If you plan on making your first movie, there are a few things you will need to know about the process. You’ve probably already heard about the terms film pre-production and post-production, and you might have a rough idea of what these stages are.
Out of these three stages, pre-production is one of the most important ones in film creation as it sets the foundations for all future activities.
That’s why in this article, we’re going to teach you what pre-production is and break it down in detail. You will learn everything from how to complete pre-production tasks successfully to how to save both time and money in the process
What Is Pre-Production in Film?
Pre-production is everything that happens before shooting. This process can be quite complex and can sometimes take years to finish. Before you even start filming, the directors need to ensure they have the budget, plan for the shooting locations, hire actors, crew, and so much more. All of that and more falls under pre-production.
Since pre-production is mostly a planning process, you can spend quite some time on this stage. Although you won’t be spending a lot of money during this time, you should take your time to optimize the filmmaking process to the fullest to save funds down the line.
What Is Included in Pre-Production?
Understanding the process and everything included will show you why movies spend so much time in this phase. At the same time, proper planning can improve the quality of the production phase and help you avoid having to re-do scenes later on.
1. Story
The first step in pre-production for films is to complete the story. Many studios make the mistake of beginning filming before wrapping up the plot. That leaves too many moving parts that can affect both pre-production and production.
Polish your script before even thinking about moving on to other stages. The script is by far the most important part of film pre-production and can make or break your movie. So take your time with it.
Your goal is to ensure everything works within the story, and that you dedicate enough time for reviews and rewrites.
2. Costumes and Design
To make the world you’ve imagined feel real, you must invest time and budget into costumes and set design. The costumes you will be using will depend on the genre and the type of movie you are making.
For example, science fiction movies often require futuristic sets, aliens, and clothing you won’t see in a historical drama. That means the next step will be to hire costume designers to make your idea a reality.
You should also plan how much of the scenery should be CGI and for how many you’ll need props. Once you have everything planned out, it’s time to allocate the budget.
3. Allocating Budget
If you ask any director out there what their number-one problem is, they’ll likely say it’s their budget. Regardless of whether you’re working on a multi-million dollar motion picture or on an indie project with a shoestring budget — you’ll always want to do more. That’s why you need to make peace with reality and realize you’ll need to make compromises.
During pre-production, you will weigh your options and set priorities. Now’s the time to allocate how much you can spend on each phase. Doing so will allow you to hire certain actors, allocate funds for CGI, improve video quality in post-production, and more.
This step in film pre-production is also when you will be looking for producers and investors. Ensure you present your ideas as clearly as possible when doing so. After all, if you can’t sell your film to investors, how are you going to sell it to your audience?
4. Crew
Assuming you are not a one-man army, you will need to hire a crew. You may need some roles right from the start, while others can wait until later. For instance, one of your first hires should be a producer, followed by a production manager and assistant director.
If you are not a director, then you will need one as well. As the project continues moving through pre-production, you will be able to plan roles you’ll need in the future.
You will also likely need a camera crew, costume designers, makeup artists, stunt doubles, casting directors, and others. There are so many roles to fill, and you can sort them into different categories. These include:
- AD department — The assistant director’s team will focus on coordination and ensuring the director’s vision remains the center goal.
- Art department — The art department is in charge of making visual elements such as movie sets, props, decorations, and others.
- Camera department — The entire team that works behind the camera such as camera operators, digital imaging technicians, the assistant cameraperson, etc.
- Electric department — Light technicians, generator operators, gaffers, and similar are all part of the electric department.
- Grip department — The grip department is in charge of silks, flags, reflectors, dollies, and more.
- Hair and makeup — Hair and makeup artists are essential to bring characters to light and make them look incredible.
- Costume department — The costume department will have to create multiple costumes that actors will wear during shooting.
- Sound department — It is essential to capture audio on the set, and the sound department will be in charge of everything from operating the boom to handling cables.
- Catering — Filming can be exhausting, so it’s essential you keep the cast and crew hydrated and well-fed.
- Stunt department — If you are filming potentially dangerous scenes, you will need a stunt department and medics.
- Production — Line producers, unit production managers, coordinators, accountants, and personal assistants are all part of the production department.
The specific roles and departments you’ll need to hire for will depend on the movie. Sometimes you’ll need most of them, while at others you can get away with just a few.
5. Preparation for Shooting
Once you are satisfied with your script, have a crew ready to start the process, and you’ve managed to fund the project, you can move to the next stage — preparation for shooting.
There are three main stages in this step:
- Casting
- Scouting locations
- Getting equipment
The casting director will be in charge of finding the right actors, but it is not rare for the director to provide input as well. As for the locations, it is mostly based on how much time you will be spending outside. If you plan on doing an entire movie in the studio, the process will be simpler. However, that is not a common practice.
And of course, you will need equipment to make the movie as well. Fortunately, you can rent all the necessary equipment if you don’t want to invest even more. Keep in mind that movies can be rather expensive, and that can save a lot of money.
6. Final Touches
All that’s left to do now is ensure everything is in order. You can also go a step further here and create storyboards or list all the shots needed during the production phase.
You should also create a schedule your team can follow, which will give you a rough idea of how long production will take. Needless to say, you can never predict what can happen along the way, but the more time you spend in the planning phase, the easier it will be to avoid issues when the shooting starts.
Once the schedule is ready and everyone is on board with the project, you can start making your movie.
What’s Next?
Keep in mind that the pre-production phase is still not the final step of the process, and you will need to go through production and post-production as well. After you’ve finished with preparations, you can start filming your idea.
The filming will usually last between 30 and 120 days, and you will get all the scenes for the movie. After that, you will have to focus on post-production. This stage is the longest part of the process, and it can take over a year to finish depending on the genre and amount of work you and your team will need to complete.
Post-production includes everything from color grading to ADR and special effects. It will take multiple teams to finish it, and it is one of the most demanding processes for any movie.
Although pre-production for films can take a long time, post-production is one of the primary reasons movies take so long to make. Unless you work with a team of seasoned experts, that is.
Want to Outsource Post-Production? We’ve Got You Covered!
If you are interested in streamlining the post-production part of the job, Force Media is here to help! Our team has years of experience working with all elements of post-production and would love to help make your movie shine! There is no reason for you to go through it alone.
Our experts can take care of your entire video post-production workflow, including:
- Video editing
- Audio post-production
- Voice overs
- Music creation
- Sound design
- And more…
You don’t need to worry about hiring each individual member of the team because we already have a team of experts waiting to start polishing your project. And we have over a decade of experience in the field.
Get in touch with us today and tell us more about your next film. We’d love to have a chat and help you.
