THE STAGES OF PRODUCING A FILM
Pre-production:
The producer
chooses the story of the film, which can be an original idea or inspired by a
book, a play, a true story etc.
The story is
adapted to a screenplay, which needs to be approved by the studio or the
investors that are usually looking to make the film appealing to audiences and
financially successful. A film distributor can assess the likely success of the
film by considering the success of similar previous films, target audiences,
genre etc.
After a
successful pitch from the producers to a film studio or an independent
investor, the film is given a ‘green light’, which means it has now obtained
financing and is ready to go into production.
In
pre-production, the film is planned out carefully, considering locations,
casting, props, special effects and wardrobe, and a detailed schedule is made
in order to make sure that everyone who is working on the film is available
when they are needed.\
Production:
The
production stage of making a film is the actual recording of footage,
everything being carried out as planned in pre-production. Scenes may be
recorded more than once, depending on the director’s assessment, in order to
make sure that the filming is done correctly and all necessary shots are taken,
as it might be impossible to re-shoot a scene at a later time.
Post-production:
Post-production
is the stage during which the film is put together by the editor, starting with
a ‘rough cut’ of the film, which is arranging the individual shots in
chronological order. The next step is
editing the rough cut into a fine cut, by making all the shots come together
smoothly. The best take is chosen for every scene, and in case any mistakes are
noticed or there are any changes in the script, the scene can be shot again in
post-production if the locations and any other details of the scene are
available. The footage is edited and music, sound effects, graphics and titles
and any other special effects are added in post-production, which can make the
process very long, often taking longer than the actual production phase of a
film.
The film
needs to be screened and approved by the director and producer after being
edited, and after it is finished it can go on to being distributed to
audiences.
DISTRIBUTION
Films are made available to audiences by
film distributors, and this can be done using different routes.
A theatrical release means a film is
screened to representatives of the theaters who can buy the film and make it
available in their theatres. After being released in theatres, the film becomes
available on DVD and later on paid television or online services. After about
two years, a film can be seen on regular TV channels.
Some films are released in theatres and
on DVD at the same time, and others do not have a theatrical release at all,
only being available on DVD from the beginning.
There are also films that are made especially for television channels,
without the customer having to pay extra money to see them.
MARKETING
Promotion is a very important stage in
the release of a film, as it increases the audience’s awareness of the film and
can make a very big difference in its financial success. Studios often spend more money on marketing
than on production itself in order to maximize revenue after the film is
released.
Marketing can be done in many different
ways and in many different places. Promotion for a film can be found in
anywhere, like in film theatres (trailers, posters), on the internet, in
printed media, TV and radio or merchandising. Film stars can also take
promotional tours, especially if the film features well-known actors who can attract
wide audiences. The target audience of a film is very important in deciding how
it will be promoted.
EXHIBITION
Audiences come in contact with films
very often in everyday life. We can watch a film in the theatre, but we can
also find it on internet services like Netflix or Lovefilm, we can buy it on
DVD or pay for it on our TV. Films also become available on regular television
a few years after they are released.
