Pre-production

The season bible is your map. It is the single document that tells you, on a hard day, where the story is supposed to go. It starts with one line and ends with a spreadsheet you can actually shoot against.

The season logline

The logline is one sentence that sums up the whole season's journey: who the hero is, what they want, what is in the way, and what they stand to lose. If you cannot say it in a breath, you do not have a season yet, you have a vibe.

The 5 to 10 episode beat sheet

Map your season on a simple spreadsheet, one row per episode, with five columns: Episode #, Main Event, Central Conflict, Your A-Ha Moment, and End Cliffhanger. Each row is a promise to the viewer and a job for the day.

It is a living document

Real life will not read your spreadsheet. The story will evolve, beats will move, and that is fine. The bible is the intended path, not a prison. You change it on purpose, with eyes open, never by drift.

Paperwork is not glamorous, and it is the only thing standing between you and a takedown. Lock the legal and the logistics before you shoot, not after.

Releases: signed before a pixel is published

The master release form is a simple one-page contract that grants you the irrevocable right to use a person's image, voice, and likeness in any media. Every recognizable person on camera signs it before you publish a single frame. For a home or business you film in, get a location release form from the owner.

Location scouting: three questions

Before you commit to a spot, ask three things. Is it visually interesting, so the frame tells part of the story on its own? Is the audio controllable, or will traffic and HVAC ruin every take? And is it legally safe to film, meaning you have permission to be there with a camera?

The 300-dollar professional setup

You do not need a studio. You need: a phone shooting 4K at 60fps with a clip-on wide and telephoto lens kit; audio, which is non-negotiable, meaning a wireless lavalier like the Rode Wireless GO II or DJI Mic plus a shotgun mic; a sturdy tripod with a phone mount plus a mini-tripod; and a key light, an LED panel or softbox for confessionals plus a small on-camera LED.

The daily shoot script is not a dialogue script. Nobody memorizes lines. It is a one-page plan for a single shoot day that keeps a real, unscripted moment pointed at your story.

What goes on the page

Four things, every time. The shoot date and theme, for example "The Confrontation Lunch". The primary scene objective, the one thing that must happen narratively for the day to count. The approved shot list, where every shot has a story purpose, a why. And the hero's pre-scene intention, the goal and the stake they carry in.

Every shot needs a why

If a shot does not move the story, advance a relationship, or pay off a beat from your bible, it does not belong on the list. "It looked cool" is not a why. A shot list with a reason behind every line is what separates a show from a pile of footage.

Everyone who appears on camera signs a release before you film them. That includes staff, family and customers. No release, no footage of them.

• Tell each person what the show is, where it will be posted and what their part is.
• Get the release signed before the shoot day, not on it.
• Give each regular cast member a short orientation: where to stand, when to talk, what to do if they make a mistake (keep going).

The cast can be just you. Other people can come in through clips, guests and the people you serve.

Write one shot list per shoot. Group it by location, in the order you will film. Number every shot so you can tick it off.

Within each location, list the shots in the order they will appear in the edit. Finish one location completely before you move to the next. Moving the crew is the slowest part of any shoot day.

For each shot, write the frame (wide, medium, tight, detail), what happens, and who is in it. Mark the three shots you cannot leave without.