The Pilot

One finished episode — sixty to ninety seconds, vertical, hooked in its first three seconds and held together end to end, submitted with a production log legible enough to rerun any shot in it.

Weeks 10–11 · Due 21 May 2027 · 35%

One episode, hooked in three seconds and held together for the rest of it.

What to do#

Produce one finished pilot episode, sixty to ninety seconds, framed for a vertical screen: a beat sheet written in states, a storyboard with a sized shot list, every shot generated against a locked model sheet and scene master plate, run through the quality gate, then assembled with loudness matched to the published standard and captions present and in sync. The opening beat is the episode’s three-second hook, and the rest of the beat sheet has to earn what that hook promised.

What to submit#

The assembled pilot, delivered to the platform’s spec with captions burned in; the beat sheet and storyboard it was shot from; the model sheet and scene master plate used to hold continuity; and a production log covering every gated shot, in the order they appear.

How it’s assessed#

Hook and pacing checks whether the opening three seconds earns the rest of the episode, and whether beat density holds across the full run rather than flattening out partway through. Continuity checks that every shot matches the model sheet and master plate it was audited against. Delivery compliance checks loudness against the published standard and captions for presence and sync, on a phone screen. Production log is checked the way every log this semester has been: legible enough to rerun a shot without asking.

Craft — 20% of this assessment#

Craft assesses the finish of the selected shots and their assembly. Use the shot checklist, the patch-or-reshoot decision, and sound through the edit to review the submitted cut:

• Framing and action: the intended subject and action remain readable on a phone. Cropping does not accidentally hide a gesture or the object the shot needs the viewer to see.
• Take selection and repair: distracting generation faults, such as a hand changing shape during an action or unintended text in the image, have been rejected or repaired. A patch does not leave a visible edge or flicker that creates another distraction.
• Assembly finish: no stray frames or accidental audio clicks remain at edits; dialogue stays intelligible when music and effects are added. Review the transitions in the assembled cut, not only the source clips.

A strong submission controls these details throughout; any remaining imperfection is minor and does not obscure the action. A satisfactory submission is readable but has isolated distracting faults or rough joins. A weak submission repeatedly leaves those faults in the finished cut, making the action or dialogue difficult to follow. An intentional stylised effect is judged by whether it serves the shot, not by how closely it resembles a photograph. More renders or a more expensive model do not earn credit by themselves.

Keep the criteria separate: whether the opening earns attention and the sequence holds it belongs to Hook & pacing; matching a character or location across shots belongs to Continuity; measured loudness, caption presence and sync, and export requirements belong to Delivery compliance. A fault is not deducted again under Craft simply because it was found under one of those criteria. Craft uses the pilot already submitted; there is no additional reel or written defence to produce.