Filmmaking (often referred to in an academic context as film production) is the process of making a film A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a story conveyed with moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects. The process of filmmaking has developed into an art form and industry, from an initial story idea or commission, through scriptwriting, shooting, editing, directing and distribution to an audience. Typically, it involves a large number of people, and takes from a few months to several years to complete. Filmmaking takes place all over the world in a huge range of economic, social, and political contexts, and using a variety of technologies and techniques. Technically, the art and science of recording images to film differs significantly from that of recording images to video. Thus, by definition, a "filmmaker" captures images on film, and not video.

Stages

Film production occurs in five stages:^[1]

• Development Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission, through scriptwriting, shooting, editing, directing and distribution to an audience. Typically, it involves a large number of people, and takes from a few months to several years to complete. Filmmaking takes place all over the world in a huge range of economic,—The script is written and drafted into a workable blueprint A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a technical drawing, documenting an architecture or an engineering design. More generally, the term "blueprint" has come to be used to refer to any detailed plan for a film.
• Pre-production Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission, through scriptwriting, shooting, editing, directing and distribution to an audience. Typically, it involves a large number of people, and takes from a few months to several years to complete. Filmmaking takes place all over the world in a huge range of economic,—Preparations are made for the shoot, in which cast and crew are hired, locations are selected, and sets are built.
• Production Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission, through scriptwriting, shooting, editing, directing and distribution to an audience. Typically, it involves a large number of people, and takes from a few months to several years to complete. Filmmaking takes place all over the world in a huge range of economic,—The raw elements for the finished film are recorded.
• Post-Production Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission, through scriptwriting, shooting, editing, directing and distribution to an audience. Typically, it involves a large number of people, and takes from a few months to several years to complete. Filmmaking takes place all over the world in a huge range of economic,—The film is edited; production sound (dialogue) is concurrently (but separately) edited, music tracks (and songs) are composed, performed and recorded, if a film is sought to have a score; sound effects are designed and recorded; and any other computer-graphic 'visual' effects are digitally added, all sound elements are mixed into "stems" then the stems are mixed then married to picture and the film is fully completed ("locked").
• Sales and distribution Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story idea or commission, through scriptwriting, shooting, editing, directing and distribution to an audience. Typically, it involves a large number of people, and takes from a few months to several years to complete. Filmmaking takes place all over the world in a huge range of economic,—The film is screened for potential buyers (distributors), is picked up by a distributor A film distributor or distribbery is an independent company, a subsidiary company or occasionally an individual, which acts as the final agent between a film production company or some intermediary agent, and a film exhibitor, to the end of securing placement of the producer's film on the exhibitor's screen. In the film business, the term " and reaches its cinema and/or home media audience.

Development

In this stage, the project's producer A film producer or movie producer is someone who selects a screenplay, initiating the process of film making. The title Executive Producer is normally reserved for a producer with a financial interest in the production. The producer oversees the whole process including co-coordinating, supervising and controlling matters such as fund-raising, finds a story, which may come from a book, play, another film, a true story, original idea, etc. After identifying a theme or underlying message, the producer works with writers to prepare a synopsis. Next they produce a step outline A step outline is a detailed telling of a story with the intention of turning the story into a screenplay for a motion picture, which breaks the story down into one-paragraph scenes that concentrate on dramatic structure. Then, they prepare a treatment A film treatment is a piece of prose, typically the step between scene cards (index cards) and the first draft of a screenplay for a motion picture, television program, or radio play. It is generally longer and more detailed than an outline (or one-page synopsis) and shorter and less detailed than a step outline, but it may include details of, a 25 to 30 page description of the story, its mood, and characters. This usually has little dialogue and stage direction In theatre, the stage is a designated space for the performance of theatrical productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience. As an architectural feature, the stage may consist of a platform (often raised) or series of platforms. In some cases, these may be temporary or, but often contains drawings that help visualize key points. Another way is to produce a scriptment A scriptment is a written work by a movie or television screenwriter that combines elements of a script and treatment, especially the dialogue elements, which are formatted the same as in a screenplay. It is a more elaborate document than a standard draft treatment. A lengthy scriptment may resemble a script sufficiently to be used as the basis once a synopsis is produced.

