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Student Short Film Credits Checklist

Build credits from a shared evidence sheet, then pass these 12 checks so every displayed name, role, media source, permission record, and approval can be traced before export.

  1. Lock the film and credit version

    Write the exact film title, team label, and credit-sheet version at the top of the record. Match them to the current edit before anyone types a name. If the edit changes after approval, create a numbered replacement rather than silently changing the approved sheet. This prevents a correct credit list from being attached to the wrong cut.

    CheckerOne student producer
    Evidence placeEdit filename and sheet header
    Time limit2 minutes
    Assessed skillVersion identification

  2. Collect each contribution

    Ask every team member to describe completed work using an action: wrote the script, operated the camera, recorded sound, performed a role, edited scenes, or created titles. Record the action before choosing a professional-sounding label. One person may have several entries, and several people may share one task. Credit work that happened, not work originally assigned.

    CheckerAll team members
    Evidence placeShared contribution row
    Time limit6 minutes
    Assessed skillContribution reporting

  3. Confirm display names

    Give each credited person the spelling that will appear on screen and ask for a direct yes or correction. Do not copy a nickname, account name, or class-roster spelling without confirmation. Record only the approved display name on the credit sheet. Keep private contact details and signatures out of the film and out of the public credit text.

    CheckerEach named person
    Evidence placeApproved-name column
    Time limit30 seconds per person
    Assessed skillName accuracy

  4. Match cast to characters

    For every visible or speaking performer, pair the approved display name with the character or on-screen function used in the final cut. Check the edited film rather than an early casting list because roles can be removed or combined. If school policy limits student names, follow that policy and use the approved alternative consistently.

    CheckerStudent director
    Evidence placeFinal cut and cast rows
    Time limit4 minutes
    Assessed skillCast verification

  5. Name crew work truthfully

    Turn each verified action into a plain role label that a viewer can understand. “Camera by,” “Sound recorded by,” and “Edited by” are clearer for a small class project than an inflated department title. Compare the row with the actual contribution and remove duplicate labels. When two students shared work, credit both instead of inventing one lead.

    CheckerStudent producer plus teammate
    Evidence placeContribution and role columns
    Time limit5 minutes
    Assessed skillRole classification

  6. Record every music item

    Make one row for each song, score cue, or music bed heard in the final cut. Copy the track title, creator or performer, source location, and the exact attribution text supplied with the approved media. A credit line documents attribution; it does not create permission. If the source or school approval cannot be located, flag the track for the teacher before export.

    CheckerStudent sound editor
    Evidence placeMusic file and source record
    Time limit3 minutes per track
    Assessed skillMusic-source tracing

  7. Trace images and graphics

    Review the final timeline for photographs, illustrations, maps, logos, screenshots, and generated or student-made graphics. For each outside item, record its title or description, creator when known, source location, and required credit wording. Mark student-made assets as original instead of leaving the source blank. Escalate uncertain reuse to the teacher; do not guess a licence.

    CheckerImage or graphics owner
    Evidence placeTimeline and asset folder
    Time limit4 minutes per asset group
    Assessed skillVisual-source tracing

  8. Trace borrowed footage and audio

    List every outside video clip, archive segment, interview excerpt, ambient recording, and sound effect that remains in the finished edit. Record the file used, creator or source, approved use record, and required wording. Compare the list with the final timeline so deleted material is removed from credits and newly added material cannot pass unnoticed.

    CheckerStudent editor
    Evidence placeFinal timeline and media bin
    Time limit5 minutes
    Assessed skillMedia inventory control

  9. Link names to permission records

    For every performer, recognizable participant, and location that requires school approval, note where the teacher-approved record is stored. The credit sheet should contain a record label or folder reference, not private addresses, phone numbers, signatures, or copies of identity documents. A missing record is a review stop, not a blank to hide with a credit line.

    CheckerTeacher or designated adult
    Evidence placeSchool-approved record folder
    Time limit5 minutes
    Assessed skillPermission reconciliation

  10. Run the spelling read-back

    Read every finished credit line aloud while a second person follows the approved sheet. Check capitalization, punctuation, repeated names, missing roles, and inconsistent spelling across separate cards. Read track titles and creator names character by character when needed. Mark the sheet only after the on-screen text and evidence row match exactly.

    CheckerTwo students
    Evidence placeCredit preview beside final sheet
    Time limit6 minutes
    Assessed skillProofreading accuracy

  11. Measure readable screen time

    Play the credit sequence at normal speed on the smallest school-approved viewing device. Each card must remain long enough for the checker to read every line once without pausing, and text must stay inside the visible frame. Record the start and end timestamp of any card that fails, revise it, and repeat the same playback test.

    CheckerTeammate who did not design credits
    Evidence placeClassroom laptop or tablet
    Time limitCredit runtime plus 2 minutes
    Assessed skillPresentation readability

  12. Approve and archive the final sheet

    After corrections, the student producer and teacher-designated reviewer compare the rendered credits with the evidence sheet one last time. Record the approval date, credit version, film version, unresolved limits, and reviewer names. Store the approved sheet beside the project archive so a later correction can identify what was checked without relying on memory.

    CheckerTwo final reviewers
    Evidence placeApproved project archive
    Time limit5 minutes
    Assessed skillApproval documentation

The minimum evidence sheet

People

Use one row per person with approved display name, performed work, screen role when relevant, confirmation state, and the checker. Separate this public credit information from private permission documents.

Outside media

Use one row per music track or asset group with item description, creator, source location, required wording, approval-record location, and the final timeline timestamp.

Approval

Keep the film version, credit version, spelling check, playback check, unresolved flags, approval date, and two reviewer names together. A checkmark without a version cannot prove which credits passed.

Build credits without creating a last-minute hunt

Start the sheet when production begins. Add a contribution row when a student completes work, and add an asset row when outside media enters the project. Before the final edit, remove rows for material that no longer appears and resolve flagged source or permission questions with the teacher. Only then format the credit sequence.

This checklist does not prescribe a universal film-industry order and does not decide whether media may be reused. School rules, assignment requirements, participant agreements, and source terms control those decisions. The checklist tests whether the class can trace what it plans to display and whether the final screen text matches the approved record.

When a credit check fails

  1. Write the failed check and the exact row, card, or timestamp.
  2. Correct the evidence sheet first so it remains the source of truth.
  3. Update the credit card from that corrected row.
  4. Repeat the spelling read-back and readable-time test.
  5. Create a new credit version if approval had already been recorded.

Do not solve an uncertain name, role, source, or permission question by deleting its evidence row. Mark it unresolved and send it to the teacher-designated reviewer. The final approval should state any limitation that remains.

Finish the classroom handoff

After the credits are approved, use the student short film export checklist to test the complete final file. If sound is still changing, run the student short film sound checklist before approving the credit timing.