The Master Guide / 03 Concepts and references · References
Which layer each stage studies
Study only the layer the stage needs. Analysing everything blurs what you borrow.
Study only the layer the stage needs. Analysing everything blurs what you borrow.
One layer per stage [proven]; the counts are working defaults [best available, not yet validated]:
Stage | How many | Layer studied |
Brief | 3–5 films that solved a similar problem; at most two or three shown to the client | The problem, its mechanism in one line, what the music does, credits and award |
Concepts | What the originality search finds on the top five ideas; 10–20 local ads for the category's codes | The idea, the mechanism and its label; setup, turn and payoff |
Treatment | Two or three per department, chosen after the decisions are written; music: two or three, plus one or two opposites and an avoid list | Only that department's layer: stills and palette for camera, light and colour; cut timings and music hits for the edit; an element breakdown for music and sound; motion and performance through a video tool; the beat timing of comic or emotional moments from two or three clips |
Production | Only what a prompt or a check needs | The exact quality, put into words |
Download a reference only when its stage needs the file:
at the brief, only if timing matters to a decision;
for concepts, rarely;
at the treatment, for edit timing, beats, motion reads and an optional mood film's clips;
in production, only when a shot needs a measured timing.
Search by problem and mechanism, not only by category (decided): "launching a premium product in a discount-led category", "one continuous move that reveals the product". For stills, search by technical and emotional terms (light, colour temperature, shot type, emotion, location, focal length), layering two or three filters, never by title.
References become words in prompts. What you attach to an image or video job is only your own approved material and the client's source material. The one exception is a sourced still as a style reference (References → Sourced stills on pages).
Download only what a decision needs, gathered in one list per stage (decided). Take the file from its owner, or from a download button the owner offers. If a site blocks you (a bot check, a sign-in wall, an embed restriction), stop and ask the owner for the file; never work round the block with another server, a faked browser or referrer, cookies or a sign-in, or a downloader site [proven]. A reference that needs only understanding (motion, acting, sound) can be read by URL instead (References → Analysing a reference); a Vimeo reference with no file waits for the file.
Sources
The Gate on department references in treatments (blog); Alexandre Moors on searching for the one right image (Filmmaker Magazine).