The department playbook

Use this as a menu beside the main manual, not a requirement to hire thirty-one people or fill every card for every shot. Nineteen accountable functions cover thirty-one specialist areas; a solo creator can own many functions. The matrix is a practical coverage design for AI films, not a claim that all studios have identical departments or titles. Review modes remain separately assigned when independent review is required.

Start with story and the hard shot. Select the relevant modules, pin their inputs, assign owners, and copy their deliverables and observable checks into the task/scene packet. Omitted modules need a short reason only when they are relevant to the film's requirements. This is progressive disclosure: the 20 core prompts handle the sequence; 31 specialist prompt modules add depth when needed. Detailed cards below are rendered from the specialist contracts; edit that source and run scripts/render_department_docs.py to keep them aligned.

Department → function → artifact coverage matrix

The function codes and gate owners are defined in Roles and handoffs. These cards refine those responsibilities; the producer selects the current stage's subset rather than demanding all outputs at intake. specialist_modules in each role contract points to this coverage.

Translate physical departments into AI decisions

Camera assistants' focus/data responsibilities become explicit focus targets, source metadata and version control. Camera operation/grip becomes a motivated, feasible viewpoint path. Lighting/gaffer becomes source direction, softness, contrast and state continuity. Art construction, scenic painting, dressing, greens, costume and makeup become approved design/material/appearance references. Previs, animation, creature/FX and compositing become timing, contact, occlusion and protected-region plans. These mappings preserve the creative decisions; they do not imply a generative model implements a physical camera, simulation or 3D set.

Location scouting becomes source research, world geography and permission/provenance where actual material is used. Production accounting, coordination and assistant direction become scheduling, cost/attempt scope and dependencies. Unit management, transport, catering, physical set construction and real camera/electrical/stunt operations are inapplicable to an entirely synthetic film; hybrid work routes to M31. Language/localization and caption quality route to M21/M28. Promotion/publicity campaigns are a separate distribution brief if requested, not automatically authorized by a film-production plan.

Cinematography decisions in useful language

Composition and lens intent. Say what must be visible, where the camera is, how large the subject is, and how foreground/background relate. Camera position determines perspective; sensor format and focal length affect field of view. “Wide lens close to subject” and “longer lens from farther away for similar subject size” imply different spatial relationships. Do not use a focal number alone to specify both. Depth of field depends on aperture, focal length, subject distance and viewing assumptions; a prompt should describe the desired sharp region as well as any supported numeric control. Canon field-of-view reference, Canon depth-of-field reference.

Movement and continuity. A pan rotates the viewpoint; a track/dolly translates it; an optical zoom changes field of view without moving the camera position. Ask for the intended visible change and stable landmarks, not a list of rig names. Record actor paths, camera side, eyeline targets and exit/entry direction. The 180-degree convention is a spatial aid, not an absolute ban on crossing: a deliberate crossing needs a legible re-establishment. Coverage should preserve setup, decisive action and consequence, with an intentional transition to the next shot. Plan enough handles to cut without freezing, repeating action or importing a reference frame.

Exposure, motion and colour. Choose which highlights and shadows must retain information, how motion blur should read, and whether the output cadence is coherent. Separate creative description from actual fps, colour tags, encoding and transforms. A prompt that says “log” or “HDR” does not establish either. An ACES pipeline can be appropriate when tools and input transforms support it; it is not mandatory for AI filmmaking. Keep source, working and display/output transforms explicit to avoid applying a look twice. ACES encoding documentation.

Light. Specify the motivating source and its effect: direction, height, softness, relative fill, separation, colour relationship, shadows and reflections. Track practical on/off changes as part of canon. Do not require a named fixture when a visible effect is the useful instruction. Check hands/props and the background as well as the face; an attractive face under inconsistent light can still break the scene.

Sound decisions in useful language

Dialogue/ADR, Foley, designed effects, ambience and music have different jobs and should remain separately editable where possible. Foley follows body/object contact; effects can establish a mechanism or dramatic event; ambience maintains a location across cuts. Record voice identity, exact text, pronunciation, intent and timing. Keep room tone/ambience tails long enough for edits, and give the mix a dominant audible element per beat. Intentional silence is a decision, not a missing track.

