Skill: davidapx13/film-production-assistant (version 1.0.1)

--- name: film-production-assistant version: 1.0.1 description: "Pre-production assistant for filmmakers. Generates script breakdowns, shot lists, call sheets, production schedules, and budget estimates from scene descriptions. Built by a working film director with 20 years on set." requires: binaries: - pandoc optional: true --- # Film Production Assistant — SKILL.md ## Overview A complete pre-production toolkit for indie and professional filmmakers. Generates industry-standard production documents from screenplay scenes and project parameters, using AI-driven prompt templates validated against real industry reference structures. **Designed for:** Indie directors, student filmmakers, ADs, producers, and anyone managing a narrative film production with limited resources. **No external APIs required.** All prompts are self-contained — paste into Claude, ChatGPT, or any capable LLM. --- ## When to Use This Skill Trigger this skill when David (or any user) asks for: - "Break down this scene for production" - "Make a shot list for this scene" - "Generate a call sheet for [shoot day]" - "Build a shooting schedule from these scenes" - "Estimate the budget for this project" - "What do I need to produce this scene?" - Any film pre-production planning request --- ## Available Tools ### 1. Script Breakdown Generator **File:** `prompts/script-breakdown.md` **What it does:** Analyzes a screenplay scene and produces a complete breakdown sheet — cast, props, set dressing, wardrobe, SFX, VFX, stunts, sound notes, production flags, and continuity concerns. **Input required:** Scene text (paste directly) **Output:** Production-ready breakdown sheet, one page per scene ### 2. Shot List Generator **File:** `prompts/shot-list-generator.md` **What it does:** Creates a complete, director-ready shot list for a scene with shot size, movement, angle, lens, equipment, estimated time, and priority ratings (A/B/C). **Input required:** Scene text + director's tonal/visual notes + available hours **Output:** Shot list table + coverage strategy + lighting notes + risk flags ### 3. Call Sheet Formatter **File:** `prompts/call-sheet-formatter.md` **What it does:** Generates a professionally formatted call sheet for a single shoot day — cast call times, crew grid, location details, emergency contacts, catering, advance schedule. **Input required:** Shoot day details (scenes, cast, crew, location, weather, transport) **Output:** Full formatted call sheet, ready to distribute ### 4. Production Schedule Builder **File:** `prompts/production-schedule-builder.md` **What it does:** Builds a complete shooting schedule from a scene list, optimizing for location groups, cast availability, and production efficiency. Produces one-liner schedule, DOOD chart, and scheduling flags. **Input required:** Scene list with Int/Ext, location, pages, cast + constraints **Output:** Day-by-day one-liner + DOOD chart + flags + contingency recommendations ### 5. Budget Estimator **File:** `prompts/budget-estimator.md` **What it does:** Generates a realistic line-item budget estimate with ATL/BTL breakdown, fringe calculations, contingency, and budget notes including what to cut vs. what never to cut. **Input required:** Project parameters (pages, days, location, union status, key elements) **Output:** Full budget with subtotals + budget notes + cost-reduction options --- ## Document Export (.docx) — Optional If the user explicitly asks to save or export the output, use pandoc to generate a Word document. **Requires:** `pandoc` must be installed on the host (`brew install pandoc` on Mac). If not available, deliver the output as text only. **Only export when the user asks.** Do not automatically save files without confirmation. ```bash # Only run this when user explicitly requests a file export echo "{{output}}" > /tmp/film-output.md pandoc /tmp/film-output.md -o "{{user-specified-path}}/{{ProjectTitle}}-{{DocumentType}}.docx" ``` **Naming convention:** - Script Breakdown: `ProjectTitle-Scene01-Breakdown.docx` - Shot List: `ProjectTitle-Scene01-ShotList.docx` - Call Sheet: `ProjectTitle-Day01-CallSheet.docx` - Production Schedule: `ProjectTitle-Schedule.docx` - Budget: `ProjectTitle-Budget.docx` **Ask the user for save location.** Do not default to `~/Desktop` without asking first. Always confirm the file was saved and provide the full path. --- ## How to Use ### Option A: Direct Execution (Lilu handles it) User provides a scene or project details. Lilu: 1. Reads the appropriate prompt template from `prompts/` 2. Fills in the template with the user's content 3. Runs it against the LLM (this session or sub-agent) 4. Returns formatted output 5. **Offers to export to .docx if user wants — does not save automatically** ### Option B: Template Delivery Lilu delivers the filled prompt template to the user so they can paste it into their preferred tool (Claude.ai, ChatGPT, etc.). ### Option C: Full Pre-Production Package For a complete project, run all 5 tools in sequence: 1. Script Breakdown → every scene 2. Shot List → key scenes 3. Production Schedule → full shoot 4. Budget Estimate → full project 5. Call Sheet → each shoot day (run day-before) --- ## Workflow: Scene → Production-Ready in 5 Steps ``` 1. USER provides scene text ↓ 2. Run SCRIPT BREAKDOWN → identify all elements ↓ 3. Run SHOT LIST → director's visual plan ↓ 4. Feed scenes into PRODUCTION SCHEDULE BUILDER ↓ 5. Night before each shoot → generate CALL SHEET ``` --- ## Reference Files All structural knowledge is documented in `references/`: | File | Contents | |------|----------| | `industry-templates.md` | Research summary — real call sheets, shot lists, breakdowns, schedules, budgets | | `prompts.md` | All 5 prompt templates with example inputs and outputs | | `call-sheet-structure.md` | Industry-standard call sheet anatomy (Celtx, CalArts) | | `shot-list-structure.md` | Shot sizes, camera movements, shot list elements (StudioBinder) | | `production-schedule-structure.md` | One-liner format, DOOD chart, stripboard colors | | `script-breakdown-structure.md` | Category color codes, element definitions, full scene example | | `budget-structure.md` | ATL/BTL categories, fringe rates, budget tiers, micro-budget example | ### Test Outputs (validated against "Bitter Coffee" — INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY, Anna & Marcus confrontation, 3 pages) | File | What It Tests | |------|---------------| | `test-outputs/01-script-breakdown.md` | Full breakdown sheet — coffee shop confrontation scene | | `test-outputs/02-shot-list.md` | 17-shot list with coverage strategy and lighting notes | | `test-outputs/03-call-sheet.md` | Day 2 of 3 call sheet — The Daily Grind location | | `test-outputs/04-production-schedule.md` | 3-day schedule, DOOD chart, location groupings | | `test-outputs/05-budget-estimate.md` | $8K-$14.8K short film budget with risk flags | --- ## Key Industry Concepts (Quick Reference) ### Page Eighths 1 script page = 8 sections. Scenes measured in eighths. 4 4/8 pages ≈ 4.5 pages ≈ ~4.5 min screen time. ### Budget Tiers - Micro: $0-$50K | Ultra-low: $50K-$300K | Low: $300K-$1M | Mid-indie: $1M-$5M ### SAG ULB Rates (2025-2026) $232-$241/day minimum. Under $300K total budget. +14.3% H&P fringes. ### Turnaround Minimum 12 hours between company wrap and next call (union standard). Always note and protect it. ### Contingency 10% of BTL. Never remove. Ever. ### The Golden Rule of Scheduling Group by location first. Then by cast. Interior before exterior. Complex scenes mid-production, not day one. --- ## David's Film Background Note David has 20+ years of film and TV experience as a director/editor. He is cinematically literate. When working with him on production planning: - Skip the basics — go straight to professional-level detail - Flag creative concerns, not just logistical ones - Reference his director's intent when making shot list suggestions - If he gives a scene, he's thinking about how it cuts, not just how it shoots --- ## Token Cost These prompts use Claude/GPT only when explicitly invoked — no background LLM calls. Each prompt run costs ~1,000-3,000 tokens depending on scene length and output detail. Covered by Claude Max subscription when run in this session. --- ## Sources - StudioBinder (shot list, breakdown, schedule guides) - CalArts 2 Pop (call sheet template structure) - Celtx (call sheet elements) - Saturation.io (indie budget template and fringe guide) - Filmustage (script breakdown color system) - No Film School (budget category reference) - Industry standard 1st AD practices *Skill built: March 27, 2026. Built by Lilu for David Apex.*

path: prompts/budget-estimator.md
content: # Prompt: Budget Estimator

## Purpose
Generate a realistic line-item budget estimate for an indie film project based on project parameters.

---

## SYSTEM PROMPT

You are a professional Line Producer and UPM with 15+ years of indie film production experience. You know what things actually cost — not what they're listed for, not what filmmakers wish they cost, but what they cost on the ground. You think in tiers: you give a realistic estimate and flag where a filmmaker can save vs. where cutting corners will hurt them.

You are honest about what you don't know (specific city rates, current equipment rental costs), and you flag those as items to get real quotes on. You never sugarcoat a budget — an underbudgeted film is a disaster. You build in contingency and fringes automatically.

---

## USER PROMPT TEMPLATE

```
TASK: Budget Estimation

PROJECT INFO:
- Title: {{title}}
- Genre: {{genre}}
- Format: {{Short / Feature / Pilot}}
- Script Length: {{pages}}
- Shoot Days: {{number}}
- Crew Size (approximate): {{small/medium/large or number}}
- Location: {{city, state — for cost-of-living adjustment}}
- Union Status: {{Non-union / SAG ULB / SAG Modified LB / Full Union}}

CAST:
- Principal characters: {{number}}
- Are they paid? {{yes/no/deferred}}
- Extras/background needed: {{number per day, days}}

KEY CREATIVE ELEMENTS:
- Night shoots: {{yes/no, how many}}
- Exterior locations: {{yes/no}}
- Action sequences / stunts: {{yes/no, description}}
- Special effects (practical): {{yes/no, description}}
- VFX shots: {{yes/no, estimated count}}
- Animals: {{yes/no}}
- Period costumes or specialty wardrobe: {{yes/no}}
- Live music or complex sound: {{yes/no}}

EQUIPMENT:
- Camera: {{owned / renting — camera model if known}}
- Lighting: {{owned / renting}}

POST-PRODUCTION:
- Editing: {{in-house/hire editor}}
- Color grade: {{yes/no/basic}}
- Sound mix: {{yes/no/basic}}
- Music: {{original score / licensed / royalty free}}
- VFX post: {{none/basic/complex}}

TARGET BUDGET RANGE (if known): {{$X - $Y or "as lean as possible"}}

---

Produce a complete budget estimate with:

1. ABOVE THE LINE
   - Story & Screenplay: $___
   - Producers: $___
   - Director: $___
   - Cast: $___
   ATL SUBTOTAL: $___

2. BELOW THE LINE — PRE-PRODUCTION
   Line items with estimated costs

3. BELOW THE LINE — PRODUCTION
   Line items organized by department

4. BELOW THE LINE — POST-PRODUCTION
   Line items

5. OTHER
   - Insurance: $___
   - Publicity: $___
   - Fringes (calculated on wages): $___
   - Contingency (10% of BTL): $___

6. TOTAL ESTIMATED BUDGET: $___

7. BUDGET NOTES:
   - What can be cut and where that leaves the production
   - What should NOT be cut
   - Items flagged for real quotes (vs. estimates)
   - Hidden costs to watch out for
   - At what budget tier this project fits and what changes at each tier

8. COST-REDUCTION OPTIONS:
   - 3 specific ways to reduce the budget without killing quality
```

---

## USAGE NOTES

- Always get real quotes on: camera rental, location fees, catering, lab/post
- Fringe calculation: apply to employee (W-2) wages only, not contractors
- Contingency: 10% minimum. 15% for complex shoots. Never remove.
- Insurance: always real quote — depends on cast, locations, stunts
- Festival deliverables (DCP, CC) add $2K-$5K — budget for them upfront
- This is an estimate tool. Never go to a financier with AI estimates — get production accountant review.


path: prompts/call-sheet-formatter.md
content: # Prompt: Call Sheet Formatter

## Purpose
Generate a formatted, production-ready call sheet for a single shoot day, ready to distribute to cast and crew.

---

## SYSTEM PROMPT

You are a professional 1st Assistant Director. You produce clear, complete, and professionally formatted call sheets that anticipate every question a cast or crew member might have before arriving on set. Your call sheets protect the production legally, logistically, and creatively. You never omit emergency contacts, weather, or parking. You write in a direct, professional tone — no ambiguity.

---

## USER PROMPT TEMPLATE

```
TASK: Call Sheet Generation

Produce a complete call sheet for the following shoot day. Format it clearly as a professional production document.

PRODUCTION INFO:
- Title: {{production_title}}
- Production Company: {{company}}
- Director: {{director_name}}
- 1st AD: {{first_ad_name}}
- UPM / Line Producer: {{upm_name}}
- Shoot Date: {{date}}
- Day: Day {{X}} of {{total_days}}
- General Crew Call: {{time}}

LOCATION:
- Name: {{location_name}}
- Address: {{full_address}}
- Parking: {{parking_info}}
- Nearest Hospital: {{hospital_name_address}}
- Nearest Police: {{police_station}}

WEATHER FORECAST:
- {{weather_description — temp, conditions, sunrise, sunset}}

SCENES SHOOTING TODAY:
{{list each scene as: Scene # | Int/Ext | Location | Day/Night | Page Count | Cast Needed}}

CAST LIST:
{{list each cast member as: Character | Actor Name | Cast # | Makeup Call | On Set Call | Notes}}

BACKGROUND / EXTRAS:
{{description, count, call time}}

CREW GRID:
{{list key crew as: Name | Title | Department | Call Time}}

TRANSPORT NOTES:
{{any pickup times, shuttle info, vehicle assignments}}

CATERING SCHEDULE:
- Crew Breakfast: {{time}}
- Lunch: {{time}} (or rolling craft service — French hours)
- Dinner: {{time if applicable}}

ADVANCE SCHEDULE (TOMORROW):
{{brief overview of tomorrow's scenes and location}}

SPECIAL NOTES:
{{anything crew needs to know — safety protocols, parking permits, dress code, equipment pre-rigs}}

---
Format the output as a clearly structured call sheet document with headers, tables for cast and crew grid, and all critical information prominently displayed. Include a header banner with production title and date.
```

---

## USAGE NOTES

- Distribute minimum 12 hours before call time (ideally 18-24h)
- Always include emergency contacts — non-negotiable
- Weather info critical for exterior shoots
- If working with SAG, include "Day X of Contract" for each actor
- Night shoots: include wrap time estimate + turnaround notice
- Keep crew grid sorted by call time, not alphabetically


path: prompts/production-schedule-builder.md
content: # Prompt: Production Schedule Builder

## Purpose
Build a complete shooting schedule from a list of scenes, optimizing for location groups, cast availability, and production efficiency.

---

## SYSTEM PROMPT

You are a professional 1st AD and Production Manager. You think in logistics, dependencies, and money. You know that every location move costs time and money. You know that actors cost daily rates whether or not they're on camera. You build schedules that protect the director's creative needs while minimizing the production's exposure to overtime, location fees, and actor costs.

You are also a realist: you pad time estimates slightly, you never schedule 10 pages on day one, and you always flag shooting days that are dangerously overloaded.

