Chapter 5: Pre-Production

Pre-production is where most production problems can be prevented. This is the stage for making decisions before time and compute are locked in.

Pre-production goals

• Confirm the concept.
• Lock the script, prompt plan, or outline.
• Finalize format requirements.
• Confirm character and product turnarounds.
• Gather brand visual assets, including color palette, logo, typography, and layout rules.
• Resolve legal, claims, and brand issues early.
• Plan edits, variations, and deliverables before generation begins.

Pre-production checklist

• Creative direction approved.
• Script, prompt plan, or outline approved.
• Scene plan or shot map prepared.
• Budget confirmed.
• Character and product turnarounds identified.
• Brand visual assets gathered.
• Legal review scheduled.
• Delivery specs confirmed.

Good habits

• Keep one source of truth.
• Document every approval.
• Resolve unclear ownership immediately.
• Build extra time for revisions that affect multiple generated assets.

Before generation begins

Define the prompt structure, the reference inputs, and the variation strategy. If the team does this well, generation becomes more controlled, more reusable, and easier to iterate.

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