A Cantonese Christmas Greeting

Open with one Cantonese greeting, then one shop fact. Mei at a cake counter in Sheung Wan speaks Cantonese. Her first sentence is the greeting, and that sentence is the point of the reel. The next sentence is the single fact: the counter closes at four on Christmas Eve. Burn the captions into the picture so a silent play still shows both lines. The caption safe zone is the upper-middle. A realistic face or a realistic voice is labeled as AI. Leave any platform label where the app puts it. The practical cut is fifteen to forty-five seconds, and the first three seconds carry the greeting. Mei's open is the Cantonese greeting, and the shop fact waits one breath. Say the greeting, follow it with the single fact that the counter closes at four on Christmas Eve, burn both lines into the upper-middle, and label the post. The first three seconds show her at the Sheung Wan cake counter while she says that greeting. An English hello first, a second shop fact, or writing on the cake is rejected before posting. One speaker, fifteen to forty-five seconds, and the caption says the face and the Cantonese voice are AI.

Greeting first

The first spoken sentence is the Cantonese greeting, short enough to finish inside the opening three seconds. Mei does not start with the shop name, a hello in English, or the closing time. Those can follow. If the first sentence is already a paragraph, the greeting stops being the point. Say the greeting, then stop, then give the one fact. Greeting, stop, then the one fact. Keep the greeting inside the opening. The first three seconds show Mei at the counter while she says the Cantonese greeting. A first sentence that is the shop name, an English hello, or the closing time is the take you reject.

One shop fact after it

The second sentence is one fact from the counter: they close at four on Christmas Eve. A second fact about flavors, delivery, and another day crowds the reel. The burned-in captions repeat the greeting and that fact in the upper-middle, where the reel buttons do not cover them. Bottom and right stay clear. Sentence two is only the Christmas Eve closing time. Burn the greeting and that fact where the buttons do not cover them. The first three seconds show the greeting in the upper-middle while she says it in Cantonese. A second fact about flavors or delivery, or captions on the bottom and the right, is refused before posting.

Label a realistic voice

A worked example

Mei stands at her Sheung Wan cake counter. The first Cantonese sentence is the greeting. The next sentence says the counter closes at four on Christmas Eve. Both lines are burned into the upper-middle of the frame. The post is labeled as AI because the face and voice are realistic. The cake in frame has no writing on it. The export is vertical. Greeting, four-o'clock fact, burned-in lines, label. The first three seconds show her at the cake counter while she says the greeting. A cake with writing, or a second fact, is rejected before posting. The caption says the face and voice are AI.

Before you post

• The first sentence is the Cantonese greeting.
• Only one shop fact follows.
• Captions are burned into the frame.

Where Scro fits

Scro uses a spoken Cantonese voiceover for Mei's reel, and the first sentence is the point, so the greeting leads. Burn the captions into the picture. Export the file at 9:16 so the same vertical reel can carry those lines. Lead with the Cantonese greeting, burn the captions, and export the vertical file after both lines are in the picture. The first three seconds show Mei while she says the greeting, and the following sentence says the counter closes at four on Christmas Eve. An English open, or type on the cake, is rejected before posting. The caption says the voice is AI.

Open in Cantonese. Finished samples are on the examples page.

Related: Explain a Gift Card in a Cartoon.