Library / Workflows
Workflow: cinematic short
Leave with a scene preparation plan that connects the story turn, locked references and five purposeful coverage shots before any frames are made.
workflow · cinematic · film · stamp
Optional demo graph stamp
Five coverage shots for a locked character in one location. Still then motion.
Cinematic short template · Applies to the shared Mojave demo, not a private project. Worksheet notes are not imported.
Proof-of-concept / Working resource / v1
Make the decision. Keep the record.
Leave with a scene preparation plan that connects the story turn, locked references and five purposeful coverage shots before any frames are made.
Download worksheet (.md) ↓Includes instructions, a worked example and a blank worksheet. Edit in any text or Markdown editor. Save your copy with your project files; it does not sync to the shared demo.
How to use it
- Complete the beat, character and look sheets first. Give each approved reference a version so the coverage points to a specific decision, not a changing mood board.
- Choose one scene with a visible change. Assign the five starter shots below a story purpose; replace any shot that does not help the scene rather than adding coverage for its own sake.
- Download and fill the worksheet. If you want to explore the graph, the optional Cinematic short stamp adds one scene and five shot nodes to the shared Mojave demo. It does not import this worksheet or create a private project.
- Compare the storyboard to the completed sheet. Record unresolved decisions before ordering or importing media. A planning lock is an approval decision, not a guarantee that an external engine will preserve identity.
Review before handoff
- Every shot points to the same approved reference versions.
- The scene change is visible, not only described in dialogue.
- Unresolved choices have an owner; no worksheet is mistaken for an automatic graph import.
Fictional worked example
The Last Signal
An original teaching example, not a customer result. Reference filenames are illustrative; no source media is included.
- Scene promise
- The Last Signal / CS1 / INT. RELAY ROOM. Mara stops trying to call for rescue and chooses to warn the valley instead.
- Reference versions
- Mara character v1; relay-room look v1; beats v1. Director approves revisions before a new board is built.
- Five-shot spine
- CS1A: empty valley through relay window. CS1B: Mara reaches the radio. CS1C: she hears no reply and decides. CS1D: her thumb switches RESCUE to ALL. CS1E: she holds the microphone as valley lights answer.
- Continuity dependencies
- Mara faces screen right toward the radio throughout. Microphone begins in its cradle, moves to her right hand in CS1D, and stays there in CS1E. Coat remains zipped halfway.
- Board review
- The switch to ALL must be legible without dialogue. CS1D is the blocking frame; do not approve the scene if her decision only exists in the voice-over.
- Handoff and open decisions
- Prepared, not approved. Director to choose the final valley response. Board artist to show an alternate CS1E with one distant light, keeping the same character and look references.
Preview the blank worksheet
The download includes these prompts plus project, version and approval fields. Duplicate rows when you need more coverage or episodes.
- Scene promise
- Name the scene, the location and the one change the audience must understand.
- Reference versions
- List approved character, look and story versions; include the person who approves changes.
- Five-shot spine
- Write the function of CS1A establish, CS1B enter, CS1C turn, CS1D insert and CS1E exit/hold.
- Continuity dependencies
- Name the action, prop and screen-direction facts each shot must inherit.
- Board review
- Specify what must read with sound off and which missing frame blocks approval.
- Handoff and open decisions
- Record approved versions, unresolved questions, owner and next action.