Every good scene starts with an idea.

Find your kind of film.

30 categories of ideas and examples. The library describes formats; customer generation availability is shown separately.

Five useful details

Write a brief the scene can follow.

Plain-language glossary

The words behind the picture.

Aspect ratio

The shape of the picture: width compared with height. 9:16 is vertical, 16:9 is landscape, and 1:1 is square.

Creative brief

A concise description of what you are making, who it is for and what should happen. A strong brief gives the subject, action, setting and ending.

Scene

A continuous moment in a particular setting. Keep a short scene focused on one main action so it has a clear beginning and ending.

Shot

One uninterrupted camera view. A scene can contain several shots, each showing a different distance, angle or action.

Cast

The characters who appear in a scene. Define their appearance, personality and role before deciding what they say or do.

Visual style

The treatment of the image: photoreal, animation, noir, anime, claymation or documentary, for example. Style affects the whole composition.

Text to video

A generation workflow that starts with a written description. The description guides the subject, action, camera and setting.

Image to video

A workflow that uses a supplied image as a visual starting point. Describe how the subject and camera should move while preserving the important details.

Continuity

Consistency between shots: character appearance, clothing, props, location, lighting and the direction of an action.

Lip sync

The timing relationship between visible mouth movement and spoken or sung audio. Review the final picture and soundtrack together.

Voiceover

Speech heard over a scene without requiring an on-screen character to speak. Give the exact script separately from the visual action.

Captions

On-screen text representing speech and relevant sounds. Review spelling, timing, contrast and placement against the finished film.

Hook

The opening idea or moment that gives a viewer a reason to continue watching. Show or say something relevant immediately.

Call to action

The next step you want the viewer to take. Use one clear instruction, and leave enough time to understand it.

Safe area

The part of the frame kept clear of interface overlays and cropping. Leave breathing room around captions, logos and faces.

Storyboard

A sequence of planned shots. It explains what the viewer sees and hears before the film is produced.

Render

The production process that turns the plan and source assets into a playable video file. A saved brief is not a render.

Resolution

The width and height of a file in pixels. Resolution alone does not establish sharpness, motion quality or whether footage was upscaled.

Frame rate

The number of images displayed each second. Frame rate affects motion cadence; it is separate from a video's resolution.

AI disclosure

A clear indication that content was generated or materially altered using AI. Check the requirements of the platform where you publish.