Documentation is needed at the beginning of a project to record the development of ideas. Typical documentation includes lists, writing, and diagrams. Documentation provides a record of ideas so their development and how well the goals are being achieved can be reviewed. Documentation is also needed to show to investors and employers. A storyboard is a visual shot-by-shot plan of the film that includes timing, movement, sound, and editing. It allows the director to visualize and plan the practical aspects of turning the written script into a film. Release forms are standard documents everyone involved in production must sign to confirm their consent and waive ownership rights beyond what is in their contract.

1. Documentation What is it? Why do you need it?
Ideas generation Anything and everything that allows the recording of
ideas generation and development at the beginning of
a project
Typicaldocumentation includes lists, writing, mood
boards, spider diagrams, very rough first drafts,
intertextuallinks (we’re going to make something like
THIS)
Writer and directors would be responsible for ideas
generation
Before you have ideas set out you don’t have anything
You need a record of the development of your ideas
so you can see what you were trying to do and think
about how well you’re achieving it.
You need to have something concrete to show
investors / employers from the word go
Proposal
Script
Storyboard  A visual shot by shot plan of the film or a
section of the film, containing a visual plan,
timings, information about shot movement
and movement within the shot, diagetic and
non-diagetic sound, special and visual effects
and editing.
 It will be created by the director almost all of
the time – it’s not the writer’s job to decide
how to turn the written script into the audio-
visual film.
1. It provides a visualisation of your written
plans – what do you think your ideas are going
to actually look like through a lens.
2. It organises a scene in a script very specifically
into shots rather than narrative beats
3. It allows you to effectively time the different
shots – based on how much content there is in
the shot – and so lets you consider in more
detail the pace of the scene
4. It allows you to make sure that you are paying
attention to the grammar of a scene – the 180
Rule, the use of Shot/Reverse POV/Shot (the
Kuleshov Effect), line of sight shooting…

2. 5. It allows you to check the logistics of your
planned movement within the shot and of
camera movement within the shot
6. It allows you to plan for the use of sound –
both diagetic and non-diagetic – within the
shot
7. It allows you to plan the editing linking shots
8. Along with a production script it provides a
detailed blueprint for the departments
managing the practical aspects of production
planning – costume, location, props…
Lighting Plans
Production
Schedule
Location Recce
Risk Assessment
Budget
Call Sheets
Equipment
Booking Forms

3. Contributor
Release Forms
A standard form that everybody involved in
production needs to sign
It confirms their consent to the involvement in their
role
It confirms that they do not have any rights –
copyright or Intellectual Property rights- tothe
project beyond their contract rights.
It will almost always be the job of the 1st Assistant
Director or the Producer and their assistants to
manage these documents.
It’s necessary toconfirm the consent of everyone
involved so if they object to the final project they
don’t have any rights to change or affect it.
It’s necessary for everybody towaive any question of
them having a stake in the ownership of rights,
beyond that given to them in their contract.