Film Industry - Kat

Production

Stages involved in producing a film:

·         Make your story
·         Expand on your ideas
·         Create a storyboard for your film
·         Start to think about developing an aesthetic to be used for your film
·         Get together your crew
·         Start casting for the film
·         Create sets and scout for locations
·         Get together and test the equipment
·         Begin filming
·         Edit the film
·         Add the music and sound effects
·         Develop the title and create sequences
·         Export film onto digital format DVD
·         Make a trailer

Make your Story:

The first step is by coming up with an idea which you would like to develop into a movie. Think about the basic idea of premise.

Expand on your ideas:

Start adding onto the basic premise. Beginning, middle, Climax and the resolution. After that bulk of the story is created cut your narrative into smaller pieces.

Create a storyboard for your film:

Draw out sketches of the different shots in your film. You can do the storyboard at a micro level so planning every camera angle and shot. This process can make your film go more smoothly.

Start to think about developing an aesthetic to be used for your film:

Spend some time on the feel and look of the film. Also think about the shooting style, costume design, se design and lighting.

Get together your crew:

Get your director, who will control the overall creative aspect of your film and who will be the key liaison between your crew and cast. Cinematographer the person who will be in charge of making sure that the lighting and the filming go smoothly and decides with the director how each of the shots should be framed and shot . Casting director is the person who decides which of the actors are best for the film and is in charge of negotiating contracts and schedules.

Start casting for your film:

Some people will work for screen credits in films which are low budget. However it would be good to have actors in your film which are well known. Test their range and try and avoid the scheduling conflicts.

Create sets and scout a location:

For a filming on location you must find the place that you want and also you must make sure if it is available for your filming. If you are filming on a set you must start building and dressing them.

Get together and test equipment:

You will need a video camera and a tripod, lighting equipment and sound equipment.

Begin filming:

All decisions you make involving the film will result in the difference between a movie which looks professional or home movie.

Edit the film:

Take all the footage to the computer upload all the files and make sure to log them and identify what shots will work. Later put a rough cut together. Editing the film will affect the way your film ends up looking and feeling like.

Add the music and sound effects:

Make sure that music is parallel to what is happening in the film. Music will affect the audience’s emotions therefore they will give you a more positive view on the film.

Develop the tile and sequences:

Make sure that the names of all cast and crew are shown at the end of the film, Keep it simple.

Export film onto digital format DVD

Make a trailer:

Select pieces of the film for the promotional trailer to promote the film both online and in theatres. Don’t give away too much however use enough to catch the viewer’s interest.

Distribution

How do films get from the edit houses to the audience?

A traditional way to do this would be to get a distributer who will then sort out all the marketing and then will sort out the exhibition of the film. Or another way used for low budget films would be to self-distribute the film.

The reason distributors decide to go for a release on one weekend as opposed to another is because they have to look at the other releases for that weekend. If for instance a large film like the Avengers is being released one weekend then it is best to go on another weekend so more people will be focused on your film.

Marketing

·         Trailers online/cinema

·         Bus adds

·         Happy Meals

·         Billboards

·         Online adverts

·         Radio to promote the film

·         Adds/articles in magazines

·         Newspaper adds

Exhibition

·         Film festivals

·         Cinema

·         Online

The film value chain

Feature films usually will open first ‘theatrically’. Cinema releases have been going on for a very long time and is the most effective way in order to bestow stature on a movie and also to create demand to see the film.

However the cinema is only one link into the value chain. Once the big screen run is over films will then be released in flexible timescales in a largely growing range of different formats which consumers can choose how, when and where they watch it.