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Ideas

Sources of Inspiration:
- Real life events (Calendar Girls, The Pursuit Happiness)
- Re-makes of existing films (Oliver Twist, The Italian Job)
- Adaptations of a book (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter)
- Original ideas (Green Zone, Hot Fuzz)

The Producer: is the person looking for a film to make, they usually go on gut instinct.
They acquire the rights to the film. Once they have done this it’s their job to make the idea a
reality, they also need to attract good writer and director. ([Todd Black ,Jason Blumenthal,
James Lassiter, Will Smith, Steve Tisch], David Heyman and J. K. Rowling)

The Director: he can visualise what a script and make a reality, they now how to take a story
and put it on the screen. (Gabriele Muccino, Chris Columbus)

The Writer: defines and clarifies the idea. The plot and the main characters and turns it into
something tangible. (Steven Conrad, Steve Cloves)

Treatment: the writer will then write a 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 ides to financers
to commission a script.
Financing

Pitching the Project: the producer uses the treatment and pitch, plus their powers of
persuasion to get money to develop the script.

Production Companies: the producer approaches film companies for development money, but
they have projects of their own.

Sales, Distribution, Broadcast: the producer can offer the future sales and broadcast rights to
the film in return for money to develop the script.

Public Investment: the producer can also apply to a public funding body such as the UK film
council for a development grant.

Private Finance: the producer can even pitch the film to private investors. In hope that they will
then support the project.

Tying Down the Writer: the producer can even pitch the film to private investors. In hope that
they will then support the project.

Script Development
Synopsis: first, the writer produces the synopsis, then they and the producer agree, or not, on
they key scenes and the event of the film.
Step Outline: there are as many ways of writing as there are writers. But most writers create a
step by step outline of the script
Revisions: once the writer and the producer are happy, the draft is sent to the financers, all of
whom have their own ideas
Final Draft: when everyone is happy with the script, it is locked of and becomes a final draft,
then the writer gets paid.
Sales Treatment: the final stage of script development process is the creation of a sales
treatment to help sell the film
Packaging

What it packaging: the producer and the director must now package the script into a full
commercial proposition, ready for financing.

The cast: one common way to make the project more commercial is to attach well known stars
to the script

The heads of department: respected, commercially successful heads of department carry

considerable clout with knowledgeable financiers
- The director of photography: responsible for giving the film it distinctive look
- The production designer: designs all the sets and the objects seen in the film, if the
director get a good one on board potential fanciers will be assured the film will look
‘right’
- The editor: a top one can transform the film and like the production designer a good
one will help potential investors to finance the film

Detailed budget and production schedule: to turn the film into a proper business proposition,
the producers must know hoe much it will actually cost to make.
- The line producer: before she can pitch for funding the line producer must needs to
know how much time and money the film is going to take, their main responsibilities is
to supervise the financial side of the film.
- Budget: a huge itemised document that explains what will be spent on what out of the
budget.
- Schedule: a document that explains how long it will take to shoot each item and when
it is going to happen.

Financial plan and recoupment schedule: potential investors want to know how the producers
plan to raise their money back, and how they plan to pay them back.
- Financial Plan: produces plan on how to raise money
- Recoupment schedule: estimate in how the film will make money

The complete package: the producer has packaged the film into a viable commercial
proposition, now its time to see what people think of it.
Financing

The market: financers can be anywhere in the world, to insure the investment they need to
make the film, the producer must travel

Investment: private individuals, production companies and public bodies all invest in films , the
producers lawyer draws up a contract to seal the deal

Pre sales: the producer can also make money by selling the rights to film before it has even
been made
- The broadcaster: they will have the right to play the film on tv after it has been played
in cinemas and had a little time in rental.
- The distributor: after the film has been made they will have first refusal to show the
film in the cinemas, retailers, rental companies and broadcasters.
- The sales company: after providing finance they will want the right to sell the film to
distribution companies

Banks and cap funding: there are departments in banks that focus on film finance they invest in
commercial projects and also offer loans

Green light: once all the essential funding and insurance is secured the film get the green light.
Pre-production

The kick off meeting: once all the heads of department have been hired, the shooting script is
circulated and pre-production begins in earnest.
- The casting director
- The editor
- The head of sound
- The director of photography
- The production designer
- The 1st ad (responsible for keeping the film on schedule)
- The line producer

Casting: the casting director, with the director and producer begin the long process of
identifying and casting the actors

Storyboarding: the story boards are the blue print for the film, where every shot is planned in
advance by the director and the DOP
- The director
- The storyboard artist: draws each key scene the way it will eventually be filmed
- The director or photography

Production design: the production designer plans every aspect of how the film will look, and
hires people to design and build each part
- The set model: made so that everyone knows how the real thing should look
- The art director: takes the designs and creates every part of how the film will look
- The location manager
- The construction manager: oversees all the building of the sets
- The costume designer

Special effects planning: effects shots are planned in much more detail than normal ones and
can take months to design and build
- The visual effects supervisor
- Special physical effects