Use a cue sheet with source-time and timeline-time, rights status, sync anchor, perspective and stem destination. Mark temp music explicitly and protect approved score timing in picture-only repairs. Request aligned dialogue/music/effects stems when useful and available; do not claim stems exist because a stereo master does. Check recombination or document expected differences from bus processing. Dolby's cinema authoring guidance illustrates stem organization, but does not make Atmos a requirement here. Dolby authoring manual.

Measure integrated loudness, dynamics and true peak against the actual destination spec, then listen through the export for intelligibility, sync, clipping, clicks and transitions. EBU R128 is a defined recommendation with its own scope, not a universal social-media target; retrieve the applicable current destination rule. EBU R128. Plan captions, transcripts and audio description as required by audience/delivery needs, and verify speaker/non-speech information as well as words. W3C media accessibility planning.

Creative practice applied to AI

The Cameron and Spielberg practice map distinguishes documented interviews/production accounts from our original AI adaptations. Use F01 for playable emotional beats, F02–F04 for previs and physical/spatial checks, F05/F08 for sound/music hierarchy, F06 for geography and reveal order, and F07 for bounded iteration/delegation. Those principles are implemented below as tasks and tests. They are not filmmaker-name style tags or a promise of equivalent results.

Specialist cards

M01 — Development and story

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Intent / owners: Give the audience a specific emotional and causal experience. EP / WR.

Inputs: Audience, genre, scope, research, premise, destination, approved source material.

Responsibilities and decisions: Define desire/obstacle/choice/consequence; distinguish research from invented world rules; allocate runtime including cards; retain only beats the film can show.

Deliverables and handoff: Brief, beat sheet, script, research/world-rule log, runtime budget. WR → DR/PM; approved facts → CC.

Acceptance: Each required payoff has a visible/audible setup; runtime arithmetic includes all material; claims needing evidence are marked.

Tool/applicability limit: A fluent script is not proof of production feasibility.

Prompt: M01 copyable module.

M02 — Production, line production and assistant direction

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Intent / owners: Finish a coherent film within actual time, capability and spend. PM / EP.

Inputs: Shot dependency graph, capability audit, authorizations, previous attempts, queue estimates, edit/delivery reserve.

Responsibilities and decisions: Prioritize hard shots early; group independent tests; schedule dependent continuations after acceptance; assign owners and backups; reserve costs and cumulative attempts.

Deliverables and handoff: Schedule, task graph, budget/attempt ledger, daily status, fallback decision. PM dispatches bounded tasks; EP decides scope/spend changes; each recipient returns evidence.

Acceptance: Critical path plus protected reserve fits deadline; rerouted/renamed jobs retain prior spend and attempts; uncertain jobs are reconciled.

Tool/applicability limit: Queue estimates vary; a planning document cannot enforce leases, payments or deadlines by itself.

Prompt: M02 copyable module.

M03 — Direction, casting and performance

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Intent / owners: Make thought legible through behaviour suited to this story. DR / WR / SD.

Inputs: Script, character and voice bibles, consent/provenance, approved face/body references, incoming/outgoing states.

Responsibilities and decisions: Choose character objective/subtext, casting traits and consistent voice; direct gaze, breath, posture, pauses and one playable action; distinguish restraint from blankness.

Deliverables and handoff: Director intent, casting/voice decision, performance card, approved take selection. DR → ML/GO; SD handles voice; CC checks identity; ED receives selected interval.

Acceptance: Action communicates the intended change; expression does not contradict subtext; identity, accent and delivery stay consistent; exact dialogue is checked by listening.

Tool/applicability limit: Subtle acting and lip sync are unreliable; select takes, shorten beats or use an editorial reaction rather than piling on adjectives.

Prompt: M03 copyable module.

M04 — Visual development and concept design

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Intent / owners: Create a coherent visual language that serves the film. CV / DR / PD.

Inputs: Audience promise, genre, research, location/character canon, approved visual references.

Responsibilities and decisions: Set shape, palette, contrast, texture and recurring motifs; compare a bounded number of options before lock; separate mood reference from identity control.

