A map from idea to finished work
Choose your route. Check the result at each gate. If something needs work, follow the revision loop before continuing.
All three routes begin with a premise and a format choice. Develop those in Lesson 02: The creative process, then use a four-beat short for the core assignment or expand the outline for an optional longer story. The plan-and-present route completes the core assignment with a browser, notes, and sketches. The editor and code routes are optional extensions using your own materials and tools.
Select a route to see its flowchart. Rectangles are tasks; diamonds are review gates. Follow Pass downward or Revise around the loop. On a narrow screen, scroll the chart sideways or open it full-size. The written steps below each chart provide the same route in reading order.
A gate is a short review of the work in front of you. Write down evidence—a reading time, a viewer’s explanation, or a change you checked—before moving on.
G1 · Story
Pass when: a reader can explain the setup and payoff, the format fits the audience and amount of story, every speaker is identified, and each beat or scene adds something.
Revise: unclear premise, missing cause, or an ending that introduces a different idea. Rewrite the affected beats and read the whole script again.
Develop the story → · Use the script example →G2 · Sound & pictures
Pass when: speech or a live reading is clear, the character stays recognizable, the key action is visible, and music—if used—does not mask words.
Revise: a delivery, drawing, crop, or mix that obscures the action. Compare the new version with the script before approving it.
Check sound → · Check pictures →G3 · Timing
Pass when: each beat has a start and end, intervals add up, pictures change at the intended moment, and captions match the speech with time to read.
Revise: rushed lines, accidental gaps, or drifting captions. Change the affected durations and recalculate every later start time.
Use the timing table →G4 · Delivery
Pass when: a viewer can describe what changed for the character, the actual presentation or export is readable and audible, and the required credits accompany it.
Revise: anything the final review reveals. Find the earliest affected stage below, repeat its checks, and review a fresh version.
Final assignment → · Music credit →Fix the source of the problem, then repeat the checks affected by that change. A passed gate can reopen when its inputs change.
Return to G1 and revise the premise or spoken beats. Recheck the matching voices and pictures at G2, update timings at G3, then review the new version at G4.
Check the revised words at G1 and delivery at G2. Measure the new duration, move later pictures and captions at G3, and replay the whole sequence at G4. For example, a line that grows from four to six seconds moves later starts two seconds later unless you deliberately shorten another beat.
Return to G2 and repair or replace the picture. Check caption placement and any movement through the crop at G3. Review the actual presentation or export at G4. Reopen G1 only if the pictured action changes the story.
Lower or remove the music at G2, then listen again at an ordinary volume. If the speech timing stays the same, you do not need to retime the whole story. Review the affected transition at G3 and the final mix at G4.
Return to G3. Compare caption cues and shot boundaries with the actual reading or audio. Recalculate later starts when durations change, then make a fresh preview for G4.
For an editor or code route, check missing media, crop, sound, frame rate, and caption timing in the exported file. Repair the relevant material at G2 or assembly at G3, export again, and repeat G4 on that file.
Complete the source and attribution information at G4 and review it with the work you will share. If you replace the music or another asset, also reopen G2 and check any resulting timing changes at G3.
Keep a revision note
Record: what failed, what you changed, which gates you repeated, and what evidence now shows a pass. If you review alone, replay after a break without adding spoken explanations; a fresh viewer can still reveal things you missed.