Briefing 🤯

• IDEA

  • Find an idea from anything, could be from a joke, situations, thoughts, history, news, relationship etc...

• SETUP

  • Time
    • day or night, past or future

  • Place
    • inside or outside, type of place, anything about the place that means anything to the story

  • Situation
    • circumstances, relationship between characters, weather conditions

• CONFLICT

  • Problems that can arise, obstacles in the way of characters resolution.

• RESOLUTION

  • Something with a bang, a Twist, or a suspense for a short with a second part.

Scripting 📄

• Create a list of connecting lines & action (stories)

  • Side stories / problems (focuses)

  • Flashbacks

  • Feelings between characters

  • moments

• Script Labels

  • Intro
    • Some sort of plugin like a funny “subscribe” short skit or merch ad
    • Preferably different from the last short to keep it interesting
    • Needs to be attention grabbing (because it fills the first 15sec of the video)
    • The intro could suggest what the story could be about in a subliminal way but shouldn’t spoil the story, the more random it is, the better.
    • No use of main story assets to keep it different from the main story

  • Scenes
    • Scenes are broken based on locations
    • Should be numbered (ex. “Scene 1”)

  • Flashbacks
    • Flashbacks should be labeled as “Flashback” and not “Scenes” as they could be random and not part of the main story.

  • Credit
    • List of people and their roles
    • Could also include sponsors logo at the end

  • After Credit
    • As the name suggest this is a short clip that comes after the credit
    • Helps tying loose ends in the story
    • Not every story needs this, but could be helpful with stories with unsatisfying ending
    • Makes more sense if it has something to do with the main story, and not just completely random

• Write the script

  • Differentiate / identify
    • D5 Green - Camera angle [——]
    • D2 Red - Action @
    • D3 Orange - Background sound &
    • D8 Blue - Manners ***

      

• Review the Script

  • Go through the script for story correction

  • Spelling Correction

  • Suggesting/ comment a different way to say some lines (if not sure about the line)

Notion 🗂️

• Characters

  • Go through the script and identify characters characteristics and fill in the notes for each characters under each character’s folder.

  • Flashbacks

  • Feelings between characters

  • moments

Voice Over🎙

Animation 🎨

• Background

  • Go through the script and identify the backgrounds by location then shot angles then make a list of each locations then make a list of the shot angles for each locations.

  • Sketch a simple layout of what all the backgrounds should look like, including the selected intro if the intro needs to be animated.

  • Find assets in storage/collection that could be used or redressed to fit into any of the background sketches, instead of outlining new background elements.

  • Collect resources for the backgrounds based on each locations, with pictures from online or personally taken for the element in the sketch not already covered by pre-existing assets. Save these pictures in their own folder Picture_Collection/background_title as collection just in case.

  • Crop the pictures if needed, to be used in a collage

  • Make a collage of the cropped pictures to make up a backgrounds to match the layout sketch as openly as possible (separate the collage into different layers including the pre-existing assets from the collection to make it easy when tracing)

  • Trace the background pictures separately to create separate assets

  • Color the traced elements. (Color contrast between the background assets should be the same so lighting and shadowing can have a consistency and a natural feel.)

  • Copy and paste each assets to a new template and save them to be reused. (Save the new assets with similar pre-existing assets)

  • Save each backgrounds in the short folder under backgrounds. Title each of them using simple and short descriptions (self explaining title preferably).

  • Combine background elements into 3 layers, (bottom elements), (middle elements), (top elements). (this will help simplify creating depth once we incorporate lighting and shadow)

• Set design

  • Decorate the backgrounds with details by first identifying opportunities (places to put these details)

  • Decide and list what type of elements to place and where to place them (Appropriate for the location and story)

  • Try to use pre-existing assets in file.

  • If there are no similar assets in file, find pictures online to outline

  • Once the pictures are outlined and colored, Save the asset in collection for future use.

  • Apply the assets to the backgrounds

• Lighting/Shadowing

  • Figure out where light is coming from for every background, Keep lighting consistent between shots for every location. ( if the light is coming from the left for one character, the light will be coming from the right for the other character that's facing this character). Shots could be in the same area but not focused in one situation or spot make sure lighting/Shadowing is consistent between these shots.