Deliverables and handoff: Look bible, approved concept set, palette/texture sheet, reference authority notes. CV → PD/DP/CF; AR registers approved assets; DR chooses look.

Acceptance: Across representative day/night/interior/exterior needs, motifs remain recognizable and support the story; references have explicit permitted influence.

Tool/applicability limit: A mood board may contaminate faces or geography if attached indiscriminately; expensive equipment tags do not establish a look.

Prompt: M04 copyable module.

M05 — Art direction, sets and environments

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Intent / owners: Give characters a spatially credible world. PD / CV / CC.

Inputs: Story geography, look bible, action/coverage needs, location references and scale anchors.

Responsibilities and decisions: Fix entrances, exits, windows, obstacles, practical lights, distances and dressing; decide which surfaces must recur across views; preserve period/material logic.

Deliverables and handoff: Location bible, plan/elevation sketch, view list, set-dressing and state map. PD → SB/DP/ML; CC maintains geography; FX receives plates.

Acceptance: A reviewer can map adjacent shots to the same place; door/window positions, usable space, landmarks and relative scale agree.

Tool/applicability limit: AI camera changes can rebuild the set; approved alternate views or a simple 3D/previs plate may be needed.

Prompt: M05 copyable module.

M06 — Props, mechanisms and practical action

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Intent / owners: Make story-critical objects and physical causality readable. PD / CC / FX.

Inputs: Prop references, scale/count/handedness, action mechanics, incoming/outgoing states.

Responsibilities and decisions: Specify shape, material, wear, moving parts, contact and force; distinguish a switch position from the resulting light state; allocate enough time for the action.

Deliverables and handoff: Prop sheet, state diagram, contact/occlusion map, mechanics test and insert requirement. PD → ML/SB/FX; CC verifies state; ED preserves action/consequence.

Acceptance: Count and scale stay fixed; fingers contact the correct surface; release follows support; mechanism moves once and causes the intended result.

Tool/applicability limit: Text cannot reliably repair contradictory image geometry; split close interaction into supported shots, composite or simplify.

Prompt: M06 copyable module.

M07 — Costume, hair and makeup continuity

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Intent / owners: Preserve recognizable identity and story-related appearance changes. CC / PD / DR.

Inputs: Approved face/body references, costume palette, period, scene chronology, damage/wetness/age states.

Responsibilities and decisions: Lock garment layers, closures, accessories, hairline/part/length, facial hair and makeup; track dirt, wetness and damage as deliberate changes.

Deliverables and handoff: Character turnaround, costume detail sheet, appearance-state timeline. CC → AR/ML/GO; DP checks under changed light; DR accepts performance/identity.

Acceptance: Silhouette and distinctive details match at relevant framings; lighting does not disguise an unapproved redesign; changes occur only at approved story events.

Tool/applicability limit: Repeated new character generations often create a new person; post-lock work makes views/states of the approved identity.

Prompt: M07 copyable module.

M08 — Cinematography: composition and shot language

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Intent / owners: Control what the audience notices and when. DP / DR / SB.

Inputs: Director intent, geography, aspect ratio, action, references, edit coverage.

Responsibilities and decisions: Select shot scale, camera height/angle, subject placement, head/look room, foreground/background layers and reveal order; use negative space or occlusion intentionally.

Deliverables and handoff: Camera/coverage plan, composition frames, reveal map and framing tolerances. DP → SB/ML; ED validates coverage; DR approves intent.

Acceptance: The story subject/action reads at delivery size; composition carries the intended information; reframing/crops preserve necessary hands, props and gaze room.

Tool/applicability limit: A framing label is approximate in generated media; inspect actual composition, not just the prompt.

Prompt: M08 copyable module.

M09 — Lenses, perspective, focus and depth

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Intent / owners: Use spatial relationships and focus to direct attention. DP / SB.

Inputs: Desired framing, camera-to-subject geometry, sensor/field-of-view assumption if relevant, focus targets, supported controls.

Responsibilities and decisions: Specify visible field of view and camera distance before optional focal length; choose foreground/background relationships, depth of field and motivated focus transition.

