Film Production

The 3 stages if film production;

1. This stage is pre- production, pre- production is everything that is done before the movie is created, for example:

• The planning of the movie
• The scripting of the movie 
• And the storyboarding for how it will be filmed.

For a small video company, pre-production may refer to everything that happens before shooting begins, for example, meeting with the client, research, storyboarding, location planning, etc.

For feature films, pre-production is more specific and only begins when other milestones have been met such as financing, screenplay, casting and major staffing. In this case pre-production includes:

• Location scouting

• Prop and wardrobe identification and preparation

• Special effects identification and preparation

• Production schedule

• Set construction

• Script-locking (semi-finalisation of the script)

• Script read-through with cast, director and other interested parties

 2. The next stage is the production stage this stage is the actual recording and filming;

In film and video, production refers to the part of the process in which footage is recorded. This is what most people imagine when they think of a film being made — actors on sets, cameras rolling, etc. The production phase is also known as principal photography.

In large feature films the beginning of the production phase marks the "point of no return", i.e. the point at which it is no longer financially viable to cancel the project. At this point it is almost always cheaper to continue until the project is finished than to deal with the financial fall-out of canceling.

The goal of principal photography is obviously to record all required shots, however it is fairly common to shoot "pick-up" shots in post production. Pick-up shots may be required when a mistake is noticed, a script change is made (this is unusual), or even if a performance is deemed to be unsatisfactory.

3. This stage is called post production this is everything between production and creating the final piece;

Post-production is the third and final major phase of the Production process It is often referred to simply as post.

There are many things which can happen in post-production. Common tasks include:

• Editing video footage
• Editing the soundtrack, adding sound effects, music, etc.
• Adding titles and graphics
• Colour and exposure correction
• Adding special effects
• Re-shooting certain scenes if required ("pick-up" shots)

In some cases post-production is relatively straightforward, consisting of choosing and arranging footage in the correct sequence. In most cases however, post-production is a time-consuming job taking longer than the actual production phase.

The most important people when making a film are;

Director This role varies tremendously from project-to-project, but, in general terms, a Director has creative control over the project from when he/she comes on board until the project is completed.

Producer This is a hard role to define because there are so many different aspects to being a producer and each Producer is different (especially when it comes to making a short film). But, put simply, a Producer is where the buck stops on money, organisation, the team and rights.

There are no hard-and-fast rules about how many crew members you need, but there are some heads of department that will make your life a lot easier:

Line Producer - ensures that the film comes in on time and on budget

Director of Photography (DOP) - in technical charge of how the film is lit and shot

Production Designer/Art Director - in charge of the production design helps create the style of the set. On low budget films these two roles are often merged.

Gaffer - chief lighting technician

1st Assistant Director (1st AD) – runs the set according to the needs of the director

Editor – cuts the film together

Production Manager – organises everything and everyone on set

Sound Recordist – in charge of everything to do with recording sound

Depending on the scale of your production, you may also need:

Focus Puller – in charge of focussing the camera

Clapper Loader – loads the camera, takes care of the stock and records each take

Location Manager – finds and secures locations

Grip – looks after all the equipment for supporting and moving the camera while shooting (tracking, cranes etc.)

Continuity/Script Supervisor – makes sure everything seen on camera is consistent from shot-to-shot

2nd Assistant Director (2nd AD) – helps the 1st AD, particularly co-ordinating actors to and from set

3rd Assistant Director (3rd AD) – is the 1st AD's right-hand person. He/she is always on set and often co-ordinates the runners

Boom Operator – holds the boom, ensuring that the microphone is as near as possible to the actors without being in shot

Sparks - lighting technicians

Costume Designer – designs, purchases, and manages costumes

Hair/Makeup Designer – designs, and usually executes, hair and makeup

Production Co-ordinator – works under the production manager to co-ordinate the smooth running of the set

Storyboard Artist – works with the director to create a shot by shot storyboard of the action to be filmed

Stills Photographer – takes still images of actors and crew for publicity reasons

Assistants and Runners – needed in every department - the more hands the better

All resources and technologies the fpm makers need;