This document summarizes the key aspects of film pre-production that must be considered, including financing, timescales, facilities, locations, personnel, additional materials, and legal/regulatory requirements. Financing involves establishing budgets, which for major studio films average $100 million including marketing costs. Pre-production also requires securing locations, facilities, equipment, personnel like actors, crew, and specialists. Thorough planning and paperwork during pre-production helps ensure a smooth production process and compliance with relevant laws and codes of practice.

1. UNIT 4: PRE-PRODUCTIONPORTFOLIO
ASSIGNMENT1: PRE-PRODUCTIONREQUIREMENTS:
In pre-production of films, producers and directors need to look at all things money and
allowance, for example, financing, timescales, facilities, locations, personnel, additional
materials and codes of practice and regulations. Financing is to do with cost of things and
how much you will need for the budget. Budgets usually range from around $20-$100
million depending on how big the audiences are- so for example, Marvel movies. Marvel
makes a lot of money for their films and therefore each movie will naturally have a larger
budget than the previous one. Avengers: Endgame beat Avatar in the number one top most
grossing filmof all time, collecting $2.798 Billion from the release date of April 26, 2019. So
in under just over 6 months, the filmmade almost $3 Billion.
Included in the financing, it’s not just the budget for the films but also to pay for:
- Cast and Crew- Actors, Directors, Producers, etc.
- Production Costs
- Visual Effects
- Music (you need to buy rights in order to use a specific song in your film)
- Purchasing and Hiring Equipment
- Props, Makeup and Costumes
- Transportation between each location
- Government Grants
- Taxes
FINANCING:
So much money is put into making these films. In 2007, an average cost for a major studio
movie was around the price of $65 million, however the production cost does not cover
distribution so that is around, on average, another $30 million for marketing around the
world giving the production almost $100 million on average. In 2018 though, the prices had
upped themselves and the average cost ranges from $70 to $90 million.
Film crews can cost a lot too, depending on the size of the crew and the amount of
experience they have to offer, it can have a fee of anywhere between nothing to $10,000
PER DAY. Depending on how famous or popular the actors are, for example if you got Tom
Hanks, his average pay is $40 million per film. It is probably this high of an amount because
of how much money he as an actor brings in for each film. As for smaller films, those that
aren’t huge, Hollywood films, they need more than just one company to fund them. British
films don’t do so well because the UK doesn’t have any huge companies like Sony and
Paramount to fund them.

2. TIMESCALES:
With timescales, a timetable is created to effectively manage time so you can organise when
the cast, crew and equipment will be available to get more work done and also so you don’t
go over budget. For example, an actor may not be available at one point, or the camera
crew, so you need to make sure you make a timetable for when all of these things are
available to use for filming.
FACILITIES:
The facilities that a production will need are things such as a Portable Audio Equipment,
Portable Camera’s, Editing Suite’s, Lighting, etc. It is important to establish what facilities
and equipment you need beforehand so you have time to gain access to them before the
time of filming comes. Having these facilities means that filming should be quite easy. If
planning does not take place, there’s a large chance you won’t be able to have these things
when the time comes. That’s why it is important to plan these things out so you have
enough time to think about what you actually need, when you will need it and for how long
you will need it at one time.
LOCATIONS:
Locations are important for a production. Before even thinking of filming anything, you will
need to find locations to actually filmin- you need to think about where you want your film
to be set and what the settings in scenes should look like, for example, do you want it to be
set in the woods? In a school? At a fairground? The only thing about filming locations is that
you would need to have proof that you can use them. You need proof that you have been
given access to film there from the owners of the locations in order to actually film. Without
being told you can film in these places, you could and probably would face a fine. The things
that you would look for in an effective Recce, is that it is quite easy to access and not too far
of a distance to travel. You would consider the distance because it would cost money to rent
a bus or a truck to transport the cast, crew and equipment down to the location of filming.
An effective Recce would avoid timing issues, depending on how close to you it is anyway.
PERSONNEL:
Specialist crew is pretty much the backbone of films. Without extras, scenes in films would
look really boring with just the two main characters having a conversation in an empty
street for example. Specialist crew are required to undertake film production and these
people are:
- Assistant Director
- Extras
- Stunt Crew
- Advisors
- Sound and Audio Specialist
- Experts
- Director of Photography