Deliverables and handoff: Lens/geometry intent card, focus map, near/far anchors, supported-control record. DP → SB/ML/FX; CC checks scale; ED checks focus continuity.

Acceptance: Near/far size relationships fit the intended viewpoint; critical target is readable; a focus pull changes sharpness rather than morphing objects.

Tool/applicability limit: Camera position determines perspective; focal length and sensor format affect field of view. Numeric lens/aperture prompts are intent cues unless the tool implements them.

Prompt: M09 copyable module.

M10 — Camera operation, blocking, movement and grip translation

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Intent / owners: Move the viewpoint only when it improves story or spatial understanding. DP / SB / CC.

Inputs: Location plan, actor path, action axis, eyelines, incoming/outgoing screen direction, model motion controls.

Responsibilities and decisions: Choose locked/pan/tilt/track/dolly/orbit and start/end positions; distinguish optical zoom from camera travel; define speed/acceleration and blocking; plan motivated axis crossings.

Deliverables and handoff: Camera path, blocking/eyeline map, axis notes, motion reference and boundary card. DP/SB → ML; CC validates axis; ED checks match and transition.

Acceptance: Landmarks/parallax remain plausible; gaze has a stable target; entrances/exits preserve direction; any axis crossing is re-established visibly.

Tool/applicability limit: Grip/support names describe desired stability or path, not real hardware in AI; complex orbit plus fine interaction is high risk.

Prompt: M10 copyable module.

M11 — Lighting design and gaffer translation

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Intent / owners: Make light reveal form, mood and changing story state consistently. DP / PD / CF.

Inputs: Location source map, look bible, time/weather, skin/material references, practical-light states.

Responsibilities and decisions: Choose motivated key direction/height, softness, fill/negative fill, rim/separation, practical brightness and colour relationship; decide what a switched light changes.

Deliverables and handoff: Lighting diagram/state map, approved keyframes, shadow/reflection continuity notes. DP → PD/ML/FX; CF matches shots; CC tracks source on/off.

Acceptance: Faces/action remain readable; shadows, reflections and highlights agree with sources; a source change affects the appropriate surfaces and adjacent shots.

Tool/applicability limit: Lighting prose is approximate; invented fixtures or inconsistent shadows require reference/selection/compositing. No physical rigging instructions are provided.

Prompt: M11 copyable module.

M12 — Camera pipeline: exposure, motion and colour intent

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Intent / owners: Keep the intended image reproducible through generation and finishing. DP / CF / AR.

Inputs: Delivery spec, actual source metadata, look reference, frame-rate/motion intent, available colour controls.

Responsibilities and decisions: Choose highlight/shadow priorities, motion-blur appearance and cadence; identify source/input, working and output transforms; avoid unsupported claims of log/HDR/RAW capture.

Deliverables and handoff: Image pipeline note, source metadata ledger, transform/LUT provenance, reference export. DP/AR → CF/ED; QC verifies actual file and display intent.

Acceptance: Important detail survives highlights/shadows; cadence and blur suit action; transforms are applied once; output tags/spec match actual encoded content.

Tool/applicability limit: Writing cinema/log/HDR in a prompt does not create corresponding metadata or latitude. Standards workflows are optional and require correctly identified inputs.

Prompt: M12 copyable module.

M13 — Storyboards, animatics and previs

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Intent / owners: Test timing, geography and reveal order before expensive generation. SB / DP / FX.

Inputs: Script, canon, location plan, camera/performance intent, required model durations, audio sketch.

Responsibilities and decisions: Break beats into compatible source clips; decide panel count/layout exactly; choose whether boards are planning only or actual references; test difficult staging cheaply.

Deliverables and handoff: Numbered panels with state labels, timed animatic/shot list, source-to-timeline duration map. SB → DR approval → ML/GO; ED tests rhythm; FX tests complex integration.

Acceptance: Panel count equals stated grid; source clips cover edit duration plus handles; shot boundaries preserve axis/state; each cell shows one moment.

Tool/applicability limit: A multi-panel board may generate a collage; planning frames are not automatically valid start-image inputs. Animatic rhythm does not prove generated timing.

