Understanding films
The idea
When an idea is formed, it then requires a producer to take the idea and see if it is worth making into a film. The producer involves a director and a writer to develop the idea and make it into a treatment, which can be pitched to financiers.
Development finance
The producer pitches the idea to film production companies in hope that they will be interested in developing the film further. Private investors and public funding can also be applied for to aid the production.
Script development
The writer and the producer work together to produce a synopsis, which should include key scenes and events, then they create a first draft. After the script has been approved by the financiers, the writer gets paid.
Packaging
The producer and director package the script so that it can be financed and commercialized. Well known stars are attached to the script to interest more people in watching it. Potential investors need to know how much the film will cost to make, how the money will be raised, and how the production team plans on paying them back; finding this out is the producers.
Financing:
The producer meets with the financiers and a contract is made by the producer's lawyer. Once the deal has been sealed, the producer can get other loans from banks that deal with commercial projects and money can also be raised via pre-sales before the film has been made. Production starts when funding has been secured and the film is given the 'green light'.
Pre-Production
The casting director and producer being to identify and cast the actors right for the parts and circulate the script. Production designers will use storyboards so that they can see every aspect and shot included in the film. It may take months to plan, design, and build special effects, so they will need to be planned in more detail.
The shoot
When the lighting, hair, and make up have all been checked, the camera department can begin shooting the film. The camera crew must collect all of the needed footage to tell the story, and the actors have to inject emotion into the film so that viewers will be able to connect with it more, making it more appealing.
Post production
Editors create a narrative sequence for the film by arranging the scenes when the film footage comes in. Then the sound department edits every sound and adds background tracks. The footage is then edited in a composing suit where titles, credits, and digital effects are added, then the colour and aesthetics of the film are adjusted until the look right for the film. The dubbing theatre then change the final sound levels and the final cut is complete.
Sales
The producer tries to attract as much attention from buyers to the film as possible by showing the films most marketable aspects in a trailer. If the film has a high-profile screening at a film festival, it can receive great publicity, which may result in the producer securing deals with distributors around the world.
Marketing
The marketing team use screen tests to find out how the film is received. Next TV spots, cinema trailers, and posters are released for the potential audience to see. The distributors find cinemas to screen the film and make deals with them.
Exhibition
The film is launched at a premier where it will receive a lot of media coverage. This is a way of getting the public to take interest in the film and want to see it. Prints for the film are supplied to every screen that is showing the film by the distributors. The distributors are then paid and the financiers can recover their investments.
