Pre-production involves planning all elements of a production before principal photography or performance begins. It includes developing the concept, writing the script or storyboard, casting crew members, scouting locations, securing equipment, props, wardrobe, and scheduling. Pre-production allows filmmakers to foresee and prevent problems, be efficient with time and resources, and have a clear plan and agenda to acquire necessary funding. Key pre-production steps include script writing, storyboarding, casting, location scouting, and securing equipment.

1. Foundations of Pre-production

2. What is pre-production?
- First of three stages of a
production (preproduction,
production, post-production)
- Pre-production is the process of
preparing all the elements involved
in a film, play, or other
performance.
- Involves outlining what is to be
accomplished, what you need to
accomplish it, and how you will go
about accomplishing it.
Amateur filmmaking
pre-production steps

3. Why is pre-production important?
- Allows you to foresee any possible problems before they
happen
- Allows you to be more efficient with your time
- Have a game plan/show people you know what you are doing
- Allows for explicit discussion of agenda that can be built upon
- Can work as a tool for acquiring funding
Teleprompter Fail Lord of the Rings Pre-
production: Forced Perspective
‘Idol held auditions on
the aircraft carrier USS
Midway, which was the
first mistake, since boat
horns and jet noise
interrupted audition
after audition.’
- USA Today on
American Idol Auditions

4. Stages of Preproduction
Amateur Production
- Concept
Development
- Script
Writing/Storyboardin
g
- Casting/Crew
Assembly
- Location Scouting
- Securing
Equipment/ Prop
and Wardrobe
- Scheduling
Professional
Production
- Grant
Writing/Funding
- Special Effects
Identification
- Accounting/
Financing Audit

5. The Dark Knight (2008)

6. The Dark Knight Script
- Condense, concise
- Leave out descriptive
language
- Format properly
- Don’t worry too much about
camera direction
- The director will “mark
up” the script at a later
time; the script is about
character and plot
development
Script

7. Storyboa
rd
Script becomes visual
- Camera framing
- Basic camera
movement
- No writing
Usually constructed
AFTER locations are
scouted
Dark Knight Storyboard

8. News Scripts
- Differ from narrative scripts
- Separated into Audio and
Video
- Typically include “package”
prompts, anchor information,
and specific time

9. “LOST”
Television Show
Call Sheet