6-lesson course · about 7 hours

Use AI on scene prep without letting it decide what your scene needs

For Filmmakers, producers, editors and production teams coordinating a story across development, planning and post-production

Everything for Filmmakers

Prompt AI for coverage, a scene breakdown and a shot brief. Trace every item back to the script, and send back any shot test that fails the scene, however polished it looks.

Try lesson 1 freeSee what you’ll learn

What you’ll be able to do

By the end, you can…

Coverage and breakdowns you can check line by lineWrite prompts that return concise coverage and a scene breakdown with a scene or page reference on every line. Then check each line against the pages and mark it as traced, implied or not in the script.
Stated facts kept apart from plausible additionsSeparate what the script says from what it only implies, such as wet steps, a porch light or rain sound. Implied items stay open questions for the director, producer or the right department lead. They don't quietly become production requirements.
A shot brief built on the performance you capturedWrite a brief for a missing beat that states story purpose, framing and movement. It starts from the footage you already have, says what must not change and leaves technical and production choices open.
Shot tests judged against the scene, not against polishReview example shot tests from tools such as Higgsfield and Runway with a written checklist covering story, continuity and editability. Write a return note for a good-looking shot that still fails the scene.
A consent check on every visual resultFor each result, check whose face and voice appear in it and whether there is a clear yes to use them. Record open consent questions with an owner.
An editorial handoff and a written methodHand the editor the selected versions in sequence order, the known continuity problems, and generated material labeled apart from photographed material. Then write down your method, with its checks and stop points, so you can reuse it.

How it works

A tutor that meets you where you are

  1. Lessons that adjust to your levelSix lessons in two modules follow one short illustrative scene from the pages to an editorial handoff. Explanations and exercises adjust to what you already know about breakdowns, shot lists and the cut.
  2. An AI tutor you can ask anythingAsk questions typed or out loud while you work. Your tutor can review a prompt you wrote, push back on a breakdown line that doesn't trace to the pages, or walk you through a return note.
  3. Quizzes and flashcards for each lessonEvery lesson comes with its own quizzes and flashcards, so terms like traced versus implied, and the checks in a shot review, stick before you move on.
  4. Progress tracking and a certificateWork at your own pace with your progress saved as you go. You get a certificate of completion when you finish the course.

Curriculum

The curriculum

The course follows one short illustrative scene, scene forty-two: a night-time porch scene with a missing rain wide. Module 1 builds a breakdown and shot brief you can trust, and Module 2 compares possible shots against the story and ends with an editorial handoff.

Module 1Build a scene breakdown you can trust.3 lessons

  1. 1Draft concise coverage
    • Explain why every AI-assisted task on this scene begins from the captured performance (take six and the dry wide), not from a prompt.
    • Write a prompt that asks for concise coverage of one scene, with a scene or page reference on every line and 'not stated' wherever the pages are silent.
    • Test each line of AI coverage against the pages and mark it as traced, implied or not in the script.
    • Produce a scene synopsis (FDX) and a character beat (FDX) that contain only what the pages and the captured takes support.
  2. 2Extract scene requirements
    • Write a breakdown prompt that returns items by category, each with a scene reference and a stated-or-implied label.
    • Separate explicit script facts from implied requirements such as wet steps, a porch light and rain sound, and keep the implied ones as questions.
    • Name what scene forty-two can't lose and record it at the top of the breakdown.
    • Choose whether each open question belongs to the director, the producer or a department lead, without letting the AI answer it.
  3. 3Write the shot brief
    • Write a shot brief for the missing rain wide that states story purpose, framing and movement in plain terms.
    • Build the brief on the captured dry wide and take six, stating what must stay unchanged and what may be added.
    • Test an AI-drafted brief against the breakdown and remove any requirement that doesn't trace to the pages or the captured footage.
    • Produce a shot sketch (PDF) that shows framing and where the rain falls.

Module 2Compare shots against the story.3 lessons

  1. 4Prepare reference-led shot prompts
    • Build a shot prompt from the brief that names its references and states what must not change.
    • Record each reference with its name, version and source in a reference list kept beside the prompt.
    • Explain why a generation tool can't be trusted to keep references consistent, and what you check yourself as a result.
    • Choose one named problem for AI to address (the rain wide) and leave the rest of the scene alone.
  2. 5Review the visual tests
    • Test each example shot against the brief for story purpose, continuity and editability, using a written checklist.
    • Write a return note for a good-looking shot that fails the scene, naming what failed, which brief line it breaks and what to keep.
    • Check every result for whose face and voice appear and whether a clear yes exists to use them.
    • Write a continuity question (PDF) addressed to the director, producer or department lead who owns the answer.
  3. 6Write the editorial handoff
    • Build an editorial handoff that lists selected versions in sequence order with version labels and script version.
    • Label generated material apart from photographed material, shot by shot and element by element.
    • List known continuity problems and open consent questions, each with an owner.
    • Write a step-by-step method for coverage, breakdown, brief, prompts, review and handoff, with the checks and stop points in each step.

Who it’s for

Made for you if…

Made for: Filmmakers, producers, editors and production teams coordinating a story across development, planning and post-production

Directors and filmmakers

You want AI's help with prep, but the scene and the captured performance have to stay at the center, and the final call on what goes into the picture stays yours.

Producers

You need a breakdown where every item traces to the script, so a plausible AI addition doesn't turn into a cost or a requirement nobody approved.

Editors

You want generated shots delivered in order, with version labels, continuity problems listed and generated material labeled apart from photographed material.

Production team members

You coordinate a story through development, planning and post, and you need a repeatable method for checking AI output and knowing which questions go to the director, the producer or a department lead.

Questions

Good to know

What do I need before I start?

You should be able to read a screenplay and follow its scene headings, action and dialogue. You should also know basic production terms: coverage, breakdown, shot list, takes, continuity and edit handoff. For the prompting exercises you need access to a general-purpose AI chat assistant.

Will I generate shots in Higgsfield or Runway?

No. In this course you review example shot tests from tools such as Higgsfield and Runway and treat them as planning material. Hands-on platform practice starts in the Intensive.

Does this course cover building AI agents?

No. Creating proactive agents and handing ongoing film prep to OpenAI Dots or Claude Duet is covered in the Intensive. In this course you write down your own method so it's ready to hand to an agent there.

What will I produce?

A scene synopsis and a character beat (FDX), a scene breakdown, a shot brief, a shot sketch (PDF), a reference-led shot prompt with its reference list, a return note, a continuity question (PDF), an editorial handoff and a written step-by-step method.

Does it cover scheduling, budgeting or script revisions?

No. Scheduling, budgeting, availability, safety planning, tracking script revisions across departments, and finishing work such as grading and conform are all outside this course. Writing or rewriting the screenplay with AI is not covered either.

Is the consent material legal advice?

No. The course teaches a practical check: whose face and voice appear in each result, and whether there is a clear yes to use them. It does not give legal advice or go through union contract AI clauses in detail.

How long does it take?

About seven hours across six self-paced lessons.

Film AI Intro: Scene Breakdowns, Shot Briefs and Revision Checks

$197

One payment · lifetime access

  • 6 self-paced lessons in 2 modules, about 7 hours
  • One illustrative scene followed from the pages to an editorial handoff
  • AI tutor you can ask typed or out loud, with lessons that adjust to your level
  • Quizzes and flashcards for each lesson, plus progress tracking
  • Coverage, breakdown, shot brief, shot sketch, continuity question and handoff exercises
  • Certificate of completion

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Refunds: Full refund if you ask before you open your first lesson. Once you’ve started, purchases aren’t refundable, except where the law gives you that right.

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