---

## USER PROMPT TEMPLATE

```
TASK: Production Schedule Builder

PRODUCTION TITLE: {{title}}
TOTAL SCENES: {{number}}
SHOOT DAYS AVAILABLE: {{days}}
TYPICAL SHOOT HOURS/DAY: {{hours}} (e.g., 12-hour day)
TARGET PAGES/DAY: {{e.g., 4-5 pages}}
UNION STATUS: {{SAG / Non-union / Student}}
START DATE: {{first_shoot_date}}

SCENE LIST:
{{Paste scene list as: Scene # | Int/Ext | Location Name | Day/Night | Pages | Cast Required | Notes/Complexity}}

CAST AVAILABILITY CONSTRAINTS:
{{any actor who is only available certain dates}}

LOCATION CONSTRAINTS:
{{any location only available on specific dates, or limited access windows}}

SPECIAL CONSTRAINTS:
{{child actors, animals, night permits, weather dependencies, etc.}}

---

Using the above information, produce:

1. ONE-LINER SCHEDULE — organized by shoot day
Format each day as:
  DAY [#] — [Date] — PRIMARY LOCATION: [Name]
  Sc [#] | Int/Ext | Location | Day/Night | Pages | Cast | Notes
  DAILY TOTALS: Pages: X | Cast: Y | Est. Hours: Z

2. LOCATION GROUPINGS — which scenes share locations (efficiency opportunities)

3. DAY OUT OF DAYS (DOOD) CHART — for each principal cast member, mark each date:
  W = Working | H = Hold | T = Travel | SWF = Start/Work/Finish

4. SCHEDULING FLAGS:
  - Days that are over-scheduled (warn if >6 pages on complex scenes)
  - Cast who are needed on too many days (cost exposure)
  - Night shoots and required turnaround
  - Any production concerns

5. RECOMMENDED CONTINGENCY DAYS: How many and when to insert them
```

---

## OPTIMIZATION RULES (applied automatically)

1. Group by location first — minimize moves
2. Then group by cast — minimize actor days
3. Day scenes before night scenes (same location)
4. Complex/critical scenes NOT on Day 1 (crew needs to find their rhythm)
5. Exterior scenes: cluster them, note weather backup plan
6. Stunts: schedule mid-production (after warm-up, before fatigue)
7. Child/animal scenes: plan for reduced hours and specific time windows
8. Never schedule the emotional climax on the last day (crew fatigue + no fixes)

---

## USAGE NOTES

- Run this against your scene breakdown sheets for accurate page counts
- Use DOOD chart to negotiate actor fees before locking schedule
- Build in 1 contingency day per 5 shoot days on indie productions
- Night shoots: always note "Company Wrap" vs "Camera Wrap" vs "Release"
- Share schedule with department heads for feasibility feedback before locking


path: prompts/script-breakdown.md
content: # Prompt: Script Breakdown Generator

## Purpose
Analyze a screenplay scene and produce a production-ready breakdown sheet identifying every element needed to shoot it.

---

## SYSTEM PROMPT

You are a professional 1st Assistant Director and Script Supervisor with 20+ years of experience on narrative films, TV, and indie productions. You are meticulous, production-literate, and think in terms of what departments need to actually execute a shoot.

When given a scene from a screenplay, you produce a complete script breakdown sheet that would survive professional scrutiny. You flag practical concerns, continuity hazards, and anything that could blow the budget or schedule.

---

## USER PROMPT TEMPLATE

```
TASK: Script Breakdown

PRODUCTION TITLE: {{production_title}}
SCRIPT SUPERVISOR: {{supervisor_name}} (optional)

--- SCENE TEXT BEGIN ---
{{paste_scene_text_here}}
--- SCENE TEXT END ---

Produce a complete breakdown sheet for this scene using this format:

SCENE #: [extract or assign]
SCENE NAME: [brief descriptive name]
INT/EXT: [Interior or Exterior]
DAY/NIGHT: [Day / Night / Dawn / Dusk]
LOCATION: [Specific place described]
PAGE COUNT: [count in eighths, e.g., 2 4/8]
STORY DAY: [if determinable from context]
ESTIMATED SHOOT TIME: [hours, based on complexity]

SYNOPSIS:
[2-3 sentences describing what actually happens]

CAST (Speaking Roles):
- [Character Name] (#[assign number]) — [brief note on what they do]

EXTRAS / BACKGROUND:
- [Type and approximate count]

PROPS (items actors physically interact with):
- [prop name] — [note if multiple needed, if consumable, if hero prop]

SET DRESSING (atmosphere items, not touched):
- [item]

WARDROBE:
- [Character] - Story Day [X] - Outfit [#] — [description, flag if damaged]

MAKEUP / HAIR:
- [Special makeup only — wounds, aging, prosthetics, blood]

SPECIAL EFFECTS (practical, on-set):
- [rain rig, pyro, squibs, breakaway items, etc.]

VFX (post-production):
- [green screen, wire removal, digital additions]

VEHICLES / ANIMALS:
- [picture cars, animals, and if they're hero or background]

STUNTS:
- [any physical risk requiring stunt coordinator]

SOUND NOTES:
- [MOS shots, wild lines, playback music, specific audio requirements]

CAMERA / EQUIPMENT:
- [specialized gear — drone, crane, Steadicam, special lens]

PRODUCTION FLAGS:
- [any concerns: continuity hazards, expensive elements, safety issues, sourcing challenges, scheduling conflicts, child/animal rules]

CONTINUITY NOTES:
- [what must match other scenes]
```

---

## EXAMPLE OUTPUT

See references/test-outputs/scene-breakdown-example.md

---

## USAGE NOTES

- Run this prompt for every scene in the script during pre-production
- Group breakdown sheets by location to build the shooting schedule
- Review flags with department heads in the production meeting
- For large scripts, process scenes in batches of 5-10


path: prompts/shot-list-generator.md
content: # Prompt: Shot List Generator

## Purpose
Generate a complete, director-ready shot list for a scene, grounded in the scene's dramatic needs, spatial logic, and practical shoot constraints.

---

## SYSTEM PROMPT

You are a collaborative Director-DP team. You think visually and cinematically. You understand coverage strategy: establishing the geography, building tension through shot selection, and getting what the editor needs to cut the scene. You know the difference between essential coverage and ambitious extras. You flag shots that will take significant time so the 1st AD can schedule accordingly.

---

## USER PROMPT TEMPLATE

```
TASK: Shot List Generation

PRODUCTION TITLE: {{production_title}}
SCENE #: {{scene_number}}
DIRECTOR'S VISION / TONE: {{describe_tone_and_feel}}
LOCATION TYPE: {{interior/exterior + brief description}}
CAST IN SCENE: {{character names}}
SHOOT DAY CONSTRAINTS: {{hours_available}} hours, {{any_key_constraints}}

--- SCENE TEXT BEGIN ---
{{paste_scene_text}}
--- SCENE TEXT END ---

Generate a complete shot list for this scene with the following columns:

| Shot # | Description | Size | Movement | Angle | Lens (suggested) | Equipment | Est. Time | Priority | Notes |

Priority: A = Must-get | B = Important | C = Nice to have if time allows

After the table, add:
COVERAGE STRATEGY: [Brief paragraph on the approach — where to start, how to build, what to shoot last]
LIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS: [Natural light timing, practical sources, key setup changes]
ESTIMATED TOTAL SHOOT TIME: [Total with setup and turnaround]
RISKS / FLAGS: [Any shots that are technically complex or time-consuming]
```

---

## EXAMPLE OUTPUT

See references/test-outputs/shot-list-example.md

---

## USAGE NOTES

- Feed this the scene text + director's notes on tone/mood
- Present to DP 48h before shoot for equipment and lighting prep
- Share B/C priority shots separately — these get cut first if behind schedule
- On set: 1st AD crosses shots off as achieved
- If time is tight: A shots only, period. Don't let Cs eat As.


path: references/budget-structure.md
content: # Film Budget — Structure Reference
*Compiled from Saturation.io, StudioBinder, No Film School, and industry standards*

## The Two Main Sections

### Above the Line (ATL)
Creative talent whose fees are negotiated BEFORE the budget is locked.
- Story & Screenplay
- Producer fees
- Director fee
- Principal Cast fees

### Below the Line (BTL)
Everything else — the technical and logistical cost of production.

---

## Full Budget Category Breakdown

### ABOVE THE LINE

| Account | Category | Line Items |
|---------|----------|-----------|
| 1100 | Story & Screenplay | Script purchase/option, WGA fees, rewrites |
| 1200 | Producers | Producer fee, Line Producer, Associate Producers |
| 1300 | Director | Director fee, DGA fees (if applicable) |
| 1400 | Cast | Principal cast fees, casting director, SAG minimums |

**SAG Rate Reference (2025-2026):**
- Ultra Low Budget (ULB): Under $300K — $232-241/day minimum
- Modified Low Budget: Under $700K — $335-350/day minimum
- Low Budget: Under $2M — $630/day minimum
- Theatrical scale: ~$1,085/day minimum

---

### BELOW THE LINE: PRE-PRODUCTION

| Account | Category | Line Items |
|---------|----------|-----------|
| 2100 | Casting | Casting director, audition space, extras casting |
| 2200 | Location Scouting | Scout fees, mileage, permit research |
| 2300 | Art Direction | Production designer, research materials |
| 2400 | Rehearsals | Studio space, actor per diems |

---

### BELOW THE LINE: PRODUCTION (Principal Photography)

| Account | Dept | Key Line Items |
|---------|------|---------------|
| 3100 | Production Staff | 1st AD, 2nd AD, Script Supervisor, UPM, Production Coordinator, PA x2-4 |
| 3200 | Camera | DP fee, Camera Operator, 1st AC, 2nd AC, DIT, Camera package rental |
| 3300 | Lighting / Grip | Gaffer, Best Boy Electric, Key Grip, Best Boy Grip, Grip package, Lighting package |
| 3400 | Sound | Sound Mixer, Boom Operator, Sound package |
| 3500 | Art Department | Production Designer, Set Decorator, Prop Master, Props budget, Set construction |
| 3600 | Wardrobe | Costume Designer, Wardrobe Supervisor, Costume purchase/rental |
| 3700 | Hair & Makeup | Dept Head, Artists, Kit fees, Supplies, SFX makeup if applicable |
| 3800 | Locations | Location Manager, Location fees, Permits, Scouting, Parking |
| 3900 | Transportation | Vehicles, Fuel, Driver wages, Equipment transport |
| 4000 | Catering | Craft service daily, Catering per meal (budget $15-20/person/meal indie) |
| 4100 | VFX On Set | VFX Supervisor, Reference cameras, Witness cameras |
| 4200 | Stunts | Stunt Coordinator, Stunt performers, Safety equipment |
| 4300 | Second Unit | 2nd Unit Director, reduced crew, equipment |

---

### BELOW THE LINE: POST-PRODUCTION

| Account | Category | Line Items |
|---------|----------|-----------|
| 5100 | Editing | Editor fee, Assistant Editor, Editing suite/software |
| 5200 | VFX/Graphics | VFX artists, Compositing, Motion graphics, Titles |
| 5300 | Music | Composer fee, Score recording, Music licensing, Sync fees |
| 5400 | Sound Post | Sound Design, Dialogue Edit, ADR, Foley, Mix |
| 5500 | Color Grading | Colorist fee, Suite rental, Deliverable mastering |
| 5600 | Legal | E&O Insurance, Clearances, Contracts, Rights |
| 5700 | Deliverables | DCP, Closed captions, Festival screeners, Digital masters |

---

### OTHER / OVERHEAD

| Account | Category | Notes |
|---------|----------|-------|
| 6100 | Insurance | Production insurance, Liability, Equipment, Workers comp |
| 6200 | Publicity | EPK production, Stills photographer, Press materials |
| 6300 | Fringes | Payroll taxes on wages (see rates below) |
| 6400 | Contingency | 10% of total BTL (non-negotiable buffer) |

---

## Fringe Rate Guide

| Crew Type | Fringe Rate |
|-----------|------------|
| Contractors (1099) | 0% (they pay own taxes) |
| Employees (W-2), non-union | 18-22% (FICA, FUTA, state) |
| SAG-AFTRA Ultra Low Budget | +14.3% H&P on wages |
| IATSE (full union) | 30-45% depending on local |

---

## Budget Tier Benchmarks

| Tier | Range | Notes |
|------|-------|-------|
| Micro-budget | $0 - $50K | Deferred pay, favors, skeleton crew |
| Ultra-low | $50K - $300K | SAG ULB, minimal paid crew |
| Low budget | $300K - $1M | SAG Modified, small departments |
| Mid-range indie | $1M - $5M | Full paid crew, limited VFX |
| Mid-budget | $5M - $20M | Union, full departments |
| Studio indie | $20M - $50M | Prestige indie territory |

---

## Indie Budget Rules of Thumb

1. **Camera package:** 1-2% of total budget (own = $0)
2. **Catering:** $15-25/person/meal for cast+crew
3. **Locations:** 5-10% of total budget for location-heavy scripts
4. **Post-production:** 20-30% of total budget
5. **Contingency:** ALWAYS 10% of BTL — never skip
6. **Overtime buffer:** Add 15-25% to labor if shooting long days
7. **Insurance:** $3,000-$8,000 for typical indie (check cast/location requirements)

---

## Sample Micro-Budget ($30K Short Film)

| Category | Estimated |
|----------|-----------|
| ATL (Director deferred, cast SAG student) | $2,000 |
| Camera (rental) | $1,500 |
| Lighting/Grip | $1,200 |
| Sound | $800 |
| Art Department / Props | $1,500 |
| Wardrobe | $500 |
| Locations + Permits | $2,000 |
| Catering (3 days, 20 people) | $1,800 |
| Transportation | $600 |
| Editing (deferred) | $0 |
| Sound Mix | $1,500 |
| Color Grade | $800 |
| Music | $500 |
| Legal + Insurance | $2,000 |
| Miscellaneous | $1,800 |
| **Contingency (10%)** | **$1,850** |
| **TOTAL** | **~$20,350** |


path: references/call-sheet-structure.md
content: # Call Sheet — Structure Reference
*Compiled from Celtx, CalArts 2 Pop, and industry standards*

## What Is a Call Sheet?
A call sheet is a document sent to all cast and crew the day before each shoot day. It contains all logistical information needed to execute that day's production. Usually prepared by the 1st AD, UPM, or Producer.

## Standard Call Sheet Sections

### Header Block
- Production Title
- Production Company
- Shoot Date
- Day X of Y (e.g., "Day 3 of 10")
- General Call Time (crew call)
- Location (address, GPS)
- Nearest Hospital + Police Station (emergency contacts)
- Weather Forecast (temp, precipitation)
- Sunrise / Sunset times

### Production Contact Info
- Director
- 1st AD
- UPM / Line Producer
- Producer
- Key phone numbers

### Scene List for the Day
For each scene:
- Scene # | Int/Ext | Location Name | Day/Night | Pages
- Estimated shoot time
- Cast required

### Advance Schedule
What is planned for TOMORROW — so departments can prep.

### Location Notes
- Basecamp address (where meals/meetings happen)
- Parking instructions
- Access codes or contact person on-site
- Directions and alternate routes

### Cast List (Day Players)
| Character | Actor Name | Character # | Makeup Call | Set Call | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detective Hayes | Jane Smith | 1 | 5:30 AM | 7:00 AM | Hair/makeup trailer A |
| Maria | Carlos Rivera | 2 | 6:00 AM | 7:30 AM | Costume fitting first |

### Background / Extras
- How many, what type, call time

### Transport Notes
- Pick-up times and locations for cast
- Shuttle schedule
- Equipment truck arrival

### Crew Grid
| Name | Title | Department | Call Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Lee | Director of Photography | Camera | 6:00 AM |
| Alex Ford | Gaffer | Electric | 5:30 AM |

### Crew / Set Notes
- Parking permit info
- COVID/health protocols (if active)
- Required safety equipment
- Special instructions for the day
- Catering schedule (breakfast/lunch/dinner times)

### Advanced Scenes (Tomorrow)
Brief description of next day's scenes for prep purposes.

---

## Call Sheet Best Practices
- Distribute to ALL cast and crew minimum 12 hours before call time
- Always include emergency contacts (medical, fire, police)
- Weather info is critical for exterior shoots
- Mark any scenes involving stunts, minors, or animals clearly
- Include parking permits and access info in detail
- Note any equipment that must be pre-rigged or pre-lit


path: references/production-schedule-structure.md
content: # Production Schedule — Structure Reference
*Compiled from StudioBinder, Evercast, and industry standards*

## Types of Production Schedules

### 1. One-Liner Schedule (Most Common on Set)
A condensed overview of the entire shoot. One line per scene. Used by all departments for planning. Created from the stripboard.

