FILM PRODUCTION (Part 1)

Production Phases
There are three phases of production common to most professionally produced motion pictures. These are:
• Preproduction phase
• Production phase
• Postproduction phase
• In general, the preproduction phase encompasses all aspects of preparation that are performed before the camera starts to roll. Some aspects of preproduction include:
• Storyboarding
• Screenwriting
• Funding
• Assembling a crew
• Casting
• Costume Design
• Location Scouting
• Set Design
• Properties (“props”)
• Scheduling
 Screenplay/Script: The screenplay supplies the general plan for the production of a film. There are two types:

• The “spec” script
• The “shooting” script
Preproduction Phase
 The “Spec” (Speculation) Script is the version of a screenplay that writers distribute to producers in the hope that it will be “optioned” (i.e. considered for production). It primarily contains:
• Slug-Line (brief description of the setting, e.g. “INT. ROOM – DAY” which means the interior of a room during the day)
• Business (descriptions of characters/action)
• Dialog (the lines intended to be spoken by the actors)
 The Shooting Script is a much more detailed version of the spec script that includes numbered scenes, specific camera angles and other technical information. An example of a page from a shooting script (from the film Pieces by Andrew Halasz shot here at William Paterson) can be seen on the next slide.
 Writing a screenplay and analyzing a film narrative require an awareness of similar concepts:
• Character
• Conflict
• Action
• Story
• Plot
 Character
• Agent of physical and social action
• Subject to physical and social action
• Subject to needs and desires
• Subject to social norms, mores, and laws
 In an instructional book on screenwriting, Syd Field (1979) divides character into interior and exterior aspects. Viewers of a film don’t have access to the character’s interior life and so it must be expressed in the exterior life through actions taken in professional, personal, and private contexts. One pursuit of narrative analysis is the interpretation of character motives based on action.
 Conflict
• The source of narrative conflict is the needs and desires of the character when they are met with oppositional forces. There are three basic types of narrative conflict:
 Character versus Nature (i.e. the physical world)
 Character versus Character
 Character versus Self
 Action
• In a film narrative, a character is expressed through his/her actions in responding to a conflict. Two overlapping types of character action are:
 Social Action (e.g. dialog, communicative behavior)
 Physical Action (e.g. stunts, athletic behavior)

 Storyboarding: A storyboard is a series of drawings intended to represent how the film will be shot, including how each frame will be composed and how subject and camera motion will occur.
• The storyboard articulates the mise-en-scene of the film.
• Mise-en-scene: All of the elements that compose the shot.
 Funding: Films are generally expensive to produce. Even small independent productions with unknown actors can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Because of the level of investment involved, most films rely on either production companies (“Hollywood” films) or independent investors (“Independent” films).
 Assembling a Crew: A crew is the group of workers on a film set who are responsible for facilitating production (as opposed to acting). Although large productions may employ many crew members in many different departments, there are only a few basic positions which are detailed later in the production phase.
 Casting: Choosing actors to play roles.
 Costume Design: Choosing or designing the clothing/costumes that the actors wear.
 Location Scouting: Choosing the locations where the film will be shot.
 Set Design: Constructing sets where the film will be shot.
 Properties (“Props”): Choosing the tools and objects used in the film.
 Scheduling: Coordinating all aspects necessary to the production.
 The production phase refers to the period of time when the film is actually being shot. Some aspects of production include:
• Direction
• Camera operation
• Lighting
• Sound recording
• Acting