  • Figure out which areas are exposed to the light

  • Separate lightings to each element when applying to create depth. Do the same for shadows.

• Characters

  • Identify the characters

  • Go through the script and describe them based on their actions. Make a list for each characters.

  • Use the descriptions for each characters as a base to narrow down to their looks. Use outside sources like movies and people to figure out what these types of characters would dress like, the type of accessories that define them in society. Make a list of the personal identifiers and accessories each characters will be designed with.

  • Find the personal identifiers and accessories in the asset collection file. For the accessories not in collection, Find a 3D (360) file or at least one each of 0° 45° 90° 180° picture of the item ( You can copy those angles and flip the assets to cover the other end of the angles). For the personal identifiers not in file, they need to be created form scratch, take inspiration from online.

  • Design the characters, create a simple layout of the character with the head molded to fit the character personality, include only the eyes mouth and shadow, then duplicate this simple layout with the eyes, mouth and shadow to create a simple character layout, save both in the same template but in different layers. Then include all the personal identifiers and accessories on one of the character copy only, make 6 angles ( Make the first 3 then duplicate and flip it 180° to make the other 3 , then add or take out necessary details to make them different)

  • Save each character designs in the character collection for future use, title each character file with a simple description of the character. Then save it as a new file to the current short folder under characters, title each characters file with the character name.

Audio Mix 🎹

• Assembly edit

  • Import all of the video cuts from all of the scenes in Animation/Scene_#/Cut_#'s to premier pro according to the order of the script. keep space between the videos, to easily identify the videos and to add transitions later. Don’t forget to save the premier file to main folder called Final and title it as [”short title”_rough cut]

  • Figure out the minutes the videos are animated in each location by adding up the collection of cuts in that location to identify how long the background noise should be, write down the time for each location in the notion information section that relates to the Audio mix.

• Identify, Find, Save

  • Background tone
    • Go through the full script and write down the location details and what we should hear around for each locations. Starting from the base sound like room tone to the location emphasizing noises like trees shuffling or paper shuffling.

    • list the background noise list on notion. Tag it using location name (use the exact location name from file), Scene#, cut#

    • Each location should have its own background sound build for it to avoid too much work on each scenes and cuts. It also help maintain consistency.

    • Use the list to find background noises and save them under Audio Effects/Background_tone/background_names/Collection Title them by a simple description.

  • Sound effect
    • Go through the whole video on premier pro using frame.io and identify any opportunity for sound effects, in frame or outside of the frame and write it down as a timestamp comment using frame.io in premier pro.

    • Background noises that changes during cuts (ex. A door opening and hearing a whole different background sound coming through the door from outside) are sound effects and not actual permanent background noise, so include them as well. Signify that it's a background noise change in the frame.io comment and estimate the length it should be and include the estimate in the comment.

    • Don't forget to add transitional sound effects between cuts, use frame.io to timestamp on the area between the cuts the flashback effect is needed.

    • Use Frame.io to export the CSV of the rough cut timestamp comments to the Audio Effects/Sound_effects folder , to create a timestamp of sound effects. Title it as [”short name"_sound effect Timestamps]

    • open notion and Import the CSV [”short name"_sound effect timestamps] file from Audio Effects/Sound_effects local file into notion, current short to create sound effect list.

    • Use the list to find audio effects for every movement in each cuts and check off the notion list as found.

    • Save the audios of each sound effects found, to Audio Effects/Sound_effects/collection and title them as [order#_Audio description] and tag them, by their scene#. The audio description of the file should match the notion title for that audio reference list to easily place the audio in premier timeline.

  • Music
    • Identify the cuts that need music in each scenes. Identify and write down the feelings these cuts are trying to express using the script. Identify and write down what the characters are feeling on these cuts (for each scenes) (for example, is the scene tense, is it dramatic or is it suspenseful etc). Also include in the list a description of when exactly these emotions arise and end (which cut# it starts from and which cut# it ends as a comment.

    • Including in the comment what kind of effect each music need to have especially in the intro and outro.