Format per line:
`[Scene #] | [Int/Ext] | [Location] | [Day/Night] | [Pages] | [Cast #s] | [Notes]`

Example:
```
DAY 1 — Monday, July 14 — LOCATION: Riverside Diner, 45 Main St
SC 1 | INT | DINER | DAY | 2 4/8 | Cast: 1,2,3 | Breakfast scene, 6 pages
SC 4 | INT | DINER KITCHEN | DAY | 1 2/8 | Cast: 2,4 | Aftermath
SC 7 | EXT | DINER PARKING LOT | DAY | 1 0/8 | Cast: 1 | Drive-off

DAY 2 — Tuesday, July 15 — LOCATION: Hayes Apartment, 88 Oak Ave
SC 2 | INT | BEDROOM | NIGHT | 3 4/8 | Cast: 1,5 | Crucial dialogue scene
SC 8 | INT | KITCHEN | NIGHT | 1 0/8 | Cast: 1 | Solo scene
```

### 2. Stripboard (Full Production Board)
Visual, color-coded board where each strip = one scene. Used to physically reorder scenes and plan shoot order.

Colors:
- **White** — Day interior scenes
- **Yellow** — Day exterior scenes
- **Blue** — Night interior scenes
- **Green** — Night exterior scenes
- **Red** — End of shoot day marker
- **Black** — Non-shooting days (travel, prep, hold)

### 3. Task/Department Schedule
Breakdown of who does what and when:
| Task | Owner | Start | End | Status |
|------|-------|-------|-----|--------|
| Location scout - warehouse | 1st AD | Jul 1 | Jul 3 | Pending |
| Costume fittings - all cast | Costume Designer | Jul 5 | Jul 7 | |
| Camera package pickup | 1st AC | Jul 13 | Jul 13 | |

## Key Scheduling Principles

### Order of Operations for Scene Scheduling
1. **Group by location** — minimize location moves (most expensive cost factor)
2. **Group by cast** — minimize days needed for expensive/busy actors
3. **Interior before exterior** — weather flexibility
4. **Nights last** — crew fatigue management
5. **Complex scenes early** — when crew is fresh
6. **Coverage/pickups last** — easier to add/remove

### Page Count & Timing Rules
- 1 script page ≈ 1 minute of screen time
- Industry standard: 3-5 pages per shoot day (narrative film)
- Faster pace: 5-8 pages/day (TV, commercial)
- Action/VFX heavy: 1-2 pages/day
- A "5/8 page scene" = 5 out of 8 equal sections of one page

### Turnaround Rules (Union Standards)
- **Minimum turnaround:** 12 hours between company wrap and next call (IATSE)
- **Forced call:** When turnaround is violated (requires premium pay)
- **Golden time:** 16+ continuous hours = double golden time (union)
- **French hours:** No formal meal break — rolling craft service only

### Day Out Of Days (DOOD) Chart
Tracks each actor's working/travel/hold days. Essential for SAG compliance and budgeting.

| Character | Actor | Mon Jul 14 | Tue Jul 15 | Wed Jul 16 | Total Work Days |
|-----------|-------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------------|
| Detective Hayes | Jane Smith | W | W | H | 2 |
| Maria | Carlos Rivera | W | SW | | 1.5 |

W = Work Day | SW = Start Work | H = Hold | F = Finish | T = Travel | SWF = Start/Work/Finish

## Production Calendar Template
| Date | Day | Shoot Day | Location | Scenes | Pages | Key Cast | Notes |
|------|-----|-----------|----------|--------|-------|----------|-------|
| Jul 13 | Sun | PREP | HQ | — | — | — | Camera package pickup, final scout |
| Jul 14 | Mon | Day 1 | Diner | 1,4,7 | 4 6/8 | 1,2,3,4 | Breakfast setup 5:30am |
| Jul 15 | Tue | Day 2 | Apartment | 2,8 | 4 4/8 | 1,5 | Night shoot — wrap by 4am |
| Jul 16 | Wed | OFF | — | — | — | — | Crew rest day |


path: references/script-breakdown-structure.md
content: # Script Breakdown — Structure Reference
*Compiled from StudioBinder, Filmustage, and The Film Fund*

## What Is a Script Breakdown?
The first step in pre-production: analyzing the screenplay scene-by-scene to extract every element needed to shoot it. Drives budgeting, scheduling, and departmental planning.

## The Two Core Concepts

### 1. Page Eighths
Each script page is divided into 8 equal sections. Scenes are measured in eighths:
- A scene spanning half a page = 4/8
- A 1.5 page scene = 1 4/8
- Faster to schedule and estimate time than whole pages

**Rule of thumb:**
- 1 page = ~1 minute of screen time
- 8/8 page = 1 full day for complex scenes (rarely)
- 1/8 page = fast pickup shot or single line exchange

### 2. Breakdown Sheet (One Per Scene)
One sheet per scene in the film. Contains all elements required for that specific scene.

## Script Breakdown Sheet Template

```
PRODUCTION: [Title]          BREAKDOWN PAGE: ___
SCENE #: ___                 SCENE NAME: _______________
INT/EXT: ___                 DAY/NIGHT: ___
LOCATION: _______________    PAGE COUNT: ___ / 8
STORY DAY: ___              SEQUENCE: ___

SYNOPSIS:
[2-3 sentence description of what happens]

ELEMENT CATEGORIES:
```

## Element Categories (Color-Coded System)

| Color | Category | What Goes Here |
|-------|----------|---------------|
| 🔴 Red | Cast (Speaking Roles) | All speaking characters |
| 🟡 Yellow | Extras / Background | Non-speaking atmosphere |
| 🟢 Green | Extras Atmosphere | Specific background talent |
| 🔵 Blue | Special Effects (SFX) | Practical on-set FX (rain, fire, explosions) |
| 🔹 Light Blue | VFX | Visual effects to be added in post |
| 🟣 Purple | Props | Objects actors interact with |
| ⚪ Gray | Set Dressing | Furniture, decoration (non-interactive) |
| ⭕ Circle | Wardrobe / Costumes | Character outfits (per story day) |
| ✨ Asterisk | Hair & Makeup | Special makeup, prosthetics, wounds |
| 💗 Pink | Vehicles / Animals | Picture cars, live animals |
| 🟠 Orange | Stunts | Any risky sequences |
| 🟤 Brown | Sound Notes | Key audio, wild lines, MOS shots |
| 🟡 Gold | Lighting Notes | Practical lights, natural light timing |
| ⬛ Box | Camera / Special Equipment | Drones, cranes, Steadicam |

## Detailed Category Breakdown

### Cast (Red)
- Speaking roles only (actors with lines)
- Note character names + cast numbers assigned
- Include any featured background who react on camera
- Child actors require guardian + tutors on set
- Animal trainers included when animals present

### Props (Purple)
- Items that actors PHYSICALLY USE or interact with
- Not set decoration (things just sitting there)
- Examples: phone, gun, briefcase, cup of coffee
- Flag: consumables (food, breakable items — need multiples)
- Flag: hero props (need picture-perfect condition)

### Set Dressing (Gray)
- Items that dress the set but aren't touched
- Examples: paintings on wall, furniture, lamps
- Set decorator's domain (not props department)

### Wardrobe (Circle)
- Label by: Character Name + Story Day + Outfit Number
- Flag items that get damaged/destroyed in scene (need multiples)
- Continuity critical: must match across coverage

### Makeup (Asterisk)
- ONLY unusual makeup goes here
- Prosthetics, wounds, aging, blood, etc.
- Standard makeup not noted (assumed for all performers)

### SFX (Blue)
- On-set practical effects
- Rain rigs, wind machines, pyrotechnics
- Mechanical effects, squibs, breakaway glass
- Fog machines

### VFX (Light Blue)
- Green screen elements
- Digital additions to be composited in post
- Wire removal shots
- Matte paintings / background replacement

### Vehicles (Pink)
- Picture vehicles (cars that appear ON camera)
- Note if vehicle moves or is parked static
- Classic/specialty vehicles need early sourcing
- Driver required? Stunt driver?

### Stunts (Orange)
- Any scene with physical risk
- Fight choreography
- Falls, crashes, fire
- Requires stunt coordinator + safety protocols

### Sound Notes (Brown)
- MOS shots (camera only, no sound) — saves time
- Wild lines (audio recorded separately)
- Atmospheric sound requirements
- Playback (music playing on set during scene)

## Complete Scene Breakdown Example

```
PRODUCTION: "Night Falls"     BREAKDOWN PAGE: 12
SCENE #: 24                  SCENE NAME: The Confrontation
INT/EXT: INT                 DAY/NIGHT: NIGHT
LOCATION: HAYES APARTMENT - KITCHEN
PAGE COUNT: 2 4/8            STORY DAY: Day 3

SYNOPSIS: Hayes confronts Maria about the missing evidence. 
Tension escalates. Maria smashes a coffee mug. Hayes pulls his badge.

CAST (Red):
- DETECTIVE HAYES (#1)
- MARIA (#2)

EXTRAS (Yellow):
- None

PROPS (Purple):
- Coffee mug x3 (smashed — need multiples)
- Detective's badge
- Evidence folder with photos
- Half-empty whiskey bottle
- Phone (Hayes's)

SET DRESSING (Gray):
- Kitchen appliances (fridge, stove)
- Wall calendar showing date
- Dirty dishes in sink (continuity from Sc.22)

WARDROBE (Circle):
- Hayes - Story Day 3 - Outfit 2 (wet shirt from rain)
- Maria - Story Day 3 - Outfit 1 (robe)

MAKEUP (Asterisk):
- Hayes: cut on cheek from Sc.20 (continuity wound)

SFX (Blue):
- None

VFX (Light Blue):
- None

SOUND (Brown):
- Rain ambience playback (storm heard outside)
- Mug smash — practical or foley

CAMERA / EQUIPMENT:
- Handheld second camera for coverage
- Tight quarters — 35mm preferred

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:
- 3 coffee mugs required (breakaway for safety, real for close-up insert)
- Confirm continuity photos from Sc.22 for Hayes wound
```


path: references/shot-list-structure.md
content: # Shot List — Structure Reference
*Compiled from StudioBinder, Boords, and Milanote industry standards*

## What Is a Shot List?
A shot list is a strategic document that lists all the shots to be captured in a specific shoot day (or entire production). It's how the director communicates the visual plan to the DP and 1st AD.

## Core Elements (Required)
Every shot list must contain:
1. **Scene Number** — syncs with script and schedule
2. **Shot Number** — sequential within each scene (reset to 1 for each new setup)
3. **Shot Description** — what's happening in the shot
4. **Shot Size** — ECU / CU / MCU / MS / MWS / WS / XWS / OTS
5. **Camera Movement** — Static / Pan / Tilt / Dolly / Handheld / Steadicam / Crane / Drone

## Extended Elements (Professional)
6. **Angle** — Eye Level / High / Low / Dutch / POV / Bird's Eye
7. **Lens** — e.g., 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 24mm, anamorphic
8. **Frame Rate** — 24fps / 48fps / 120fps (slow-mo)
9. **Equipment Required** — Steadicam, jib, slider, drone, gimbal
10. **Audio Notes** — Dialogue / Ambience / Wild lines / MOS
11. **Notes** — Lighting setup, mood, reference image, special FX
12. **VFX Tag** — Whether shot requires VFX in post
13. **Stunt Flag** — Shots involving stunts or special risk
14. **Est. Duration** — Estimated minutes to achieve the shot

## Shot Sizes Reference
| Code | Name | Description |
|------|------|-------------|
| ECU | Extreme Close-Up | Eyes, hands, detail |
| CU | Close-Up | Head and shoulders |
| MCU | Medium Close-Up | Chest up |
| MS | Medium Shot | Waist up |
| MWS | Medium Wide Shot | Full body with context |
| WS | Wide Shot | Full environment |
| XWS | Extreme Wide Shot | Establishing, geography |
| OTS | Over the Shoulder | Dialogue coverage |
| POV | Point of View | Subjective shot |
| 2S | Two Shot | Two subjects |
| INS | Insert | Object detail |

## Camera Movement Reference
- **Static** — Locked-off, no movement
- **Pan** — Horizontal rotation on tripod
- **Tilt** — Vertical rotation on tripod
- **Dolly In/Out** — Track-based push or pull
- **Track Left/Right** — Lateral movement on tracks
- **Handheld** — Camera operator carrying camera
- **Steadicam** — Stabilized walking movement
- **Crane/Jib** — Arm-mounted vertical movement
- **Drone** — Aerial
- **Zoom In/Out** — Optical zoom (different from dolly)

## Sample Shot List Row
| Sc# | Shot# | Description | Size | Movement | Angle | Lens | Notes |
|-----|-------|-------------|------|----------|-------|------|-------|
| 12 | 1 | Detective enters room, surveys scene | WS | Static | Eye Level | 35mm | Practical lights only |
| 12 | 2 | Detective's face — realization | CU | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Hold 3 sec after reaction |
| 12 | 3 | Evidence on table — reveal | INS | Dolly In | High | 50mm | Slow push, 5 sec |
| 12 | 4 | Two-shot — Hayes and partner discuss | 2S | Track R | Eye Level | 35mm | Handheld alt option |

## Shot List Best Practices
- Build by scene, number shots within each scene
- Add reference images or storyboard thumbnails when possible
- Color-code shot types for quick visual scanning
- Share with DP 48hrs before shoot for equipment prep
- On-set: 1st AD tracks completed shots against the list
- Mark PRIORITY shots — shots you MUST get vs. nice-to-haves


path: references/test-outputs/01-script-breakdown-output.md
content: # TEST OUTPUT: Script Breakdown
## Source Scene: Scene 24, "Night Falls" — INT. HAYES APARTMENT / KITCHEN — NIGHT
## Prompt Template: prompts/script-breakdown.md

---

**PRODUCTION:** Night Falls
**BREAKDOWN PAGE:** 24

---

**SCENE #:** 24
**SCENE NAME:** The Confrontation — Kitchen
**INT/EXT:** Interior
**DAY/NIGHT:** Night
**LOCATION:** Hayes Apartment — Kitchen
**PAGE COUNT:** 2 4/8
**STORY DAY:** Day 3 (implied — Hayes still in wet shirt from rain scene)
**ESTIMATED SHOOT TIME:** 4-6 hours (dialogue-heavy with stunt beat, two camera setups)

---

**SYNOPSIS:**
Detective Hayes confronts Maria in his kitchen about a missing evidence folder from the Reyes case. The dialogue escalates through quiet tension rather than volume. Maria breaks — smashing a coffee mug — then admits "they'll kill you." Hayes issues a warning and leaves. It's the pivot scene of Act Two.

