Institutional Research

First of all, there has to be an idea for a film. This can come from anywhere such as other films, real life events, adaptations of already published books or even a conversation had with a friend. The producer of the future film who will decide whether to make the initial idea into a reality. The producer will develop the idea further, and is then responsible for getting it made and released. The producer will then approach the director, who will be responsible for the creative development, such as the script, and bring them on board. A writer will then be needed so as to clarify the plot and main characters and define what will happen in the film. The writer of the film will then write a treatment for the film, which is a detailed description of the main story and characters within the film. There will then be a pitch to financiers which includes all the information about the film and possible future ideas. The financiers will decide whether to give the money to the producer to create the idea into a reality.

The producer then approaches film production companies for the development money, so that a script can be written. In return for the development money, the production company has the right to be involved in the making of the film. The producer will then offer future sales to distribution companies, broadcasters and sales companies in return for money for the script. The producer can also gain more money for the production of the film by applying to a public funding body such as the UK Film Council, which is designed to foster talent and improve quality of scripts and films around the country. The producer then perhaps pitches the idea to private investors, to gain more money for development of the script. The producer can then use the development money to tie the writer down to develop the script for the film, in return the producer will give financial benefits.

In the script development, the writer firstly writes a synopsis of the film, which will describe what the audience will see on the screen. The writer and producer will then agree on the key scenes and events that should be featured in the film. The writer will then create a a step outline of the script, which are short written descriptions of scenes that will eventually make up the whole script. This is used to plan the overall structure and pacing of the film. Part of the writer's fee is dependant on the first draft of the script given to the producer. This will include not just dialogue but also actions and events that will appear on screen. Once the writer and producer are happy on the draft script, it is then sent to the financiers, who will have their own ideas. Once everyone involved is happy with the draft script, the final version will be written and the writer will finally get paid. The final stage of the script development is the creation of the sales treatment, which is a synopsis using emotive language, designed to sell the film to potential financiers.

Once the script is complete, the director and producer must decide on how they want to film it and who they will employ to help them. Firstly, the producer and directer must package the script into a full commercial pitch, ready for financing. The producer will come up with a rough budget needed for the film to be created and will explain how they will be spending the money. The producers will then employ well known actress and actresses, a commercial asset to any film, to the crew so as to make the project more commercial. Heads of various departments, such as top editors, production designers and directors of photography are then approached with offers to join the crew. For the film to be packaged for financing, the producer must create a more accurate budget for the film and a production schedule, detailing how long it will take to shoot and finish. Potential investors will want to know how the producer plans to make the money to shoot the film, and how the producer will pay them back, otherwise they may be reluctant to contribute to the financing. Once all these tasks are completed, the producer has packaged the film into an understandable business proposition, with all the information needed for the financiers to make a decision.

The producer must then travel so that she can find suitable financiers who will offer money and aid to the creation and shooting of the film. This process is very competitive, as other producers of film will be wanting financing as well, so this is a very tough procedure of film-making. Private investors, production companies and public bodies will also invest in the film. To secure this, the producer's lawyer draws up contracts to ensure that the deals of investments are sealed. To gain more money, the producer can sell rights to the film before it as been made. Contracts must also be made between producers and pre-sales financiers. There are also departments in banks which specialise in film production, and will offer loans and will invest in commercial projects. Most financiers insist that there be a completion bond, which is insurance for the production, before they agree to invest. Once all the financing and funding has been met and insurance secured, the film can finally be made.

Once all heads of departments are hired, the final script (the shooting script) is circulated so everyone can see the final idea and pre-production begins. The casting director will need to shortlist actors for the roles needed, the editor will need to choose people required once the film is at post-production and the head of sound must hire the team of sound recordists and boom operators. The casting director, along with the producer and director begins identifying and casting actors they think suitable for various roles. An average film will have over 30 cast members. A storyboard will then be created, usually by a storyboard artist with help from the director and director of photography. The storyboard is a blueprint for the film where every shot and transaction is planned in advance to shooting. The production designer will then plan every aspect of how the film will look and hires people such as a location manager, construction manager and art director to ensure this is done to the best standards. Set models will be made so that everyone knows the the finished product will look like and so the camera team can visualise shots more clearly. Special effects are vital in a film, to add to mise-en-scene, and so effect shots are planned in much more detail than normal shots and can take months to create. The 1st assistant director, the line producer and the production manager make up the key parts in the production of the film. The production manager deals with day to day money issues and are responsible for all details. The line producer must deal with the producer and the finance. The 1st assistant director deals with the crew and makes sure they stick to the schedule and assists in hiring the rest of the staff needed.

