Six stages · from brief to master
Process
A film is a series of decisions made in the right order. Below is the order we use, and the moment each decision becomes expensive to change.
The stages
The stages of the process
01
Brief
A 30–45 minute conversation and a short document.
We settle what the film has to achieve, who it is for, where it will run and what the real deadline is. This is also where the constraints surface — budget, rights, internal approvals. A “not like this” said now costs zero.
From your sideThe objective, the audience, the channels, the deadline, the rough budget.
02
Concept
A written creative direction, with visual references.
We propose one or two directions, not seven. Each has its own logic: what the film says, how it looks, how long it runs, what gets filmed and what gets built. The choice happens here, not in the edit.
From your sideOne round of consolidated feedback, in a single document.
03
Preparation
Storyboard or previz, and a production plan.
We translate the concept into frames. For filmed productions: locations, casting, crew, schedule. For generated ones: visual development, characters, world rules. For hybrids, both.
From your sideThe storyboard approval. Past this point, changes cost.
04
Production
Shoot, generation, or both.
The set day or days — or the generation and selection rounds. The part where the most material gets produced and the least gets kept.
From your sidePresence at the shoot, if you want it. Otherwise, an update at the end of the day.
05
Post-production
Edit, color, sound design, VFX.
The first cut reaches you early, with unfinished image — so the conversation is about structure, not colors. Color and sound come after the structure is locked.
From your sideTwo rounds of feedback: one on the cut, one on the final version.
06
Delivery
The master plus every version.
The master file, plus the formats you actually need: 16:9 for YouTube and the site, 9:16 and 1:1 for social, 6, 15 and 30-second cutdowns, subtitles, text-free versions for localisation.
From your sideThe list of formats. We ask for it at the brief, so we shoot and frame for them.
Timelines
How long it really takes
It depends on the format and on how many approval rounds exist on your side. As an order of magnitude, from signed brief to delivery: two to three weeks for a short social film, four to six for a brand film with a shoot, six to eight for a generative production with consistent characters.
The most common cause of delay is not the production — it is feedback scattered across channels and rounds. Which is why we ask for consolidated feedback, once per stage.
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