# AI Production Diary Template

> A framework for documenting an AI-augmented film, video, or creative production from script to delivery. Copy this file, replace bracketed fields, fill in per-shot data as production runs.

**Project:** [Working title]
**Director:** [Name]
**Format:** [Short film / commercial / branded content / series episode]
**Length:** [Estimated minutes]
**Start date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Target delivery:** [YYYY-MM-DD]

---

## 1. Project at a glance

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Logline | |
| Aspect ratio | |
| Delivery resolution | |
| Total estimated shots | |
| Hero shots | |
| Establishers / atmospheric | |
| Character-driven | |
| Action / movement | |
| Models in use | |
| Platform subscription tier | |
| Total platform budget (credits or USD) | |
| Estimated director hours | |

---

## 2. Week 1: Pre-production and shot list

### Day 1–2: Script lockdown
- [ ] Script locked at page count: ___
- [ ] Last revision date: ___
- Notes:

### Day 3: Shot list breakdown
- [ ] Total shots logged: ___
- [ ] Per-shot fields captured (description, camera move, mood, reference image, initial model recommendation)
- Notes:

### Day 4: Character casting
- [ ] Hero characters trained as LoRAs: ___
- [ ] Reference image counts per character: ___
- [ ] Total casting hours: ___
- Notes:

### Day 5: Style references and brand lock
- [ ] Color palette anchored
- [ ] Lighting tendency captured
- [ ] Visual style reference set uploaded: ___ images
- Notes:

### Day 6–7: Buffer / refinement
- Notes:

**End of Week 1 status:** [Pre-production complete / blockers]

---

## 3. Generation passes (week by week)

For each week, log per-shot data in the table format below.

### Week ___ — [pass description]

| Shot # | Description | Model | First-pass result | Iterations | Final selection | Issue encountered | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | | | | | | | |
| 3 | | | | | | | |

**Week summary:**
- Shots locked: ___
- Shots reshot or regenerated: ___
- Average iteration count per shot: ___
- Average wall-clock time per shot: ___ min
- Credits consumed (approximate): ___

---

## 4. Refinement and rescue passes

For shots that almost-but-not-quite landed in initial generation. Log salvage workflows used.

| Shot # | Original model | Salvage approach (relight, regenerate, composite) | Final outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |

---

## 5. Cost breakdown by category

| Category | Estimated | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Platform subscription (months) | | |
| Premium credit usage | | |
| Operator hours (director) | | |
| Editorial hours | | |
| Sound design / music | | |
| Colorist (post pipeline) | | |
| **Total project cost** | | |

Comparison against a traditional production estimate: ___

---

## 6. Failure modes catalogue (this project)

For each category of failure encountered, document what broke, why, and what the future workaround is.

| Category | Specific shot | What broke | Root cause | Future workaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | |

---

## 7. Workflow changes made mid-project

What you started doing that worked. What you stopped doing that didn't.

- Started:
- Stopped:
- Pivoted on:

---

## 8. Honest postmortem

### Could this story have been told traditionally?
[Your honest assessment]

### Was AI the right call?
[Yes / no / mixed — why]

### What would you do differently?
[Concrete changes for next time]

### Where did AI add capability vs add complexity?
- Added capability:
- Added complexity:

---

## 9. Distribution and follow-up

| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Final delivery to client / festival / platform | |
| Festival submissions | |
| Internal sharing for team learning | |
| Production diary published | |

---

*This template is part of the DesignerBox production diary framework. See the full cornerstone guide at /guides/production-diary-template for context on each section and how diaries serve the AI filmmaking community.*