From raw footageto a finished edit.

1. 01Goal and research

   First the goal, then the cut.

   Which platform, ratio and length? Which message, audience and style? If something is missing, it asks. Then it thinks through what would make this particular video the best: the hook, the rhythm, the story structure and the conventions of the platform. For short-form video, it follows a dedicated reel method.

2. 02The material

   Everything on the table first.

   It takes stock of all the material: the videos in your working folder, brand assets from Zaela’s shared memory such as logo, fonts and colours, or a link you give it. It only uses material you have the rights to, and it works on copies, never on your originals.

3. 03Watch

   It watches before it cuts.

   Every video goes through Zaela’s video analysis tool: frames with the timecode in the file name, the metadata and a word-level transcript. It reads the frames and the transcript until it knows what happens where, in every source. It chooses how closely to look, from a quick first glance to a frame every second.

4. 04Edit plan

   The whole structure before the first edit.

   It draws up a blueprint: the storyline from hook to core to close, which segment from which source with in and out timecodes, the pacing, the transitions, titles and where they sit on screen, captions, music, colour and the final format. Only when the plan stands does it start.

5. 05Edit in code

   The right tool for each task.

   It writes and runs the code for the plan. If ffmpeg can do it in one command, it uses ffmpeg. Layered edits go to moviepy or movis, brand-exact animated titles to Remotion or HyperFrames. It protects quality: no needless re-encoding, stream copy wherever possible.

6. 06Watch back

   Nothing leaves unseen.

   At the end it rereads your original brief and turns it into a checklist. It runs the video tool on its own output, reads the frames around every cut and checks sync, captions, crop, colour and sound. Every problem gets a timecode, a fix and a new render, until every point is ticked off.

This page is based on the agent's instructions and knowledge in Zaela. The drawings are illustrations.