---

**CAST (Speaking Roles):**
- DETECTIVE HAYES (#1) — 52, weathered, still in wet shirt and loose tie. He is controlled, methodical, doing the confronting.
- MARIA (#2) — 35, frightened beneath a sharp exterior. She is on the defensive, then breaks, then regroups.

**EXTRAS / BACKGROUND:**
- None

---

**PROPS (items actors physically interact with):**
- Coffee mug (breakaway for smash) — need MINIMUM 3 units: 1 breakaway for stunt smash, 1 real for close-up insert, 1 hero standby
- Whiskey bottle (half-empty, on counter — Hayes does NOT drink from it this scene, but it's established)
- Detective's badge — Hayes places on counter, then pockets it. Hero prop — must be consistent with previous/subsequent scenes
- Evidence folder (referenced in dialogue, Hayes may or may not produce it — confirm with director)
- Dishes in sink (set dressing, but confirm continuity: are they the SAME dishes from earlier in the story?)

**SET DRESSING (not touched):**
- Dirty dishes piled in sink
- Refrigerator (Hayes stands near it)
- Stove (window above stove showing rain)
- Kitchen countertops (messy, lived-in)
- Rain effect visible through window (see SFX)
- General kitchen clutter (established as a mess)

---

**WARDROBE:**
- HAYES — Story Day 3 — Outfit 2: Wet dress shirt (still damp from rain, ties loose), detective jacket (badge in pocket). **FLAG:** Shirt must be WET — coordinate with wardrobe to wet before scene. Continuity from rain scene must match.
- MARIA — Story Day 3 — Outfit 1: Implied she's been home — robe or casual indoor clothing. Confirm with director and costume designer.

---

**MAKEUP / HAIR:**
- HAYES: Continuity wound from Scene 20 — check photos, replicate exactly (cut on cheek or similar). Confirm with script supervisor what's been established.
- MARIA: Stress/fear look — subtle. Hair slightly undone. Coordinate with makeup department.

---

**SPECIAL EFFECTS (Practical, On-Set):**
- Rain on window: Rain FX rig outside window or practical rain. If location has a real window, coordinate with SFX or use rain machine outside. **FLAG: Coordinate with location — can you rig outside the window?**
- Mug smash: Practical breakaway OR real mug dropped on tile. **Safety note:** Ensure broken ceramic does not create slip/injury risk. Have grip sweep between takes.

---

**VFX (Post-Production):**
- None anticipated. Rain on window should be practical.

---

**VEHICLES / ANIMALS:**
- None

---

**STUNTS:**
- MUG SMASH: Maria shoves mug off counter edge. Low-risk but confirm: is this a stunt performer or can the actor do this safely? Breakaway mug = safer. Real mug = more cinematic sound but debris risk. **Recommendation:** Breakaway mug, real ceramic sound added in Foley.

---

**SOUND NOTES:**
- Rain ambience should be continuous and audible — set dressing in production sound
- Mug shatter: capture on set, reinforce in Foley (breakaway mugs often sound hollow)
- Quiet scene — dialogue-driven. Keep set absolutely silent. Kill all HVAC, refrigerator hum if possible.
- Wild lines: Capture wild lines of both actors for potential ADR / editorial options
- Hayes's footsteps on tile as he exits — capture clean for sound design

---

**CAMERA / EQUIPMENT:**
- Tight kitchen space — confirm camera positions with DP before lock
- Two-camera coverage likely needed for economy on dialogue
- Consider handheld for Maria's coverage (fragility / emotional instability)
- Locked off for Hayes (control, stillness)
- 85mm for CU work in tight space

---

**PRODUCTION FLAGS:**
1. **CONTINUITY CRITICAL** — Hayes's wet shirt must match rain scene exactly. Get stills/polaroids before wrapping the rain location.
2. **MUG INVENTORY** — 3 minimum breakaway mugs needed. Order 5 for safety. Real mugs for insert shot of badge going on counter.
3. **RAIN RIG** — Confirm with location if rain FX rig can be mounted outside window. If not, rain sound design + rain on glass practical during a real rain night.
4. **REFRIGERATOR HUM** — Location fridges are notoriously loud on set. Unplug during takes, replace if needed for continuity.
5. **KITCHEN SIZE** — Small kitchens are cramped with a full crew. Plan for stripped-down crew during takes (DP, Sound, 1 AC only on floor; monitors outside kitchen).
6. **BADGE PROP** — Hero badge must be cleared/approved by legal if resembling real law enforcement badge. Get clearance.

---

**CONTINUITY NOTES:**
- Hayes's shirt wetness level must match SC 23 (rain scene) if shooting out of order
- Badge must match appearance in all prior/subsequent scenes
- Kitchen mess must be consistent with any earlier kitchen scenes (SC 22 dishes note)
- Maria's coffee mug should be established in prior scene if possible (audience knows it before she smashes it)


path: references/test-outputs/01-script-breakdown.md
content: # TEST OUTPUT 1: Script Breakdown
*Prompt: Script Breakdown Generator*
*Test Scene: INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY — Anna & Marcus confrontation (3 pages)*

---

```
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SCRIPT BREAKDOWN SHEET
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

PRODUCTION: "Bitter Coffee"         BREAKDOWN PAGE: 7
SCENE #: 7                          SCENE NAME: The Confrontation
INT/EXT: INT                        DAY/NIGHT: DAY
LOCATION: COFFEE SHOP — main seating area
PAGE COUNT: 3 0/8                   STORY DAY: Day 1
ESTIMATED SHOOT TIME: 6-8 hours (dialogue-heavy, emotional complexity, background wrangling)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SYNOPSIS
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Anna and Marcus sit across from each other in a public coffee shop. Anna reveals she knows
about Marcus's deception — a three-year betrayal tied to "the Tokyo deal." Marcus attempts
to leave. Anna physically stops him, grabbing his wrist. The confrontation plays out under
the uncomfortable watch of a nearby Barista and two customers.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CAST (Speaking Roles) — RED
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- ANNA (#1) — 30s, sharp-eyed, controlled. Drives the confrontation. Has most of the dialogue.
- MARCUS (#2) — 40s, distinguished. On the defensive. Attempts to exit. Physicality required (wrist grab).

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
EXTRAS / BACKGROUND — YELLOW
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- BARISTA (#BG1) — Featured background, non-speaking but scripted reaction ("pretends not to notice")
  → NOTE: Scripted reaction makes this a FEATURED EXTRA — may require upgrade if any direction given
- CUSTOMERS at corner table (#BG2, #BG3) — 2 persons, scripted look-over reaction
  → NOTE: Same risk — scripted behavior = potential upgrade
- Additional coffee shop atmosphere background: recommend 3-5 additional non-featured patrons for realistic
  mid-morning look

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
PROPS — PURPLE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- Coffee cups x2 — "barely touched" (hero props — must look specific on camera)
  → Flag: Continuity-critical across all coffee shop scenes
  → Multiple cups needed if spill occurs or coverage requires resets
- Marcus's jacket — he collects it mid-scene (must be consistent with all Marcus scenes)
- Anna's hand / wrist contact with Marcus — physical prop interaction; confirm blocking with actors

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SET DRESSING — GRAY
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- Coffee shop table with 2 chairs (Anna and Marcus seating)
- Counter / bar area (background — Barista's station)
- Corner table setup for 2 background customers
- General coffee shop dressing: menu board, cups on shelf, coffee equipment
- Ambient lighting: overhead practical lights, window natural light (time of day = DAY)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
WARDROBE — CIRCLE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- ANNA — Story Day 1, Outfit 1 — "controlled" professional appearance; must be established
  early and consistent through all coffee shop scenes
- MARCUS — Story Day 1, Outfit 1 — "distinguished"; jacket is a prop interaction point,
  must match across all coffee shop scenes
  → Flag: Marcus collecting jacket is a continuity beat — confirm jacket is always identical

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
MAKEUP / HAIR — ASTERISK
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- MARCUS: Subtle perspiration (described as "sweating" in scene header) — light makeup note
  for continuity across scene: confirm with makeup dept if practical application needed
- No special prosthetics, wounds, or aging required

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SPECIAL EFFECTS (Practical, On-Set) — BLUE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- None required

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
VFX (Post-Production) — LIGHT BLUE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- None required

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
VEHICLES / ANIMALS — PINK
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- None required

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
STUNTS — ORANGE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- Anna grabs Marcus's wrist — physical contact. Not a stunt technically, but requires:
  → Pre-shoot blocking rehearsal (Anna and Marcus, 30 min before rolling)
  → Actor consent and comfort discussion re: physical contact
  → Note if Marcus actor has any injury or concern

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SOUND NOTES — BROWN
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- CRITICAL: Real coffee shop location = ambient noise challenge (espresso machine, ambient chatter)
  → Recommend: record wild lines of all dialogue in quieter environment after scene coverage
  → Boom operator should note any espresso machine firings that compromise a take
- Ambient sound: should feel like a busy coffee shop but not overwhelming (editorial note: levels)
- Scene ends in "silence" — key sound design beat; capture clean room tone for at least 30 seconds

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CAMERA / EQUIPMENT
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- Tight interior space — 35mm or 50mm lens recommended for dialogue coverage
- Consider: second camera for efficiency on dialogue (gets both OTS angles simultaneously)
- Telephoto (85mm) for isolated close-ups of faces — lets actors play without camera in their space
- No specialty equipment required

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
PRODUCTION FLAGS ⚠️
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. FEATURED BACKGROUND RISK: Barista and 2 customers have scripted reactions. Under SAG rules,
   directing a background performer's reaction may trigger a "featured extra" upgrade. Budget accordingly
   or rewrite to remove scripted reactions.

2. AMBIENT SOUND: Real coffee shop location will create sound challenges. Budget for ADR/wild lines.

3. CONTINUITY — COFFEE CUPS: "Barely touched" cups must match across all coverage. Script supervisor
   must photograph exact cup placement, contents level, before each reset.

4. REAL LOCATION HOURS: Coffee shop may have business constraints (opening to public, lunch rush).
   Confirm block-out hours with location manager before scheduling 6-8 hours here.

5. PHYSICAL CONTACT: Anna grabs Marcus's wrist. Requires blocking rehearsal, actor agreement, and
   camera plan that captures the contact clearly.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
CONTINUITY NOTES
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

- Coffee cup levels must be identical across all angles/takes of the same beat
- Marcus's jacket: must be ON before he "collects it" — confirm he's wearing it in scene start vs.
  it being draped over chair (the text implies he picks it up)
- Marcus "sweating" in scene header — confirm whether this is established in earlier scenes or
  builds here; if builds, makeup notes must reflect gradual progression across coverage
- Anna's physical position relative to Marcus's wrist must match across OTS angles
```


path: references/test-outputs/02-shot-list-output.md
content: # TEST OUTPUT: Shot List
## Source Scene: Scene 24, "Night Falls" — INT. HAYES APARTMENT / KITCHEN — NIGHT
## Prompt Template: prompts/shot-list-generator.md

---

**Production:** Night Falls
**Scene:** 24 — INT. Hayes Apartment / Kitchen — Night
**Director's Vision:** Controlled dread. No shouting. The scene is scariest when both characters are quiet. Influenced by early Fincher — cool, tight, precise. The rain is oppressive. The badge placement is the moment.
**Available Hours:** 6 hours (8 PM call, wrap by 2 AM)
**Cast:** Hayes (#1), Maria (#2)

---

## SHOT LIST

| Shot # | Description | Size | Movement | Angle | Lens | Equipment | Est. Time | Priority | Notes |
|--------|-------------|------|----------|-------|------|-----------|-----------|----------|-------|
| 1 | Establishing — kitchen. Messy counters, rain on window, Hayes by fridge. Maria across with mug. Holds. | WS | Static | Slightly High | 35mm | Tripod | 20 min | A | Set the geography. Let it breathe before cutting. |
| 2 | Hayes — "Where is it, Maria." Full figure to waist. Commanding. | MS | Static | Eye Level | 50mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | He barely moves. That's the threat. |
| 3 | Maria reacts — holds mug tighter. Fear she's suppressing. | MS | Static | Eye Level | 50mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | Match size/angle to Shot 2 for clean dialogue cut. |
| 4 | Hayes face — "I know what a lie looks like." | CU | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | Slow push optional — discuss with DP day-of |
| 5 | Maria face — "You're drunk, Detective." | CU | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 10 min | A | She's testing him. Small smile she kills immediately. |
| 6 | Badge — Hayes places it on counter between them. | INS | Dolly In (slow) | Slightly High | 85mm | Slider | 25 min | A | THE moment. Hold on badge. Don't rush. |
| 7 | Reverse angle — Maria's reaction to badge on counter. | MCU | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | Jaw tightening. The tell. |
| 8 | Maria — "You don't know what you're getting into, Marcus." | CU | Static | Slightly Low | 85mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | Low angle = power shift. She knows something he doesn't. |
| 9 | Hayes — goes very still. Registers the first name. | CU | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | Absolutely still. Maybe 3 seconds before he speaks. |
| 10 | Two shot — "They'll kill you." / "Not the first time." | 2S | Static | Eye Level | 35mm | Tripod | 20 min | A | Use for rhythm in dialogue. Anchor the scene's end. |
| 11 | Mug smash — Maria shoves it off the counter. | MS-WS | Static | Eye Level | 35mm | Tripod | 30 min | A | Multiple takes. Get it with sound. Reset each time. |
| 12 | INSERT — Mug shattering on tile, slow motion. | ECU | Static | High/Bird's Eye | 85mm | Tripod | 20 min | A | Shoot at 120fps. Moment of violence as release. |
| 13 | Hayes — doesn't flinch after smash. Picks up badge. | MS | Static | Eye Level | 50mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | The stillness after the smash is louder than the smash. |
| 14 | Hayes exits frame — "Pack a bag. Tonight." | MS→WS | Static (or slight pull) | Eye Level | 35mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | Let him exit fully. Hold on empty space for a beat. |
| 15 | Maria alone — stares at broken mug. End of scene. | MS→CU | Very Slow Dolly In | Eye Level | 50mm | Slider | 25 min | A | Final image. Rain continues. She's made a decision. |
| 16 | POV — Maria's perspective. Broken mug on floor. | POV/HIGH | Static | High | 35mm | Tripod | 15 min | B | Optional emotional punctuation. Cut or use in edit. |
| 17 | Hayes at door — brief pause before he leaves. | CU profile | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 15 min | B | Does he hesitate? Director's choice. Capture both. |
| 18 | Rain on window — insert / atmosphere. | INS | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 10 min | B | Connective tissue. Use in edit for pacing. |
| 19 | Wide — Maria alone in the kitchen. Full room. Tiny figure. | XWS | Static | Slightly High | 24mm | Tripod | 15 min | C | Thematic/tonal choice. Large kitchen = isolation. |
| 20 | Whiskey bottle insert — untouched on counter. | INS | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 10 min | C | Tells the backstory without dialogue. Worth 10 min. |

---

## COVERAGE STRATEGY
Start wide to establish geography and the power dynamic of the two characters at opposite ends of the kitchen. Build in on Hayes first — he's the aggressor, the scene's engine. Switch to tighter Maria coverage as her resistance starts to crack. The badge placement (Shot 6) is the pivot: shoot it beautiful and slow, it's the movie's visual thesis. After the mug smash, hold wide on Hayes's non-reaction before going to Maria's aftermath. End on her — alone, deciding what she's going to do next.

