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The brief
One page that says who it is for, how long it runs, which languages and where it will be posted.
- Home
- The workflow
How a video gets made here: eleven steps, four checkpoints.
This is the map, not the manual. It shows what happens, in what order, and where you step in. It leaves out the tools, the settings and the instructions I give them. Those took months to get right, and they stay with me.
Pick a kind of video, then click any step to see what it is for.
The full eleven steps. This is how “Hello, World” was made. You decide here
The same steps, as a list
- Story. The whole story first, so every later choice has something to serve.
- Characters. Each character gets a personality, a want and a fear before anyone draws them.
- Plan. The story broken into sequences, with the cast, the places and the props it needs. You approve the plan.
- Casting. Many candidates for each lead, judged side by side on the same sheet. You help choose one.
- Wardrobe. The outfit and its details, fixed once so it matches in every shot.
- Places. Each location in several versions. One is chosen, and every other view of it is made from that one.
- Props. The few objects that matter, made once and reused.
- Rough cut. A plain 3D version of the film, to check framing and timing before any real rendering.
- Production. Every sequence is made cheaply first. Only the takes that work are remade properly.
- Review. You watch and leave notes at the exact second. You mark it “needs changes” or “good to go”.
- Finish. Sound, music, final edit and delivery in the sizes you need. You approve the final.
Nine steps. The script and the narrator come first. You decide here
The same steps, as a list
- Brief. One page: who it is for, how long it runs, which languages, where it will be posted. You approve it before I draw anything.
- Script. Written beat by beat, with timings that add up. It has to pass one test: can someone retell it in two sentences? You approve it.
- Narrator. You hear voice samples and choose one. It stays the same across the whole series.
- Look. One finished frame and one voice sample, approved by you. After that they do not change.
- Draw. The frames, made in the approved style.
- Voice. The narration, made from the approved script and timed to the picture.
- Animate. Movement and timing, built in code so a change takes minutes.
- Review. You watch and leave notes at the exact second. You mark it “needs changes” or “good to go”.
- Post. A caption for each platform, scheduled in your time zone. Every post is logged with its link, and none goes out without your approval.
Eight steps, with a teacher checking the facts. You decide here
The same steps, as a list
- Brief. One page: who it is for, how long it runs, which languages, where it will be posted. You approve it before I draw anything.
- Topic. One topic from your syllabus, matched to a class and one thing a student should be able to do afterwards.
- Script. Written beat by beat, with timings that add up. It has to pass one test: can someone retell it in two sentences? You approve it.
- Sources. Real archive images, with the licence and author of each written down.
- Page. The scrapbook page, cut, taped and typed in code.
- Typewriter. Caption timing: each line appears as the narrator says it.
- Review. You watch and leave notes at the exact second. You mark it “needs changes” or “good to go”.
- Post. A caption for each platform, scheduled in your time zone. Every post is logged with its link, and none goes out without your approval.
Seven steps, all of them starting from your track. You decide here
The same steps, as a list
- Brief. One page: who it is for, how long it runs, which languages, where it will be posted. You approve it before I draw anything.
- Track. The beats, the sections and the time of every word, mapped from your audio.
- Look. One finished frame and one voice sample, approved by you. After that they do not change.
- Lettering. A treatment for each line, such as typewriter, strikethrough, glow or glitch, chosen for what the line means.
- Pictures. Stills or footage in one consistent look, colour-graded.
- Review. You watch and leave notes at the exact second. You mark it “needs changes” or “good to go”.
- Master. The final render in vertical and widescreen, plus a short teaser. You approve the master.
Nine steps, built around one idea. You decide here
The same steps, as a list
- Brief. One page: who it is for, how long it runs, which languages, where it will be posted. You approve it before I draw anything.
- One idea. The single thing the film must make people feel or understand. Everything else is cut.
- Script. Written beat by beat, with timings that add up. It has to pass one test: can someone retell it in two sentences? You approve it.
- Look. One finished frame and one voice sample, approved by you. After that they do not change.
- Key frames. The important moments, made first so the subject looks the same in every shot.
- Motion. One continuous camera move, and transitions that behave like real objects.
- Sound. Narration, music and effects that follow the action on screen.
- Review. You watch and leave notes at the exact second. You mark it “needs changes” or “good to go”.
- Cut-downs. Shorter versions for ads and social media. You approve each one.
Select a step
Each step says what it is for and what you see. Steps marked “you decide” are checkpoints: nothing moves on without your yes.
You decide hereA change sends the work back here, and flags everything that depends on it.
Your part
Where you decide
Four checkpoints in every kind of video. Nothing moves past one without your yes.
2
The look and the voice
One finished frame and one voice sample. After you approve them, they do not change.
3
Every version
You watch, leave notes at the exact second, and say “needs changes” or “good to go”.
4
Every post
Nothing is posted until you approve it, and each post is logged with its link.
The rules behind it
Three rules the workflow follows
Make it once, then reuse it
Pip’s face, the study and the valley were each made once and saved. Every later shot starts from them, which is why they match.
A change flags what it touches
Late in the film I rewrote a shot. A checklist listed everything that depended on the old version, so nothing stayed quietly out of date.
Rough first, good second
Every sequence is made cheaply before it is made well. A mistake costs minutes instead of hours.
What this page leaves out
The tools, the settings and the instructions. If someone could rebuild my work from a web page, it would not be worth hiring me. What you get from me is the result, and a process you can see and check.
Questions about the workflow
Can I see the prompts or the settings?
No. They are the part that took longest to get right, and they stay with me. You see every result, and you decide at every checkpoint.
Is there a person in every step?
Yes. Machines make pictures, moving shots, voice and music. I write, choose, check and edit at every step.
How long does it take?
It depends on the kind of video and how many rounds of changes you want. The 32-second film on this site took two days.
Can I use only part of it?
Yes. Some people send me a finished script, or a finished track, and start from there.
Want this workflow pointed at your idea?
Send me the idea in two lines. I will tell you which kind of video it is, and what the first checkpoint would look like.