3. These people are required in order to make the film better. You need an Assistant Director
in case one day the Director was ill, then there would be nobody to help with the film and
everything would go out of schedule. Stunt Crew is essential for those actors who don’t
want to do their own stunts in fear of being hurt and not being able to finish their films. All
Actors and Actresses have stunt doubles but some don’t like not doing their own stunts so
the doubles are there for support, basically if there was a really dangerous scene that the
Actor couldn’t do in case of being put in danger. Advisors are there to, well, advise people.
Advise the cast of what they can try if they don’t feel like what they are saying or doing is
working very well, give the camera crew ideas of which shots to try out, and more.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:
The additional materials you would need to consider in pre-production would be things
such as:
- Scripts and Storyboards
- Original Filmed Materials
- Archive or Library Materials
- Sound or Sound Library Materials
- Props and Costumes
- Assets (anything purchased or produced for production, e.g. a car)
Scripts and Storyboards are essential in creating a film. You create different scripts and
storyboards to build upon the previous ones to make your film better. Original filmed
material is what you film. This means that you can actually produce your idea without
worrying about copyright claims, since it will be your footage. Archive and library materials
consists of footage that other people have created but not used, so that can be up for grabs
for you to use in your film. Sound library materials is a list of sound effects and music that
you can use too, the same as library materials. Props and costumes are also essential for
production. Props can sometimes be the central plot of the film and costumes are a key part
of the characters identity- you can tell a lot about a character from what they wear. Assets
are a key part of the film and they naturally cost a lot of money and can have a high value.
Assets are like a financial record of everything you have bought for your film, all the props,
cameras, costumes, etc.
CODES OF PRACTICE AND REGULATIONS:
All filming projects must make sure they are following the codes of practice as well as any
regulatory requirements. Following the regulations means that the cast and crew will be
kept safe during the time of filming and therefore setbacks are avoided with production. To
prove that you have gone over health and safety, you need oragnised paperwork to prove
that you have gone over and eliminated any risks that could potentially do damage. You also
need to think about getting permission for the things you want to use in your film, for
example the songs you want to use in the soundtrack. If you don’t get permission, it would
be seen as copyright, you could risk being sued, and a lawsuit could be filed against you.
You also need to make sure that you give each worker specific rights or you will get legal
repercussions for violating work rights.

4. SECTION 2,
THE PROPOSAL:
In completing a successful pre-production, it is vital that you follow the industry accepted
formats. The first process is the writing of the ‘Proposal’ which sums up the premise of your
film and provides things like a brief synopsis, information about the characters, the
structure of the narrative and it also considers a target audience, whether it be kids or
teenagers or adults or maybe even all three. The proposal is used to formulate your ideas
over a project and then perhaps even pitch it to investors who may be interested in your
ideas. Once the proposal is complete, you can move on to writing a script.
SCRIPTING: MASTER SCENE SCRIPT:
A Master Scene Script is the standard format for film production. This is designed to offer a
straightforward format for producers to show the investors that seem interested in your
film. It offers a mix of description and dialogue which allows the reader to follow along with
the story easily. The storyline is the most important part of creating a script, without one it
will just seemboring and go nowhere. Technical information is limited within MSS format-
What is MSS format? This is split into three things: Scene Headings, Narrative Description
and Dialogue Blocks. The font should always be ‘Courier,’ and set at size 12, sluglines and
character names will be in dialogue and capital letters, voiceover and off-screen used as
‘V.O’ and ‘O.S’, and footers are at the bottom right of a page, they say ‘CONTINUED’ but
only where a scene moves from one page to the next. The next page will have ‘CONT.’ at the
top left. The scene heading is always known as the ‘slugline’ and it is composed of three
different parts: interior vs exterior, location, and time of day. These three parts are all
written on only one line and are capitalised, Interior and Exterior are always abbreviated as
‘INT’ and ‘EXT’. Time of day is limited to either DAY or NIGHT however there is also the
occasional use of DAWN and DUSK.
SHOOTING SCRIPT:
Shooting scripts are the scripts which are used during production when shooting the film.
They are written with a lot more detail than spec scripts and they may also include editing
transitions, and camera angles. Shooting scripts can be difficult to read and will turn off
prospective investors. Since shooting scripts are used in production, they are formatted so
that they include any information that the director may request. The main difference
between the shooting script and the screenplay is that the screenplay is a selling tool and a
shooting script us a production tool.
STORYBOARDING:
Once a script is completed, it is converted into a storyboard and this helps everyone on the
production team to picture the film more clearly before shooting. It evaluates the
screenplay and pictures it in terms of different shots which can be visually translated into
individual storyboard panels. Besides this, storyboards can also help with estimating the
cost of the overall production and it saves time with shooting. Some directors were famous

