1. FILM PRODUCTION
The Five Key Stages
Of Film Production

2. The Key Stages
 Development
 Pre-production
 Production
 Post-production
 Distribution

3. DEVELOPMENT
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Finding Finance
Script development
Stars
Director
Other Key Crew
Role of the Producer

4. SECURING FINANCE
-Can be complex and very lengthy
-Must attract potential investors
-Generate confidence in film’s ability to create revenue
-Returns can be enormous
-But very risky
-The higher the film’s profile, the more likely to attract
investors
-Blockbusters attract more than low budget
-Only one in ten films make significant financial return

5. The package
 A script treatment - ten or more pages
concerning storylines, characters and
locations.
 Generic profile of film - help investors to
“place” film in marketplace (potential
audience)
 Proposed budget - rough guide to price

6. The package continued
 Visual representation of key narrative
moments
 Key personnel - stars, director, DOP, etc
 Potential spin-offs, merchandising and tieins - all its money making potential.

7. FINANCE
 100%
financing - a studio or other
backer gives 100% of the film’s budget in
return for full ownership of the film.
 Multi-party
financing - the independent
producer typically raises finance from a
host of sources.

8. EXERCISE
Titanic
$200,000,000
Spiderman 2
$200,000,000
Waterworld
$175,000,000
The,Wild,Wild West
$175,000,000
Van Helsing
$170,000,000
Terminator 3
$170,000,000
Troy
$150,000,000
With a partner, look at the list of the biggest film budgets and discuss what
factors do you think helped secure such huge amounts of investment in these
films?

9. PRE-PRODUCTION
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Finalising Script
Scheduling
Budgeting
Casting
Crew contracts
Storyboarding
Location scouting
Equipment hire

10. PRODUCTION
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Cinematography – cinematographer & camera
crew
Production Design – Art direction and dressers
Actors – rehearse, act, shoot
Sound – Booms, mics etc

11. PRODUCTION
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Costumes, Make-up and hair
Special FX – green screens and blood
Editing
Production Team

12. POST-PRODUCTION
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Editing
Re-shoots
Sound mixing
ADR
Foley
Music
Laboratories

13. Stages (brief)
STAGES
Development
Pre-production
Production
Post-production
-ideas for the film
-legal issues (ownership/music etc)
-rights to books/plays are bought (if borrowed)
-screenplay is written
-Preparations are made for the shoot
-cast and film crew are hired
-locations are selected
-sets are built
-The raw elements for the finished film are recorded.
(filmed using cameras/mics etc)
-The film is edited
-production sound (dialogue) is concurrently (but
separately) edited
-music tracks (and songs) are composed, performed
and recorded
-if a film is sought to have a score; sound effects are
designed and recorded;
-any other computer-graphic 'visual' effects are
digitally added, all sound elements are mixed into
"stems" then the stems are mixed then married to
picture

14. DISTRIBUTION
 Launching a film in the marketplace
 Distributor acquires rights to film
 Could invest in film at beginning
 Buy rights after film made
 Part of larger company and automatically
distribute film
 $60 billion global film entertainment
business

15. RELEASE CYCLES
0 months
Theatrical release
3 months
Airline
4-6 months Hotel pay-per-view
6 months
PPV/Video-on-demand
6 months
DVD rental
6-12 months DVD sale
18 months
Pay-TV (eg FilmFour, Sky)
36 months
Free-TV (eg BBC1)
Further revenues are available from soundtracks,
merchandise, sponsorship and long term library sales.

16. POSITIONING
 How and when to release a film - a crucial
decision. Want to avoid slow times or
event films. Cinema release date
important for DVD release.
 Target right audience - test screenings,
p&a campaign.

17. CIRCULATION AND RELEASE
 How many copies of film to circulate?
 Saturation 700-1000 prints
 Arthouse 20 prints
 Timing - school holidays for blockbusters,
Jan-March for potential award winners
 Competition - too many blockbusters, too
crowded

18. MARKETING
 Can cost as much as the film
 Must create the “must see” factor - word of
mouth
 Marketing mix - posters, trailers, media
ads, internet, promotions, merchandising,
premieres, press junkets, previews and
festivals

19. Key Terms
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Securing finance (funding)
Investors
Revenue
Financial return
Blockbuster
100% finance
Multi-party finance
Producer
Budget & proposed budget
financial
R
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A
Development
Pre-production
Production
Location scouting
Post-production
Distribution & distributor
Release cycle
Further revenue
Circulation & release
G