Prompt: M13 copyable module.

M14 — Script supervision and continuity

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Intent / owners: Keep the film coherent across nonsequential generation and repairs. CC / ED / DR.

Inputs: Pinned canon/script, shot graph, actual selected boundaries, costume/prop/light/sound states.

Responsibilities and decisions: Track story time, action overlap, hand/gaze/body pose, object count, dialogue, axis and source states; distinguish permitted changes from drift.

Deliverables and handoff: Continuity ledger, cut-boundary cards, discrepancy report, change-impact list. CC → ML/GO before continuation; ED receives accepted intervals; PM invalidates affected descendants.

Acceptance: Both sides of each join match or have a deliberate motivated transition; accepted state comes from actual selected frames; contradictions have an owner/decision.

Tool/applicability limit: A still cannot establish temporal continuity or sound; inspect full relevant motion and listen when required.

Prompt: M14 copyable module.

M15 — Model feasibility and prompt engineering

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Intent / owners: Translate creative intent into controls the chosen tool can execute. ML / DP / DR.

Inputs: Packet, actual model documentation/UI, approved assets, capability limits, cost/attempt scope.

Responsibilities and decisions: Separate canon/action/camera/light/audio; resolve competing references; shorten incompatible actions; choose native/reference/start-frame modes only when supported.

Deliverables and handoff: Final prompt, negative/exclusion list where supported, attachment map, capability/unknown log. ML → GO preflight; CC/DR review conflicts; PM approves within existing scope.

Acceptance: Prompt is complete and internally consistent; each reference has control/exclusion scope; critical requests map to supported settings or tested intent cues.

Tool/applicability limit: Long prompts and named premium models do not guarantee compliance; unsupported exact timing/control must remain an uncertainty.

Prompt: M15 copyable module.

M16 — Generation operation and job reconciliation

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Intent / owners: Produce traceable candidates under bounded authority. GO / PM / AR.

Inputs: Approved prompt, real account/project, exact references/settings, valid authorization, cumulative ledger.

Responsibilities and decisions: Read back actual text/attachments/model/cost; reserve operation key once; submit within limits; reconcile ambiguous status before any retry.

Deliverables and handoff: Preflight evidence, job ID/status, actual cost, original output and provenance record. GO → AR immutable original → independent reviewer; PM updates reservation/spend.

Acceptance: Observed composer matches expected state; job/output mapping is exact; no duplicate submission or exhausted scope; candidate status remains unapproved.

Tool/applicability limit: A UI click or progress badge is not proof of attachment, export or job success. Tool/account availability must be checked at execution.

Prompt: M16 copyable module.

M17 — Asset library, DIT and data management

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Intent / owners: Make the correct version easy to find and recover. AR / CC / PM.

Inputs: Sources, actual job metadata, references, edit dependencies, approval records, storage/privacy scope.

Responsibilities and decisions: Assign stable IDs and hashes; separate original/candidate/accepted/superseded; maintain active pointers through producer integration; build proxies without replacing masters.

Deliverables and handoff: Asset registry, checksums, source-proxy map, manifest, backup/restore evidence. AR → all roles with pinned inputs; ED relinks originals; DA archives.

Acceptance: Every accepted artifact resolves to exact bytes and provenance; proxies map to originals; a sample restore/relink succeeds within the declared scope.

Tool/applicability limit: Hash equality proves bytes, not creative approval or rights. Avoid leaking private evidence into reusable/public packages.

Prompt: M17 copyable module.

M18 — VFX supervision, compositing and repair

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Intent / owners: Repair or integrate images while preserving performance and physical coherence. FX / DP / CC.

Inputs: Approved plate, camera/light geometry, masks/depth if available, effect intent, neighbours, colour pipeline.

Responsibilities and decisions: Choose regenerate/track/roto/composite/cleanup; define occlusion/contact shadows, grain/blur/reflections and interaction; isolate change scope and protected regions.

Deliverables and handoff: VFX shot brief, layer/matte package, before/after, change mask, reviewed composite. FX → CF/ED; CC checks state/identity; QC reviews full motion and seams.

