Think about the time it takes to watch a movie. Perhaps it may take only a couple of hours, if even, to enjoy. But making a film is not nearly as quick to create as it is to consume.
Filmmaking is highly collaborative and requires a complex machine of people working in concert. From planning to the creation, there are several distinct phases that filmmakers call The Stages of Film Production. The three overarching phases this process encompasses are Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production.
Pre-Production – Plan or Fail
Pre-Production is the critical planning and preparation period before you start filming your movie. “Pre-Pro,” as insiders call it, requires lots of time and effort. On major productions, it can take years. The goal is to create an actionable strategy requiring consideration of many variables to express your film story’s vision.
Finding your Story and Fundraising
Every film has to start with an idea before it becomes a screenplay. Some filmmakers develop an original idea, while others may license intellectual property, like a book, play, or someone else’s script. If a production uses an already existing work, they will need to secure legal rights to produce it.
Keep in mind, while filmmaking is a creative endeavor, it’s still a business. Your goal is not only to create meaningful stories that connect with the audience, but you hope it earns enough in sales to return on the investments and make a profit. Regardless of the production’s scale, there are always expenses to account for, including people, places, and resources. Fundraising is critical for any project in early development. Funding sources can vary from securing donations using online fundraising campaigns to finding investors or securing studio backing.
Planning and Preparation – The Key to Success
Once you have a story and funds, the true planning can begin! So many steps go into planning. Let’s break these down!
- Budgeting – The Producer(s) creates a spending plan to prioritize productions needs.
- Securing Cast and Crew – The production holds casting calls for talent and hiring crew positions.
- Pre-visualization – Defining the look of the film through lighting, design, and breaking the script down into Coverage.
- Locations – Determine if you will shoot on location or build sets on a sound stage.
- Production Design – Planning, construction, and acquiring all design elements you see on the screen (read about Mise-en-Scène).
- Scheduling – Decide what will be shot, when, and who needs to be there for each production day.
- Rehearsals – The director works closely with talent to help them prepare for their characters and practice stagings of the scenes.
- Post-Production Workflow – A comprehensive look at all the technical considerations from how the media will go from set to the editor.
You can learn more about what and how coverage is used by signing up and taking our Art of Filmmaking Basic’s course with EditMentor!
Production – Spend and Execute
Production, aka Principal Photography, is when filming occurs; it could last days, weeks, a year, or perhaps more on some major movies. Despite all the planning, flexibility and learning to adapt is a necessary skill for each department head. Filmmakers have a mantra that comes in the form of Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Even the best-laid plans encounter difficulties. However, with solid planning in Pre-Production, the filmmakers will have a more robust understanding of their story and backup tools to address production issues. At the end of every filming day, the heads of each film department need to check their alignment with daily production goals. These cross-checks may lead them to adjust plans for the next day.
Post Production – The Fine Tuning
Upon completion of Principal Photography, Post-Production begins! Picture and sound will come together in the editing, often called the final rewrite of the film. The magic and power of Post-Production almost always contribute to evolving the original screenplay into a better story. Like production, post-production has several phases that bring the film to its final form, also known as a deliverable.
Picture and Sound Editing
Editing is not just about piecing the footage together to tell a story. It’s a process requiring constant review, revision, and evolution before it is complete. As the edit progresses, it goes through several stages:
- Roughcut – Represents the Editor’s first interpretation of the director’s vision.
- Fine Cut – A higher level of collaboration between the Editor and Director as they restructure the story to its final presentation.
- Picture Lock – The Editor and Director will no longer change the picture edit. Other departments will polish the color and sound.
- Finishing – Final touches to graphics, visual effects, sound, and color.
- Final Cut – The film is done. It’s ready for the world to watch!
You can learn more the creative process of revising your edit with EditMentor’s workshop with Stephen Mark, ACE!
Marketing and Distribution Your Film Masterpiece
As I said earlier, films need to recoup their cost and make a profit. Marketing plays a critical role in gaining viewership and sales. The marketing team develops strategies to reach a target audience through social media engagement, advertising, movie trailers, posters, press releases, and media coverage. Often as much money goes into marketing a film as making one.
There are many avenues these days for a film to find viewership. Distribution avenues are how the public sees the film. Examples include theatrical releases, television, streaming services, and more. Technical advancements are constantly changing the landscape of distribution.
