Unit 12 | Production Book, Music Video & Portfolio
Introduction
ADD’s second and final Extra Unit. Two threads that close out the year: documenting a production the way a real studio would (a production book, the kind of record that makes a project reusable years later), and a lighter, faster music-video mini-project that puts cinematography skills to use one more time before building out a finished portfolio.
Nothing in this unit is ACP-tested. The unit still carries full compliance rigor. 78-minute timing, The 7, a real Differentiation Matrix, real Organize criteria.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Document a production’s talent, locations, and rights/clearances the way a professional team would
- Plan a short music video’s mise-en-scène and shot list from a chosen song
- Build out a complete, submission-ready portfolio site
- Compile a production book recording an entire project’s process, start to finish
Calendar of Events for This Unit
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/17 | 5/18 | 5/19 | 5/20 | 5/21 |
| S | 11 | F | 12.1 | F | 12.1 | F | 12.2 | F | 12.2 |
| 5/19: Interim grades close 4:00pm (MP4); 5/20: Senior Report Card grades open in Infinite Campus; 5/20: Senior grade verification window opens (through 6/3); 5/21: Interim Reports Available | ||||
| 5/24 | 5/25 | 5/26 | 5/27 | 5/28 |
| F | 12.3 | F | 12.3 | Senior Exams | Senior Exams | PD / Trade-In |
| 5/25: Final Exams - Grade 12 (day 1 of 3); 5/26: Final Exams - Grade 12 (day 2 of 3); 5/27: Final Exams - Grade 12 (day 3 of 3) | ||||
| 5/31 | 6/1 | 6/2 | 6/3 | 6/4 |
| Memorial Day | F | 12.4 | F | 12.4 | S | 12 | S | 12 |
| 6/1: Final Exam Make-Ups - Grade 12; 6/3: Senior Report Card grades close 4:00pm; 6/3: Senior grade verification window closes; 6/4: Report Card grades open in Infinite Campus (MP4); 6/4: Report Card grade verification window opens (through 6/15) | ||||
Lessons
- 12.1 – Talent & Location Documentation. Continuity photos, visual reference collection
- 12.2 – Rights & Clearances Documentation. Attribution records, permission letters, release tracking
- 12.3 – Music Video: Mise-en-Scène & Planning. Two-column script, storyboard, mise-en-scène
- 12.4 – Portfolio Build-Out & Year-End Reel. Finishing every project page, a compiled reel
- S12 – Production Book & Portfolio Capstone. Summative project
Unit Vocabulary
- Continuity Photo
- A reference photograph of a cast member’s costume or a location’s setup, taken before filming so hair, wardrobe, and set dressing can be matched exactly if a scene is reshot or filmed out of order across multiple days.
- Visual Reference
- Any image (a film still, a painting, a photo) collected to help a team agree on a shared look, mood, or tone before shooting begins, without needing every idea spelled out in words.
- Mise-en-Scene
- Everything visible within the frame that was deliberately arranged. settings, props, costume, lighting, color, and the positioning of people and objects. French for “placing on stage.”
- Call Sheet
- A daily production document listing what’s shooting, when, where, and who needs to be there. The single source of truth for everyone on set that day.
- Shooting Schedule
- The order scenes actually get filmed in, grouped by location and actor availability, almost never the same order as the finished story.
- Talent Release
- A signed document giving a production permission to record and use someone’s likeness. Required for every on-camera performer, even a friend doing a favor.
- Location Release
- A signed document giving a production permission to film at a specific place. Required for private property, sometimes required for public spaces depending on what’s being filmed.
- Line Item
- A single row in a budget, one specific expense (gear rental, location fee, catering) tracked separately so a producer can see exactly where money is going.
- Contingency
- Extra budget set aside for the unexpected (a reshoot, a broken prop, a rental that runs long). Industry standard is roughly 10 percent of the total budget.
- Slugline
- The all-caps shot heading that opens a scene (INT./EXT., location, time of day). Tells the crew where and when a scene happens before a single word of action or dialogue.
- Parenthetical
- A short direction in parentheses under a character’s name, telling an actor how to deliver a line (whispers), (sarcastic). Used sparingly, overusing them reads as micromanaging the actor.
- Scene Heading
- Another name for a slugline. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT is a scene heading.
- Two-Column Script
- A script format that splits visuals (left column) from audio/dialogue (right column), common for commercials, music videos, and documentary-style projects instead of standard screenplay format.
- Beat
- A pause or turning point in a scene’s action or dialogue, marked in a script to control pacing and give an actor or editor a place to breathe.
- Client Goals
- The outcomes a client wants a video to achieve: informing, persuading, entertaining, or building their brand. Those goals shape every creative decision on the project.
- Target Audience
- The specific group of viewers a video is made for. Understanding who they are shapes a video’s tone, pacing, and content choices.
- Demographics
- Measurable characteristics of a target audience, age, location, education, interests, used to describe and understand who a video is being made for.