Acceptance: Effect attaches to the world with correct scale, occlusion and timing; protected identity/background remain unchanged; no matte chatter, halos or invented action.

Tool/applicability limit: Video inpainting may regenerate outside the mask; unavailable depth/clean plates limit repair. Compare all affected frames, not one hero frame.

Prompt: M18 copyable module.

M19 — Editorial, assistant edit and conform

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Intent / owners: Make the story clear and rhythm intentional using recoverable source decisions. ED / AR / DR.

Inputs: Approved intervals, script/beat map, boundaries, source/proxy registry, sound plan, delivery frame rate.

Responsibilities and decisions: Select takes, preserve causality, trim overlaps/flashes, design cut/match/J/L transitions, pace pauses, add editable graphics and conform to originals.

Deliverables and handoff: Edit project, EDL/source-time map, review cut, picture-lock record, change list. ED → DR lock; SD receives locked picture/change list; CF conforms; AR preserves sources.

Acceptance: Every timeline event resolves to an approved source; action/consequence remains visible; all joins/cards/crops pass; reconform retains timing and audio sync.

Tool/applicability limit: Editing cannot manufacture missing causality; generative text should normally be replaced by controlled typography. New picture timing invalidates affected audio/reviews.

Prompt: M19 copyable module.

M20 — Sound supervision and spotting

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Intent / owners: Give each beat a clear audible perspective and story priority. SD / DR / ED.

Inputs: Script, cut/animatic, location/voice bibles, approved score, destination/channel needs.

Responsibilities and decisions: Spot dialogue, breaths, Foley, effects, ambience, music and silence; choose listener perspective; decide generated native audio versus replaceable independent tracks.

Deliverables and handoff: Spotting/cue sheet, sound bible, cue hierarchy, stem plan, sound risk list. SD assigns M21–M26 work; DR chooses intent; ED aligns changes.

Acceptance: Each story-critical audible event has a source/owner/time; dominant cues are identified; picture changes propagate to relevant cues.

Tool/applicability limit: A native mixed soundtrack may be inseparable; an audio stream does not prove dialogue, sync or clean stems.

Prompt: M20 copyable module.

M21 — Dialogue recording, voice, ADR and dialogue edit

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Intent / owners: Preserve intelligible, consistent character speech and performance. SD / DR / LR.

Inputs: Exact approved script, voice bible/consent, picture mouth/action timing, pronunciation and language notes.

Responsibilities and decisions: Choose recorded/TTS/native dialogue; lock accent/timbre/pace, breath and emotion; edit takes/noise conservatively; retime or ADR without changing meaning.

Deliverables and handoff: Dialogue takes and selects, pronunciation sheet, sync map, clean dialogue stem, transcript. SD → DR performance approval → mix; LR checks voice-use scope; QC listens.

Acceptance: Every word matches approved text; voice identity/perspective is consistent; no clipped consonants or obvious sync offset; line remains intelligible in full mix.

Tool/applicability limit: Cloned likeness/voice requires applicable permission; plausible timbre is not proof of consent. Lip sync and denoising artifacts need actual listening/viewing.

Prompt: M21 copyable module.

M22 — Foley performance and edit

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Intent / owners: Make body and object contact feel materially grounded. SD / ED.

Inputs: Selected picture frames, surfaces/materials, character weight/pace, prop mechanics, listener perspective.

Responsibilities and decisions: Choose footsteps, cloth, hand/prop contacts and movement layers; sync first contact/release; vary repetition; avoid overloading quiet drama.

Deliverables and handoff: Foley cue sheet, separate clips/takes, sync notes, Foley stem. SD → mix with ED frame anchors; CC checks prop/action match.

Acceptance: Contacts occur at visible impact; surface, weight and distance fit; footsteps do not continue after stopping; no needless emphasis masks performance.

Tool/applicability limit: Sound generation may produce extra impacts or wrong materials; split cues, trim and sync manually rather than accepting a whole noisy bed.

Prompt: M22 copyable module.

M23 — Designed sound effects

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Intent / owners: Give mechanisms and extraordinary events a coherent sonic identity. SD / FX / DR.