The production unit: the 1st ad the line producer and the production manager make up the key
logistics triangle of the production
The Shoot

1st Day of Principle Photography: this is the key moment in the film production, shooting begins,
and funding is released.
- The production office
- The caterers
- The 2nd ad: tells other stars that are required on set in an hour before they are needed
- Health and safety
- The insurers
- The producer
- The gaffer: sorts out the electrical
- The construction team
- The stars
- The sound team
- The 3rd ad: briefs extras
- The camera team
- The property manager
- The unit still photographer: takes photos for marketing purposes
- The director / 1st ad

Camera: the camera department is responsible for getting all the getting all the footage that the
director and editor need to tell the story
- The director of photography
- The camera operator
- The grip: makes sure the equipment runs smoothly
- The focus puller: keeps the frame in focus
- The clapper loader: takes unexposed film form its canister and puts it in its magazine

Lighting and sound: once the lighting and sound are set up and the hair and make-up have been
checked, the shot can begin

Acting: in the midst of all the commotion, the actors must create an emotional world and draw
the audience into it

Special physical effects: every special effect is carefully constructed and must be filmed with
minimum risk of injury to cast and crew
- Special effects supervisor
- The stunt people
- Health and safety
- The visual effects supervisor

Chain of command: film productions are run with military precision if they fall behind schedule,
the financiers and industry may step in
- Runners
- The assistant directors
- The line producer
Post Production

Rough cut: as the processed footage comes in, the editor assembles it into scenes and creates
a narrative sequence for the film
- The assistant editor
- The rushes
- The negatives
- The editor

Post production sound: once the picture is locked, the sound department works on the audio
track laying, creating and editing every sound
- The foley artist: creates the added noises for special effects
- ADR: automated dialog recording
- The sound editor
- Music

Digital effects and titles: digital effects are added by the special effects team, and titles and
credits are added in to compositing suite
- Supervising post production
- The credits
- Digital effects

Grade and colour: the final stage of the picture edit is to adjust the colour and establish the
fine aesthetics of the film
- The telecine operator

Final mix: after picture lock, the rough sound goes for a dubbing theatre where the sound
mixer sets the final levels
- The sound mixer
- The broadcast mix
- The final mix
- The Dolby 5.1 mix

Final cut: after the final cut the film reaches full lock, it is now finished and ready for
duplication, but who gets the final cut?
- The producer
- The director
Sales

Selling the product: to help the film sell to the distributors, the producer secures the services of
a sales agent, a specialist in film sales
- The producer
- The sales agent

The trailer: to help sell the film a trailer is made to show busy film buyers the most marketable
aspects of the film

Sales toolkit: the producer and the sales agent collect everything they will need to sell the film
to the distributors
- The sales pack
- The sales report
- The trailer

Taking the film to the market: the market Is saturated with films, so the producer must go to
great lengths to attract attention to the product
- The competition
- The film buyer

Screenings: a high-profile screening at one of the top film festivals can be great for generating
‘heat’ around the film

Deals: the producer now has a hot product and can negotiate good deals with distributors
around the world

Marketing

The marketing team: to help sell the film to distributors, the producer secures the services of a
sales agent. A specialist in film.
- The marketing team
- Marketing methods

The audience: knowing the audience is essential and the marketing team runs test screenings to
see how the film is received

Advertising: the potential audience for the film is targeted with posters, cinema trailers. Tv
spots and other marketing materials
- Above the line marketing
- Below the line marketing

Press and media coverage: television, radio, newspaper and magazines can all help create
positive word-of-mouth for the film.

The internet and new marketing models: the birth of digital media and the internet has flooded
the world with information but also made niche marketing possible.

Selling the film to exhibitors: in order to get the film to audiences, the distributor must
negotiate a deal with the cinema to screen it.
Exhibition:

The premiere: a high profile, star studded premiere is used to launch the film to the public with
an explosion of media carnage

UK cinemas: the UK has more than 3,500 cinema screens although not all are British owned or
shot British films

Prints and logistics: distributors supply the exhibitioners with prints of the film, the more
screens the more the film is shown on, the more prints are needed

Box office performance: distributors supply the exhibitioners with prints of the film, the more
screens the more the film is shown on, the more prints are needed

Revenues: the exhibitioners take their share of the box office receipts, after which the
distributors recoup their marketing costs

Recoupment: once the distributors have been paid the financiers can recover their investments
as laid out in the recoupment schedule

Other windows

Hospitality: hospitality sales for hotels and inflight entertainment can bring millions in additional
revenue

DVD and video: uk audiences spend more money on DVD’s than on cinema tickets, so success
on DVD can compensate for box office failure

Broadcast: television is the final source of revenue, rights are sold separately for pay-tv
showings and terrestrial broadcast

The game of the film: rights for computer games and other product licenses can be extremely
lucrative sources of additional revenue

Profit: once the film has been made a profit, the producer and key creative people can reap
their rewards or so the theory goes

The end: the final income from a film is never known distribution continues in perpetuity and it
may even be re-released in the future.

Finish