Lab
Documentary production card
A one-page pre-flight checklist for a single episode — script accuracy, recording set-up, edit checks, rights and archiving.
Important checks shouldn’t depend on memory at the end of a long filming day. This card records which script was approved, where the evidence file lives, whether audio was tested, and who checked the final names and numbers.
Four stages
- Editorial — the opening question, definitions, counter-reading, verified quotes and right of reply.
- Recording — microphone test, lens and exposure, prompter position, room sound, two clean takes.
- Editing — qualifiers preserved, rights cleared, chart sources and denominators, captions, loudness.
- Release and archive — publication-day fact check, credits, correction log, private backups.
A checklist doesn’t make a production good on its own. It makes recurring errors easier to catch: a qualifier lost in the edit, a wrong percentage in the captions, a licence forgotten for archive footage.
Licence and credits
Version 1.0, released under CC0 1.0 (public domain). Requirements: Any text editor or Markdown app.
Original work by Daniel Khan.