5. for their storyboarding and doing it in great depth, visualising the filmpost-shooting on set.
Storyboards show the way the director wants all the different shots to be set out and where
and how they want them to be filmed. Whether they want close up shots, mid-shots, shot
reverse shots, etc. Directors such as Hitchcock were famous for in-depth storyboarding
before they began production.
SHOOTING SCHEDULE:
Shooting scripts are created by using the storyboards and shooting scripts. The shooting
schedule is a breakdown of everything that is planned for each day of the shoot, it is
organised into the most logical and efficient order which makes it a lot easier to shoot. The
schedule focuses more on which scenes should be shot on which days, whether they should
be shot in the daytime or at night. A schedule is essential for creating an efficient and
smooth shoot, which cuts down on time, hence budget and allows plenty of coverage. An
example of misuse of a shooting schedule is Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’. The cast and crew
went plenty over budget while also going over shooting time- production was carried out
over a longer period than needed and therefore had a lot of technical issues due to filming
out at sea and instead of shooting for 55 days to 159. This is an example of why it is
important to stick to shooting schedule’s because this film went massively over its set
budget and had many finance issues.
OTHER PAPERWORK:
Pre-Production is a detailed and time consuming process which is why you need lots of
paperwork. For other paperwork, which are the most important, you need things such as:
- Location Release Forms, to formalise permissions to use locations owned by other
people.
- Location Scouting Template, 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.
- Copyright Cleanse, to collate ant rights issues that have been activated.
SECTION 3,
THE FUNCTIONS OF PRE-PRODUCTION:
The functions of Pre-Production are that it allows ideas to be revised and improved. For
example, scripts can go through many, many drafts and redrafts, script editors can be
utilised to identify potential problems with scripts and multiple writers may write on one
project. Visual ideas may be adopted and then dropped not long after, e.g. costumes, set
designs, etc. Locations may be considered and discounted and it allows for collaboration
and weighing up of pros and cons into each idea.

6. THE PURPOSE OF PRE-PRODUCTION:
As well as assisting in the success of a project, a robust Pre-Production had some specific
practical purposes relating to legal and ethical responsibility. ‘Robust’ is where you need to
keep all paperwork on hand in case of review and inspection. One of the reasons that media
companies undertake Pre-Production work is to make sure that what they are planning to
produce adheres to the relevant codes of practice, laws and regulations that govern and
control their industry. Legal issues that you need with Pre-Production are:
- Health and Safety procedures and paperwork in place.
- Permissions in place for the use of copyright materials
- Permissions in place for the use of privately owned locations
- Permissions in place for the form of contracts for those appearing in work.
- Permissions in place stating that actors will be in your film no matter what.
Legal issues are things such as street filming. For example, permissions must be sought and
approved for filming in any public spaces- filming must be license obtained or else you can
face legal repercussions. Film productions often include a large list of cast and crew
involvement, e.g. who the cast members are, the extras, the camera workers, the lights
crew, etc. Effective Pre-Production and thorough and organised records allow sharing of
information across relevant parties effectively, to ensure all involved are efficiently working
together. Public Liability is another legal requirement which is for companies and
organisations who are involved in creative media production. But because we are learners,
the college will already have public liability insurance for our production work.
The reason you need permission from actors to use them for your filmis that in case one
day they find out where it will be going and what will be happening with it, they could try
and refuse to film anymore, but getting their permission at the beginning for Production
means that they cannot do this and don’t get too shocked if they see their face up on a sign
somewhere.
Consideration of wider guidelines/regulatory bodies:
- The BBFC is the UK’s regulator of film and video, providing age ratings to film
materials. They are a designated body and as such have legal powers to rate, and
sometimes cut or even reject works.
- All decisions are based on public consultation and our Guidelines, which form a
contract between the public and the film industry and The BBFC. They are updated
every four years following a major public consultation.
- Film productions will have target audiences/distribution platforms in mind,
therefore careful pre-production decisions may be influenced by target
audience/envisaged certificate requirements.