours footage, 4K export, unlimited platform versions, music library integration
  • Pro ($99/month): 20 hours footage, team collaboration, brand template library, API access
  • Studio ($399/month/5 seats): Unlimited footage, centralized asset management, client review portals, advanced analytics
  • Usage-based overage: $10/hour additional footage processing
  • Affiliate: recommended stock footage/music libraries earn commission

Viral Growth Angle

  • Time-lapsed screen recordings: "Watch 4 hours of editing compressed to 4 minutes" - mesmerizing productivity porn
  • Platform comparison widget: side-by-side view of how same story adapts to TikTok/YouTube/LinkedIn - creators share for teaching
  • "One shoot, 5 platforms" case studies drive content creator FOMO
  • Agency testimonials: "Cut post-production costs 60%" - B2B viral loop
  • Free tier generates watermarked videos that advertise the tool on every platform

Existing projects

  • Descript - Text-based video editing with AI features
  • Runway ML - AI video editing tools and effects
  • Kapwing - Online video editor with smart tools
  • OpusClip - AI clips long videos into shorts
  • Pictory.ai - Text-to-video and highlight detection
  • Adobe Premiere's AI features - Scene edit detection, auto-reframe, but not holistic timeline intelligence

Evaluation Criteria

  • Emotional Trigger: Be indispensable, limit risk - eliminates grunt work so creatives focus on storytelling
  • Idea Quality: Rank: 9/10 - Video content explosion creates massive demand for editing efficiency; AI video analysis is proven technology
  • Need Category: Foundational Needs (workflow efficiency) + Stability & Opportunity (handling more clients with same resources)
  • Market Size: 50M+ video creators (YouTube 60M channels, TikTok 1B users, Instagram Reels) - even prosumer tier is $15B+ market
  • Build Complexity: High - requires computer vision models, audio processing, video encoding infrastructure, real-time collaboration features
  • Time to MVP: 4-5 months with AI coding agents - leverage existing ML models (MediaPipe, Whisper), focus on timeline orchestration and export optimization
  • Key Differentiator: Only platform combining intelligent shot selection, multi-platform optimization, and collaborative workflow in a single timeline - not just clip generation but full edit intelligence