A locked cast is a set of approved character references, roles, costumes, and performance constraints that downstream shots must use. Once a cast member is locked, later frames and reels should inherit that approved identity instead of re-rolling a new lookalike. The lock is the contract between the creative review stage and every generation that follows it.
The locked cast is the primitive behind character consistency in GATA — the cast record is what every shot, scene, model pick, and regional variant reads from.
What it looks like in practice
A campaign signs off on the hero character: a 30-something woman, specific face reference, navy blazer, calm authority. That decision is then locked. Every downstream shot — wide, close-up, over-the-shoulder, localised retake — uses the locked record instead of re-rolling a 'similar' face. If a creative lead later wants the wardrobe in grey rather than navy, they edit the locked record once and every dependent shot picks up the change. The lock is the contract that lets review actually mean something.
Why it matters
A locked cast helps teams avoid inconsistent faces, wardrobe changes, and mismatched character behaviour. It is also what makes a real review cycle possible: stakeholders can sign off on the cast once and trust that what they approved is what gets shipped.
How GATA handles it
GATA's locked cast is a structured record (face, costume, performance notes, reference frames) that every dependent shot reads from. Once it's locked, regenerations and new shots inherit it rather than negotiating it from prompts. Edits to the lock propagate to the shots that reference it, so 'change the jacket to grey across all 14 shots' is a one-line edit, not 14 separate re-prompts.