Pre-production
Pre-production
Notes from the crash course video...
- casting - family, friends, audition tapes, extras and locations, etc.
- gathering your crew - cinematographer, hair and makeup teams, assistant director, etc.
- locations - where, when, permits? is it safe?
- schedule - when does everyone have to arrive/wrap up for the day?
- establish the look of the film - colour schemes, lighting, special effects?
- building sets - do you have to build certain sets e.g. alien planet.
- who do you need to hire to help the cast? - dialect coach, stunt coordinator, etc.
- screenplay - scripts, breakdown of the script, table readings, finding everyone and everything involved and make sure they're accounted for.
- filming schedule - which days are you filming each scene, transport times, lunch breaks, etc.
- food, drinks, maps, etc - make sure every member of the cast and crew have everything they need for their time during production.
- contact sheets - contacts of all members of cast and crew are on this for everyone to use if needed.
Description of pre-production...
Pre-production is the sequence of plans and events that occur before you start to film and develop your film. It involves many different stages like casting, securing your locations and doing a screenplay. One of the initial stages o pre-production is casting and finding your crew. Casting can happen in a variety of different ways. This can involve planning auditions, looking through everyone's audition tapes, and finally sitting down and picking who your cast is going to be or simply asking friends and family to be actors. Gathering your cast is quite different. Your crew will consist of people from your hair and makeup teams all the way to your camera crew and editors. The next thing is finding and securing the locations for your film. Some films can have well over 100 sets so make sure you can get permits for all of them. Most likely, the director will go over the locations to see if they're 100% safe to film in. Schedules are also very important to the pre-production process to make sure everything runs smoothly. Schedules make sure that the cast and crew know exactly when they start filming right up to when they wrap up for the day. Another key part of pre-production is establishing the initial look of the film. This includes things like colour schemes and figuring out if and when special effects will be used . next, there's a high possibility that, too make a film, you will have to build at least a few sets. This often occurs when a film requires scenes to be filmed in places that can't be accessed or involve fantasy and fiction. A good example of this could be when producers want to film a scene in an alien montage on a made up planet. This is where sets come into play. They can make sets to look like basically anything you need to fit the film. Another thing to consider when preparing for your film is help for the cast. This means there's a chance that you might have to hire people such as dialect coaches or stunt coordinators to help the actors prepare for the film. Screenplays are essential to this process. Things like the breakdown of the script and table readings are done in order to finalise everything, knowing that it's ready for the film. Looking after the members is extremely significant. This means making sure everyone has food, water, maps, etc and access to medical centres. It's always key to have a call list during production as a whole. Getting you shot list is also necessary. During this, you'll also need to work out the logistics. Planning a filming schedule is needed for any form of visual media product. If a certain location appears multiple times during a film, it would be logical to shoot all the scenes in that location in the same space of time.
Notes:
Casting
Last draft of the script
Location checking
budget
Hiring crew members
Equipment set up
Prep for each location
How to make a movie - pre-production:
Crew up -
Find people who believe in your vision and can potentially help to develop it
Need a fellow producer to share the work out
This is the first part of crewing
Storyboard your vision -
This is how you bring the screenplay to life
Gives the creator the ability to share their initial vision as a visual to the crew and cast
People like the set designers and cinematographers are all informed by the storyboards
Get your shot list down -
Figure out the logistics
Outline what is needed to fulfil the camera image and movement for each cut
The shot list is a form of pre-editing
This helps the department heads determine what people and equipment is needed
They will also help with things like shooting schedules and budgets
The shot list should always be on the set help organise production
Breakdown your script -
Script breakdown is essential
This includes accounting for every: prop, wardrobe, camera, sound equipment, etc
Shared brainstorming will cover items you forgot and bring up opportunities you didn’t think of
Plan a shooting schedule -
If one location appears multiple times during the film, its usually easier to film those scenes in one block of time
This is called stacking production
This makes everything logistical easier, shoots cheaper, and reduces wear on the production
