6.

Pitch: All the information

5. The Treatment: A
the produces need to sell
idea to commissioners.
one page description
wrote by writer.
The Film making process
4. The Writer: de-
Scene 1: Idea fines and clarifies
the idea.
3. Sales, Distribution, Broad-
cast: Producer offers future
sales and broadcast rights to
1. Sources of inspiration: film in return for money to
3. The Director: A 2. The Producer: inspiration form books, develop script
Director can visu- A producer can newspapers, plays, films
alise a idea or make an idea into or conversations
script and will a reality Scene 2: Development
know how to dis-
play it. 1. Pitching the Project: the pro-
Finance
ducer uses the treatment, pitch
and persuasion to get finance. 5.Private Investment: Pro-
ducer also pitches to pri-
2. Production Companies: producer vate investors.
approaches production companies
4. Public Investment:
for development money. 6. Tying Down the
Producer also applies
for public funding grant Writer: The producer
1. Synopsis: The writer pro- 2. Step Outline: The writ- can arrange a writer.
from UK Film Council
duces a synopsis highlighting er produces a step outline
the key events in the film to plan the script.
3. Drafts: The writer must produce a first
draft of the script.

Scene 3: Script Development 4. Revisions: Once the draft is finished and the producer
agrees on it, it is sent to the financers to review.

6. Sales Treatment: The final 5. Final Draft: Changes are made to the script and then is
part of the script development finalised, then the writer gets paid.
is the sales treatment.

1. What is Packaging?: The Producer and Director

must make the script into a commercial proposition

Scene 4: Packaging
2. The Cast: They now attach more well know stars
to the script.

3. Heads of Department: Commercially successful

6. The Complete Package:
The Producer has packed
the film into a viable com-
mercial proposition.
heads of department carry considerable
5. Finance Plan and Recoup- knowledge of financiers.
ment Schedule: Potential
4. Detailed Budget and Production Schedule: This is
Investors will want to know
when the film is turned into a business proposition,
how the producer plans to
the producer must know how much it will cost.
get the money, and how they
plan to pay them back.
 1. The Market: The Producer
must travel and meet poten-
tial investors.
2. Investment: Private individuals, Pro-
duction Companies and Public Bodies all
invest in the film. The Producers Lawyer
draws up a contact 3. Pre-Sales: The Producer can make mon-
ey from selling the rights to the film before
it has been made.

Scene 5: Financing
4. Banks and Cap Funding: Some banks have depart-
ments that specialise in film finance. They invest in
6. Green Light: Once
commercial projects and also offer loans
the essential funding
and insurance is se-
cured, the film get 5. Completion Bonds: Most
the ‘Green Light’. financiers insist insurance for 1. The Kick-Off Meeting: Once the Heads of
the production is put in place Department are hired, the shooting script is
before they agree to invest. circulated and Pre-Production begins.

2. Casting: The Casting

6. The Production Unit: The 1st AD. The Director, Director and
Line Producer and the Production Man- Scene 6: Pre-Production Producer begin identi-
ager make up the logistic triangle of the fying and casting the
production. actors.

3. Storyboarding: The Storyboard,

5. Special Effects Planning: Effect 4. Production Design: The Production where every shot is planned in
Shots are planned in much more de- Designer plans every aspect of the advance by the Director and the
tail than normal shots. film and how it will look, and hires DOP is made.
people to design and build each part.

1. 1st Day Of Principal Photography: 6. Chain Of Command: The film produc-

This is the key moment in film pro- tion must be run with military precision to
duction when shooting begins. make sure they don’t fall behind schedule.

5. Special Physical Effects: Every special

Scene 7: The Shoot effect must be carefully constructed
and must be filmed without injuring
the cast or crew.

2. Camera: The Camera Department

is responsible for getting all the foot-
age the Director and Editor need.
4. Acting: The actors must create
an emotional world and draw the
3. Lighting and Sound: Once the
audience into it.
lighting, sound, setup, hair and
make-up have been checked,
the shot can begin.
 1. Rough Cut: As the processed
footage comes in, the editor has to
put it in a narrative sequence.
Scene 8: Post Production
6. Final Cut: After the
final cut the film is ready
to be duplicated.
2. Post Production Sound: Once the
picture is locked, the Sound Depart-
ment works on creating and editing
every sound. 3. Digital Effects and Titles:
Digital Effects are added by
specialist effects compositors.
4. Grade and Colour: The final
stage of picture edits is to adjust
the colour and establish the aes-
thetics of the film.
5. Final Mix: After the Picture Lock,
the rough sound mix goes to the
dubbing theatre to finalise.

1. Selling The Product: To help sell

the film to distributors they hire 2. The Trailer: To help sell the film a
a specialist in film sales trailer is made to advertise the film.

3. Sales Toolkit: The Producer and

sales agent collect everything to
Scene 9: Sales sell the film.

4. Taking the Film To Market: The Pro-

ducer must attract people to there film.
6. Deals: The director now
5. Screenings: By getting the
agrees deals with distributors
film in a top film festival it’s
around the world.
great for promotion.

1.The Marketing Team:

To help sell the film the
6. Selling the Film To Exhibitors: In order for people to see
producer gets a special-
the film, the distributor must negotiate a deal with cinemas
ist in film sales.
to screen it.

5. The Internet and New Marketing Models: The Scene 10: Marketing
internet is flooded with film advertisement.

4. Press and Media Coverage: TV, radio, 2. The Audience: The

newspapers and magazines can spread marketing team runs
the good word about the film. test screenings to see
how the film is received.
3. Advertising: Potential audi-
ence for the film is targeted
with posters, cinema trailers
and TV spots.
 1. The Premiere: A premiere with
the film stars is used to launch the 5. Revenues: The exhibitors take there cut of
film into the media the box office receipts. After that the Distribu-
tors recoup there costs.

2. UK Cinemas: The UK has more

Scene 11: Exhibition
than 3500 cinema screens 4. Box Office Performance: Data
about the film is collected and
brought together to see how well the
film has done.
3.Prints and Logistics: Distributors supply
the exhibitors with prints of the film. The 6. Recoupment: Now the
more screens the film is shown on, the financiers can recover
more prints are needed. there investments.

6. The End?: The final in-

1. Hospitality: Sales of the film to hotels and in-
come is never known since
flight entertainment can bring in millions in
it is always distributing, it
additional revenue.
may even be re-released in 5. Profit?: Once the film has
the future made a profit. The Producer
and key people take there
share of the profit.

Scene 12: Other Windows

4. The Game of the Film: Rights for

2. DVD and Video: More money is spent
on DVDs in the UK then the cinema, so
this can add to profits or compensate
for box office failure.
computer games and other product
licences are a strong source of addi-
3. Broadcast: TV is the last source
tional revenue
of revenue rights. It can be sold
separately for pay-tv showings.