    • figure out what the credit music should sound like. That music should identify with the feeling the story has.

    • Use the list to find music for each scenes that require music. Save it under Audio Effects/music/Scene_#/Cut#-Cut#/collection Title them as [Scene#.cut#-cut#] tag them by the scene#’s (one music could have more than one scene# tag)

• Editing

  • Compose Background tone
    • Import all of the background noises for the current location being worked on, from Audio Effects/Background_tone/Bacground_Name/Collection to Adobe audition Multitrack accordingly starting from the base sound like a room tone to a small noises, using the multitrack layers.

    • Compose the background tone one location at a time. The Sounds should be composed or layered starting from a nonstop noise like a room tone then add up to a location emphasizing details (small details) like a tree shuffling or office phone ringing.

    • There should only be one background noise composition for one location. If a background noise changes volume or adds details to the existing background noise (for example, a low mumbling noise progressively becomes a train arriving or a window opens and you hear more details of the city) make note of the scene#.cut# and edit for it as a sound effect on Premier Pro during final edit, as this background noise additions are sound effects and not part of the background noise, as they can change back when the window opens for example.

    • The audios for each locations should be longer than needed, to have a space to play with for final Video Edit. To know the exact length the background noise for each location should be, refer back to the notion note on the duration of each location background noise in the information section of .

    • Save the composed background noise under Audio Effects/Background_tone/Bacground_Name/Composed and title them as location-name_Background-tone.

  • Edit the Sound Effects
    • Import the collected sound effects from Audio Effects/Sound_effects/collection to Adobe Audition one by one.

    • Edit each sound effects individually (no fading, fading will be done during final edit using the final video as a reference). Use the sound effect timestamp on notion for each sound effects, to correlate it to [”short title”_rough cut] video from Final folder and match the sound effect edit to the video. Use the same process as the voiceover, when picking which sound to use and copying it to a new layer Do not destroy the original file.

    • Save the sound effects to Audio Effects/Sound_effects/Edited Title them as [scene#.cut# - a short description of the sound effect (description should be the title of the sound effect in notion to make applying easy)] then tag each sound effects with their scene#.

    • Mass process the sound effects that doesn't require a special treatment (process tbd)

    • Process the sound effects that require further processing or special treatment individually,

    • Save every change.

  • Edit the music
    • Import the music file from Audio_Effects/music/Scene_#/Cut#-Cut#/collection to Adobe Audition, copy the entire music file to a new layer and take out the unnecessary parts of the music on the new layer so we don't damage the original file, open the original import unsaved.

    • Use the correlating animation video to each music as a reference to see how long the music should be, try to make it longer than it needs to be if the length of the music is good enough to play with or it can be worked to loop, it could help later on final editing.

    • This editing process should only be light cropping and removing unnecessary sounds.

    • Save the edited music to Audio_Effects/music/Scene_#/Cut#-Cut#/. Title each music as [scene#.cut#’s or scene#.cut#1-cut#2 if music is between multiple cut#’s]2

Final Edit 🎬

• Import files to Premier Pro

  • Work on final editing, one scene out of time. Once done with one scene move on to the next scene on the premier timeline and follow the process of the previous scene, keep doing that until the end of the short.

  • Import the rough cut
    • Import the rough cut [”short title”_Rough cut] from Final folder to premier pro

  • Import the Sound effects
    • Use Frame.io timestamp comments(markers) of the rough cut inside premier pro as a reference to place the sound effect audios from Audio Effects/Sound_effects/Edited of the current scene being worked, on the premier pro timeline, according to order.

  • Import Background noise
    • Import the composed background noise for the location, the current scene is on. the composed background noises are in Audio Effects/Background_tone/Composed and place them in a layer under the sound effect

• Crop/Edit

  • Edit each layers in correlation to each other

  • Sound effect

    • make sure the sound effects are aligned to their action in the video (from rough draft)

    • If the sound effect audio need to be edited to fit the action from the video better, export it to Adobe audition right from Premier pro, make the change in Adobe audition then save it (the change you made will be saved in premier pro) Go through each cuts in the current scene and analyze for any misalignment between the rough-cut video and the sound effects, list the problems and repeat this step to correct them until no problem is found.