You can’t skip this part of pre-production
Budget -
There are always aspects of this that you can estimate like equipment and transport
You need to know what you can realistically afford
Working out your budget also lets you figure out if anything needs to be cut because of expenses
Fundraising might need to happen if there’s not enough for certain essentials
This could delay production
Weave the production design -
Production design is a far more fleshed out look of the film
Decide the visual themes of the film
This helps out the set builders, wardrobe and makeup
This is also a good time for the camera crews and cinematographers to chose what colour temperatures to saturate over the piece
Notes:
Casting
Last draft of the script
Location checking
budget
Hiring crew members
Equipment set up
Prep for each location
How to make a movie - pre-production:
Crew up -
Find people who believe in your vision and can potentially help to develop it
Need a fellow producer to share the work out
This is the first part of crewing
Storyboard your vision -
This is how you bring the screenplay to life
Gives the creator the ability to share their initial vision as a visual to the crew and cast
People like the set designers and cinematographers are all informed by the storyboards
Get your shot list down -
Figure out the logistics
Outline what is needed to fulfil the camera image and movement for each cut
The shot list is a form of pre-editing
This helps the department heads determine what people and equipment is needed
They will also help with things like shooting schedules and budgets
The shot list should always be on the set help organise production
Breakdown your script -
Script breakdown is essential
This includes accounting for every: prop, wardrobe, camera, sound equipment, etc
Shared brainstorming will cover items you forgot and bring up opportunities you didn’t think of
Plan a shooting schedule -
If one location appears multiple times during the film, its usually easier to film those scenes in one block of time
This is called stacking production
This makes everything logistical easier, shoots cheaper, and reduces wear on the production
You can’t skip this part of pre-production
Budget -
There are always aspects of this that you can estimate like equipment and transport
You need to know what you can realistically afford
Working out your budget also lets you figure out if anything needs to be cut because of expenses
Fundraising might need to happen if there’s not enough for certain essentials
This could delay production
Weave the production design -
Production design is a far more fleshed out look of the film
Decide the visual themes of the film
This helps out the set builders, wardrobe and makeup
This is also a good time for the camera crews and cinematographers to chose what colour temperatures to saturate over the piece
Crew up (part 2) -
Make sure you have all the crew members needed for the script breakdown
This could include people like electricians, drivers, camera operators and more
Backup crews are also needed incase one member can’t make it for whatever reason
Casting and table reads -
Without actors, all you have is a script
Put out a casting call, schedule auditions and get as many people as possible to read for you
Seek actors everywhere like schools, ads, the web or even through colleagues
Switch actors up for different roles to see what the fit most
Gather an audience of friends and peers to evaluate the work
Start to schedule rehearsals and table reading to hear and see the work come to life
Scout, select, and secure locations -
Negotiate with the owners and try to get a good rate or trade favour
Reach out to family and friends who own stores and open lands that you might want to film on
See what fits into your budget
Paper chase: insurance, permits, contracts and more -
This can include a lot of legal concerns and expense run-ups
Insurance protects the damage to the equipment and location and covers claims of physical injury to the crew and cast
Being uninsured can end very badly should something go wrong
Virtually all rental houses will NOT let you use their equipment without insurance
Permits are needed for just about any public space t ensure that you can shoot there
In most cases this means securing official permits from local councils
Deal memos are essentially short contracts
This is an easy way to keep terms of service and payments straight
Waivers are needed because you need people’s permission to use their image in any public showing
Getting a quick waiver signed can prevent a lot of trouble that could occur down the line
Procure and secure equipment -
Professional equipment is expensive
Start comparing rental houses for prices
Crew can potentially bing their own equipment
Buy used stuff cheap and recoup costs renting it out later for yourself
Wrangle wardrobe and props -
Wardrobe converts a lot about a character
Each character has multiple different outfits
This means that each and every one of them has to be accounted for and looked after at all times
Props can include things like cars, frisbees, food, weapons, hats and more
Make list so you can check that you haven’t forgotten anything for a certain scene
Make this as organised and accessible as possible
Get creative!
