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Basic Film Production
Matthew T. Jones
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Production Phases
There are three phases of productioncommon to most professionally producedmotion pictures. These are:
Preproduction phase
Production phase
Postproduction phase
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Preproduction Phase
In general, thepreproduction phaseencompasses allaspects ofpreparation that areperformed beforethecamera starts to roll.Some aspects of
preproductioninclude:
Screenwriting
Storyboarding
Funding
Assembling a crew
Casting
Costume Design
Location Scouting
Set Design
Properties (props)
Scheduling
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Preproduction phase
Screenplay/Script: The screenplaysupplies the general plan for theproduction of a film. There are two types:
The spec script
The shooting script
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Preproduction Phase
The Spec (Speculation) Scriptis the version ofa screenplay that writers distribute to producersin the hope that it will be optioned (i.e.
considered for production). It primarily contains: Slug-Line (brief description of the setting, e.g. INT.ROOM DAY which means the interior of a room
during the day)
Business (descriptions of characters/action) Dialog (the lines intended to be spoken by the actors)
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Preproduction Phase
The Shooting Scriptis a much moredetailed version of the spec script thatincludes numbered scenes, specific
camera angles and other technicalinformation. An example of a page from ashooting script (from the film Piecesby
Andrew Halasz shot here at WilliamPaterson) can be seen on the next slide.
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Preproduction Phase
Writing a screenplay and analyzing a filmnarrative require an awareness of similarconcepts:
Character
Conflict
Action
Story
Plot
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Preproduction Phase
Character
Agent of physical and social action
Subject to physical and social action
Subject to needs and desires
Subject to social norms, mores, and laws
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Preproduction Phase
In an instructional book on screenwriting, SydField (1979) divides character into interior andexterior aspects. Viewers of a film dont have
access to the characters interior life and so itmust be expressed in the exterior life throughactions taken in professional, personal, andprivate contexts. One pursuit of narrative
analysis is the interpretation of charactermotives based on action.
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Preproduction Phase
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Preproduction Phase
Conflict
The source of narrative conflict is the needsand desires of the character when they are
met with oppositional forces. There are threebasic types of narrative conflict:
Character versus Nature (i.e. the physical world)
Character versus Character
Character versus Self
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Preproduction Phase
Action
In a film narrative, a character is expressedthrough his/her actions in responding to a
conflict. Two overlapping types of characteraction are:
Social Action (e.g. dialog, communicativebehavior)
Physical Action (e.g. stunts, athletic behavior)
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Preproduction Phase
Story
Cooper & Dancyger (1994) define a story asany narration of events or incidents that
relates how something happened tosomeone. The someone will be considered
the main character of a story, and, if theelement of causality is added to the telling ofhow something happened to that character,the story will then be considered to have aplot (p. 3).
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Preproduction Phase
Story
The Russian formalists made a distinctionbetween fabula and syuzhet:
Fabula: The story as it occurs in its natural,chronological sequence from beginning to end.
Syuzhet: The sequence in which events arepresented in the telling of the story (the plot).
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Preproduction Phase
Story
There are a limited number of relevant storiesto be told because there are a limited number
of human emotions and experiences. Plots,however, are limitless because emotions andexperiences can elicited at in an infinitenumber of ways.
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Preproduction Phase
Story
Myths or fairy tales are an excellent startingpoint for the construction of a plot because
they tap into the reservoir of unconscious,archetypal human experiences. As Cooper &Dancyger (1994) point out:
In most cases, the archetypal form of the story
remains, while the meaning and the underlyingmyth changes in response to the pressure ofchanges in society (p. 5).
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Preproduction Phase
Plot
Syd Field (1982) describes the constructionof a screenplay according to three acts:
1. Setup
2. Confrontation
3. Resolution.
A diagram of these three acts is available onthe next slide.
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Preproduction Phase
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Preproduction Phase
Plot
Act I
According to Field (1982), the first act (or setup)
must be directed toward arriving at the first plotpoint and accomplish three tasks within the first
30 pages or so. These are
1. Set up the story.
2. Introduce the main character.3. State the dramatic premise.
4. Establish the situation.
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Preproduction Phase
Plot
Plot Point I
Field (1982) defines a plot point as an incident or
event that hooks into the action and spins itaround into another direction (p. 192). In other
words, the first plot point is an event that serves asa segue between the setup and the confrontation.
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Preproduction Phase
Plot
Act II
Just as the first acted is directed toward the goal of
arriving at the first plot point, the second act mustbe directed toward arriving at the second plotpoint. The task of the second act is to show theconfrontations that stand between the protagonist
and his/her goal in approximately 60 pages.
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Preproduction Phase
Plot
Plot Point II
Similar to the first plot point, the second one is an
event that segues between Act II and Act III.However, in this case, the event brings the eventsof the narrative back on track for the third act,leading to the climax of the film.
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Preproduction Phase
Plot
Act III
Act three completes the narrative paradigm by
bringing the protagonist from confrontation toultimate resolution. Just as Act I was directedtoward arriving at plot point 1, and Act II wasdirected toward arriving toward plot point 2, Act III
is directed toward arriving at the resolution.
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Preproduction Phase
Plot
Cooper & Dancyger (1994) suggest twobasic plot structures for the short film:
1. The Journey Structure: In which the protagonistsets out in pursuit of a goal.
2. The Ritual Occasion Structure: In whichadventure finds the main character in his or her
situation (p. 8).
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Preproduction Phase
Storyboarding: A storyboardis a series ofdrawings intended to represent how thefilm will be shot, including how each frame
will be composed and how subject andcamera motion will occur. The storyboard articulates the mise-en-scene
of the film.
Mise-en-scene: All of the elements that composethe shot.
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Preproduction Phase
Funding: Films are generally expensive toproduce. Even small independentproductions with unknown actors can cost
hundreds of thousands of dollars.Because of the level of investmentinvolved, most films rely on eitherproduction companies (Hollywood films)
or independent investors (Independentfilms).
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Preproduction Phase
Assembling a Crew: A crew is the groupof workers on a film set who areresponsible for facilitating production (as
opposed to acting). Although largeproductions may employ many crewmembers in many different departments,there are only a few basic positions which
are detailed later in the production phase.
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Preproduction Phase
Casting: Choosing actors to play roles.
Costume Design: Choosing or designingthe clothing/costumes that the actors
wear. Location Scouting: Choosing the locations
where the film will be shot.
Set Design: Constructing sets where thefilm will be shot.
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Preproduction Phase
Properties (Props): Choosing the toolsand objects used in the film.
Scheduling: Coordinating all aspectsnecessary to the production.