  • Rough cut

    • crop all the cuts in the current scene being worked on to the appropriate size according to the script. (Make sure the sound effect is not misaligned with the cuts when cropping.)

    • Once all the cuts are cropped according to the script timeline, add transitional Cuts or effects needed between cuts.(ex. A white-out for a flashback)

    • Connect the cuts together including the sound effects. (Keep the alignment between the cuts and the sound effects as it is.)

    • Play the scene (connected cuts) to check for consistency and continuity, write down those problems as the video is playing. Once done playing fix the problems in the list and repeat this process until there's no problems found.

  • Background noise

    • Listen to the background noise and crop out the parts that doesn't represent the actions/situation in the scene also the length of the background noise need to fit the length of the scene.

    • Identify and write down the parts of the background noise that needs to be altered (ex. To amplify or quite down). Then make those alterations in premier pro or for more control by exporting it out to audition)

    • Play the scene with the sound effects turned off to hear more of the background noise. Identify and write down any problems or changes that needs to be made. Fix those problems and make those changes and repeat this process until there are no problems found.

• Credits

  • Collect the names of all the people involved in the making of this project.

  • Refer to the music list and check the type of music assigned for the credit.

  • Choose the form/type and animation of the credit roll.. (refer to the credit music as a reference to match the energy)

  • open the rough cut [”short title”_Rough cut] from Final folder in premier pro

  • Place text screens for each credit cuts, using the graph tool in the rough cut, according to where the credit roll is in the script.

  • Import the edited music for the credits from Audio Effects/music/edited into a new layer.

  • Use the effect tool to animate the credit texts using the credit music as a reference. (Make the credit animation feel natural with the credit music)

  • The music might run into the end credit scene so check with the script before cropping the music.

• Quality control

  • Delete the gap between the scenes, and connect all the videos and audios

  • Play the full video and list any problems with consistency and continuity between cuts and scenes. Make sure to write the problems in detail to understand it better, later.

  • Fix the listed problems and play the video again and repeat these two steps until no problems is found.

  • Make sure the story structure match the script (for example- does it have the intro?, title scenes?, all the scenes from The Script?, the credits?, the after credit scene?, the outro? etc.)

  • Generate a caption/subtitle inside Premiere Pro for the rough cut and edit or correct the subtitle as you watch the video. (the subtitle generator might not match 100%)

  • Once you correct the caption/subtitles go through the whole video to make sure there are no mistakes in captioning. Also this is a good chance to use subtitle for some hidden messages or promo code if you choose.

Social Media clips 📎

• Social media clips

  • open Premiere Pro and import [short title] from Final folder.

  • mark parts of the video that could be used as clips.(try to get at least three)(clip ideas should be in front page of the short notion page)

  • Copy and paste the marked parts of the possible clips into a new timeline as a new project. Save the new premier pro project to Social_media/premier_edit and title them by their clip#

  • CLIP EDIT: If, to make the clips for social media only requires light editing like cutting, zooming or adding sound effects, etc. follow this process.

    • open the premier pro file of the current clip being worked on from Social_media/premier_edit

    • Watch the full clip and make a timestamp marker on parts of the video that require changes. Use the comment section of the markers to be specific of what the change should be.

    • Make the changes one marker at a time by reading the comments on the markers. If parts of the video is cut out make sure to cut out the sound effects that corelate to those parts as well.

    • If music needs to be there, figure out what the feeling should be then find a non-copyrighted music that match that vibe and place it where it needs to go

    • Correct sound levels to keep it consistent and balanced.

    • Generate captions/subtitles for the voiceovers using premier pro.

    • Go to the caption/subtitles and correct mistakes.

    • Check for continuity or consistency errors, check for anything missing... video cuts, voiceovers, sound effects and background noise. Then solve those problems before moving on.

    • Export the video clips for each social media platform with the opend caption/subtitles burned into the video with the best fitting aspect ratio for each social media. Save the file to social_media/finished_clips and title them [clip#] and tag them by their social media.

