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.