Production
The pre-production meeting is the last point where a change is cheap. After it, a new idea costs a reshoot, a re-render or a fresh screening application. An AI production has more to settle in that room than a traditional shoot: which shots will be generated and from what, whose likeness appears, and how the ad will be labelled. Here is what to sign off before anyone books a crew or starts a render.
What is a pre-production meeting for?
It turns the approved idea into an approved plan. The brief and the treatment said what the film should do. The pre-production meeting agrees how it will be made: every shot, every person on screen, every deliverable, and who signs off what. Bring the people who can say yes on the brand side, the agency if there is one, the production company, and legal if the script makes claims.
What has to be approved before the meeting?
The storyboard, if the ad goes to the Ad Standards Council. In the ASC Manual, the S1 decision “Approved for Production” is the one that says “the Applicant may proceed to production, recording, and/or printing”. The plan agreed at the meeting has to match that approved storyboard, because the finished ad is checked against it before it can air. Our guide to ASC clearance for video ads covers both screenings.
What should the checklist cover?
| Item | What to agree | Why it matters later |
| Shot list | Which shots are filmed and which are generated, with the references for each | The final cut is checked against the storyboard |
| People on screen | Talent and releases, any child performer’s permit, written consent for any digital likeness | Missing permits stall screening; likeness needs consent |
| Product | The real packshot, label and logo files, and who checks them | A generated product that drifts from the real one misleads |
| Claims and mandatory lines | Proof on file for every claim; mandatory statements in every cut | Screening asks for both |
| Music | The track, the licences, the media and the period | One licence rarely covers everything |
| AI label | Where the disclosure sits in each version | It is required, and easier to plan than to add |
| Deliverables | Every length, aspect ratio and language version | Each cut-down and caption version is its own application |
| Approvals | Who signs off at offline, online and final, and how many rounds | The contract counts the rounds |
| Dates | Shoot or render days, the clearance submission, the air date | Clearance needs time between the final edit and airing |
Each row has a guide behind it: child talent permits, product accuracy, claim proof, mandatory statements, music licences and the production contract.
What changes when the ad is AI-generated?
→ References replace descriptions. A generated shot is only as controlled as what it is built from. Agree the reference images, the product files and the style frames for each shot, not just a line of description.
→ Likeness needs consent in writing. The ASC’s AI circular singles out content that is “likely to be mistaken for an identifiable real person, including public figures or celebrities”, where the person’s consent may be required under applicable law. Settle who appears, as themselves or as a lookalike, before generation starts. See AI presenters in brand video.
→ The label is planned, not added. The circular asks for “a clear and reasonably conspicuous disclosure” that AI was used. Decide at the meeting where it sits in each length and format; our disclosure guide covers the options.
→ Late ideas cost more than they look. AI makes it easy to try one more version in the edit. Under the Manual, a revision to an approved storyboard can be filed only “PRIOR to the submission of S2 material”, must be minor, and is “allowed only twice”. A new idea after the meeting is usually a new application.
The one-page sign-off
Close the meeting by writing down the decisions and getting each approver’s yes in writing: shot list, cast and releases, product files, claims and proof, music licences, the label, deliverables and dates. It is the page everyone checks against later, including you.
General information. Screening rules come from the ASC Code of Ethics and Standard Manual of Procedures effective 29 April 2024 and ASC Circular 2026-014; check the current versions before production.
Who runs the pre-production meeting?
The production company, with the brand and the agency in the room. PUNX is an AI production company in Makati: 50-plus people, founded 2023, producing for P&G, San Miguel, Petron and JTI. Whoever you hire, ask for the agenda and the sign-off sheet ahead of the meeting, so the room is spent deciding rather than discovering.
FAQ
What happens at a pre-production meeting?
The brand, the agency and the production company agree how the approved idea will be made: the shot list, the people on screen, the product files, claims and their proof, music licences, the AI disclosure, every deliverable, the approval rounds and the dates. The decisions are written down and signed off.
Who should attend a pre-production meeting?
The people who can approve on the brand side, the agency if there is one, the production company’s director and producer, and legal or regulatory if the script makes product claims.
Does an ad need ASC approval before the shoot?
For ads that go through the Ad Standards Council, yes: the S1 decision “Approved for Production” is what allows production to proceed, and the finished ad is later checked against that approved storyboard before it is cleared to air.
What changes in pre-production for an AI-generated ad?
Three things. Each generated shot needs agreed references, not just a description. Any content likely to be mistaken for a real person needs that person’s consent settled first. And the AI disclosure has to be placed in every version, as the ASC’s AI circular asks for a clear and reasonably conspicuous disclosure.
Related
AI studios Philippines — the studio behind the work
Video production brief — what to agree before the treatment
ASC clearance for video ads — the two screenings around the shoot
Planning a shoot?
Send us the approved storyboard and the air date. We will draft the sign-off sheet with you before the meeting.
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