Act 3B asset review — all candidates across 10 beats. Approve what's in, flag what's not. I'll build on what you green-light.
0 of 18 decided
Beat 1 · 70.42s → 83.02s
"They started selling land along the canal route — two towns platted 1830, Ottawa and Chicago, same year, same surveyor."
12.6s
1
Ottawa 1831 — Higgsfield generated
Image
hf-early-ottawa-1831.webp
Small frontier settlement, river bend, early cleared land. Works for "land being sold" beat — town just beginning. Could pair with Chicago plat.
2
Chicago 1830 Thompson Plat Map — LOC
Image
chicago-1830-thompson-plat.png
The actual 1830 Chicago survey — same year as Ottawa. Shows it as a tiny grid on the lake. Strong visual proof for "same year, same surveyor." Could flash-cut Ottawa 1831 → Chicago plat → back.
Beat 2 · 83.02s → 100.30s
"Peru got its name from the country — Peru declared independence 1821, newest nation on earth."
17.3s — KEY BEAT
3
Peru Independence 1821 — Higgsfield generated
Image · KEY ASSET
hf-peru-independence-1821.webp
The painting we pulled from Higgsfield history. This is the centerpiece of the Peru beat — the moment settlers named their town after the newest country on earth. If this doesn't land, I can pull the other 2 versions from history.
4
Peru IL Today — Google Earth aerial
Image
peru-google-earth-aerial.jpg
Modern Peru from above. Could work as a contrast shot after the independence painting — "they named this river town after that." Or skip and stay period-only for this beat.
Beat 3 · 100.30s → 106.46s
"LaSalle boat basin — four towns, one river, one decade."
6.2s
5
Four Towns Animation — Remotion built
Video · 9s
four-towns-v1.mp4 · 9s
Ottawa, Chicago, Peru, LaSalle appearing on the canal route map in sequence. Built in Remotion. This is the signature visual for this beat — if it works, it's the anchor for the whole 4-towns line.
Beat 4 · 106.46s → 111.50s
"Irish showed up with pickaxes."
5s · punchy cut
6
Irish Workers — pick your shot
Multi-Option
Three options for the Irish beat. This is a 5-second hard cut — needs to be punchy. Pick the one that hits.
Option A
HF Diggers — period illustration style
Option B
HF Workers v1 — group shot
Option C
HF Workers v2 — closer
Beat 5 · 111.50s → 129.62s
"12 years — I&M Canal — Chicago at the hinge — handed Chicago its future."
18.1s · heaviest visual beat in the act
7
Canal Dig Animation — 11s
Video · 11s
canal-dig-v1.mp4 · 11s
Kling morph — canal construction in progress. Pairs with the Irish workers cut. If this works as the "12 years of mud" visual, we can follow it with the LOC canal locks photos as the canal completes.
8
I&M Canal — completed infrastructure (LOC)
Multi-Option
Period LOC photos of the completed canal. These are the "it opened" shots. Pick 1-2 to use. I'll stack them as a slow-zoom sequence.
Option A
Des Plaines River locks — LOC
Option B
Fox River Aqueduct — LOC
Option C
Ottawa Toll House — LOC
Option D
Canal boats at Lockport — LOC
9
Kling Morph — Prairie → Canal built
Multi-Option · Keyframes
These are the keyframe stills for a potential Kling morph — empty prairie into completed canal settlement. If you want a morph for the "Chicago at the hinge" beat, I'll run it from these. Or skip the morph and use stills only.
Option A
Prairie → Canal completed (run the Kling morph)
Option B
Canal construction → LaSalle settled (run the Kling morph)
—
Option C
Skip morph — use stills only
Beat 6 · 129.62s → 143.30s
"Railroad / obsolete / walking trail / bring your dog."
13.7s
10
Railroad vs Canal Map — Remotion animation
Video · 9s
railroad-map-v1.mp4 · 9s
Shows railroad overtaking the canal route. Locked in Act 3A planning — flagging for confirmation it's still in for Act 3B. This is the "then the railroad came" visual.
11
Railroad Westward Empire — Currier-Ives LOC
Image
railroad-westward-empire-currier-ives-loc.jpg
Period illustration — westward railroad expansion. "The railroad came through" beat. Works as a hard cut after the map animation to show what replaced the canal.
12
Canal Towpath Overgrown Today — Higgsfield
Image
hf-canal-towpath-overgrown.webp
"Now it's a walking trail. Bring your dog." This is the punch line visual. The contrast between the 12-years-of-mud canal and the peaceful overgrown trail today.
Beat 7 · 143.30s → 161.18s
"Ghost towns — that's what should have happened — it didn't."
17.9s
13
Ottawa 1858 River Town — Higgsfield
Image
hf-ottawa-1858-river-town.webp
Ottawa still thriving in 1858. "It didn't die — here's why" beat. Shows the town wasn't a ghost — it survived the canal's death because of coal.
Beat 8 · 161.18s → 172.46s
"We had coal — without canal no state — without coal no town."
11.3s · closing beat of the act
14
Coal — pick your shot
Multi-Option
Three options for the coal beat. This is the act closer — needs weight. "We had coal" is a one-line punch. The visual needs to land hard.
Option A
Cinema Coal Mine — Higgsfield Soul Cinema (4s)
Option B
LOC Miners in shaft — period stereograph
Option C
HF Coal Mine 1880s — generated
Bonus · Gap-Fill Candidates
B-roll and pause beats — slower moments that need a visual.
Flag anything useful
15
LaSalle Industrial Waterfront 1860s — Higgsfield
Image · Gap-Fill
hf-lasalle-industrial-waterfront-1860s.webp
Could anchor the "four towns, one river" beat. LaSalle boat basin is specifically mentioned — this visual shows the industrial life that made LaSalle relevant. Also bleeds into Act 5 (Matthiessen + Hegeler).
Short Soul Cinema clip — Irish workers in motion. Can layer into the 12-years beat alongside the stills. Adds movement to an otherwise still-heavy sequence.
17
Fox River Aqueduct Ottawa — LOC HAER
Image · Gap-Fill
im-canal-ottawa-foxriver-aqueduct-loc.jpg
LOC HAER documentation — the actual Fox River Aqueduct in Ottawa. Engineering shot. Could work as a slow push during "12 years they dug" or as a "here's what they built" beat.
18
Missing Assets — anything you want generated?
Decision
Higgsfield auth is down tonight — Chrome-Archie profile isn't signed in. If you approve this card and leave a note, I'll queue the generations for next session. Or if there's something obvious missing from the beat map, call it here.
