What is Workflow?

Work•flow /ˈwərkflō/

“The sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion.” – lexico.com

What is a quality workflow?  How do we develop it?  Below are elements of the production cycle that most creative people move through as they create something.  First, we must identify the stages of project production. What is each stage and what are the quality checks for each stage.  Read on and find out!

Stages of Creation Development

Inspiration

How do we find ideas to develop?

• Refer to movies or television shows you like
• Pull out and use cinematography techniques that you like
• The creator should be satisfied with and proud of their work
• The producer(s) measure quality

Intention

How do we clarify our specific goal(s) for a project?

• Google docs or word, excel or google slides
• List personal goals you wish to achieve
• Make sure your goals are realistic and attainable
• You, as well as other industry professionals, measure quality

Pre-production

How can we brainwrite, brainstorm, storyboard, and plan our ideas at this phase?

• Brainstorm on a google doc or word doc
• Dump all of your ideas, then organize and refine them until clear themes and plots stand out
• If the plot is clear, ideas are thoughtful, and the creator is satisfied
• The producer(s) measures quality

Production

How do we communicate with each other and execute our plan for this phase? This is where we actually make the project.

• Using Monday.com or Trello to manage projects
• Work with the production team to cast actors and shoot scenes
• If all scenes are filmed and b-roll has been shot
• The director and producer(s)

Post-production

How do we communicate with each other and execute our final stages of the project for this phase? This is where we publish the project.

• iMovie, Adobe Premier Pro, or Final Cut Pro
• Add the soundtrack, virtual effects, and any other necessary editing
• If the film tells the desired story and personal goals from the intention phase are met
• The producer(s) and director

Presentation/Performance

How do we share our project with our learning community, advisory members, and the world?

• Video sharing services like YouTube or Vimeo
• Uploading films to the internet for the world to access and watch
• The clarity of themes being expressed, the plot, and the originality of the concept
• The audience

Feedback

How do we conduct a feedback session at the end of the project development cycle?

• Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd, surveys, or IMDb
• Taking community feedback from those who watch the movie, and implementing the most desired changes in the next film
• Quality feedback doesn’t only criticize, but also provides useful information that help the creators see an improved way of creating.
• The creator ultimately measures the quality of the feedback when determining what to listen to