FM2: Production Any film that is shown in the cinemas has gone through 3 main stages of production: Production, Distribution and Exhibition. We will be studying each one individually, but it is important to remember that inter-related and co-dependant. They cannot function without one another. The first stage Production, the actual making of the film.

Stages of Production

Aspects of Production There are main phases in the actual making of a film: Pre-Production Production Post-production

1. Pre-Production The pre-production of a film is everything that takes place before shooting begins. This involves script development, logistical planning and most importantly, raising investment. Every film starts with a good idea but the path from the concept to the final product is long and arduous and must be deemed have profit potential by investors.

Pre-Pre-Production

The Idea Every film starts with an idea. The idea itself can come from a Producer, Writer or Director in the form of an original idea, book, comic book or play. In recent times older films and TV shows have provided the potential for remakes. At this point a Producer will take on the production and clear the rights to the idea. He will then set about assembling a package in order to raise investment.

The Producer. Throughout the life of a film, the most important person is the Producer. He is responsible for raising the money and organising budgeting, cast, locations and schedules in Pre-Production. He then oversees the shoot, ensuring in runs on-time and doesn’t go over-budget. Finally, he will ensure that post-production goes smoothly, including editing, sfx and other aspects. He is the point of contact between the director and the money men. Producers deal with ideas. They have an instinct fro the kind of film that might be successful either financially or critically, and are prepared to take large financial risks in developing them for the screen. Established and successful producers can be very powerful, being able to make or break a deal by securing big stars and huge budgets. The importance of the producer is acknowledged at the Oscars, where the best film award is always officially given to the producer.

The Package. Once a producer is committed to an idea, the best way to secure financing and investment is to put together a Package to present to both the Studios or other sources. The presentation of The Package to potential investors is known as the The Pitch.

The Package A Package to raise investment will include: An outline of the idea. A treatment- a detailed storyline ranging from 5 to 25 pages including suggestions of possible stars and locations. The genre of the film. A proposed budget Storyboards of some key scenes. Details of Directors or Stars already secured. Track records of Director of Photography and Composer, if secured. Possible merchandising opportunities and fast-food establishment tie-ins. Details of any other possible return from investment.

Deal-makers. A producer must make his/her project stand out form others so sometimes need to have one or two elements that make the project bankable. In other words a project virtually guarantee a return of investment with a high likelihood for profit. In most cases this is the attachment of a major star, but can also be an important director or a film of a genre that’s currently popular. If you were mega-wealthy, what kind of films would you finance?

The Pitch. There are variations to The Pitch stage of the process. Some producers work in-house for studios, in which case the totality of the budget will already be available if the deal is approved. Independent producers must attract investment from a range of sources such as wealthy individuals, banks and similar organisations, the government. Television companies, Tv rights, foreign sales and distribution pre-sales as well as the studios if interested. Some very experienced and well-known producers will not prepare a package, but approach the executive producer of a Studio directly, and pitch the film vocally: “its Starship Troopers meets Pretty Woman” etc..

The Deal Once finance has been secured, the Deal will be made. The conditions of such deals can often be enormously complicated. To make a Deal, a Produce will need to gather a number of investors into one place at one time. This can prove difficult. This is why film Festivals such as Cannes are the sources of much deal-making.

Profit Potential Here comes that Kettle again! Profit potential actually affects both the kinds of films that get made and the films themselves. For utmost bankability, the producer and investors must have a very good idea of who their target audience is and what possible appeals the film may have. This often means they will invest in “safe” genre films that feature big stars and uncomplicated storylines with universal themes. The “blockbuster” often offers the most potential profit financially but the least value culturally. There are, of course, exceptions.

Pre-Production: Development

Development After the Deal is made a film will go into Development. This can take anywhere between 6 months and 2 years. Many projects fail at this stage. This process will take in the office of a Production Company, often set up exclusively for one film. During this time, the project is developed to its utmost creatively with all expenses estimated as far as possible before the actual shoot.