Next, a screenwriter Screenwriters or scenarists or scriptwriters are people in a film crew who write/create the screenplays from which films and television programs are made writes a screenplay over a period of several months. The screenwriter may rewrite it several times to improve dramatization, clarity, structure, characters, dialogue, and overall style. However, producers often skip the previous steps and develop submitted screenplays which investors, studios, and other interested parties assess through a process called script coverage Script coverage is a filmmaking term for the analysis and grading of screenplays, often within the "script development" department of a production company. While coverage may remain entirely verbal, it usually takes the form of a written report, guided by a rubric that varies from company to company. Criteria includes, but is not limited. A film distributor A film distributor or distribbery is an independent company, a subsidiary company or occasionally an individual, which acts as the final agent between a film production company or some intermediary agent, and a film exhibitor, to the end of securing placement of the producer's film on the exhibitor's screen. In the film business, the term " may be contacted at an early stage to assess the likely market and potential financial success of the film. Hollywood distributors adopt a hard-headed business approach and consider factors such as the film genre In film theory, genre refers to the method of film categorization based on similarities in the narrative elements from which films are constructed. Most theories of film genre are borrowed from literary genre criticism. As with genre in a literary context, there is a great deal of debate over how to define or categorize genres.[citation needed], the target audience, the historical success of similar films, the actors who might appear in the film, and potential directors. All these factors imply a certain appeal of the film to a possible audience and hence the number of "A.I.S." (or "Asses in Seats") during the theatrical release. Not all films make a profit from the theatrical release alone, so film companies take DVD sales and worldwide distribution rights into account.

The producer and screenwriter prepare a film pitch A pitch is a concise verbal presentation of an idea for a film, generally made by a screenwriter or director to a producer or studio executive in the hope of attracting development finance to pay for the writing of a screenplay, or treatment, and present it to potential financiers. If the pitch is successful, the film receives a "green light To green-light a project is to give permission or a go ahead to move forward with a project. In the context of the movie and TV businesses, to green-light something is to formally approve its production finance, thereby allowing the project to move forward from the development phase to pre-production and principal photography", meaning someone offers financial backing: typically a major film studio A movie studio is, in the established sense of the term, a company that distributes films. Literally, however, the term denotes a controlled environment for the making of a motion picture. This environment may be interior (sound stage), exterior (backlot), or both. In general parlance, the term is synonymous with "major film production, film council, or independent investor. The parties involved negotiate a deal and sign contracts. Once all parties have met and the deal has been set, the film may proceed into the pre-production period. By this stage, the film should have a clearly defined marketing strategy and target audience.

Pre-production

In pre-production, the video is designed and planned. The production company A production company is a company responsible for the development and physical production of new media, performing arts, film, radio or a television program. The company may also be directly responsible for the raising of funding for the production or may do through an intermediary. The production company may be a small company, selling its is created and a production office A film Production Office is the administrative office responsible for managing a film production. The office is responsible to the Film Producer and includes the Production Manager, Assistant Director and one or more Production Assistants. Typically a Production Office is established in the pre-production phase and continues until at least post- established. The production is storyboarded Storyboards are graphic organizers such as a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence, including website interactivity and visualized with the help of illustrators An illustrator is a graphic artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicated concepts or objects that are difficult to describe textually and concept artists Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in movies, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design. A production budget A film production budget determines how much money will be spent on the entire film project. It involves the identification and estimation of cost items for each phase of filmmaking is drawn up to plan expenditures for the film.

The producer hires a crew. The nature of the film, and the budget, determine the size and type of crew used during filmmaking. Many Hollywood blockbusters Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular and/or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry employ a cast and crew of hundreds, while a low-budget, independent film An independent film, or indie film, is a film that is produced mostly outside of a major film studio. The term also refers to art films which differ markedly from most mass marketed films. In addition to being produced by independent production companies, independent films are often produced and/or distributed by subsidiaries of major studios. In may be made by a skeleton crew of eight or nine (or fewer). These are typical crew positions:

