The purpse of pre prodcution

1. Unit 4: pre-production assessment
1. The requirements of a Moving Image Production
Before producing a film or any form of video/moving image there are many requirements that
must be planned out in pre-production. This stage of production is very important the
requirements of planning must be thorough and detailed so when it comes to filming, it is all
planned out therefore filming is not a tedious and long process. Pre-production however is not
the exact same process for every film because it depends on the genre, so a sci-fi film will need
a longer pre-production than a comedy film for example because sci-fi films need SFX and CGI
and sets designed and more props than a comedy which would just need locations being
scouted out.
The requirements of pre-production are as follow; financing, timescales, facilities, locations,
personnel, additional materials and codes of practice and regulations
Financing: Financing is crucial for a film especially for Hollywood and big franchise films like
Fast and Furious or the Star Wars Franchise which both rely heavily on special effects and
franchises need money for 3rd parties that provide transportation, props/costumes, clearances
AKA copyrighting material from the film such as archive film footage, the soundtrack, consumer
brands/products and on top of that the cast and crew need to be payed, actors pays differ
extremely depending on the popularity of them.
How you go about financing may differ as well as there are 2 methods, public or private funding,
public funding is funding that is provided by publicly funded agency, from monies allocated via
tax relief, the National Lottery, or funded via grants provided to support the arts from the
Department of culture. In the UK currently a number of sources for project development and
production support for example the BFI film fund which is the lead agency for film in the UK. The
BFI film fund has a number of funding strands, investing over £26m of lottery funds p/year to
support film development and productions.
Private funding is funding earned from investors such (doctors, lawyers, and etc.) therefore the
film is seen as more financially attractive meaning its ability to make a profit and therefore earn
these investors money. Examples such as Pre-sales is, based on the script and cast, selling the
right to distribute a film in different territories before the film is completed. When the deal is
made, the distributor will insist the producers deliver on certain elements of content and cast; if
a material alteration is made, financing may collapse. distributors and sales agents will often
make casting suggestions Pre-sales contracts with big-name actors or directors will often have
an essential element clause that allows the buyer to get out of the contract if the star or director
falls out of the picture and a marquee equivalent cannot be procured. The reliance on pre-sales
explains the film industry's dependence on movie stars, directors and/or certain film genres such
as horror. Another example is crowdfunding which is when instead of investors investing money
into a film, consumers will also put in little or large donations towards the production of a film
purely on the purpose on the film being made. Crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter and
Indiegogo have their own categories dedicated to film. Crowdfunding films gives the consumer a

2. voice in what films are being produced, allow for riskier, more socially relevant, more innovative,
less profit-oriented independent films with smaller and marginal target audiences that can't be
found in mainstream cinema and lower the entry-barrier to new filmmakers.
Timescales: Timescales is the effective management of time and Is essential to a pre-
production. Cast and crew will often have other commitments in their schedules for other
productions therefore planning must be more careful and precautious. Equipment also needs to
be available at given times as well depending on shots, and it may require that you need a
camera dolly for one scene so you must have it available for that specific time. Realistic
schedules for production and post production must be accurately thought through – if shooting
overruns this can impact not only cast/crew availability, but also budgets. Pre-production could
take 3-6 month and shooting 2-4 Depending on genre e.g. The movie Jaws had horrendous
time management and did not take all matters into consideration as “Shooting at sea caused
delay, as cast and crew members got sick, cameras malfunctioned, and resetting shots took
hours. Spielberg went so far as to estimate that out of a 12-hour workday on Jaws. Also, the
mechanical shark they used kept on malfunctioning all the time. An average of four hours were
spent actually filming something. Originally scheduled for 55 days, principal photography droned
on for 159 days in total, extremely over budget and over schedule.”
Facilities: A highly important element of pre-production is the facilities/equipment. Without
equipment a film is impossible to create. Equipment is needed and is important to be considered
during pre-production because this will save money and let you spend the budget on other
things. Equipment is very important as if you need a certain shots what will require something
like high key lighting, you’d need to purchase lighting. Also, equipment can be hired or
purchased and sometimes renting equipment is more effective and means you would be saving
money for the budget, however you only have that piece of equipment for a limited amount of
time to get the shot, this could result not be shot to the best quality it could be. Purchasing
equipment is expensive, however it means that you got the piece of equipment for as long as
you need it. Also, this could result in a better use of time as you can have longer using it to
make the shot/scene at higher quality.
Location: Another important part of pre-production is finding the appropriate areas/location to
film scenes. In some areas such as private land you will need to seek permission to film there. A
place like Time Square in New York would need to get permission from the council to film there
and police to block off the area to the public. This would not give you a lot of time, probably
about 1-2 hours. Another reason it’s important to do research on the areas/locations to film is
because you need to make sure that the location fits the theme and tone of the film you are
creating. Health and safety is highly crucial to consider, if you need a fight scene you should get
a fight instructor and try and find the safest way to do take the scene als this would make it look
more realistic to the audience.
Personnel: Specialist crews are extremely important to filming a certain scene. Such as if you’re
filming a fight scene you would want to get a fighting specialist to make it sure the actors are