The Screenplay The producer and the director work together to bring the script to life. The producer will focus on the financial aspects and the director the creative. The screenplay, once finalised, will determine all location and cast decisions as well as determine potential unexpected costs. It will also determine what kind of technical staff to employ as well as lighting, camera work, costume and set design requirements. The screenplay will be storyboarded extensively. These will then be used during the shoot.

Budgeting. An estimated budget will have been included in the Package, but the actual costs of the film will be determined during development. The budget will be divided in to Above-the-Line costs and Below-the-Line costs. This is because a film shoot is notoriously difficult to predict so that is often impossible to know how much some things will cost. Any costs that aren’t fixed beforehand are Above-the-Line, and the ones that are Below-the-Line are the ones that are fixed.

Above-the-Line examples. Fees for the producer, director and stars/actors, and technician costs known before the shooting begins.

Below-the-Line examples. Film stock Equipment hire Hotel costs Food Scenery Costumes Properties Location-hire Any costs that are susceptible to change

Scheduling A “shooting schedule” is the timetable for the shooting of a film. A film is rarely shot in the order that we see it. Restrictions on when people and locations are available mean that shooting has to be carried out around particular factors. The script will be broken down into scenes, and all scenes set in one location will be filmed at the same time regardless of their position within the narrative. In other words the beginning and the end of the film can be shot on the same day if they are in the same location. A “continuity person” or “script supervisor” is in charge of making sure everything looks chronological despite being filmed “out of sequence”.

2.Production. The production of film is a tremendously time-consuming, costly and often tedious affair. On a good day, 3-5 minutes of useable film is got over the course of 10 hour shift on average. Consequently, an average Hollywood shoot takes anywhere from 6 to 18 weeks, but 8 on average.

Key Personnel The most important person on the set is the Director. He supervises the shoot and makes sure that he gets the best form his cast. It is important to realise that on a mainstream film, most creative decisions will have already been made. The DP ( Director of Photography) is in charge of the Cinematography of the film including all Lighting decisions. Each scene is shot around the shooting schedule, which is broken up according to the set location. Every time a location is change, the DP has relight and establish camera angles as well as set marks for the actors. This usually takes between 1 and 3 hours each time. This change time will usually be used to get the next set ready and for the Directors to prep the actors. A blockbuster Hollywood set could have more than 100 people working on it at any one time.

3.Post-production. Once all the filming has been completed, the film goes into post-production. This is the process of getting the film ready for distribution end exhibition. The principal task is the Editing, but it also involves the creation of any special effects, sound editing, sound effects, the musical score and dubbing

Post-Production

Editing. The editing process takes place with only the editor, director and producer present. Editing involves the selecting and shaping of shots, scenes and sequences and special effects, the mixing of all soundtracks and matching of images to soundtrack. The editor will use the shooting script as the basis for a rough cut initially. The rough cut will usually begin to be assembled during the production using the rushes from the day’s shooting. Non-linear editing and computers have revolutionised the process of editing both in terms of speeding the process up and allowing more creative experimentation without having to commit to actual, physical cuts. The rough cut will then evolve onto a final cut that is presented to the producers and the studio who have the power to either approve or reject it. Very few directors have what is called “Final Cut”.

Sfx This is the stage at which all CGI aspects will be added to the shots themselves. Scenes that involve CGI heavily will often have been filmed in front of a green/blue screen. The recent Star Wars films were filmed almost entirely in front of a green screen with all backgrounds and props being added digitally.

Score. The composer of the film will at this point take an approximate final cut of the film, screen in front of large orchestra and compose the music to match the scenes as closely as possible. He will already have developed themes, or movements that either connote emotions like sadness or excitement or clearly identify the film ( the Bond Theme).

Completion. Finally, the film is finished. It is now up to the Distributors to both Market the film and send the Prints to cinemas. The average turnaround of a film from original concept to final print is 2.5 years. What a waste of time!