  • CLIP ANIMATION CHANGE: If the clips from Social_media/premier_edit need a little change in the animation, make a list of the cut# that needs animation change and what the change will look like. Mark the cuts (parts) that will be replaced.

    • Goto Animation/Animate_cut/Scene_#/Cut#and duplicate the animate files of the cut that needs animation change, to Social_media/Animate and keep the original title of the cuts and tag them by their clip#.

    • Then open the files from Social_media/Animate one by one in Adobe Animate cc and make the animation changes for each cuts using the list made at the begining of this process

    • Export each cut as a video and save them under Social_media/rough_cutsand title them [their original FLA title]. Tag the videos by their clip#.

    • make a list of the sound effects in order for all new movements. One clip at of time and Identify which clip# they belong.

    • Go through the list of the new sound effects and find them online and save them under Social_media/sound_effects/collection and title them [order#.description of the sound] and tag them by the clip# they belong to.

    • open Adobe Audition and import the current clip new sound effects from Social_media/sound_effects/collection

    • Make a duplicate of the sound effects and open the original files and save each file to Social_media/Sound effect/Edited as you duplicate them. Title them [order#.description of the sound] and tag them by their clip#

    • Edit the sound effects, one sound out of time, using the video clips from Social_media/rough_cuts that correlate to the sound effect as a reference. Save the change.

    • open the premier pro file of the current clip being worked on from Social_media/premier_cuts

    • Import all of the new made video cuts for the current clip from Social_media/rough_cuts to Premiere Pro according to their order with space between them in a new layer

    • crop out the unnecessary parts.

    • Remove the marked cuts from the main layer of video and replace them by the newly imported videos that match names. Adjust the spacing of the videos to accommodate the new animation change in the clip main timeline.

    • Apply any transitional cuts or effects needed between the cuts, and list if the transitions need sound effect

    • Use the list to find a sound effect online and save them under Social_media/sound_effects/collection Title them [transition.order#1] and tag them transition

    • Import the transition sound effects from Social_media/sound_effects/collection one by one into Adobe Premiere Pro and put them in a new layer and use Adobe Audition to edit the sounds and cut them down to what is only needed

    • Add the sound effects from Social_media/Sound effect/Edited for the newly added videos.

    • The background noise should already be there.

    • If music needs to be there, figure out what the feeling should be then find a non-copyrighted music that match that vibe and place it where it needs to go

    • Correct sound levels to keep it consistent and balanced.

    • Generate captions/subtitles for the voiceovers using premier pro.

    • Go to the caption/subtitles and correct mistakes.

    • Check for continuity or consistency errors, check for anything missing... video cuts, voicovers, sound effects and background noise then solve those problems. Repeat this process until no problem is found.

    • Export the clip video for each social media platform with the opend caption/subtitles burned into the video with the best fitting aspect ratio for each social media. Save the file to social_media/finished_clips and title them [clip#.social_media] and tag them by their social media.

Publish 📤

• EXPORT

  • Once everything checks out, open the main short premier file [”short title”_Rough cut] from Final folder. Export the main short with the appropriate settings. Export the caption/subtitle as a separate file, so viewers can turn it off if needed on YouTube. Save both files under the Final folder, title the short video as [short title], title the caption/subtitle file [short title caption]

• THUMBNAIL

  • use the thumbnail Concepts from the video Meta in the main page of the current project, as a reference to make a thumbnail.

  • Make the thumb nail I'm Adobe Animate cc

  • Export the thumbnail as png to the main short page and title it as [Thumbnail_#]

• UPLOAD

  • YOUTUBE: upload the final short video from Final folder titled [short title] and the subtitle file title [short title caption]
    • Choose the best title idea from the video Meta of the current project
    • Apply the tags from the video meta on the current project into the youtube upload process.
    • Add end card on youtube.
    • If the video is not ready to be released yet, schedule it to the appropriate time and date. If it is ready to be released, then release it.
    • Initiate the first comment

  • SOCIAL MEDIA CLIPS: Upload the social media clips from social_media/finished_clips to their appropriate social media platform at the best and most optimal time.