Craft User Stories: Behind the Scenes of Filmmaking with Kevin

TL;DR

Craft is used as a living internal knowledge system, with actively maintained topic lists and structured documentation tied to tools like DaVinci Resolve.

Briefing Cornell Notes

Briefing

Kevin Blan, a Zurich-based film production founder focused on corporate communications, describes how his agency uses Craft to reduce project chaos and keep teams aligned without building an over-engineered platform. The core idea is to treat Craft as a living project hub: a client-facing “portal” built with Craft’s publish function, where timing, contacts, offers, and meeting notes can be updated as work progresses—then shared via simple email links so clients don’t have to hunt through months of messages.

Internally, the agency organizes work into three “spaces”: a personal area for individual logistics, a team space for shared day-to-day material, and a management-oriented space for information that doesn’t need to be visible to everyone. Within these spaces, documentation stays current—lists of topics are actively maintained, and missing or “not feeling right” items get revised. Post-production workflows are anchored with structured notes tied to tools such as DaVinci Resolve, including grading notes and tutorials gathered from team learning. The system also functions as a searchable memory bank: notes from online courses and “know-how” that staff want to reuse later are dropped into the relevant areas so they can be found again.

A major shift comes during production planning, where Craft is used to create shot lists that are mobile-friendly and dynamic. Previously, shot lists lived in static spreadsheets (Excel or Numbers), which were difficult to read on set and awkward to reorder or update. The new approach breaks work into scenes with checklists that capture specific capture requirements—like ensuring the arm’s movement is covered, capturing press movement, and getting necessary detail shots. Because the shot list is accessible on phones, the crew can check off tasks in real time, reorder scenes when priorities change, and add new lines on the fly so nothing gets forgotten.

Blan emphasizes that the goal isn’t maximum efficiency for its own sake. The deeper aim is to strip away unnecessary overhead so the crew can focus on content and project execution. Building the system wasn’t instant; it required internal debate about what belongs in documentation versus knowledge, and what qualifies as a checklist. Still, the process reinforced a practical lesson: analyzing how the team works—and maintaining awareness of that workflow—is the foundation for becoming better at work, not just faster at it.

Cornell Notes

Kevin Blan describes how his Zurich corporate communications film agency uses Craft to organize both internal knowledge and client-facing project updates. The setup includes three spaces (personal, team, and management) plus structured documentation tied to tools like DaVinci Resolve, tutorials, and reusable “know-how” notes from training. For clients, Craft’s publish function powers a lightweight portal that gets duplicated per project and updated with tiles for timing, contacts, offers, and meeting notes, with updates shared via email links. On set, Craft replaces static spreadsheet shot lists with mobile-friendly, editable checklists by scene, enabling crews to check tasks off in real time, reorder shots, and add new requirements without losing track. The payoff is less overhead and more focus on content.

How does the agency structure information so it stays usable across different roles?

Work is split into three spaces: a personal space for individual logistics, a regular team space for shared materials, and a management-oriented space for information that doesn’t need to be visible to everyone. Topic lists inside these spaces are treated as living documents—if something is missing or doesn’t feel right, it gets changed. Post-production notes are organized into structured areas tied to the tools used, such as DaVinci Resolve, including grading notes and tutorials gathered from team learning.

What makes the client-facing project hub different from sending emails or maintaining separate documents?

The agency uses Craft’s publish function to create a project hub that resembles a login-based portal, but without over-engineering a full platform. For each project, a blueprint page is duplicated, then updated with client visuals, titles, and “tiles” added during the project. Updates include timing, contacts, offers, and meeting notes. Instead of searching through older email threads, clients receive an email link whenever the hub is updated.

Why replace spreadsheet shot lists with Craft-based shot lists?

Spreadsheet shot lists in Excel or Numbers were described as static and not mobile friendly—too small or too large to use comfortably on set. They were also rigid when priorities changed, making it harder to reorder scenes or add new items without friction. Craft-based shot lists are designed to be edited and used directly on mobile during production.

How does the Craft shot list work during production, beyond simply listing shots?

Each scene is paired with a checklist that captures capture requirements, such as covering the arm’s movement, capturing press movement, and getting needed detail shots. During production, the crew can check boxes on their phones as tasks are completed. If the plan changes—moving something earlier, adding a new requirement, or realizing a shot was missed—new lines can be added or scenes reordered so the list stays current.

What is the underlying motivation for building these systems?

The aim isn’t to chase efficiency for its own sake. Blan frames the real goal as reducing unnecessary overhead so the team can focus on projects and content. That includes spending time figuring out the right workflow categories—like distinguishing documentation from knowledge and defining what counts as a checklist—so the system supports work rather than complicating it.

Review Questions

What are the three “spaces” in the agency’s Craft setup, and what kinds of information belong in each?
How does the agency use Craft’s publish function to reduce client confusion during a project?
Describe how a Craft-based shot list changes day-to-day behavior on set compared with an Excel or Numbers sheet.

Key Points

1
Craft is used as a living internal knowledge system, with actively maintained topic lists and structured documentation tied to tools like DaVinci Resolve.
2
The agency organizes information into three spaces—personal, team, and management—to match who needs what.
3
A per-project client hub is built by duplicating a blueprint and updating tiles for timing, contacts, offers, and meeting notes.
4
Craft’s publish function supports lightweight client updates via email links, reducing reliance on long email threads.
5
Mobile-friendly shot lists replace static spreadsheet lists, enabling real-time checkoffs and on-the-fly reordering or additions.
6
The system-building process includes internal debate about documentation versus knowledge and what qualifies as a checklist.
7
The ultimate objective is less overhead and more focus on content, not maximum efficiency at any cost.

Highlights

Craft’s publish function turns a duplicated blueprint into a client-facing project hub that gets updated as work progresses, with changes delivered through simple email links.

Mobile checklists by scene replace spreadsheet shot lists, letting crews check off tasks in real time and adjust ordering without losing items.

Internal knowledge is treated as a searchable, reusable asset—tutorials and course notes are stored so they can be found and applied later.

The workflow design is intentionally lightweight; the goal is to remove unnecessary overhead so attention stays on content and execution.

Topics

Craft Setup
Client Project Hub
Shot List
Production Planning
Workflow Documentation

Mentioned

Craft
DaVinci Resolve
Kevin Blan