Inputs: Effect/prop state, cause/consequence, world rules, picture timing, available layers, rights.

Responsibilities and decisions: Design attack/body/tail, layers, pitch/timbre and perspective; distinguish mechanical operation from dramatic accent; maintain recurring motif consistency.

Deliverables and handoff: SFX design sheet, licensed/generated sources, layered session, rendered effects stem. SD/FX coordinate event timing → mix; DR approves dramatic emphasis.

Acceptance: Sound follows the intended mechanism once; onset/decay and space match picture; layers avoid unintended associations or masking the causal cue.

Tool/applicability limit: A cinematic whoosh is not a substitute for a missing switch/contact; generated effects may contain unwanted speech or music.

Prompt: M23 copyable module.

M24 — Ambience, room tone and acoustic continuity

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Intent / owners: Keep the scene inhabitable across cuts while shaping point of view. SD / ED.

Inputs: Location/time/weather, acoustic size/materials, cut changes, dialogue/score hierarchy.

Responsibilities and decisions: Choose continuous beds and sparse events; distinguish recorded room tone from outdoor ambience; manage perspective transitions and loops; preserve intentional silence.

Deliverables and handoff: Ambience map, clean beds/loops, room-tone patches where relevant, edit tails/stem. SD → ED for bridges and mix; CC checks story world/time.

Acceptance: Cuts do not expose holes or abrupt noise changes; loops avoid audible repetition; distance/interior/exterior shifts are motivated; beds leave speech room.

Tool/applicability limit: Static images cannot verify acoustic continuity; generated ambience may add anachronistic traffic, voices or score.

Prompt: M24 copyable module.

M25 — Music, composition and clearance

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Intent / owners: Support emotional structure with intentional motif, entry, release and silence. SD / DR / LR.

Inputs: Director intent, spotting/cut, approved score/timing, music source/license, instrumentation and destination scope.

Responsibilities and decisions: Separate temp from final; decide cue purpose, motif and transitions; choose original/composed/licensed/generated route with verified permissions; preserve approved timing during picture fixes.

Deliverables and handoff: Music brief, cue map, source/license log, final masters/stems if available, temp-replacement list. DR/SD → LR clearance → mix; ED receives cue boundaries and change restrictions.

Acceptance: Every final cue has an approved source/use scope; temp tracks are replaced or cleared; entrances/releases serve story; critical speech is not masked.

Tool/applicability limit: A platform subscription alone does not establish every distribution right; generated music may lack clean stems. No filmmaker/composer imitation is required.

Prompt: M25 copyable module.

M26 — Sound edit, re-recording mix and mastering

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Intent / owners: Deliver clear, controlled sound that survives intended playback. SD / ED / QC.

Inputs: Locked picture, dialogue/Foley/SFX/ambience/music stems, cue hierarchy, verified delivery/channel/loudness spec.

Responsibilities and decisions: Balance speech and music; automate levels/ducking; use EQ/dynamics where useful; control sync, phase, true peak and loudness; plan stereo/mono/other deliverables only as required.

Deliverables and handoff: Mix session, final mix, aligned D/M/E stems where available, measurement report, listening/QC notes. SD → QC full listen → CF/DA exact master; new picture timing returns to ED/SD.

Acceptance: Full mix is intelligible and free of clipping/clicks/gaps; sync holds start to end; measured target matches destination; recombined stems match the intended mix or differences are documented.

Tool/applicability limit: There is no universal web loudness target. A limiter cannot restore clipped source; one headphone/device check does not certify every playback environment.

Prompt: M26 copyable module.

M27 — Colour, online and finishing

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Intent / owners: Unify accepted images and deliver accurate, reproducible masters. CF / DP / ED.

Inputs: Picture lock, original sources, look bible, source metadata/transforms, graphics, final mix, delivery spec.

Responsibilities and decisions: Conform originals; balance exposure/white balance/skin across cuts; apply approved look; check crops, graphics, sharpening/denoise and output transforms; retain source dynamic-range limits.

Deliverables and handoff: Conformed timeline, grade/project, graphics sources, export settings, versioned review master. CF → QC; ED approves timing integrity; DP/DR approve look; DA gets hashed master.