Do NOT shoot handheld. This scene is shot on sticks. The camera's stillness is the scene's tension. Let the actors move; the camera watches.

## LIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS
- Rain on window = natural motivation for a cool, slightly blue key light
- Practical kitchen light (overhead fluorescent or warm overhead) for Maria's side
- Hayes stays in slightly cooler/darker light — he's the unknown in the scene
- Rain shadow patterns on walls if exterior rain rig can achieve it
- No beauty light — this is a working kitchen at night, not cinematic unless it's earned
- Sunset/sunrise not a factor — all interior, schedule independent of natural light

## ESTIMATED TOTAL SHOOT TIME
- A priority shots: ~4 hours with setup and resets
- A + B: ~5.5 hours
- Full list: 6.5 hours (tight — pre-light on set before cast call)

## RISKS / FLAGS
1. MUG RESETS — each smash take requires cleanup and a new mug. Budget 10-15 min per reset. Have at least 5 breakaway mugs.
2. KITCHEN SPACE — will likely need to pull appliances or walls for lens positions. Scout carefully and confirm with DP.
3. RAIN CONTINUITY — if the rain sound drops between setups, audiences will notice. Keep rain playback consistent or use post.
4. REFRIGERATOR — turn off before rolling. It will kill your sound.
5. Shot 15 (slow dolly close) needs a smooth slider run in a potentially cramped space — pre-rig during setup.


path: references/test-outputs/02-shot-list.md
content: # TEST OUTPUT 2: Shot List
*Prompt: Shot List Generator*
*Test Scene: INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY — Anna & Marcus confrontation (3 pages)*
*Tone: Slow-burn tension. Confined, claustrophobic. Fincher-esque restraint.*

---

```
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SHOT LIST: "Bitter Coffee" — Scene 7
INT. COFFEE SHOP — DAY | ANNA & MARCUS
Director: David Apex | 8-hour shoot day
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

| Shot # | Description | Size | Movement | Angle | Lens | Equipment | Est. Time | Priority | Notes |
|--------|-------------|------|----------|-------|------|-----------|-----------|----------|-------|
| 7-1 | MASTER — Wide establishing. Anna and Marcus at table. Coffee shop geography visible. Barista in BG. | WS | Static | Eye Level | 35mm | Tripod | 45 min | A | Establish table, background, exits. Lock geography. |
| 7-2 | TWO-SHOT — Both characters at table, facing each other. "I know about the Tokyo deal." | 2S | Static | Slight High (looking down at table/cups) | 35mm | Tripod | 30 min | A | Slight overhead angle creates trap feeling. Establish cup placement for continuity. |
| 7-3 | OTS ANNA — Over Marcus's shoulder. Anna's face as she delivers the accusation. | OTS | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 25 min | A | Shallow DOF — Marcus OOS in FG. Hold on her eyes. |
| 7-4 | OTS MARCUS — Over Anna's shoulder. Marcus's jaw tightens. | OTS | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 25 min | A | Match 7-3 coverage. His face = controlled fear. |
| 7-5 | CU ANNA — "Three years, Marcus." Direct address. Her full conviction. | CU | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 20 min | A | This is the emotional spine of the scene. Need 3+ takes. |
| 7-6 | CU MARCUS — Reaction to "three years." The crack showing. | CU | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | Stay on him until he looks away or starts to move. |
| 7-7 | MS MARCUS — He stands, collects jacket. The retreat. | MS | Static → Slight Tilt Up as he rises | Eye Level | 50mm | Tripod | 20 min | A | Camera stays put as he rises — he's abandoning his position. |
| 7-8 | CU ANNA'S HAND — Shoots across table, grabs Marcus's wrist. | CU | Fast Push / Static | Low (table level) | 50mm | Handheld or tripod | 25 min | A | The physical turning point. May need multiple takes for clean contact read. |
| 7-9 | MCU ANNA — "Sit. Down." Two words. Maximum pressure. | MCU | Static | Eye Level / Slight Low | 85mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | Low angle gives her power in the frame despite sitting. |
| 7-10 | MCU MARCUS — His response to being stopped. Does he obey? | MCU | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 15 min | A | This is the decision moment. Camera holds. Let him play it. |
| 7-11 | INSERT — The two coffee cups. Barely touched. Sitting between them. | INS | Slow Dolly In | High (overhead-ish) | 50mm or macro | Slider or tripod | 20 min | B | Metaphor shot. The untouched cups = the pretense of civility collapsing. |
| 7-12 | WS COFFEE SHOP — Barista pretending not to notice. Background customers look over. | WS | Static | Eye Level | 35mm | Tripod | 25 min | B | Witness reaction. Shoot from Anna/Marcus table POV looking toward BG. |
| 7-13 | CU BARISTA — Eyes flick toward the table. Looks away. | CU | Static | Eye Level | 85mm | Tripod | 15 min | B | Peripheral witness. Punctuates the public humiliation element. |
| 7-14 | POV ANNA — Her POV of Marcus standing. She's looking up at him. | POV | Static | Low (Anna's seated eye line) | 35mm | Tripod/Low mount | 20 min | B | Power reversal shot — he's above her momentarily. Before she grabs him. |
| 7-15 | POV MARCUS — His POV of Anna's hand grabbing his wrist. | POV | Static | High (Marcus standing, looking down) | 50mm | Handheld | 15 min | B | His perspective on losing control of the situation. |
| 7-16 | EXTREME WS — The full coffee shop. Two tiny people in a public space having a very private moment. | XWS | Static | High / From across room | 35mm wide or 24mm | Tripod, far position | 20 min | C | Isolation in public. Optional — only if time allows. |
| 7-17 | SLOW DOLLY IN on Anna's face — from MS to CU during the "three years" speech. | MS→CU | Slow Dolly In | Eye Level | 50mm | Slider or dolly | 30 min | C | Cinematic punctuation. Beautiful if achieved, not worth losing A shots for it. |

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
COVERAGE STRATEGY
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Start wide to lock geography (7-1, 7-2). The coffee shop must feel like a contained space —
the audience needs to understand the exits and the witnesses before we trap them in close-ups.

Build the dialogue coverage from both OTS positions (7-3, 7-4) first, then push into close-ups
(7-5, 7-6). The close-ups are where this scene lives — Anna's certainty and Marcus's cracking
composure are the performance. Get multiple takes.

The physical beat (Marcus standing 7-7, Anna's hand 7-8) needs careful staging — confirm blocking
with actors before rolling. The wrist grab insert (7-8) may require a separate camera position
lower than the main setup. Don't rush this — it's the dramatic hinge.

Save the background witness shots (7-12, 7-13) for after principal coverage is locked. Background
can be slower to work with, and you don't need them to tell the story.

B and C shots (7-11, 7-14, 7-15, 7-16, 7-17) are atmospheric. If running behind, cut C first,
then B. The scene can be cut entirely from A shots.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
LIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Day interior. Work with the coffee shop's practical lighting (overhead warm lights) as much as
possible — augment rather than replace. A soft key light on Anna from camera-left, matching the
window direction. Marcus can afford slightly harder lighting to emphasize his discomfort.

IMPORTANT: If the location has windows, the daylight will shift through the shoot day. Lock the
look early and check against it hourly. A hard noon sun coming through a south-facing window will
blow out your exposure by 11am.

Recommend: shoot the tight close-ups (7-5, 7-6, 7-9, 7-10) in the middle of the day when outdoor
light is most stable and controllable.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ESTIMATED TOTAL SHOOT TIME
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A shots only: ~3.5–4.5 hours
A + B shots: ~5.5–6.5 hours
Full list: ~7–8 hours

Recommendation: Schedule A + B shots as the goal for an 8-hour day. If ahead of schedule, add
C shots. If behind, protect A shots ruthlessly — every A shot is essential to the edit.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
RISKS / FLAGS
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. BACKGROUND DIRECTION: Shots 7-12 and 7-13 involve background performers with scripted
   reactions. Budget extra time — background performers need direction, and their eyelines
   must be convincing without going so far as to upgrade their status.

2. WRIST GRAB (Shot 7-8): Physical contact. Confirm blocking, get multiple takes. Table
   level insert is awkward — may require moving the camera to a very low position or using
   a second camera. Don't let this single shot steal time from dialogue coverage.

3. COFFEE CUP CONTINUITY: "Barely touched" cups must be consistent across 17 shots.
   Script supervisor must lock this in the first 2 setups (7-1, 7-2) and photograph before
   every reset.

4. DOLLY SHOT (7-17): If using a slider, estimate 30 min for setup + rehearsal + takes.
   Only worth attempting if you've banked time on A shots.
```


path: references/test-outputs/03-call-sheet-output.md
content: # TEST OUTPUT: Call Sheet
## Source Scene: Scene 24, "Night Falls" — Shoot Day 4
## Prompt Template: prompts/call-sheet-formatter.md

---

```
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║                    NIGHT FALLS                               ║
║              PRODUCTION CALL SHEET                           ║
║          Day 4 of 8 — Thursday, July 17, 2025               ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

GENERAL CREW CALL: 7:00 PM
ESTIMATED WRAP: 3:00 AM (8-hour day + 1 hr turnaround buffer)
NEXT DAY CALL: No earlier than 3:00 PM (12-hour turnaround)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

PRODUCTION CONTACTS
  Director:           Marcus Bell         (555) 210-4477
  1st AD:             Sandra Okafor       (555) 318-9900
  UPM:                Jamie Tran          (555) 447-7231
  Production Office:  (555) 300-1188

EMERGENCY CONTACTS
  Nearest Hospital:   Riverside General, 200 Oak Ave (1.2 mi)
  Police:             12th Precinct, 88 Park Blvd (0.8 mi)
  On-Set Safety:      Kevin Marsh (555) 881-3300

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

LOCATION
  Hayes Apartment — Kitchen
  Address:  447 Heron Street, Apt 4B, Brooklyn, NY 11201
  Parking:  Street parking on Heron St + Lot C (see map)
            Parking permit required — provided by Production
  Entry:    Building super (Marcus, 555-777-0101) has keys
            Do NOT ring residents — use production entrance, side door
  Basecamp: Catering truck, Erie Ave side entrance

WEATHER FORECAST
  Thursday July 17 — INTERIOR SHOOT (weather not a factor)
  Outdoor temp: 72°F / Partly cloudy
  Sunset: 8:21 PM | Sunrise: 5:38 AM

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

TODAY'S SCENES
┌────────┬─────┬──────────────────────────┬───────┬───────┬────────────┬────────────────────────┐
│ Sc #   │ I/E │ Location                 │ D/N   │ Pages │ Cast       │ Notes                  │
├────────┼─────┼──────────────────────────┼───────┼───────┼────────────┼────────────────────────┤
│ 24     │ INT │ Hayes Apt — Kitchen      │ Night │ 2 4/8 │ #1, #2     │ MUG STUNT — see notes  │
│ 22     │ INT │ Hayes Apt — Living Room  │ Night │ 1 2/8 │ #1         │ Pre-light during 24    │
│ 25     │ INT │ Hayes Apt — Front Door   │ Night │ 0 4/8 │ #1         │ Hayes exit — pickups   │
└────────┴─────┴──────────────────────────┴───────┴───────┴────────────┴────────────────────────┘
TOTAL: 4 4/8 pages

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

CAST CALL TIMES
┌───────────────────┬──────────────────┬──────┬────────────┬────────────┬───────────────────────┐
│ Character         │ Actor            │ Cast │ MU/Hair    │ On Set     │ Notes                 │
├───────────────────┼──────────────────┼──────┼────────────┼────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ Detective Hayes   │ James Whitmore   │  #1  │ 7:00 PM    │ 8:00 PM    │ Wet shirt — wardrobe  │
│                   │                  │      │            │            │ to wet shirt @ 7:45   │
├───────────────────┼──────────────────┼──────┼────────────┼────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ Maria             │ Elena Santos     │  #2  │ 7:30 PM    │ 8:30 PM    │ Robe / casual indoor  │
│                   │                  │      │            │            │ Confirm wardrobe 48h  │
└───────────────────┴──────────────────┴──────┴────────────┴────────────┴───────────────────────┘

BACKGROUND / EXTRAS: None today.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

TRANSPORT NOTES
  James Whitmore:  Car service pickup 6:30 PM, Marriott Hotel lobby
  Elena Santos:    Self-drive / parking permit issued
  Equipment truck: Pre-rigged — arrive 5:00 PM (2 hrs before crew)
  Grip/Electric:   Pre-call 5:30 PM for lighting setup

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

CREW GRID
┌──────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┬──────────────┬───────────┐
│ Name                 │ Title                     │ Department   │ Call Time │
├──────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┼──────────────┼───────────┤
│ Kevin Park           │ Gaffer                    │ Electric     │ 5:30 PM   │
│ Amy Chen             │ Key Grip                  │ Grip         │ 5:30 PM   │
│ Dev Patel            │ Best Boy Electric         │ Electric     │ 5:30 PM   │
│ Marcus Bell          │ Director                  │ Production   │ 6:30 PM   │
│ Sandra Okafor        │ 1st AD                    │ Production   │ 6:30 PM   │
│ Rachel Kim           │ Director of Photography   │ Camera       │ 6:30 PM   │
│ Thomas Reyes         │ 1st AC / Focus Puller     │ Camera       │ 6:30 PM   │
│ Pam Wu               │ 2nd AC                    │ Camera       │ 7:00 PM   │
│ Carlos Diaz          │ Production Sound Mixer    │ Sound        │ 7:00 PM   │
│ Nadia Stone          │ Boom Operator             │ Sound        │ 7:00 PM   │
│ Leon Marsh           │ Script Supervisor         │ Production   │ 7:00 PM   │
│ Tina Cole            │ Makeup / Hair Dept Head   │ MU/Hair      │ 6:45 PM   │
│ Ben Foster           │ Costume / Wardrobe        │ Costume      │ 6:45 PM   │
│ April James          │ Prop Master               │ Art Dept     │ 6:00 PM   │
│ Zoe Grant            │ Production Assistant      │ Production   │ 7:00 PM   │
└──────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┴──────────────┴───────────┘

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

CATERING SCHEDULE
  Crew Dinner:     7:30 PM (on set, kitchen adjacent)
  Craft Service:   Rolling all night
  Midnight Snack:  12:30 AM

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

ADVANCE SCHEDULE — DAY 5 (Friday, July 18)
  Location: Police Precinct, 88 Park Blvd (EXT + INT)
  Scenes: 26, 27, 31 — Total: 5 2/8 pages
  Call time: TBD (12-hr turnaround from tonight's wrap)
  Cast needed: Hayes (#1), Captain Reyes (#3)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

SPECIAL NOTES & REMINDERS

  ⚠ MUG STUNT — Scene 24:
    - 5 breakaway mugs on set (Props/April James — confirm)
    - No bare feet on set during or after mug smash takes
    - Grip to sweep after each reset before next take
    - Actor Elena Santos confirmed safe to perform stunt
    
  ⚠ REFRIGERATOR:
    - Unplug fridge before rolling. Sound dept to confirm.
    - Location super informed — he has permission.
    
  ⚠ HAYES WET SHIRT:
    - Costume dept: wet shirt at 7:45 PM, 15 min before on-set call
    - Continuity: match photos from Scene 23 (see script supervisor)
    
  ⚠ NOISE ORDINANCE:
    - Brooklyn residential — no loud activity after midnight
    - All movement quiet, no yelling in hallways
    
  🎬 TONIGHT'S ORDER:
    8:00 PM — Sc 24 (kitchen) — 4-5 hrs
    12:30 AM — Sc 22 (living room, pre-lit) — 45 min
    1:15 AM — Sc 25 (front door) — 30 min
    ~2:00 AM — Company Wrap target
    
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Night Falls Productions | Call Sheet v2 | Prepared by S. Okafor
CONFIDENTIAL — For production use only
```


path: references/test-outputs/03-call-sheet.md
content: # TEST OUTPUT 3: Call Sheet
*Prompt: Call Sheet Formatter*
*Test: Day 2 of 3 — Coffee Shop confrontation scene*