• The director A film director is a person who directs the making or production of a film. Many people also consider film producers, cinematographers, film editors, and special effects experts to be filmmakers is primarily responsible for the storytelling, creative decisions and acting of the film.
• The assistant director An assistant director is a person who helps the filmmaker in the making of a movie or television show. The duties of an AD include setting the shooting schedule, tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking the arrival of cast and crew, maintaining order on the set, (AD) manages the shooting schedule A shooting schedule is a project plan of each day's shooting for a film production. It is normally created and managed by the assistant director, who reports to the production manager managing the production schedule. Both schedules represent a timeline stating where and when production resources are used and logistics of the production, among other tasks. There are several types of AD, each with different responsibilities.
• The casting director In the performing arts, casting is a vital pre-production process for selecting a cast (a meaning of the word recorded since 1631) of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance finds actors to fill the parts in the script. This normally requires that actors audition.
• The location manager The Location Manager is responsible for the finding and securing locations to be used and coordinating the logistics involved for the production to successfully complete its necessary work. They are also the face of the production to the community and responsible for addressing the issues that may arise due to the production's impact on the finds and manages film locations. Most pictures are shot in the controllable environment of a studio sound stage A sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical motion pictures and television shows, usually located on a secure movie studio property but occasionally, outdoor sequences call for filming on location.
• The production manager manages the production budget A film production budget determines how much money will be spent on the entire film project. It involves the identification and estimation of cost items for each phase of filmmaking and production schedule The production schedule is a project plan of how the production budget will be spent over a given timescale, for every phase of filmmaking. They also report, on behalf of the production office, to the studio executives The studio executive is an employee of a film studio or a corporation doing business in the entertainment industry. A studio executive may be a Chief executive officer, a Chief financial officer, a Chief operating officer, or be employed to serve in a variety of Vice presidential capacities, such as Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations or financiers of the film.
• The director of photography A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography (DP), used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image. The term cinematographer has been a point of (DoP) is the cinematographer A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography (DP), used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image. The term cinematographer has been a point of who supervises the photography Photography is the process, activity and art of creating still or moving pictures by recording radiation on a radiation-sensitive medium, such as a photographic film, or an electronic sensor. Photography uses foremost radiation in the UV, visible and near-IR spectrum. For common purposes the term light is used in stead of radiation. Light of the entire film
• The director of audiography The Director of Audiography is the head of the sound department and the person responsible for planning the audiography and managing the audiographers of a film. The role of audiographer and the title "director of audiography" derives from Indian filmmaking, where it is an established title credit . The DoA understands the Director's (DoA) is the audiographer Audiography in the context of filmmaking is a term commonly used in India to mean the sound recording, editing and mixing performed by the sound department of a film production. This includes sound design but excludes music, song and choreography who supervises the audiography Audiography in the context of filmmaking is a term commonly used in India to mean the sound recording, editing and mixing performed by the sound department of a film production. This includes sound design but excludes music, song and choreography of the entire film. For productions in the Western world Western culture refers to cultures of European origin this role is also known as either sound designer Sound design is a conceptually creative/technical field. It covers all non-compositional elements of a film, a play, a music performance or recording, computer game software or any other multimedia project. A person who practices the art of sound design is known as a Sound Designer or supervising sound editor The supervising sound editor, or sound supervisor, is a creative role, working with the Director, Picture Editor and Producer, and is the person responsible for overseeing most aspects of post-production audio on a film or television show. This person coordinates sound editors, sound designers, foley artists, recording engineers, and ADR recording ^[2].

• The production sound mixer A production sound mixer, location sound recordist, location sound engineer or simply sound mixer is the member of a film crew responsible for recording all sound and sound effects on set during the photography of a motion picture, for later inclusion in the finished product, or for reference to be used by the sound designer, sound effects editors, is the head of the sound department during the production stage of filmmaking. They record and mix the audio on set - dialogue, presence and sound effects Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In motion picture and television production, a sound effect is a sound recorded and presented to make a specific in mono and ambience in stereo ^[3][4]. They work with the boom operator A boom operator is an assistant of the production sound mixer. The principal responsibility of the boom operator is microphone placement, sometimes using a "fishpole" with a microphone attached to the end and sometimes, when the situation permits, using a "boom" which is a special piece of equipment that the operator stands on, Director, DoA, DoP, and First AD.

