Guides
Plan to the music.
Short, practical guides on planning a film against its track — or against the feeling, when the track isn't here yet. Each one works on paper; each one also shows how it's done in PreFrame.
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How to bring a song's sections into Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut as markers
You already know where the intro ends and the chorus hits. Here is how to get those points onto your editing timeline as markers — by hand, or as a file your editor imports.
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How to plan a travel film to music before you shoot
Pick the song before you pack, cut it into sections, and work out how many shots each one needs. A simple way to come home with the film instead of four days of footage.
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How to cut a song into narrative sections
Before you can plan shots against a song, you need to know where it changes. Three listens, a handful of timestamps and a name for each part — no music theory required.
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The emotional curve: how to plan the pacing of a video or a short film before the music exists
No track yet? You can still plan. Draw how intense the video should feel from first second to last, cut your sections on that line, and let the music land on top when it arrives.
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Why a shot list fails when you edit to music (and what to use instead)
A shot list tells you what to film. It doesn't tell you where each shot goes in the song, how long it stays, or whether the whole track is covered. Three extra columns fix it — free template included.
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How to plan a music video around the song, step by step
A music video is planned from a track, not from a script. Nine steps from the final master to the first day of shooting — sections, shot budgets, performance coverage and playback on set.
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Build a shot library: stop planning the same shots from scratch
Every filmmaker has twenty shots they keep coming back to. Write them down once — with the gear and the notes that make them work — and start every new project from there instead of from a blank page.
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How to make a moodboard for a video that you'll actually use on the shoot
A moodboard for film isn't a wall of pretty frames. It's references sorted by the part of the piece they belong to — so that on location you open one section and see exactly what it should look like.
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Golden hour doesn't wait: how to plan every shot around the light
Golden hour lasts less than you think and happens once a day. How to find the light windows for your location and date, attach one to each shot, and find out at home — not on location — that three of them collide.
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What camera gear to pack: build the list from your shots
Every packing list online tells you what someone else carries. The only list that fits your trip or your shoot comes from your own shots: what each one needs, counted, and cut.
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