On the 1st day of principal photography the shooting begins. This is the key moment in film production. There are normally hundreds of people involved and it is a constant struggle to stay on schedule and budget. The camera department is responsible for getting all the footage that the director and editor need to tell the story. The shot can only begin once the lighting and sound are set up correctly and once the hair and make-up have been checked. The actors also have a huge amount of responsibility to make the film a success as they have to act in front of a huge production team. The special effects have to be carefully constructed and must be filmed with minimum risk of injury to cast and crew. This is checked by the health and safety team. The film production must be run with military precision because if they fall behind with anything, the financiers and insurers may step in.

Post production usually starts during the shoot as soon as the first reels of footage and sound are available. As soon as the footage comes in the editor sorts it out into scenes and creates a narrative sequence for the film. Once the picture is locked the sound department start on the audio track laying by creating and editing every sound. The digital effects are added by specialist effects compositors and the titles and credits are added in a compositing suite. The final stage of the picture edit is adjusting the colour and establishing the fine asthetic of the film. After the picture is locked, the rough sound mix goes to a dubbing theatre where the sound mixer sets the final levels. After the final cut the film reaches 'full lock'. This means it is complete and is ready for duplication.

Whilst the film is in post production the producer is out selling it but to do this they need a distributor. To be able to sell the film to distributors the producer secures the services of a sales agent (a specialist in film sales). A trailer is shown to show the most marketable aspects of the film to the busy film buyers to help sell the film. The producer and the sales agent then collect everything they will need to successfully sell the film to distributors. The market is saturated with films which means the producer must go to great lengths to attract attention for the product. A great way to generate 'heat' around a film is to have a high-profile screening at one of the top film festivals. The producer now as a hot product and is able to negotiate deals with distributors around the world.

As the finishing touches are being made to the film, the distributors plan their strategy and begin to market it. To help the producer sell the film to distributors the producer secures the services of a sales agent. The marketing team then runs test screenings to see how the film is recieved by the target audience. The potential audience is then targeted with various marketing materials like posters, cinema trailers and TV spots. There is also media coverage on the TV, radio and in newspapers and magazines. This can all help to create a positive word-of-mouth about a film. With the Internet being so widely used, new marketing opportunities have been created and has made niche marketing possible. The distributors must negotiate a deal with the cinemas to screen their film so that they can get it to their audiences.

A cinema exhibition is still the primary channel for films to reach their audiences and box office success equals financial success. A high-profile star-studded premiere is used to launch the film to the public with an explosion of media coverage. Many people are attracted to see the film and with more than 3,500 cinema screens in the UK this is possible. The distributors supply the exhibitors with the prints of the film and the more screens that the film is shown on the more prints are needed. Depending on how popular the film is, the cinema's have the right to stop showing a film when they want. The exhibitors then take their share of the box office reciepts and then the distributors recoup their marketing costs. Once the distributors have been paid the financiers can recover their investments as laid out in the recoupment schedule.

If the film is successful in cinemas it becomes a sought-after product which enables it to be sold through more lucrative channels. Hospitality sales for hotel channels and in-flight entertainment can bring in millions of additional revenue. If the film fails in the box office, it can compensate its losses with the sale of DVDs. The final source of revenue rights are sold separately for paying TV shows and terrestrial broadcast. Another source of additional revenue is in computer games and other product licenses which can be extremely lucrative. Once the film has made a profit, the producer and key creative people can claim their rewards. The final income from a film is never known as distribution will always continue and it may even be released in the future.

By Mandy and Tally