What is production?

Production is the process of creating

a media product.

Pre-production: Planning, scripting & storyboarding,

etc.

Production: The actual shooting/recording.

Post-production: Everything between production and

creating the final master copy.

These production stages are what is required to complete

a media product; such as a film. These stages start from

an idea and form into a final master copy.

There are three main stages when it comes to

production, these are…

Every script has to start with a good idea and

question you would like to be answered.

Before your script reaches post production stages

it will have gone through around 12/13 drafts.

Every producer and director wants something to

tantalize them, invite them in.

They are looking for something that will inspire not

just them but the audience they are appealing to.

In every script has to have a beginning, middle and

end, without this your script will go no where.

How else can you tell you have been given a good

script? That is a combination of instinct and

knowledge of the market.

Once you have finished your pre production script,

it is ready to move onto post production.

Pre Production Scripts

Transcripts and post production scripts

are a necessary part of the post

production process. They can either be

done in house with your own

production team, or you can outsource

them to a specialist service.

A post production script is your film on

paper, shot by shot, word by word.

Most film or TV makers want a post

production script (PPS). This is used

for: dubbing your film from its original

language into a foreign one; to

reversion a film (changing major parts)

and Subtitling.

Post production scripts can vary

in detailed but will have to

include:

Vision - Full shot log describing

the pictures, titles & on screen

captions

Audio - Transcribed version of

all commentary and sync

whether in or out of sight

Music - All music cues named by

title

Time code - All of the above will

be identified by time code

Post Production Scripts

Full post production scripts are complicated and time

consuming, so booking a fast typist is not necessarily the

best way forward. Whoever produces the PPS needs to

know what they are doing because they will have to go

through the program a number of times to include all the

required detail. For example, a 60 minute program will take

approximately:

Total:10 hours

Commentary & sync in & out

of vision

3 Hours

Audio and Music 3 Hours

Pictures 3 Hours

Checking, spell checking and

formatting

1 Hour

These timings are just a guide as many

things can stall the process. For

example, a program may have a lot of

incidental music, and / or contributors

that have strong accents and are

difficult to understand. Factors like

these can double the time it should

take to create the post production

script. However, you will know these

things about your program before you

send it off to be turned into a PPS, so

allow sufficient time and money to

finish it, particularly if the contractual

delivery deadline is looming.

Here are a few ways to help speed up the process of producing a post production script

(PPS): Use a specialist post production script service. Outsourcing your post production script can save your production time

and money.

Email your final "as recorded" commentary script to the transcription service you are using. They can cut & paste this into

their document rather than having to audio type from the finished program. But they will need to check it through to

ensure you've missed nothing.

Email the producer's roughly transcribed sync script to the transcription service. It may not be perfect,

but it will give them a head start. (Nowadays, most producers have to submit a rough sync

script with rough cuts and fine cuts as well as VO lines to help execs find their

way through the program when viewing).

Post Production Scripts

Audience

Even at the very early stages of development, the production investors are already thinking about

what might happen when the film is in the cinema. It is critical that when you are developing the film

you are specific on the audience type that you are aiming at. The most important thing is to connect

the idea of the project to the audience, if you get this right everything in-between becomes a lot

easier, however if you get it wrong, it will never work. As a producer you are the one person in the

team who’s prime consideration is ‘who are we making the for?’ and are they going to spend their

money on watching this, and if so will they do this in sufficient enough numbers to justify the cost of

making the film.

In addition to all of this you also need to make something that the audience will understand, because

if its to wacky and out there people aren't going to get or understand the storyline. However you need

to be fresh without being completely way out.

If no one is going to watch/read/play/buy the text, the producers aren't going to make any money or

get their message across.

Audience research is a major part of any media company's work. They use questionnaires, focus

groups, and comparisons to existing media texts, and spend a great deal of time and money finding

out if there is anyone out there who might be interested in their idea.

Role of the producerThe producer is the person that oversees the whole production of a film and plans

and organises it all. They are either employed by a production company or

independent, and they help the creative people as well as the accounting personnel.

there is generally one main producer who can sometimes hire

executive/associate/co producers etc. to do particular jobs.

Some of the producers roles include:

Preproduction:

•Find material from a book or script.

•Get the script into good enough shape to attract a director (and studio).

•Secure financing for the film, if it is not being made for a studio.

•Choose the director and other parts of the creative team.

•Cast the actors, working with the director.

•Determine locations and budget.

•Decide on cinematographer and special effects.

•Hire a production team including crew and producers.

•Develop a shooting schedule.

•Create a detailed plan of action for production.

Production:

•Offer creative suggestions to the director.

•Handle problems with actors or creative staff.

•Monitor production timetable and budget.

•Review video dailies, the film shot each day.

Postproduction:

•Discuss order and selection of scenes with the director.

•Review the fine cut of the film after it is edited.

•In some cases, polish, revise and restructure the film to create the final cut.

•Work with a distributor to secure distribution for the film.

This may include showing the distributors the final cut of the film.

•Review the distributor's advertising campaign for the film.

Investment

Attracting investment:

• UK producers can go to television companies for funding like Channel 4, BBC Film.

• If they are working in a particular region, they can go to the Regional Film Fund.

• It is more common to get a group of potential financiers, usually between 3 to 10.

• Particular financers like particular subject matter/ director etc. so producers go to them because they’re more likely to invest.

Foreign investment:

• Most producers look to America for co production deals if they cant get enough funding in UK, where an American producer can work together with the British one and find finance.

• It’s easier to find one funder but if they fund 100% then they control the movie, but if it’s multi partner where lots of people have funded, no one owns 100% of the movie so the producer and director control it.

Marketing

Depending on what genre of film it is there could a certain time of year it should be released when it will make more money, e.g. horror films released around Halloween.

They must think about if they have marketable stars or director.

The British Film industry usually gets the finance and shoots the film and then think about selling it later on, but Americans think about release date and how they’re going to sell it and market it first and then get on with making the movie and that is why they are usually more successful.

Budget

Budget is how much the film will cost and it must be paid for by film finance plan.

The budget must include costs for the actors, cameras, film stock, editing, script, locations.

The level of budget must be appropriate to how much you think the film will make.

Producer divides the costs into 2 parts, one called above the line, the other called below the line.

Above The Line Costs

Above the line costs is the creative side to making the film, so things like:

the scripts; paying for the rights to a novel; the producer, director and their

teams; money is also paid out for research as well. The above the line costs

also pay for the principle cast which is usually the two main characters in the

film, however it can also be several more highly paid actors.

Overall the above the line costs are the costs of creating the story.

Below the line costs cover the people who are actually going to make

the film and not the people who are controlling the sales of the film.

These people start at the beginning of pre production, they put together

the shoot, they schedule things and set up each day, they do the

designing and even the photography.

Below The Line Costs

Costs