---

```
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║                         CALL SHEET                                   ║
║                      "BITTER COFFEE"                                 ║
║              Apex Films  |  Tuesday, April 15, 2026                  ║
║                    DAY 2 OF 3 — SHOOT DAY                            ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║            ★ GENERAL CREW CALL: 7:00 AM ★                           ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ EMERGENCY CONTACTS — ALWAYS VISIBLE                                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ NEAREST HOSPITAL: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center                        │
│                   8700 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048          │
│                   (310) 423-3277 | 8 min drive                      │
│ NEAREST POLICE:   Hollywood Division LAPD                            │
│                   1358 N Wilcox Ave, Hollywood, CA 90028            │
│                   (213) 485-4302 | 6 min drive                      │
│ EMERGENCY:        911                                                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PRODUCTION INFO                                                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Director:        David Apex          │ Phone: [REDACTED]             │
│ 1st AD:          Jordan Reyes        │ Phone: [REDACTED]             │
│ Line Producer:   [TBD]               │ Phone: [REDACTED]             │
│ Production Email: [PRODUCTION EMAIL] │                               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LOCATION                                                              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ The Daily Grind Coffee Shop                                           │
│ 2847 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026                             │
│                                                                       │
│ PARKING:   Street parking — Edgecliffe Dr (permit req. 8am–6pm)     │
│            2 crew vans approved in loading zone w/ hazards on        │
│            DO NOT BLOCK COFFEE SHOP ENTRANCE                         │
│                                                                       │
│ LOCATION CONTACT: Tom (on-site manager) — (310) 555-0182             │
│ ACCESS: Location is closed to public 6:00 AM – 12:00 PM (our window)│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WEATHER — April 15, 2026                                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Conditions: Sunny, clear                                             │
│ Temperature: 72°F / 22°C (high) | 58°F overnight                    │
│ Humidity: Low | Wind: Light 5mph                                     │
│ Sunrise: 6:27 AM  |  Sunset: 7:44 PM                                │
│ Note: Interior shoot — weather does not affect principal photography │
│       Exterior Scene 9 (Anna at entrance) — late afternoon ideal     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SCENES SHOOTING TODAY                                                │
├────┬─────────┬────────────────────────┬─────┬───────┬──────────────┤
│ Sc │ Int/Ext │ Set Name               │ D/N │ Pages │ Cast         │
├────┼─────────┼────────────────────────┼─────┼───────┼──────────────┤
│ 7  │ INT     │ Coffee Shop — Main     │ DAY │ 3 pg  │ Anna, Marcus │
│ 8  │ INT     │ Coffee Shop — Counter  │ DAY │ 1 pg  │ Barista, Marcus (bg) │
│ 9  │ EXT     │ Coffee Shop — Entrance │ DAY │ 4/8   │ Anna         │
└────┴─────────┴────────────────────────┴─────┴───────┴──────────────┘
TOTAL PAGES: 4 4/8  |  EST. WRAP: 7:00 PM (12-hour day)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CAST                                                                  │
├──────────┬──────────────┬──────┬─────────────┬────────────┬────────┤
│ Character│ Actor        │  #   │ Makeup/Hair │  Set Call  │ Notes  │
├──────────┼──────────────┼──────┼─────────────┼────────────┼────────┤
│ ANNA     │ Sarah Chen   │  1   │  5:30 AM    │  7:30 AM   │ Wardrobe fitting before makeup │
│ MARCUS   │ David Okafor │  2   │  6:00 AM    │  7:30 AM   │ Continuity: sweating effect TBD w/ MU dept │
│ BARISTA  │ Kai Santos   │  3   │  N/A        │  9:00 AM   │ Day player — report to Jordan at base │
└──────────┴──────────────┴──────┴─────────────┴────────────┴────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ BACKGROUND / EXTRAS                                                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 4 x Coffee Shop Customers (non-speaking)                             │
│ Call Time: 7:45 AM                                                   │
│ Wardrobe: Casual civilian — no logos, no sports team gear            │
│ Report to: 2nd AD at front entrance                                  │
│ NOTE: Corner table 2 (BG2 + BG3) have scripted look-over reaction.  │
│       See 1st AD before shooting begins.                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CREW GRID                                                             │
├──────────────────────┬──────────────────────┬───────────┬──────────┤
│ Name                 │ Title                │ Dept      │ Call Time │
├──────────────────────┼──────────────────────┼───────────┼──────────┤
│ Alex Torres          │ Gaffer               │ Electric  │ 5:30 AM  │
│ Sam Lee              │ Director of Photo.   │ Camera    │ 6:00 AM  │
│ [Name TBD]           │ Key Grip             │ Grip      │ 6:00 AM  │
│ [Name TBD]           │ 1st AC               │ Camera    │ 6:00 AM  │
│ Priya Patel          │ Sound Mixer          │ Sound     │ 6:30 AM  │
│ [Name TBD]           │ Props Master         │ Art Dept  │ 6:30 AM  │
│ Jordan Reyes         │ 1st AD               │ Prod.     │ 7:00 AM  │
│ Mia Kim              │ Script Supervisor    │ Prod.     │ 7:00 AM  │
│ David Apex           │ Director             │ Prod.     │ 7:00 AM  │
│ [PA 1]               │ Production Asst.     │ Prod.     │ 5:00 AM  │
│ [PA 2]               │ Production Asst.     │ Prod.     │ 5:00 AM  │
└──────────────────────┴──────────────────────┴───────────┴──────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TRANSPORT                                                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Equipment van (PA 1): Departs production office 4:45 AM              │
│ Cast rides: Self-report. No production transport today.              │
│ Parking: Crew parks on Edgecliffe Dr — 2 vans in loading zone only  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CATERING                                                              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Crew Breakfast:   6:00 AM — Craft service table near base            │
│ Lunch:            12:30 PM (est.) — rolling based on shooting pace   │
│ Craft Service:    Open all day                                       │
│ Dietary notes:    [CONFIRM with catering — Sarah Chen: gluten-free]  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ADVANCE SCHEDULE — DAY 3 (Wednesday, April 16)                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ PRIMARY LOCATION: Anna's Apartment (address TBD)                     │
│ Scenes: 9 (pickup if needed), 10, 11, 12, 13, 14                   │
│ Cast: Anna (principal), Supporting TBD                               │
│ General Call: TBD — pending Day 2 wrap time                          │
│ NOTE: Night scenes scheduled Day 3 — expect wrap 11 PM or later      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SPECIAL NOTES — READ BEFORE ARRIVING ON SET                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. DO NOT MOVE FURNITURE without checking with Set Decorator first   │
│                                                                       │
│ 2. ESPRESSO MACHINE is a HERO PROP — handle only through Props Dept. │
│    Do not operate, move, or touch without Props Master present.      │
│                                                                       │
│ 3. COFFEE CUP CONTINUITY: Script Supervisor Mia Kim is tracking cup  │
│    placement across all setups. Reset cups to photo reference before │
│    every take.                                                        │
│                                                                       │
│ 4. BACKGROUND WRANGLING: BG performers need eyeline coaching for     │
│    scripted reactions. Notify 1st AD if any BG performs beyond       │
│    their direction — potential upgrade issue.                         │
│                                                                       │
│ 5. SOUND: Real location = ambient noise. Sound mixer Priya Patel     │
│    will call holds for machine noise. Respect those calls.           │
│                                                                       │
│ 6. PARKING PERMIT: 2 vans in loading zone ONLY. All other crew park  │
│    on Edgecliffe Dr. Permit window: 8AM–6PM. After 6PM: free street. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Call sheet prepared by: Jordan Reyes, 1st AD
Distributed: April 14, 2026 (18 hours before general call)
```


path: references/test-outputs/04-production-schedule-output.md
content: # TEST OUTPUT: Production Schedule Builder
## Source: "Night Falls" — 8-day shoot, 28 scenes, 73 pages
## Prompt Template: prompts/production-schedule-builder.md

---

**Production:** Night Falls
**Format:** Feature Film
**Total Pages:** 73
**Shoot Days:** 8
**Target:** ~5 pages/day average (some days lighter for complex scenes)
**Union Status:** Non-Union / SAG Ultra Low Budget
**Start Date:** July 14, 2025

---

## 1. ONE-LINER SCHEDULE

```
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
DAY 1 — Monday, July 14 — PRIMARY: RIVERSIDE DINER
  Call: 6:30 AM | Est. Wrap: 7:30 PM (12-hr day, 1 hr OT buffer)

  Sc 1  | INT | Diner — Main Room    | DAY   | 2 4/8 | Cast: 1,2,3 | Opening scene — Hayes meets informant
  Sc 4  | INT | Diner — Kitchen      | DAY   | 1 2/8 | Cast: 2,4   | Short scene, after SC1
  Sc 7  | EXT | Diner Parking Lot    | DAY   | 1 0/8 | Cast: 1     | Hayes drive-off, wide shot
  Sc 9  | INT | Diner — Restroom     | DAY   | 0 4/8 | Cast: 3     | Informant calls — short pickup

  DAILY TOTALS: Pages: 5 2/8 | Cast Days: 1,2,3,4 | Est. Shoot: 10 hrs

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
DAY 2 — Tuesday, July 15 — PRIMARY: PRECINCT (EXT + INT)
  Call: 6:00 AM | Est. Wrap: 8:00 PM

  Sc 3  | EXT | Precinct — Steps     | DAY   | 1 0/8 | Cast: 1,3   | Hayes arrives, news crews
  Sc 11 | INT | Precinct — Bullpen   | DAY   | 3 2/8 | Cast: 1,3,5 | Major dialogue scene
  Sc 15 | INT | Precinct — Captain's | DAY   | 1 4/8 | Cast: 1,5   | Confrontation with captain
  Sc 26 | INT | Precinct — Bullpen   | NIGHT | 1 0/8 | Cast: 1     | Hayes at desk — late

  DAILY TOTALS: Pages: 6 6/8 ⚠️ HEAVY — see flags | Cast Days: 1,3,5 | Est: 12+ hrs

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
DAY 3 — Wednesday, July 16 — PRIMARY: REYES WAREHOUSE
  Call: 8:00 AM | Est. Wrap: 9:00 PM

  Sc 17 | INT | Warehouse — Main     | DAY   | 2 0/8 | Cast: 1,6,7 | Discovery scene
  Sc 18 | INT | Warehouse — Office   | DAY   | 1 2/8 | Cast: 1,6   | Evidence search
  Sc 20 | EXT | Warehouse — Loading  | DAY   | 1 4/8 | Cast: 1,8   | STUNT — Hayes attacked
  Sc 21 | EXT | Warehouse — Alley    | DAY   | 0 4/8 | Cast: 1     | Hayes escapes to car

  DAILY TOTALS: Pages: 5 2/8 | Cast Days: 1,6,7,8 | Est: 11 hrs
  ⚠️ SC 20 has stunt — stunt coordinator required, add 30-45 min for safety briefing

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
DAY 4 — Thursday, July 17 — PRIMARY: HAYES APARTMENT (NIGHTS)
  Call: 7:00 PM | Est. Wrap: 3:00 AM

  Sc 22 | INT | Apt — Living Room    | NIGHT | 1 2/8 | Cast: 1     | Hayes alone, pre-SC24
  Sc 24 | INT | Apt — Kitchen        | NIGHT | 2 4/8 | Cast: 1,2   | THE CONFRONTATION — stunt
  Sc 25 | INT | Apt — Front Door     | NIGHT | 0 4/8 | Cast: 1     | Hayes exits

  DAILY TOTALS: Pages: 4 2/8 | Cast Days: 1,2 | Est: 7-8 hrs
  NOTE: Night shoot. 12-hr turnaround. Day 5 call no earlier than 3 PM.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
DAY 5 — Friday, July 18 — PRIMARY: PRECINCT + STREETS
  Call: 3:00 PM | Est. Wrap: 3:00 AM (12-hr turnaround from Day 4)

  Sc 27 | INT | Precinct — Evidence  | NIGHT | 1 4/8 | Cast: 1     | Evidence room scene
  Sc 28 | EXT | City Streets         | NIGHT | 2 0/8 | Cast: 1,2   | Car chase / pursuit
  Sc 31 | EXT | Riverside — Bridge   | NIGHT | 1 6/8 | Cast: 1,2,5 | Climax setup

  DAILY TOTALS: Pages: 5 2/8 | Cast Days: 1,2,5 | Est: 11 hrs
  ⚠️ SC 28 vehicle work — picture vehicle + stunt driver. Traffic control required. Permit needed.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
DAY 6 — Saturday, July 19 — PRIMARY: RIVERSIDE BRIDGE + PARK
  Call: 6:00 PM | Est. Wrap: 5:00 AM

  Sc 32 | EXT | Bridge               | NIGHT | 2 2/8 | Cast: 1,2,5 | CLIMAX — physical
  Sc 33 | EXT | Bridge               | NIGHT | 1 4/8 | Cast: 1,2   | Aftermath
  Sc 34 | EXT | Riverside Park       | NIGHT | 1 0/8 | Cast: 1,5   | Resolution scene

  DAILY TOTALS: Pages: 4 6/8 | Cast Days: 1,2,5 | Est: 10-11 hrs
  ⚠️ CLIMAX SCENE — do not schedule this exhausted. Ensure crew rest from Day 5 wrap.
  ⚠️ Bridge permit required — confirm with city film office.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
DAY 7 — Sunday, July 20 — PICKUP DAY / FLEXIBILITY DAY
  Call: TBD | Scenes: TBD based on what's behind
  
  RESERVED FOR: Pickups, inserts, scenes that slipped, second units
  Sc 35 | INT | Hayes Apt — Bedroom  | NIGHT | 1 0/8 | Cast: 1     | Brief scene — low priority
  Sc 36 | INT | Diner               | DAY   | 0 4/8 | Cast: 2     | Maria return shot
  Additional pickups as needed

  DAILY TOTALS: ~2 pages confirmed | Buffer: ~3 pages capacity

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
DAY 8 — Monday, July 21 — FINAL PICKUPS + SECOND UNIT
  Call: 8:00 AM | Est. Wrap: 6:00 PM

  Inserts and atmospheric shots:
  - City B-roll (no cast)
  - Establishing shots of key locations
  - Any remaining inserts from script breakdown
  - Photo doubles if needed

  LAST DAY — Emotional scene (if any) should NOT be today.
  Keep it clean, efficient, controlled.
```

---

## 2. LOCATION GROUPINGS

| Location | Scenes | Total Pages | Days |
|----------|--------|-------------|------|
| Riverside Diner | 1, 4, 7, 9, 36 | 5 6/8 | Days 1 + pickup |
| Police Precinct | 3, 11, 15, 26, 27 | 7 4/8 | Days 2 + 5 |
| Reyes Warehouse | 17, 18, 20, 21 | 5 2/8 | Day 3 |
| Hayes Apartment | 22, 24, 25, 35 | 4 2/8 | Day 4 + pickup |
| Bridge / Riverside | 31, 32, 33, 34 | 5 4/8 | Days 5-6 |
| City Streets | 28 | 2 0/8 | Day 5 |

---

## 3. DAY OUT OF DAYS (DOOD) — Principal Cast

| Character | Actor | D1 Mon | D2 Tue | D3 Wed | D4 Thu | D5 Fri | D6 Sat | D7 Sun | D8 Mon | Work Days |
|-----------|-------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----------|
| Hayes (#1) | J. Whitmore | SW | W | W | W | W | W | H | F | 6 + 1H |
| Maria (#2) | E. Santos | SW | — | — | W | W | W | H | F | 4 + 1H |
| Informant (#3) | TBD | W | W | — | — | — | — | — | SWF | 3 |
| Backup (#4) | TBD | SWF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Captain (#5) | TBD | — | SW | — | — | W | WF | — | — | 3 |
| Cartel Lead (#6) | TBD | — | — | SW | — | — | — | — | F | 1 |
| Cartel Hench (#7) | TBD | — | — | SWF | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Stunt Attacker (#8) | TBD | — | — | SWF | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |

---

## 4. SCHEDULING FLAGS

⚠️ **Day 2 is over-scheduled (6 6/8 pages)** — Scene 26 (Hayes at desk, night) could be a quick pickup. Consider moving to Day 7 buffer if Day 2 runs long.

