Film industry research

By Nitisha

The Idea
Source of inspiration- used in newspapers (has real life events), books, plays, films etc. The producer- A person who makes the idea into reality. They bring in the great ideas. They know what would attract the audience and what would not. The director- Can visualise a script and make it reality. The director works with the producer. The writer- Defines and clarifies the idea, plot and the main characters. Treatment- One page description of main story and characters of the film. It includes the key key events that happen in the film. Pitch- Contains all the information the producer needs.

Script Development
Synopsis- The writer produces a synopsis and the writer and the producer would look at the key scenes and events and agree with it or not. In a synopsis, the writing is written in present tense and will describe what the audience will see on screen. Common understanding- This is where the writer and the producer needs to know what they are working on, genre and target audience wise. Step outline- Short written descriptions of all the scenes that will eventually make up the script. Each scenes will include important plot events and significant development to the main characters. Drafts- First draft or final draft, dont just contain dialogue, but also action and events. Screenwriting in more than what the characters just say: its meant to show events actually happening and not just replying on what the characters would say. Final draft- This is where the producer, director and writer has approved to the whole script and the next part in the process can start off using the final draft. Although, there may be need of re-writing some parts during packaging and pre-production. Sales treatment- This is where the producer will write a sales treatment based on the final draft. This is designed to sell the film.

Pre-Production
Kick off meeting- Casting director who has to shortlist actors for the roles requires. Editor will have the responsibility of choosing the people that will be required when the film moves into post production. Head of sound has the responsibility of hiring his team of sound recordists and Boom Operators. Director of photography has to work with the production designer and director to make sure everyone is clear about the style. Has to know where the camera should go and the shots and lighting. Production designer needs to hire a big team to make sure all the sets are designed. 1st AD is responsible for keeping the filming on schedule. Line producer is responsible for managing every person.

Casting- Finds suitable people to act for certain parts in the film. They look through past experience and show-reels, headshots and CVs. Storyboarding- This is where every shot is planned in advance to help during the actual shooting. Storyboard artist is someone that is an expert at drawing sketches. Production design- Plans all aspects of how the film will look. Hiring peoples to design and build each part. The production designer works with the set designer and the construction team to create artificial sets. The art director takes the designs from the production designer and creates what is told. Costume designer will work with the director to make costumes for each location.

 Special Effects Planning- Effect shots are planned in a lot of detail, more than normal shots. A big number of shots in a film is done through special effects. These are then modelled to ensure they look realistic. The visual effects supervisor is responsible for designing and planning the special effects for parts of the film. The Production Unit- The production accountant is responsible for the films financial managing. This produces reports to the producer, line producer and completion bond insurers. The production manager deals with day to day money issues and is responsible for balancing and supervising all areas. The line producer should work out and write schedules, arrange contracts and insurance during the pre-production. The 1 st, 2nd and 3rd Ads work together and work out and write the shot plans and determine the equipment requires.

The Shoot
1st day of photography- The production office is the main contact point for the production. The production office is responsible for all requirements of the shoot, such as, fielding calls, talking deliveries etc. The insurers monitor the progress and check the liability. The camera team is responsible for getting the pictures in the can. The construction team puts all the sets together, they are needed months before to get everything correct and also to make sure everything is secure. The sound team is accountable to get high quality sound. 3 rd AD is extras to prepare them for the crowd scene. 2 nd AD are there to warn the stars. Health and safety is needed on the set in case something happens, theyre also there to check all safety aspects and to make sure peoples will stay safe. Camera- Need to make sure they get all the footage needed. The director of photography is responsible for how the film is shot. Camera operator has to catch all the action. The focus puller works with the camera operator to make sure they get everything on frame in frame and shifting.

 Lighting and sound- The boom operator has to make sure he gets the microphone as close as possible to the person but without it being seen in the shot. The sound recordists takes the output from the microphone and has to monitor it, check it and make sure they record it. The armourer is licensed to carry and operate weapons for the film. They are highly trained so it can be used without hurting the cast or the camera. Acting- Actors must create an emotion to attract the audience. The actors responsibility is to make sure they make the film a success. Some actors have the benefit to come in and rehearse, some are told to come in and act without rehearsals. Special physical effects- Are constructed with minimum risk of injury. Stunt people are paid to take risks. They would get as close as they can to an explosion without getting seriously hurt. The insurers will insist that no risks are taken. Chain of command- Runners jobs are not only to make tea but also to deliver cans of film from the set to the lab, this is so that it can start to get processed. Being a runner is a high responsibility. The assistant directors help the director communicate with the cast and crew.

Post Production
Rough cut- Editor assembles into scenes and creates a narrative sequence. Assistant editor- Puts all the sequences into an assembly, this is so the director and editor can see if the scenes work well together. The editor- They are extremely important in the filmmaking process because they remake the film in an edit suite. Post production sound- Foley artist, records custom sound effects. They use unusual objects to create the sound they need. For example, using a steam iron to create the sliding door in a spaceship. ADR- Automated Dialogue recording. This is where dialogue is re-recorded in a dubbing studio because some dialogue sounds recorded in the studio are below required quality. The sound editor gets all the tracks recorded and adds them to the locked pictures, by making it as accurate as possible.

 Digital effects and titles- Digital effects are added by specialist effects compositors and titles and credits are added in the composting suite. Digital effects are like adding CGI (computer generated imagery). There work can transform a film. Credits- can be front titles and rear titles. Front titles are the most prestigious, theyre reserved for the key above the line talent. In contrast of key casts and crew. Rear titles is where unfortunate people would go, it covers every credited member of development, production and postproduction. Grade and colour- Editing the picture to adjust the colour and to shows the fine aesthetics. Telecine operator- Is often known as the colourist. This is done so that the shots look like they belong visually to the same film. To add grade into the shots, the colourist changes the colours and contrasts to make the film look smooth and to add mood. Film Mix- This is where the sound mixer sets the final levels. Sound is the most important part of a film. Poor sound could destroy the impact of even the best visual sequences. Final cut- After the final cut, the film reaches full lock, which means its finished and ready for duplication and to show other people.