Operating sequence
Use character passport interview prompts to elicit rights boundaries, observable traits, permitted variation, scene state, reference gaps, and approval rules.
- 01
Ask where the character and every reference came from
Open with questions that establish authority: Who owns the character design? Does it portray or resemble a real person? Which performer, voice, motion, costume, location, music, or artwork permissions apply? What territories, channels, transformations, and dates are allowed? Which files are approved sources, who supplied them, and what views are missing? Ask what must never be inferred from a reference and who can resolve uncertainty. Capture answers verbatim with an owner and source pointer. These interview prompts surface the evidence a team already has; they cannot create consent, extend a license, or prove that an asset is lawful to use.
- Ownership and likeness scope
- Allowed transformations
- Approved reference inventory
- Unresolved authority questions
- 02
Elicit observable invariants and intentional variation
Ask the art director to describe what makes the character recognizable without relying on broad labels: Which proportions, marks, shapes, palette relationships, vocal qualities, posture, or signature objects must remain? Which details can vary with lighting, wardrobe, emotion, age, damage, or style? For each answer, ask what a reviewer would point to, which reference demonstrates it, how much deviation is acceptable, and whether the rule applies in every shot. Follow with story-state questions about location, knowledge, injuries, weather, carried items, eyeline, and emotional progression so temporary changes are not mistaken for identity drift.
- 03
Close with failure, exception, and approval questions
Ask reviewers to name automatic rejection conditions, issues that permit repair, and ambiguities that require escalation. What happens when an authorized story change conflicts with an older reference? Who can approve a new source or passport version? Which rejected attempts may be retained, for how long, and with what access? What evidence must accompany the handoff to edit, localization, or a later production team? Turn each answer into a passport row rather than leaving interview prose unstructured. The output is a decision-ready requirements packet, not a prompt library claiming to preserve identity or a substitute for inspecting actual sequences.