• The sound designer creates the aural conception of the film^[5], working with the supervising sound editor. On some productions the sound designer plays the role of a director of audiography.
• The composer creates new music for the film. (usually not until post-production)
• The production designer creates the visual conception of the film, working with the art director^[5].
• The art director manages the art department, which makes production sets
• The costume designer creates the clothing for the characters in the film working closely with the actors, as well as other departments.
• The make up and hair designer works closely with the costume designer in addition to create a certain look for a character.
• The storyboard artist creates visual images to help the director and production designer communicate their ideas to the production team.
• The choreographer creates and coordinates the movement and dance - typically for musicals. Some films also credit a fight choreographer.

Production

In production, the video/film is created and shot. More crew will be recruited at this stage, such as the property master, script supervisor, assistant directors, stills photographer, picture editor, and sound editors. These are just the most common roles in filmmaking; the production office will be free to create any unique blend of roles to suit the various responsibilities possible during the production of a film.

A typical day's shooting begins with the crew arriving on the set/location by their call time. Actors usually have their own separate call times. Since set construction, dressing and lighting can take many hours or even days, they are often set up in advance. The grip, electric and production design crews are typically a step ahead of the camera and sound departments: for efficiency's sake, while a scene is being filmed, they are already preparing the next one.

While the crew prepare their equipment, the actors are wardrobed in their costumes and attend the hair and make-up departments. The actors rehearse the script and blocking with the director, and the camera and sound crews rehearse with them and make final tweaks. Finally, the action is shot in as many takes as the director wishes. Most American productions follow a specific procedure:

The assistant director calls "picture is up!" to inform everyone that a take is about to be recorded, and then "quiet, everyone!" Once everyone is ready to shoot, he calls "roll sound" (if the take involves sound), and the production sound mixer will start their equipment, record a verbal slate of the take's information, and announce "sound speed" when they are ready. The AD follows with "roll camera", answered by "speed!" by the camera operator once the camera is recording. The clapper, who is already in front of the camera with the clapperboard, calls "marker!" and slaps it shut. If the take involves extras or background action, the AD will cue them ("action background!"), and last is the director, telling the actors "action!".

A take is over when the director calls "cut!", and camera and sound stop recording. The script supervisor will note any continuity issues and the sound and camera teams log technical notes for the take on their respective report sheets. If the director decides additional takes are required, the whole process repeats. Once satisfied, the crew moves on to the next camera angle or "setup," until the whole scene is "covered." When shooting is finished for the scene, the assistant director declares a "wrap" or "moving on," and the crew will "strike," or dismantle, the set for that scene.

At the end of the day, the director approves the next day's shooting schedule and a daily progress report is sent to the production office. This includes the report sheets from continuity, sound, and camera teams. Call sheets are distributed to the cast and crew to tell them when and where to turn up the next shooting day. Later on, the director, producer, other department heads, and, sometimes, the cast, may gather to watch that day or yesterday's footage, called dailies, and review their work.

Post-production

Here the video/film is assembled by the video/film editor. The modern use of video in the filmmaking process has resulted in two workflow variants: one using entirely film, and the other using a mixture of film and video.

In the film work, the original camera film is developed and copied to a one-light workprint (positive) for editing with a mechanical editing machine. An edge code is recorded onto film to locate the position of picture frames. Since the development of non-linear editing systems such as Avid, Quantel or Final Cut Pro, the film workflow is used by very few productions.

In the video workflow, the original camera negative is developed and telecined to video for editing with computer editing software. A timecode is recorded onto video tape to locate the position of picture frames. Production sound is also synced up to the video picture frames during this process.

The first job of the film editor is to build a rough cut taken from sequences (or scenes) based on individual "takes" (shots). The purpose of the rough cut is to select and order the best shots. The director usually works with the editor to ensure the envisioned shots are selected. The next step is to create a fine cut by getting all the shots to flow smoothly in a seamless story. Trimming, the process of shortening scenes by a few seconds, or even frames, is done during this phase. After the fine cut has been screened and approved by the director and producer, the picture is "locked," meaning no further changes are made. Next, the editor creates a negative cut list (using edge code) or an edit decision list (using timecode) either manually or automatically. These edit lists identify the source and the picture frame of each shot in the fine cut.

