Wardrobe bible three outfits max
Limit the series to three approved outfits. Infinite fashion is how identity lock dies.
6 min read
A character sheet before the first video credit
Lock face, wardrobe, palette in stills. Video credits are the expensive way to discover the character drifted.
6 min read
Multi-shot in one generate when it saves continuity
Omni/Seedance multi-shot is cheaper continuity than three separate jobs. It is worse control than three locked stills.
7 min read
Music stems before you duck the voice
A full mix under VO is a fight. Get stems, or generate the bed without a lead, then duck.
6 min read
Native audio versus TTS on the same brief
If the model can speak in-shot, do not generate silent and slap TTS on unless you need a locked brand voice.
6 min read
Lock the ratio set before you cut hook variants
If hook lengths and ratios drift, the test is unreadable. One cut point, one ratio set, thirty openings.
6 min read
Scene extension versus regenerating the take
Extension continues. Regen resets. Extend when the last frame is good. Regen when the idea is wrong.
6 min read
30-second single pass versus stitched 8-second shots
Seedance 2.5 can do ~30s in one pass. Veo still thinks in ~8s with extension. Stitching is a continuity tax.
7 min read
Upscale after picture lock
Upscaling a shot you will regen is paying twice. Lock the cut, then upscale the keepers.
6 min read
Build a Show LUT for Mixed AI Footage
A CDL-plus-LUT recipe so mixed-model shots sit on one timeline, a stills chart to test it, and the rule for when to regenerate instead.
9 min read
Checksummed Transfers for Client Masters
Ship masters with an xxHash manifest and packing list, plus a rule for WeTransfer versus Aspera, Signiant, MASV, or a physical drive.
8 min read
Conform Generated Proxies to Online Masters
Relink rules, hashes, Rec.709 tags, and a missing-media protocol for when a regen changes the filename the online expects.
8 min read
Cut M&E Stems Before You Need a Dub
Keep DX, MX, FX and optional ambience as separate files, with a sync pop, so a later-language dub is a voice swap, not a remix.
9 min read
Extended AD When the Cut Is Too Fast
When a social cut has no silence for standard AD: freeze, extend, or ship a second described cut, and brief the editor so both versions stay in sync.
8 min read
Finishing Version Suffixes: Pic, Mix, Grade
A filename grammar for _pic, _mix, _grade, and _del, plus a matrix of who owns each suffix, and why final2 is not a version.
7 min read
Match Grain, Sharpness, and Blacks at Cuts
Park on the splice and match black point, grain size, sharpening, and cadence so a generated insert stops announcing itself next to live action.
8 min read
In-Market Review on Picture, Not on a Doc
Review the localized cut on picture with visible time, using a scorecard that splits language, culture, and legal. A script doc misses collisions.
9 min read
Mix Notes Mixers Can Actually Execute
Give mixers timecode, stem, direction, amount in dB or Hz, and a reference clip. A one-page template that replaces 'make it cinematic'.
9 min read
Reduced-motion cuts for autoplay heroes
Ship a still poster, a reduced-motion loop, and a full hero from one brief so prefers-reduced-motion does not mean running three campaigns.
8 min read
Deliver Texted and Textless on Every Spot
Localization dies without a textless. Keep titles on a video track, export a matching textless, and ship a title sheet so markets restamp without a new grade.
8 min read
Transcreation Briefs for Video, Not Word Swap
A one-page transcreation brief names shot jobs, the offer, legal must-keeps, and what the adaptor may change, so the linguist rewrites the sale.
10 min read
A creative LUT will not fix mismatched shots
A look LUT on unnormalised clips keeps the mismatch and tints it. Neutralise each shot, match to a master, then grade for style.
9 min read
A creative test log you'll actually read
Tests without a written record get re-run every quarter at full cost. Log these fields per test, then review on a rhythm that feeds a hypothesis backlog.
9 min read
A rights clearance checklist before delivery
One pass over likeness, music, trademarks, provenance and disclosure before an asset ships. Each item names the specific failure it exists to prevent.
9 min read