The 12 step process of making a film involves developing an idea, writing a script, packaging the project, securing financing, principal photography, post-production, marketing, distribution, and generating revenue. Key parts of the process include a producer pitching the idea, hiring a director and cast, filming, editing, test screenings, premiering the film, distributing to cinemas and platforms like DVD/TV, and making ongoing sales.

1. How to make a film
Tom manston

2. Step 1
• The idea comes from the producer reading books,films,newspapers,plays
and other people.
• The most important person in film making is the producer as he makes the
film in to a reality.
• A director can visualise a scripted and make it reality they know how to
put a story on a screen.
• The writer defines and clarifies the idea. The plot and main characters and
turns it in to something that can be achieved.
• Treatment (the writer will then write the treatment a one page description
of the main story and characters of the film.
• The pitch contains all the information the producer needs in order to sell
the idea to the finance to commotion a scripted.

3. Step 2
• Pitching the producers uses the treatment and the pitch, plus
her powers of persuasion to get money to sell the scripted.
• The producer approaches film production for companies for
development and money, but they have projects of there
own.
• The producer can offer on the future sales and broadcast
rights to the film in return for money to develop the scripted.
• The producer can also apply to a public funding body such as
the uk film coucil for a development grant.
• The producer can even pitch the film to private investors in
hope that they will support the project.

4. Step 3
• First the writer produces a synopsis and he and the producer agree or not the key
scenes and events in the film.
• There is as many ways of writing as there are writers but most writers create a step
outline to plan there scripted.
• Part of the writers fee is Conditional on delivery of the first draft this can be the
hardest part of screenwriting.
• Once the writer and the producer are happy , the draft is sent to the financers , all
of witch will have there own ideas.
• When everyone is happy with the scripted it gets lock off and becomes a final draft
then the writer gets paid.
• The final stage of the script development process is the creation of a sales
treatment.

5. Step 4
• The producer and director must now package the script into the full commercial
proposition ready for financing.
• One common way to make the project more commercial is to attach well known
stars to the script.
• Respected commercially successful heads of department carry considerable clout
with knowledgeable financers.
• To turn the film into a proper business proposition the producer must know how
much it will actually cost to make.
• Potential investors will want to know how the producer plans to raise money and
how she plans to pay them back.
• The producer has packaged into a viable commercial proposition. Now its time to
see what people think of it.
• The producer has packaged the film into a visible commercial proposition now its
time to see what the people think of it.

6. Step 5
• Financers can be anywhere in the world . To secure the investment she needs to
make the film the producer must travel.
• Privet individuals production companies and public bodies all invest in films. The
producers lawyer draws up contracts to seal the deals.
• The producer can also raise money from pre-sales selling the rights to the film
before it has been made.

7. Step 6
• The kick off meeting, to welcome everyone
• Casting is picking the actors to play the different parts
• Storyboarding is where you work out and sort out all the scenes.
• Production design is when they star designing the sets, like miniature models and
things.
• Special effects planning is where you add special effects to your planning to make
it better.
• The production unit is deciding who does what in production unit.

8. Step 7
• 1st day of principle photography is where it’s the first day of actually filming.
• Camera people filming there first scenes.
• Lighting and sound doing what they need to do on the film set, catching the light
and sound.
• Acting the actors act out the scenes and deliver the lines in the script.
• Special physical effects stunt men doing the bits that the actors cant do.
• Chain of command having a list of who's the director producer and camera man so
everybody on the set knows who there boss is.

9. Step 8
• As the processed footage comes in the editor assembles it into scenes and creates
a narrative sequence for the film.
• Once the picture is locked the sound department works on the audio track laying
creating and editing every sound.
• Digital effects are added by specialist effects compositors and titles and credits are
added in a composting suite.
• The final stage of the picture edit is to adjust the colour and establish the fine
aesthetic of the film.
• After picture lock the rough sound mix goes to a dubbing theatre where the sound
mixer sets the final levels.
• After the final cut the film reaches ‘full lock’ it is now finished and ready for
duplication but who gets the final cut?

10. Step 9
• To help her sell the film to distributors the producer secures the services of a sales
agent a specialist in film sales.
• To help sell the film a trailer is made to show busy film buyers the most marketable
aspects of the film.
• The producer and the sales agent collect everything they will need to sell the film
to distributors.
• The market is saturated with films so the producer must go to great lengths to
attract attention for her product.
• A high-profile screening at one of the top films festivals can be great for generating
‘heat’ around a film.
• The producer now has a hot product and can negotiate good deals with
distributors around the world.

11. Step 10
• Knowing the audience is essential and the marketing team runs test screenings to
see how the film is received.
• The potential audience for the films is targeted with posters cinema trailers tv
sports and other marketing materials.
• Television radio newspapers and magazines can all help create positive word of
mouth about a film.
• The birth of digital media and the internet has flooded the world with information
but also made niche marketing possible.
• In order to get the film to audiences the distributor must negotiate a deal with the
cinemas to screen it.

12. Step 11
• A high profile star-studded premiere is used to launch the film to the public with
an explosion of media coverage.
• The UK has more than 3,500 cinema screens. Although not all are British owned or
show British films.
• Distributors supply the exhibitors with prints of the film the more screens the film
is shown on the more prints are needed.
• The exhibitors take their share of the box office receipts after which the
distributors recoup their marketing costs.
• Once the distributors have been paid the financiers can recover their
investments, as laid out in the recoupment schedule.

13. Step 12
• Hospitality sales for hotel channels and in-flight entertainment can bring in
millions in additional revenue.
• UK audiences spend more on DVD’s than on cinema tickets so success on DVD can
compensate for box office failure.
• Televisions on the final source of revenue rights are sold separately for pay-tv
showings and terrestrial broadcast.
• Rights for computer games and other product licenses can be extremely lucrative
sources of additional revenue.
• Once the film has made a profit the producer and key creative people can reap
their rewards or so the theory goes..
• The final income from a film is never known distribution continues in perpetuity
and it may even be re-released in the future.