Pre - production checklist -
Lock your script
Have your writer sign an “assignment of rights” with the production coordinator
Writer your budget
Your executive producer will tell you have to shoot with
Do a script breakdown
Find your crew
Executive producer must approve all members of the crew
Scout locations
Cast the show
Start cast rehearsals
Print out paperwork
Lock locations
Always have a backup location incase the original falls through
Complete the film permits
Meet with the production coordinator
Order film or tape stock
All orders must be placed in writing to the production coordinator
Order the sound tape
Schedule the equipment
Place orders for equipment
All department heads must meet with the director
Safety meeting
Have a tech scout
Final production meeting with the crew
14 elements of pre-production for filmmaking and video production -
Production books are full of everything created in pre-production
Think about all the key questions like: what is the objective? And what’s the purpose?
Budget
Legalities
Call sheet
Contact sheet
Continuity log sheet
Scriptwriting
Casting
Shot sheet
Storyboard
Location scouting
Equipment list
How to produce a movie: the pre-production process explained -
Form your company
Create a preliminary budget and production schedule
Hire key production heads
Creative planning begins
Budget and shooting schedule
Secure the things you need
Hire crew and audition talent
Rehearsals and final prep
Wrapping up
Make sure you have all the crew members needed for the script breakdown
This could include people like electricians, drivers, camera operators and more
Backup crews are also needed incase one member can’t make it for whatever reason
Casting and table reads -
Without actors, all you have is a script
Put out a casting call, schedule auditions and get as many people as possible to read for you
Seek actors everywhere like schools, ads, the web or even through colleagues
Switch actors up for different roles to see what the fit most
Gather an audience of friends and peers to evaluate the work
Start to schedule rehearsals and table reading to hear and see the work come to life
Scout, select, and secure locations -
Negotiate with the owners and try to get a good rate or trade favour
Reach out to family and friends who own stores and open lands that you might want to film on
See what fits into your budget
Paper chase: insurance, permits, contracts and more -
This can include a lot of legal concerns and expense run-ups
Insurance protects the damage to the equipment and location and covers claims of physical injury to the crew and cast
Being uninsured can end very badly should something go wrong
Virtually all rental houses will NOT let you use their equipment without insurance
Permits are needed for just about any public space t ensure that you can shoot there
In most cases this means securing official permits from local councils
Deal memos are essentially short contracts
This is an easy way to keep terms of service and payments straight
Waivers are needed because you need people’s permission to use their image in any public showing
Getting a quick waiver signed can prevent a lot of trouble that could occur down the line
Procure and secure equipment -
Professional equipment is expensive
Start comparing rental houses for prices
Crew can potentially bing their own equipment
Buy used stuff cheap and recoup costs renting it out later for yourself
Wrangle wardrobe and props -
Wardrobe converts a lot about a character
Each character has multiple different outfits
This means that each and every one of them has to be accounted for and looked after at all times
Props can include things like cars, frisbees, food, weapons, hats and more
Make list so you can check that you haven’t forgotten anything for a certain scene
Make this as organised and accessible as possible
Get creative!
Pre - production checklist -
Lock your script
Have your writer sign an “assignment of rights” with the production coordinator
Writer your budget
Your executive producer will tell you have to shoot with
Do a script breakdown
Find your crew
Executive producer must approve all members of the crew
Scout locations
Cast the show
Start cast rehearsals
Print out paperwork
Lock locations
Always have a backup location incase the original falls through
Complete the film permits
Meet with the production coordinator
Order film or tape stock
All orders must be placed in writing to the production coordinator
Order the sound tape
Schedule the equipment
Place orders for equipment
All department heads must meet with the director
Safety meeting
Have a tech scout
Final production meeting with the crew
14 elements of pre-production for filmmaking and video production -
Production books are full of everything created in pre-production
Think about all the key questions like: what is the objective? And what’s the purpose?
Budget
Legalities
Call sheet
Contact sheet
Continuity log sheet
Scriptwriting
Casting
Shot sheet
Storyboard
Location scouting
Equipment list
How to produce a movie: the pre-production process explained -
Form your company
Create a preliminary budget and production schedule
Hire key production heads
Creative planning begins
Budget and shooting schedule
Secure the things you need
Hire crew and audition talent
Rehearsals and final prep
Wrapping up
Comments
Post a Comment