Insights
From Signed Agreement to Final Film: How a Pilot Works
What happens in the 14 days between signing and delivery: the requirements session, the written brief, the four approval points, and how we decide together whether it worked.
Buying a film for the first time can feel like a leap: you pay, a team disappears for weeks, and you hope what comes back is close to what you had in mind.
Our pilot is built to remove that leap. It's one film, two to three minutes long, about one real communication challenge in your organization, delivered in 14 days at a flat fee. You approve each stage before the next one starts, so there are no surprises at the end.
Here's exactly how it runs.
Day 0: Agreement signed
Scope, revisions, usage rights, confidentiality and how AI is used are all in writing before any work begins. Two people sign: the person in your organization who holds the budget, and me.
Day 1: Requirements session
This is the most important hour of the project. In 45 to 60 minutes we cover:
- The situation. What is changing, and why now?
- The audience. Who needs to see this, and what do they believe today?
- The one message. If people remember only one thing, what is it?
- What must never be said. Words, promises or topics that would do damage.
- Where it will be shown. A town hall, a team meeting, an intranet, onboarding?
- Who approves. One person who can sign off on each stage.
- What you've tried before, and how people reacted.
Day 3: The brief, confirmed in writing
You receive a one-page brief that sets all of this down in plain language. Nothing is written or produced until you confirm it.
This step is what keeps the final film tied to your real need instead of our assumptions. If the brief is wrong, we fix it here, where it costs an email, not later, where it costs a rebuild.
Day 5: Treatment and script
You approve the story before anything is generated: the characters, the situation they're in, and what happens. If the words alone don't carry the message, no amount of production will save them.
Day 8: Voices, characters and music
You hear the voices and see the characters and settings, chosen from options. You approve them. From this point they're locked, so every later scene keeps the same faces, voices and places.
Day 11: Rough cut
You see the film assembled. Two rounds of revisions are included.
Day 14: Final film delivered
You receive a finished, high-resolution film, with no subtitles or logo bumpers unless you ask for them.
The schedule assumes each approval comes back within two business days. If one takes longer, delivery moves by the same number of days.
What you provide
- One point of contact who can approve each stage
- The requirements session
- An honest picture of the situation, including the uncomfortable parts
What success looks like
We agree up front on four checks, all confirmable within two weeks of delivery:
- Delivered on the schedule above
- Approved by your approver
- Believable: shown to a handful of employees outside the project team, most say it felt true to their situation and can repeat the message in their own words
- Used in at least one real setting
A week after delivery we meet for 30 minutes, review the four checks, and decide together whether to continue. There's no obligation to.
A note on how the film is made
The film is AI-generated and human-directed. Every character, voice, location and scene is approved by a person before it's used. Characters are fictional composites, never real employees or their likenesses. You can see an example of the craft in Two Teams, One Table, a 2:48 demonstration film about a merger.
If you have a message that a memo can't carry, reply with the situation and I'll send the details: gerard@architectsofthecloud.com.
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