3. doing it correct, safe and even realistic. Also, if you’re doing a chase or crash scene you would
like to get a stunt coordinator and stunt driver to also make it more accurate, safe and realistic.
Additional Materials: During pre-production it is important to consider: scripts, storyboards,
props, costumes and sound/sound library. Storyboards are used to allow the director and
cinematographer to visualize and each scene to know and to get an idea of what the shot will or
should like. This is important because when it comes to filming they both have an idea of what
to shoot. Sound/sound library is a mix of sound effect in a folder made by foley that are gonna
be used in the editing stage of the post-production. Scripts are one of the most important key
elements to a film, this is because it tells the actors what to say. Also, costumes are important to
film. This is because, a characters appearance can tell a story of their personality and also
should keep close to the tone of the film. Props are also important to a film. This is because a
prop could be used as a plotpoint are to boost what the charathes saying or doing.
Codes of practice and regulations: It’s extremely important to obtain permission regarding
copyright material, because if your film contains/uses a soundtrack you’re liable to be sued and
lose loads of money. It all could result in the movie to be banned and not be shown until the
copyrighted material is removed. health and safety procedures are important because without
them actors and crew could be injured and possibly be fatal, this would result in the movie
popularity to reduce with the common people.
2. The Formats for Pre-Production Process
The proposal: A proposal is essentially a pitch that you would make to investors to share your
idea and hopefully persuade them to help fund and create your movie. A key element of a
proposal is to show that you can create a quick synopsis of the film you want to create and it is
to show investors that you have considered the target audience you would like to reach.
Scripting: Master Scene Script: The format required by the motion picture industry for modern
screenplays before they are greenlit for production. The master scene script is distinct from
the shooting script in that it does not include camera direction. It’s also used to show
investors and it is also easier to visualize.
Scripting: Shooting Script: The shooting script is more elaborate, precise, overwritten version
of the screenplay. It’s also not written by a screenwriter, it’s written by the director and
cinematographer, while both of them discuss their ideas and shot plan wanted for the movie.
The shooting script is a production tool whereas the master scene script is a selling tool.
Storyboarding: When the script is complete it is converted into a storyboard. A storyboard evaluates
a screenplay and changes it into pictures and can visual translated.This helps the director and
cinematographer get an idea and to visualize the scenes potential problems and to see what they
will look like.

4. Shooting Schedules: A shooting schedule is a breakdown of everything planned to shoot for
each day of the shoot organized into the most logical and efficient order to shoot. It's important
to use shooting schedules because it makes you work more efficiently with a deadline and
because it is a schedule for the entire shoot, focusing on scenes and days which allows the
crew and director to be time effective and not waste time.
Other paperwork: Some other paperwork would be: Location release forms, location scouting
templates, sound templates and copyright clearance.
location release forms (to formalize permissions to use locations owned by other people)location
scouting templates (to collect relevant information about shooting locations) risk assessments (to
collect relevant information about potential risks relating to shooting)
sound templates (to chart where sound may be used)
3.Functions of Pre-production
The functions of pre-production are:
• Storyboard artist: Creates visual images for the director to see.
• Director: Responsible for the storytelling, creative decisions and acting of the film.
• Assistant director (AD): Manages the shooting schedule and logistics of the production.
• Cinematographer (DOP) is responsible for managing camera crews and lighting crews,
they oversee the selection and manipulation of technical equipment to create striking
images on screen.
• Script Editor: Makes changes to the script and shows it to the director
• Unit production manager: Manages the production budget and production schedule.
• Location manager: Finds and manages film locations.
• Production designer: Creates the visual conception of the film
• Art director: Manages the art department
• Costume designer: Creates the clothing for the characters
• Casting director: Finds actors to fill the parts in the script.
• Choreographer: Creates and coordinates the movement and dance
• Sound designer: Creates the aural conception of the film Composer: Creates new music
for the film.
• Production sound mixer: The head of the sound department who record and mix the
audio on set.
The functions of pre-production are very important as feedback can be given back on a script
which could be used to improve /develop it to make it way better and appeal to a wider
audience. Also, storyboards help the director and cinematographer visualize what the scene will
and should look like and this will save time and makes the shooting way easier as they already
know what it should look like. Another reason the function of pre-production is important is
because location scouting helps discover effective places to film which will help the director
achieve his goals. This can lower the amount of time loss as there is less time spent filming in

5. different locations. Shooting schedules are a very important function of pre-production as it will
give their crew the right amount of time to get the scene done and dusted. A well planned pre-
production can also encourage collaborations for the film. For example, popular films tend to
collaborate with famous, well-known artists to sing their soundtrack because it will bring a large
target audience to the film.
4.The purpose of pre-production
As well as assisting in the success of a project, a vigorous pre-production has some specific
practical purposes relating to legal and ethical responsibility. The media companies undertake
pre-production work is because they are planning to produce adheres to the relevant codes of
practice, laws and regulations that govern and control their industry. The legal issues media
companies undertake are to ensure: health and safety procedures and paperwork are in place,
permissions are in place for the use of copyrighted material, privately owned locations and
permissions in place in the form of contracts for those appearing in work. Public liability is
another legal requirement for companies who are involved in media productions, especially
when they are recording in public spaces, where the general public could be at risk to
production activities. Another legal issue is that is important is street filming. Street filming
needs permission to film in public areas. A large advantage of pre-production is for there to be
less time consumption and less budget to be wasted with shooting schedules, storyboards and
the shooting script as it allows the director to already know what they need, where and how to
shoot. This also means that they can be given feedback about various things. This will lead into
a more well produced film. The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is the UK’s regulator
of film and video, they provide age ratings to film material and the yare designated body and as
such legal powers to rate and cut and even ban certain films/videos. Film productions will have
target audience’s/distribution platforms in mind, therefore careful pre-production decisions may
be influenced by the target audience’s/certificate requirements.