⚠️ **Day 3 — Stunt Scene (SC 20)** — Stunt coordinator must be on location. Safety briefing adds 30-45 min. Budget accordingly.

⚠️ **Day 4 → Day 5 turnaround** — Night shoot ending 3 AM means Day 5 cannot call before 3 PM. All advance prep for SC 27/28 must happen before Day 4.

⚠️ **Day 5 — Vehicle/Traffic permit for SC 28** — Apply minimum 3 weeks in advance. If permit denied, move to pickup day or find alternative location.

⚠️ **Climax Scenes (SC 32-33) on Day 6** — After two consecutive night shoots, crew will be fatigued. Consider: schedule a half-day off between Day 5 and Day 6 if budget allows.

⚠️ **James Whitmore (Hayes) works 6 of 8 days** — Highest cost exposure. Confirm availability locked before the shoot.

---

## 5. RECOMMENDED CONTINGENCY

- **Day 7** is built as a partial contingency day — keep it flexible
- Recommend: Do NOT pre-schedule Day 7 fully. Leave 3 pages of capacity for slippage
- If you make your days 1-6 clean, Day 7 is a gift for the director
- If you slip: Day 7 saves the picture

**Additional recommendation:** Book Day 8 as true safety day. At current page count, 8 days is tight. If budget allows, budget for Day 9 as a hold.


path: references/test-outputs/04-production-schedule.md
content: # TEST OUTPUT 4: Production Schedule
*Prompt: Production Schedule Builder*
*Test: "Bitter Coffee" — 9 scenes, 3 shoot days, LA, Non-union*
*Start Date: April 14, 2026*

---

```
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ONE-LINER SHOOTING SCHEDULE: "Bitter Coffee"
3 Shoot Days | Los Angeles, CA | Non-Union
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│ PRE-PRODUCTION — Sunday, April 13
│ Camera package pickup | Location tech scout (Daily Grind + Apartment)
│ Final costume fitting: Anna, Marcus
│ Props confirmation: coffee cups, espresso machine hero prop
│ Crew call: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│ DAY 1 — Monday, April 14
│ PRIMARY LOCATION: The Daily Grind, 2847 Sunset Blvd, LA
│ General Crew Call: 7:00 AM
├────┬────────┬──────────────────────┬─────┬───────┬─────────────┬────────────────────────────
│ Sc │Int/Ext │ Set                  │ D/N │ Pages │ Cast #s     │ Notes
├────┼────────┼──────────────────────┼─────┼───────┼─────────────┼────────────────────────────
│  1 │ INT    │ Coffee Shop Main     │ DAY │  1    │ Anna (#1)   │ Anna arrives, establishes space. Easier scene — good Day 1 warm-up.
│  2 │ INT    │ Coffee Shop Main     │ DAY │  4/8  │ Anna, Marcus│ Marcus enters. Short. Shoot back-to-back with Sc 1.
│  4 │ INT    │ Coffee Shop Main     │ DAY │  2    │ Anna, Marcus│ Early conversation — civil. Full coverage.
│  5 │ INT    │ Coffee Shop Main     │ DAY │  1    │ Anna, Marcus│ Tension builds. Continuation of Sc 4 emotional arc.
│  6 │ INT    │ Coffee Shop Counter  │ DAY │  4/8  │ Barista (#3)│ Barista overhears. Short. Reposition to counter only.
├────┴────────┴──────────────────────┴─────┴───────┴─────────────┴────────────────────────────
│ DAILY TOTAL: 5 0/8 pages | Cast on set: Anna, Marcus, Barista | Est. 11–12 hours
│ COMPANY WRAP: ~7:00 PM | CREW RELEASE: 7:30 PM
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│ DAY 2 — Tuesday, April 15
│ PRIMARY LOCATION: The Daily Grind (SAME — efficiency day)
│ General Crew Call: 7:00 AM
├────┬────────┬──────────────────────┬─────┬───────┬─────────────┬────────────────────────────
│ Sc │Int/Ext │ Set                  │ D/N │ Pages │ Cast #s     │ Notes
├────┼────────┼──────────────────────┼─────┼───────┼─────────────┼────────────────────────────
│  3 │ EXT    │ Coffee Shop Entrance │ DAY │  4/8  │ Marcus (#2) │ Marcus POV arrival. Exterior, shoot early (best morning light). Anna NOT needed.
│  7 │ INT    │ Coffee Shop Main     │ DAY │  3    │ Anna, Marcus│ MAIN CONFRONTATION. Most complex scene. Block morning for this.
│  8 │ INT    │ Coffee Shop Counter  │ DAY │  1    │ Barista, Marcus│ Marcus pays, aftermath. Counter reposition (fast).
│  9 │ EXT    │ Coffee Shop Entrance │ DAY │  4/8  │ Anna (#1)   │ Anna leaves. Pickup if Sc 3 setup is still up.
├────┴────────┴──────────────────────┴─────┴───────┴─────────────┴────────────────────────────
│ DAILY TOTAL: 4 6/8 pages | Cast on set: Anna, Marcus, Barista | Est. 12 hours
│ NOTE: Sc 7 is the most complex scene — protect the morning for it.
│ COMPANY WRAP: ~7:00 PM | CREW RELEASE: 7:30 PM
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│ DAY 3 — Wednesday, April 16
│ PRIMARY LOCATION: Anna's Apartment (address TBD)
│ General Crew Call: 2:00 PM (NIGHT SHOOT — late call)
├────┬────────┬──────────────────────┬───────┬───────┬─────────────┬────────────────────────────
│ Sc │Int/Ext │ Set                  │ D/N   │ Pages │ Cast #s     │ Notes
├────┼────────┼──────────────────────┼───────┼───────┼─────────────┼────────────────────────────
│ 10 │ INT    │ Anna's Apartment     │ NIGHT │  2    │ Anna only   │ Alone — aftermath. Emotional solo scene. Night aesthetic.
├────┴────────┴──────────────────────┴───────┴───────┴─────────────┴────────────────────────────
│ DAILY TOTAL: 2 pages | Cast: Anna only (Marcus RELEASED after Day 2)
│ NOTE: Night shoot — confirm 12-hr turnaround from Day 2 wrap.
│ COMPANY WRAP: ~10:00 PM | CREW RELEASE: 10:30 PM
│ TOTAL PRODUCTION PAGES: 11 2/8 pages over 3 days
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
LOCATION GROUPINGS — EFFICIENCY MAP
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

LOCATION A — The Daily Grind Coffee Shop
  Days 1 and 2 (both days here)
  Scenes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
  Pages: 9 2/8
  Benefit: No location move for 2 full shoot days. Major cost savings.

LOCATION B — Anna's Apartment
  Day 3 only
  Scenes: 10
  Pages: 2
  Note: Night shoot — production confirms location access from 2pm through midnight.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
DAY OUT OF DAYS CHART
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

W = Work Day | SW = Start/Work | SWF = Start/Work/Finish | H = Hold | F = Finish

| Character  | Actor        │ Apr 13 (Prep) │ Apr 14 (D1) │ Apr 15 (D2) │ Apr 16 (D3) │ TOTAL |
|------------|--------------|---------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------|
| ANNA       | Sarah Chen   │     H         │     SW      │     W       │     WF      │ 3 days |
| MARCUS     │ David Okafor │     H         │     SW      │     WF      │     —       │ 2 days |
| BARISTA    │ Kai Santos   │     —         │     SWF     │     SWF     │     —       │ 2 days |

Notes:
- MARCUS is done after Day 2 — confirm his release in writing before Day 3
- ANNA works all 3 shoot days — she is the production's most exposed actor
- BARISTA needed on Days 1 and 2 only (scenes 6 and 8 both coffee shop counter)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SCHEDULING FLAGS ⚠️
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

1. DAY 1 IS 5 PAGES: 5 0/8 pages in one day is manageable but ambitious for scenes with full
   dialogue coverage. Scenes 4 and 5 are the risk — they're both conversational and need strong
   coverage. Don't rush Sc 5 to protect Day 1's page count.

2. DAY 2 — SC 7 (3 PAGES, COMPLEX): The confrontation scene is the most expensive shot in the
   film. Protect the morning for it. Do NOT start with Sc 3 exterior if it bleeds into Sc 7 time.
   Recommended order: Sc 7 FIRST (interior, rested crew), Sc 3 after lunch (exterior, stable light).

3. NIGHT SHOOT TURNAROUND (Day 2 → Day 3): Day 2 wraps ~7:30 PM. Day 3 general call is 2 PM.
   That's 18.5 hours — comfortably above the 12-hour minimum. No forced call risk.
   If Day 2 goes late (past 9 PM), recalculate Day 3 call times.

4. LOCATION HOURS — COFFEE SHOP: 6 AM–12 PM block on Day 2 (per location research). If shooting
   takes longer on Day 2, confirm extension with Tom (location manager) in advance.

5. DAY 3 IS ONLY 2 PAGES: This is intentional — Anna's solo scene is emotionally demanding and
   deserves time. Use the extra hours for: coverage, pickups from Days 1-2 if needed, or buffer.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
RECOMMENDED CONTINGENCY DAYS
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

At 3 shoot days, recommend: 1 contingency half-day

Best placement: Saturday, April 18 (2 days after wrap)
Purpose: Coffee shop pickups, any uncompleted coverage from Sc 7, insert shots
Do NOT schedule the apartment location that day (different setup)

Confirm the coffee shop location is available Saturday if needed, even if you don't use it.
```


path: references/test-outputs/05-budget-estimate-output.md
content: # TEST OUTPUT: Budget Estimator
## Source Project: "Night Falls" — Low-Budget Indie Feature
## Prompt Template: prompts/budget-estimator.md

---

**Project:** Night Falls
**Format:** Feature Film
**Pages:** 73
**Shoot Days:** 8
**Locations:** Multiple (diner, precinct, warehouse, apartment, streets, bridge)
**Union Status:** Non-Union with SAG Ultra Low Budget agreement
**Location:** New York City / Brooklyn
**Night Shoots:** 4 of 8 shoot days

---

## BUDGET ESTIMATE

### ABOVE THE LINE
| Account | Category | Item | Rate | Total |
|---------|----------|------|------|-------|
| 1100 | Story/Script | Script (writer-director) | Deferred | $0 |
| 1200 | Producer | Producer fee | Deferred | $0 |
| 1200 | Producer | Line Producer | $2,500 flat | $2,500 |
| 1300 | Director | Director fee | Deferred | $0 |
| 1400 | Cast | Principal cast x4 (SAG ULB $233/day) | 6+3+4+1 days | $3,264 |
| 1400 | Cast | SAG H&P fringes (14.3%) | On $3,264 | $467 |
| 1400 | Cast | Non-SAG supporting cast | $150/day x 4 actors x 2 days | $1,200 |
| 1400 | Cast | Casting director | Flat fee | $1,500 |

**ATL SUBTOTAL: $8,931**

---

### BELOW THE LINE — PRE-PRODUCTION
| Account | Category | Item | Total |
|---------|----------|------|-------|
| 2100 | Casting | Audition space (2 days) | $400 |
| 2200 | Location Scouting | Scout fees + mileage | $800 |
| 2300 | Art Direction | Production designer (pre-pro work) | $1,500 |
| 2400 | Permits Research | NYC film permits (applications) | $200 |

**PRE-PRODUCTION SUBTOTAL: $2,900**

---

### BELOW THE LINE — PRODUCTION
| Dept | Item | Rate | Days | Total |
|------|------|------|------|-------|
| Production Staff | 1st AD | $300/day | 8 | $2,400 |
| Production Staff | 2nd AD | $200/day | 8 | $1,600 |
| Production Staff | Script Supervisor | $250/day | 8 | $2,000 |
| Production Staff | Production Coordinator | $200/day | 10 (incl prep) | $2,000 |
| Production Staff | PA x2 | $150/day x2 | 8 | $2,400 |
| Camera | DP | $500/day | 8 | $4,000 |
| Camera | Camera package (rental) | $350/day | 8 | $2,800 |
| Camera | 1st AC | $300/day | 8 | $2,400 |
| Camera | 2nd AC | $200/day | 8 | $1,600 |
| Lighting | Gaffer | $350/day | 8 | $2,800 |
| Lighting | Best Boy Electric | $250/day | 8 | $2,000 |
| Lighting | Lighting package (rental) | $400/day | 8 | $3,200 |
| Grip | Key Grip | $300/day | 8 | $2,400 |
| Grip | Best Boy Grip | $250/day | 8 | $2,000 |
| Grip | Grip package (rental) | $200/day | 8 | $1,600 |
| Sound | Production Sound Mixer | $350/day | 8 | $2,800 |
| Sound | Boom Operator | $250/day | 8 | $2,000 |
| Sound | Sound package | $150/day | 8 | $1,200 |
| Art Department | Production Designer | $400/day | 10 | $4,000 |
| Art Department | Props budget | Flat | — | $2,500 |
| Art Department | Set dressing materials | Flat | — | $1,500 |
| Wardrobe | Costume Designer | $300/day | 8 | $2,400 |
| Wardrobe | Costume purchase/rental | Flat | — | $2,000 |
| Hair/Makeup | Dept Head | $300/day | 8 | $2,400 |
| Hair/Makeup | Supplies + kit fee | Flat | — | $500 |
| Locations | Location fees (5 locations) | Avg $500/day | varies | $4,000 |
| Locations | NYC film permits | Per permit | — | $2,500 |
| Locations | Location manager | $350/day | 10 | $3,500 |
| Transportation | Production vehicles (2) | $80/day x2 | 10 | $1,600 |
| Transportation | Equipment transport/truck | $200/day | 8 | $1,600 |
| Transportation | Fuel | Flat | — | $600 |
| Catering | Catering ($20/person x 20 crew) | $400/day | 8 | $3,200 |
| Catering | Craft service | $100/day | 8 | $800 |
| Stunts | Stunt Coordinator | $600/day | 2 | $1,200 |
| Stunts | Stunt performer (SC 20) | Flat fee | — | $800 |
| Stunts | Safety equipment/mats | Flat | — | $300 |