Acceptance: No stale/proxy source remains unexpectedly; neighbouring shots match intent; no crushed essential detail, banding or unintended colour shift; mix/timing/captions match lock.

Tool/applicability limit: Grading cannot recover absent information or fix physical continuity; a LUT is not a substitute for correct source identification.

Prompt: M27 copyable module.

M28 — Quality control and accessibility

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Intent / owners: Verify the actual experience and required access formats. QC / SD / LR / DA.

Inputs: Exact exported master/hash, delivery spec, script, captions/transcript/descriptions if required, domain reviews.

Responsibilities and decisions: Check decode/streams, full picture and listening, joins, titles, spelling, crops, caption timing/speaker/non-speech information and relevant audio descriptions; prioritize meaningful issues.

Deliverables and handoff: Timecoded QC report, modality coverage, corrected access files, pass/hold per requirement. QC → makers for bounded fixes → fresh affected checks; DA receives release evidence.

Acceptance: Every required modality is actually reviewed; caption text/timing survives delivered playback; required failure/unknown cannot be averaged into pass.

Tool/applicability limit: Automated transcription/metrics and sparse contact sheets cannot certify full viewing/listening. Applicable access/destination needs must be established, not invented.

Prompt: M28 copyable module.

M29 — Rights, provenance and release review

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Intent / owners: Ensure intended use is supported by traceable permissions and requirements. LR / EP / AR.

Inputs: Asset/job registry, licenses/releases/consents, music/font/source provenance, current destination/competition rules.

Responsibilities and decisions: Match material to intended use, territories/platforms/time and required attribution/disclosure; identify actual gaps and qualified-review needs; preserve evidence without invented legal assurances.

Deliverables and handoff: Clearance/provenance matrix, attribution/disclosure list, specific release holds. LR → EP decisions; AR retains receipts; DA checks delivery scope.

Acceptance: Every included external asset/likeness/voice has applicable evidence or explicit unresolved status; current requirements are verified at release time.

Tool/applicability limit: This is an evidence workflow, not legal advice or a claim that generated material is automatically clear. Seek qualified counsel for material legal uncertainty.

Prompt: M29 copyable module.

M30 — Delivery, distribution, archive and handover

Open this department’s toolkit and budget alternatives

Intent / owners: Make the approved film reachable, correctly submitted and recoverable. DA / AR / PM.

Inputs: Approved master/hash, release authority, QC/clearance/access files, destination settings, edit/project/media dependencies.

Responsibilities and decisions: Map exact master to upload/version; verify transcode, visibility/link/submission separately; package originals/projects/stems/fonts/licenses/receipts; test recovery scope.

Deliverables and handoff: Delivery manifest, playback evidence, submission receipt, archive manifest, handover/lessons. DA → EP completion decision; AR maintains recoverable archive; PM closes outstanding items.

Acceptance: Uploaded version matches approved content; required link/visibility/captions work; actual submission is confirmed; archive omissions and restore test are explicit.

Tool/applicability limit: Upload success is not submission success; a public link can change later. Archive manifest alone does not prove restore without testing.

Prompt: M30 copyable module.

M31 — Physical production, stunts and specialist applicability

Open this department’s toolkit and budget alternatives

Intent / owners: Keep a primarily AI workflow honest about any real-world work it includes. PM / DR / LR.

Inputs: Declared use of filming/recording, performers, locations, props/stunts/animals/vehicles/minors, applicable local requirements.

Responsibilities and decisions: Mark purely synthetic functions inapplicable; for hybrid work identify qualified accountable humans for safety, stunts, intimacy, electrical/rigging, special effects, animals and child welfare as relevant.

Deliverables and handoff: Applicability record and human specialist handoff; synthetic staging constraints. PM → qualified human department lead before physical execution; LR checks applicable permissions.

Acceptance: Every physical activity has an appropriately qualified responsible human and required local process; AI artifacts remain creative planning only.

Tool/applicability limit: Prompts do not replace on-set expertise, inspections or real safety planning; this package provides no stunt/rigging/hazard execution procedure.

Prompt: M31 copyable module.