Production Processes of a Film

What are the production processes for a film?

(Notes taken from a production documentary)

Producer

The producer is more important than the director. The producer sees the film from the very beginning right through to the end.

The Producer; Finds the idea, finds the director, finds the right script, and secures the funding.

The producer’s job is to protect the director, and let them do what they want, input their ideas into the film.

One person said the producer has four different jobs; The develop it, Raise the money, make it, and then take it to market.

Script

When the right script is written, the producer then takes the script to the director. The script is seen as a blueprint for the director to apply their ideas to.

The script gets re-written maybe 12-15 times to be polished; they then take it to a experienced script developer who then also re-writes it.

The producer & director then need to decide on the cast (which is a key process, as it may contain their selling point to investors), editing/production team

Investors

The producer then has to attract investors, maybe from the BBC, Channel 4, Film Fund, Regional Film Fund all of which will usually invest from £3 million-£10 million.

They may also find deals from other countries, these are called co-production deals.

The key thing is to get more investors, because the more investors you have, the less control each one has – leaving the producer & director with more control. Another factor is that if one investor pulls out, the film doesn’t collapse.

British films tend to focus more on getting the funding rather than how they are to get the profits, whereas the Americans do this the other way around.

Budget

Finance plan of how you are going to pay for everything, for example, cameras, cast, set etc.

Some film productions breakdown the script into sections (analysis) to show the different costs.

What are the above the line/below the line costs?

Planning

The producer & director now need to draw up a plan.

What has to be filmed – where/when/visual effects, night scenes, hardest scenes, and then put these into a schedule in which they must stick to.

Cinematographer

This is “your right hand” on set, as these are the people who are going to get the right angles with the shots, it is vital these have a input into the process.

Audience

Target audience – Who?

Where is it going to be shown?

Audience relations – are there any topics for them to relate to?

Is the target audience enough to breakeven?

Is it a Marquee audience, Old Young, Male Female.

Marketing

This is the largest part of the production – this can normally cost up to double the budget. This is to advertise the film – posters & adverts etc.

Is the genre marketable?

Does it contain actors & stars which will help the film ‘sell’?

DVD’s / Sky movies etc.

When is it to be released, what time of year? Around Christmas, Halloween etc.