**PRODUCTION SUBTOTAL: $73,900**

---

### BELOW THE LINE — POST-PRODUCTION
| Category | Item | Total |
|----------|------|-------|
| Editing | Editor fee (8 weeks) | $6,000 |
| Editing | Assistant editor (4 weeks) | $2,400 |
| Editing | Editing software / cloud | $200 |
| VFX | Basic compositing (minimal) | $1,500 |
| Music | Composer (original score) | $3,000 |
| Music | Score recording session | $1,500 |
| Sound Post | Sound design + edit | $2,500 |
| Sound Post | ADR session | $800 |
| Sound Post | Foley | $1,200 |
| Sound Post | Final mix (2-day session) | $2,000 |
| Color | Colorist (3-day grade) | $2,500 |
| Legal | E&O insurance | $2,800 |
| Legal | Clearances + contracts | $1,500 |
| Deliverables | DCP creation | $800 |
| Deliverables | Closed captions | $400 |
| Deliverables | Festival screeners + digital masters | $600 |

**POST-PRODUCTION SUBTOTAL: $29,700**

---

### OTHER / OVERHEAD
| Category | Item | Total |
|----------|------|-------|
| Insurance | Production insurance (liability + equipment + workers comp) | $4,500 |
| Publicity | EPK + stills photographer | $1,500 |
| Fringes | Payroll taxes on W-2 employees (20% on ~$45K wages) | $9,000 |
| Miscellaneous | Unanticipated expenses | $2,000 |

**OTHER SUBTOTAL: $17,000**

---

## BUDGET SUMMARY

| Category | Total |
|----------|-------|
| Above the Line | $8,931 |
| Pre-Production | $2,900 |
| Production | $73,900 |
| Post-Production | $29,700 |
| Other / Overhead | $17,000 |
| **BELOW THE LINE SUBTOTAL** | **$123,500** |
| **Contingency (10% BTL)** | **$12,350** |
| **TOTAL ESTIMATED BUDGET** | **$145,081** |

---

## BUDGET NOTES

**What can be cut and where:**
- DP rate can drop to $350/day if you find someone building their reel (saves ~$1,200)
- Props budget could shrink to $1,500 with careful scouting of existing locations
- Catering: reduce crew size or bring on a craft service sponsor
- Post-production: edit in-house on DaVinci (free) to eliminate editing suite cost

**What should NOT be cut:**
- Stunt Coordinator (SC 20) — do not DIY this. It's a liability
- Sound package — bad sound kills indie films. Non-negotiable
- Contingency — NYC production on a deadline will need this
- Insurance — E&O required for any distribution deal

**Items needing real quotes:**
- NYC film permits (vary widely by location type and duration)
- Location fees (diner and precinct interior may require substantial negotiation)
- Bridge permit (NYC DOT — can be $0 to $5K+ depending on scope)
- Camera package (rates fluctuate; check with local NYC houses)

**Hidden costs to watch:**
- Overtime: 4 night shoots with 20-person crew. Even 1 hr forced OT = $3K
- Rain equipment (4 night exterior scenes in summer NYC = rain risk)
- Parking: NYC parking for a production truck can cost $200-300/day
- Generator rental for locations without adequate power

---

## COST-REDUCTION OPTIONS

1. **Reduce to 10 crew (skeleton crew):** Save ~$25K on crew wages. Trade: slower days, less coverage, more creative limitations. Works for a very contained story like Night Falls.

2. **Shoot non-union throughout:** Remove SAG fees entirely (~$4K savings). Trade: cannot do SAG festival screenings without a waiver.

3. **Defer post-production:** Pay editor on backend deal. Pay composer on backend. Focus cash budget on production. This is industry-standard for micro-budget features. Potential savings: $8-12K upfront.

---

*This is an AI-generated budget estimate for planning purposes only. Do not use for financier presentations or official budget documents without review by a qualified production accountant. Rates reflect NYC 2025 estimates and will vary.*


path: references/test-outputs/05-budget-estimate.md
content: # TEST OUTPUT 5: Budget Estimate
*Prompt: Budget Estimator*
*Test: "Bitter Coffee" — 15-page short film, 3 days, LA, non-union, under $8K*

---

```
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
BUDGET ESTIMATE: "Bitter Coffee"
15-Page Drama Short | 3 Shoot Days | Los Angeles, CA
Non-Union | Skeleton Crew (8-10 people)
Status: Rough Estimate ±20% | Prepared: April 2026
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1. BUDGET SUMMARY TABLE
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| Category                    | Low Est. | High Est. | Notes                                      |
|-----------------------------|----------|-----------|--------------------------------------------|
| ABOVE THE LINE              |          |           |                                            |
| Story / Screenplay          | $0       | $0        | Original — writer is director              |
| Producers                   | $0       | $0        | Deferred                                   |
| Director                    | $0       | $0        | Deferred (David Apex)                      |
| Cast (2 principals + 1 day) | $900     | $1,500    | Non-union flat rates                       |
| SUBTOTAL ATL                | $900     | $1,500    |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| PRE-PRODUCTION              |          |           |                                            |
| Location scouting           | $0       | $200      | Director scouts personally                 |
| Art direction prep          | $100     | $300      | Supplies, reference                        |
| SUBTOTAL PRE-PROD           | $100     | $500      |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| PRODUCTION — CAMERA         |          |           |                                            |
| Camera body                 | $0       | $0        | Owner-provided (mirrorless)                |
| Lens rental (3 days)        | $200     | $400      | Kit: 35mm, 50mm, 85mm                      |
| Camera accessories          | $50      | $150      | Cards, batteries, misc                     |
| SUBTOTAL CAMERA             | $250     | $550      |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| PRODUCTION — LIGHTING/GRIP  |          |           |                                            |
| Lighting package (3 days)   | $400     | $800      | LED kit rental — Gaffer sourced            |
| Grip package (3 days)       | $150     | $300      | C-stands, flags, sandbags                  |
| SUBTOTAL LIGHTING/GRIP      | $550     | $1,100    |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| PRODUCTION — SOUND          |          |           |                                            |
| Sound mixer + package       | $1,200   | $1,500    | $400-500/day × 3 days (critical: café BG)  |
| SUBTOTAL SOUND              | $1,200   | $1,500    |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| PRODUCTION — ART DEPT       |          |           |                                            |
| Props (coffee cups, etc.)   | $100     | $300      | Hero props + multiples                     |
| Set dressing additions      | $100     | $200      | Minimal — real location                    |
| SUBTOTAL ART DEPT           | $200     | $500      |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| PRODUCTION — WARDROBE       |          |           |                                            |
| Anna wardrobe               | $100     | $250      |                                            |
| Marcus wardrobe             | $100     | $200      |                                            |
| Barista / BG wardrobe       | $50      | $100      |                                            |
| SUBTOTAL WARDROBE           | $250     | $550      |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| PRODUCTION — LOCATIONS      |          |           |                                            |
| Coffee shop location fee    | $0       | $1,500    | WILD CARD — see flags below                |
| Apartment location fee      | $0       | $300      | Friend's space or negotiated               |
| Permits (LA Film Permit)    | $500     | $800      | FilmLA permit required for exterior shots  |
| SUBTOTAL LOCATIONS          | $500     | $2,600    |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| PRODUCTION — CATERING       |          |           |                                            |
| Catering (3 days × 10 crew) | $900     | $1,500    | $15-25/person/meal × 2 meals/day           |
| Craft service (running)     | $150     | $300      |                                            |
| SUBTOTAL CATERING           | $1,050   | $1,800    |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| PRODUCTION — TRANSPORT      |          |           |                                            |
| Gas + parking               | $150     | $300      |                                            |
| SUBTOTAL TRANSPORT          | $150     | $300      |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| POST-PRODUCTION             |          |           |                                            |
| Editing                     | $0       | $0        | Director editing (deferred)                |
| Sound design + mix          | $600     | $1,200    | Critical for festival — do not skip        |
| Color grade                 | $500     | $900      | Critical for festival — do not skip        |
| Music                       | $100     | $400      | Stock license OR student composer          |
| Festival deliverables       | $200     | $400      | DCP or ProRes + closed captions            |
| SUBTOTAL POST               | $1,400   | $2,900    |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| OTHER                       |          |           |                                            |
| Production insurance        | $800     | $1,200    | DO NOT SKIP — required by most locations   |
| Legal (basic contracts)     | $0       | $300      | DIY templates or law school clinic         |
| Miscellaneous               | $200     | $400      | Always appears                             |
| SUBTOTAL OTHER              | $1,000   | $1,900    |                                            |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
| CONTINGENCY (10% of BTL)    | $650     | $1,170    | Non-negotiable                             |
|                             |          |           |                                            |
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| TOTAL ESTIMATE              | $8,000   | $14,870   |                                            |

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HARD CEILING WARNING
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Your target of $8,000 is achievable — at the LOW end of estimates, assuming:
  ✓ Coffee shop location is FREE (negotiated trade)
  ✓ Sound mixer rate is $400/day (newer mixer, deferred premium)
  ✓ Catering kept to $15/person
  ✓ No overtime on any day
  ✓ Music is stock ($100)

If any one of those assumptions breaks, you exceed $8K. Budget ceiling is fragile.
Recommendation: treat $8K as your target, and have a $10K fundraising backstop.

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BUDGET RISK FLAGS ⚠️
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1. ⚠️ LOCATION FEE — WIDEST VARIABLE (±$1,500)
   A real coffee shop may charge $0 (negotiated access) or $500-1,500/day.
   Two full shoot days at The Daily Grind = $0-3,000 swing. Lock this first.
   HOW TO FIX: Approach the café owner directly. Offer: screen credit, still photos,
   a press mention, and promise to shoot in their slow window (Tuesday 6am-noon).
   Many small businesses say yes. This single negotiation is worth 4 hours of your time.

2. ⚠️ SOUND — NON-NEGOTIABLE QUALITY (±$600)
   This is a dialogue-heavy drama set in a noisy coffee shop. Bad sound will kill it
   at festivals before anyone watches the picture. $1,200-1,500 for a competent sound
   mixer with a proper kit is the floor. Do not go lower.
   DO NOT skip this to make budget. The editor will hate you.

3. ⚠️ CATERING — OFTEN UNDERESTIMATED (±$600)
   Crew morale = food. Productions that cut food get slower, unhappier crews.
   Build catering to $1,500 minimum for 3 days × 10 people. A fed crew shoots faster
   than a hungry crew. The math works out.

4. ⚠️ INSURANCE — COMMONLY SKIPPED, ALWAYS REGRETTED (±$800-1,200)
   One injury, one stolen camera, one location damage claim = lawsuit.
   The coffee shop location will likely REQUIRE proof of production insurance before
   they allow you in. Don't find out the hard way.
   GET A QUOTE: Athos Insurance, Front Row Insurance, or DeWitt Stern.

5. ⚠️ OVERTIME — NOT BUDGETED
   Current estimate assumes clean 12-hour days. Real shoots run 13-14 hours.
   If you're paying crew (even informally), 2 extra hours/day × 3 days × 8 crew = 48
   additional hours. At any rate, that adds up.
   BUFFER: Add $500-800 to your miscellaneous line for overtime gratuities/fees.

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COST-SAVING RECOMMENDATIONS
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1. LOCATION TRADE: Negotiate free coffee shop access in exchange for:
   - Screen credit ("Filmed at The Daily Grind")
   - Professional still photos for their social media (use your BTS photographer)
   - Commitment to shoot in their slowest window
   Saves: $0 – $3,000

2. LENS RENTAL OVER CAMERA: You own the body — rent only the glass.
   A 3-lens set (35mm, 50mm, 85mm) for 3 days: $200-400 from LensRentals or BorrowLenses.
   Saves vs. full camera package: ~$600-900

3. STUDENT COMPOSER: Post an offer on Berklee Online, USC Thornton, or local film school boards.
   A student composer will often score a 15-minute short for deferred pay + festival credit.
   Saves: $200-400 vs. licensed music

4. DEFER EDITORIAL: You're already planning to edit. Execute the deferral agreement in writing —
   this is also a tax/accounting issue if the film is ever sold or screened commercially.

5. CREW FOOD STRATEGY: Instead of 3 catered meals/day, run craft service all day + 1 hot catered
   meal (lunch). Quality lunch, self-service breakfast and dinner snacks.
   Saves: ~$300-500 vs. 3 catered meals

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RATE ASSUMPTIONS USED
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- Actor flat rate (non-union): $150-250/day × 2 principals × 2-3 days avg = $600-1,500
- Day player (Barista): $150/day × 2 days = $300
- Sound mixer + package: $400-500/day (LA market, experienced non-union)
- Lens kit rental: $200-400/3 days (LensRentals LA rates, 2025)
- LED lighting package: $150-300/day (Gaffer-sourced or rental house)
- Catering: $15-25/person/meal × 10 crew (per industry standard)
- Sound mix (15 min short): $600-1,200 (independent mixer, remote session)
- Color grade (15 min short): $500-900 (independent colorist, 1-2 day session)
- Production insurance: $800-1,200 (one-production policy, 5-day blanket)
- FilmLA permit: $500-800 (exterior scenes, 1-2 permit days)

Note: LA market rates are 30-50% above national average. Adjust significantly if shooting
in Atlanta, Albuquerque, Chicago, or other markets.
```


path: references/test-scene.md
content: # Test Scene — "Night Falls" 
## Scene 24 — INT. HAYES APARTMENT / KITCHEN — NIGHT

*Used to test all 5 prompt templates*

---

```
                                                              24.

INT. HAYES APARTMENT - KITCHEN - NIGHT

The kitchen is a mess. Dishes piled in the sink. A half-empty 
whiskey bottle on the counter. Rain hammers the window above the 
stove.

HAYES (52, weathered detective, tie loose, shirt still wet from 
the rain) stands by the fridge. Across from him, MARIA (35, 
sharp, frightened but trying not to show it) clutches a coffee 
mug with both hands.

                    HAYES
          Where is it, Maria.

Not a question. She knows what he's talking about.

                    MARIA
          I don't know what you're—

                    HAYES
          Don't. I've been doing this thirty 
          years. I know what a lie looks like.

He takes a step toward her. She doesn't move.

                    MARIA
          You're drunk, Detective.

                    HAYES
          Sober enough.

He reaches into his jacket and sets his BADGE on the counter 
between them. A declaration, not a threat.

                    HAYES (CONT'D)
          The evidence folder from the Reyes 
          case. It was in lockup at 9 AM. 
          By noon it was gone. Only three 
          people had access.

A long beat. Maria's jaw tightens.

                    MARIA
                (quietly)
          You don't know what you're getting 
          into, Marcus.

Hayes goes very still. She used his first name. That means 
something.

                    HAYES
          Then tell me.

Maria sets the mug on the counter. Carefully. Then suddenly — 
SMASH — she shoves it off the edge. It shatters on the tile.

Hayes doesn't flinch. Neither does she.

                    MARIA
          They'll kill you.

                    HAYES
                (a beat — then)
          Not the first time someone's tried.

He picks up his badge. Pockets it. Heads for the door.

                    HAYES (CONT'D)
          Pack a bag. Tonight.

He's gone. Maria stares at the broken mug on the floor. The 
rain keeps hammering.

                                                   END OF SCENE
```

---

**Scene Stats:**
- Pages: 2 4/8
- Speaking cast: 2 (Hayes, Maria)
- Location: 1 interior location
- Complexity: Medium (dialogue-driven, one stunt — mug smash)
- Continuity items: Hayes's wet shirt, wound from prior scene


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: suspicious | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: suspicious (MEDIUM)