Film Production is created in 5 phases: development, preproduction, production, post-production, and distribution. Each
phase has a different purpose, with the overarching goal to get to
the next one, and ultimately on to distribution. Each stage varies
in length, and different roles suit different stages. Sadly, some
projects don’t make it all the way, as some fall over in
development and pre-production.
If you’re serious about working in film, you’ll slot into one or a few
of these stages in the role you pursue. Here is a useful outline of
each of them, to give you an introductory glimpse into the film
process.
1. Film Production – Development
This is where the project is in the womb stage. It is the creation,
writing, organizing, and planning stage of a project. In
development, a preliminary budget is made, the key cast is
attached, key creative is chosen, main locations scouted and
multiple script drafts may be written. It’s all the groundwork to
show what the project will be and how much it will cost to make.
It starts the moment a Producer thinks of a project or a Writer
starts penning words on a page.
Development can take months or even years to get the project
green-lit by a studio or funded independently and move into preproduction. Green-lighting a film means the studio has approved
the idea and will finance the project and move into production.
The crew involved in the development stage is quite minimal
compared to all the other stages, as it’s just a small group of
creatives and executives crafting the story and associated budget.
Once a project finds finance, it will move into the pre-production
phase with an emphasis on shooting dates and time frames for
the project to be finished.
2. Film Production – Pre-Production
Pre-production (or ‘pre’ as it’s called) is where scripts are
amended, budgets are adjusted, actors are cast, locations scouted,
the crew employed, shooting schedules amended, sets designed
and built, costumes made and fitted, and everything to do with
the shoot is planned and tested. The pre-production stage can last
many months from the initial green lighting of a project to when
cameras roll. As this date draws closer, the crew grows with many
people being employed about two to eight weeks before the
shoot starts.
There is a big push in these weeks to finalize everything that
needs to be prepped before cameras roll. Although years of
deliberation, concept molding, writing, and staring into space in a
dreamlike daze are likely to occur in development, once shoot
dates are confirmed the work becomes extremely focused on
adhering to budgets and shooting schedules.
3. Film Production- Production
The production stage is where the rubber hits the road. The
Writer, Director, Producer, and countless other creative minds
finally see their ideas captured on film, one day at a time.
Production is usually the shortest of the five phases, even though
it is paramount to the film and where most of the budget is
allotted. Production is the busiest time, with the crew swelling to
hundreds and the days becoming longer to be as efficient as
possible with all the gear and locations on hire.
The crew works extremely hard during this period, with shooting
hours each day ranging up to sixteen hours. Projects run to strict
schedules with the cast only contracted for a certain timeframe, so
the crew is crucial in squeezing out every bit of energy to see the
project completed on time.
4. Film Production – Post-Production
So you’ve thought of an idea, written a script, raised the funds,
employed a bunch of crew to get it made, spent most of your
budget, and hopefully have shot some decent footage in the
process. Now it’s time to move into post-production. This is where
the footage is edited, This is where the footage is edited, the sound is mixed, visual
effects are added, a soundtrack is composed, titles are created,
and the project is completed and prepared for distribution.
Although the shooting crew has done a lot of hard work, now the
post-production crew faces arduous hours of work ahead of them
to piece together the scenes and craft a stunning story.
Post-production begins while the shoot is still going, as the
footage is gathered as soon as the first day of shooting
commences. This helps see the project finished as soon as
possible, but can also help identify problems with the footage or
any gaps in the story while the shoot is still happening. If needed,
shots can be picked up on later days without too much
interference in the shooting schedule.
5. Distribution
Without a stringent and robust distribution strategy, the other
four stages of production are somewhat redundant, at least from a
business perspective. Distribution is the final stage in a project for
producers looking to make a return-on-investment. This can be
from cinema distribution, selling to a TV network or streaming
service, or releasing direct to DVD.
Whatever the distribution plan is, the producers will have spent
many hours planning and marketing their piece to ensure the
biggest audience and largest return. With the digital age and
rapidly converging technologies, viewers are watching content in
new and different ways, meaning that the distribution phase is
constantly evolving.
Although distribution is the final stage of the project, the channel
of distribution and marketing of the project will be planned in preproduction. If it is planned badly and fails to garner good
distribution, then all the other phases will be wasted as nobody
views the final product and covers the cost of the project.
Hopefully, a project moves through all stages smoothly and
efficiently and thus a Producer begins the cycle again on another
project employing both myself (and possibly you!) once more.