The order of work

Manuscript lock. Nothing else can begin while the words can still change — a single revised chapter re-opens narration, picture and score together.

Casting, then narration. The voice sets the pace of everything downstream; the picture is cut to the read, never the other way round.

Score, then picture. Licensed music is selected, cut and mixed to the read. Then the visual sequence is built against that spine.

Master and deliver. Retail specification, chapter marks, file counts and the archive copy.

What decides the length

155 words to a finished minute — 9,300 words to a finished hour. Word count is therefore the only figure you need to plan a runway, a budget and a launch date.

What it costs to have it forged

12% of word count for a film book, 7.000000000000001% for an audio book, 50% to begin, and the matching audio edition riding with every film book.

The order of the work

1. 01Lock the manuscriptStop revising. Nothing downstream can begin while the words can still change, because a single revised chapter re-opens narration, picture and score at once.
2. 02Cast the voicesName every speaking part and decide how many voices the book needs. Voices are counted in blocks of two, so casting decides part of the price as well as the sound.
3. 03Record the narrationThe read is recorded first and becomes the spine of the whole film. Picture is cut to the read, never the read to the picture.
4. 04Choose and cut the scoreLicensed music is selected, cut and mixed against the finished read so the music moves with the story rather than under it.
5. 05Build the pictureThe visual sequence is built against the narration and score, at 155 words to a finished minute — 9,300 words to a finished hour.
6. 06Master and deliverMaster to retail specification with chapter marks, correct file counts and an archive copy held for the author.

Asked and answered

Can I make a film of my own book myself?

You can plan and time it yourself with free instruments here. Producing it to retail specification is a studio's work.

How long does it take?

Plan the runway backwards from your release date — casting, recording, cutting and retail filing each hold their own dates.