Once the picture is locked, the film is passed into the hands of the postproduction supervising sound editor of the sound department to build up the sound track. The voice recordings are synchronised and the final sound mix is created by the re-recording mixer. The sound mix combines dialogue, sound effects, atmos, ADR, walla, foleys and music.

The sound track and picture are combined together, resulting in a low quality answer print of the film. There are now two possible workflows to create the high quality release print depending on the recording medium:

1. In the film workflow, the cut list that describes the film-based answer print is used to cut the original color negative (OCN) and create a color timed copy called the color master positive or interpositive print. For all subsequent steps this effectively becomes the master copy. The next step is to create a one-light copy called the color duplicate negative or internegative. It is from this that many copies of the final theatrical release print are made. Copying from the internegative is much simpler than copying from the interpositive directly because it is a one-light process; it also reduces wear-and-tear on the interpositive print.
2. In the video workflow, the edit decision list that describes the video-based answer print is used to edit the original color tape (OCT) and create a high quality color master tape. For all subsequent steps this effectively becomes the master copy. The next step uses a film recorder to read the color master tape and copy each video frame directly to film to create the final theatrical release print.

Finally the film is previewed, normally by the target audience, and any feedback may result in further shooting or edits to the film.

There are two ways that film can be put together. One way is linear editing and the other is non-linear editing.

Linear editing uses the film as it is in a continuous film. All of the parts of the film are already in order and need not be moved or any such thing.

Conversely, non-linear editing is not subject to using the film in the order it is taped. Scenes can be moved around or even removed.

Distribution and exhibition

This is the final stage, where the film is released to cinemas or, occasionally, to DVD, VCD, VHS (though VHS tapes are less common now that more people own DVD players), Blu-ray, or direct download from a provider. The film is duplicated as required for distribution to cinemas. Press kits, posters, and other advertising materials are published and the film is advertised. film companies usually release a film with a launch party, press releases, interviews with the press, press preview screenings, and film festival screenings. Most films have a website. The film plays at selected cinemas and the DVD typically is released a few months later. The distribution rights for the film and DVD are also usually sold for worldwide distribution. The distributor and the production company share profits..

Independent filmmaking

Filmmaking also takes place outside of the mainstream and is commonly called independent filmmaking. Since the introduction of DV technology, the means of production have become more democratized. Filmmakers can conceivably shoot and edit a film, create and edit the sound and music, and mix the final cut on a home computer. However, while the means of production may be democratized, financing, traditional distribution, and marketing remain difficult to accomplish outside the traditional system. In the past, most independent filmmakers have relied on film festivals to get their films noticed and sold for distribution. However, the Internet has allowed for relatively inexpensive distribution of independent films. As a result several companies have emerged to assist filmmakers in getting independent movies seen and sold via mainstream internet marketplaces, oftentimes adjacent to popular Hollywood titles. With digital self distribution, independent filmmakers who fail to garner a traditional distribution deal now have the ability to reach global audiences.

See also

• Cinematic techniques
• Cinematography
• Audiography
• Director of audiography aka Sound Director, Director of Sound
• Film
• Film crew
• Film editing
• Film producer
• Film school
• Post-production
• Pre-production
• Screenplay
• List of film-related topics

References

• Campbell, Drew: Technical Film and TV for Nontechnical People. Allworth Communications 2002.

1. ^ Steiff, Josef (2005). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Independent Filmmaking. Alpha Books. pp. 26–28.
2. ^ Film Sound: Theory and Practice, Edited by Elisabeth Weis and John Belton, Columbia University Press (1985) - Page 361
3. ^ Sound for Digital Video by Tomlinson Holman (Focal Press) 2005 (p. 162)
4. ^ Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures by John Purcell (Focal Press) 2007 (p. 148)
5. ^ ^{a b} Sound-On-Film by Vincent LoBrutto (1994)

External links

• Filmmaking at the Open Directory Project

Wikibooks

• Movie Making Manual
• Movie Making Directory

Wikiversity

• Wikiversity Courses in Filmmaking

Categories: Film | Film making | Film production | Film techniques

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• Arts: Movies: Filmmaking: Directory
• Arts: Movies: Filmmaking: Sound: Directory
• Arts: Movies: Filmmaking: People: Directory
• Arts: Movies: Filmmaking: Editing: Directory
• Arts: Movies: Filmmaking: Amateur: Directory

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