Comment 2 for bug 315356

How I build a working .deb:

#!/bin/bash
# updeb.sh
# updates a deb. well, makes a deb from current source.
# based on https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpdatingADeb

set -xe
# -----------------
PACKAGE=ffmpeg2theora
# OLDVER=ffmpeg2theora-0.21
OLDVER=ffmpeg2theora-0.23
NEWVER=$PACKAGE-trunk
sudo apt-get --assume-yes install autoconf automake libtool
# -----------------
if [ ! -d $PACKAGE ]; then
  mkdir $PACKAGE
fi
cd $PACKAGE

# needed to get source, compile and build debs
sudo apt-get --assume-yes --force-yes install build-essential fakeroot subversion cvs dpkg-dev devscripts scons

# get the $PACKAGE deps and source from apt repository
# (and debian/ dir needed to build the .deb)
sudo apt-get --assume-yes --force-yes build-dep $PACKAGE
# sudo aptitude -s -f build-dep $PACKAGE
apt-get source $PACKAGE
find ./ -type d -name "$PACKAGE*"
# exit

# -----------------
if [ ! -d $NEWVER ]; then
  svn co http://svn.xiph.org/trunk/ffmpeg2theora $NEWVER
fi
cd $NEWVER/
svn up
# autoreconf -i
cd ..
# -----------------
cp -a $OLDVER/debian $NEWVER/

cd $NEWVER/

# -----------------
rm debian/patches/*
sed -i "/^\tscons install/s/^.*$/\tscons install \$\(PREFIX\)/" Makefile
sed -i "/autotools/s/autotools/makefile/" debian/rules
echo "DEB_MAKE_INSTALL_TARGET := install PREFIX=prefix=\$\(DEB_DESTDIR\)usr" \
# echo "DEB_MAKE_INSTALL_TARGET := install PREFIX=\$(DEB_DESTDIR)usr" \
 >> debian/rules

# -----------------

# bump the version number
# if this is not done, the new deb will be the same version as the current, so won't install. ($0 is the name of this script)
debchange --nmu $0

# build the .deb
dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -uc -b

# install the deb.
# using this command, on your own :)
echo sudo gdebi $PACKAGE*.deb

carl@dv67:~/vga2usb/src$ dpkg -c ffmpeg2theora/ffmpeg2theora_0.23-0ubuntu1.1_amd64.deb
drwxr-xr-x root/root 0 2009-01-24 13:46 ./
drwxr-xr-x root/root 0 2009-01-24 13:46 ./usr/
drwxr-xr-x root/root 0 2009-01-24 13:46 ./usr/share/
drwxr-xr-x root/root 0 2009-01-24 13:46 ./usr/share/doc/
drwxr-xr-x root/root 0 2009-01-24 13:46 ./usr/share/doc/ffmpeg2theora/
-rw-r--r-- root/root 1279 2009-01-24 13:46 ./usr/share/doc/ffmpeg2theora/copyright
-rw-r--r-- root/root 22 2009-01-24 13:46 ./usr/share/doc/ffmpeg2theora/AUTHORS
-rw-r--r-- root/root 1229 2009-01-24 13:46 ./usr/share/doc/ffmpeg2theora/changelog.Debian.gz
-rw-r--r-- root/root 620 2009-01-24 13:46 ./usr/share/doc/ffmpeg2theora/README
-rw-r--r-- root/root 93 2009-01-24 13:46 ./usr/share/doc/ffmpeg2theora/TODO