Film production

Film production

1 PRESENTATION

Film production is all activities related to filming a movie.

The actors that appear on the screen are only part of a movie, and most of the production is on the other side of the camera. Hundreds of people may be involved in the production of a film, the exact number depending on the size of production and available financial resources. The following description of the different agents of production applies mainly to feature films.

Among those who have the most important role behind the camera are the producer, the screenwriter, the director, the production director, the assistant director, the director of photography, the casting director, the editors, the sound operators, the composer of the film's music and the decorators.

2 THE PRODUCER

The producer is responsible for transforming an idea into a film by financing the project, bringing together different talents and negotiating the distribution of the finished product. When capital comes from independent investors who form a sponsorship, the producer often has the role of principal partner. In the United States, the studio that finances the film designates a representative, called the executive producer. In France, the project promoter, who is the film's economic and legal manager, is also responsible for the negotiation of broadcasting rights.

3 THE SCENARIST

The function of the writers varies enormously from one film to another. A screenwriter can be asked to develop an idea or adapt a novel, play or musical to the screen. The first step in writing a scenario is usually to outline the action or plot in one or two pages. This step is followed by a "treatment", that is to say, a detailed description of the film that usually contains dialogues, the outline of the scenes and the place of the secondary intrigues. After approval, the scriptwriter can develop dialogues and actions. Sometimes scenarios also indicate camera movements and editing; however, these are generally considered to be areas of the director's responsibility. Unlike a play, a scenario is usually purchased in its entirety, so producers can fully dispose of it.

4 THE DIRECTOR

The director is the key character in the filming of a film. He leads the technical team and the actors. The director exercises artistic control at all stages, from the script to the last shot of the film. The director is usually chosen by the producer. In the context of European auteur cinema, he is often the author of the script and sometimes even participates in the production.

5 THE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

The producer is responsible for establishing a schedule and selecting team members, obtaining authorizations from various authorities for outdoor shootings, and monitoring the purchase of goods and services required for filming.

6 THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Several assistant directors can be engaged in the shooting of a film, according to the budget and the complexity of the production. The first assistant director verifies that the production schedule is respected and is responsible for the daily shooting program.

7 THE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

The director of photography works closely with the director and translates the director's sensitivity in terms of light and the technical and artistic quality of the image. Specialized master operators can be hired for special effects or for the special shots required by the plot (underwater views, mountaineering, wildlife photography, etc.).

8. THE CASTING DIRECTOR

In charge of choosing the actors of a film, the casting directors do not usually intervene in the recruitment of the principal actors but recruit the secondary actors, external personalities for punctual interventions and the extras.

  9. THE MONITORS

Since a film is an assemblage of hundreds of shots, the arrangement of these shots into a rhythmic, fluid and harmonious set is a very specific technique. This arrangement is the job of the editors, who, in the case of large productions, supervise a team of specialists in the cutting and editing of the soundtrack and negatives. The editor begins by synchronizing the film with the soundtrack and viewing the film sequences (also called rushes) for the director and the main members of the team. At the end of the shoot, post-production begins. At this point, the editor has all the elements and, if necessary, the editor is re-recording the actors in a studio. This is the post-synchronization, or ADR (automated dialogue replacement), previously called looping. One of the final steps is to prepare and mix the various soundtracks on a magnetic master film that will contain the dialogues, music and sound effects that will be synchronized during the printing.

  10. THE COMPOSER

The composer creates the music of the film that accompanies the sound effects, the dialogues or simply the images. He works with the director and the editor in keeping with the dramatic content of the scenes. Movie music can create a mood and convey emotions in seconds. It can, for example, be used to identify a character even if it does not appear on the screen. The music can also serve as a bridge between two scenes. The soundtrack can also integrate already recorded music existing independently of the film.

  11. THE DECORATORS

From the early days of filmmaking, filmmakers have used miniature platters to stage difficult special effects and to create imaginary places. Here we see technicians set up a miniature house in front of a painted landscape. They direct a fan towards the stage so that the flag flutters in the wind, to make the scene more realistic.

 Makeup session

In the movies, makeup plays an important role in the preparation of actors before shooting. It is crucial for science-fiction movies, where extraterrestrial creatures abound. In this photo, we can see makeup artists preparing one of the actors of Star Trek IV (1986).

The decorators take care of everything that concerns the set-up of the set, up to the light and makeup. The design of the sets and their construction, the choice of certain places of shooting is traditionally under the responsibility of a chief-decorator closely associated with the approach of the director. For important productions, an artistic director deals with all the visual aspects; more and more often, a "production designer" is given responsibility for all the artistic aspects of filming.

  12. FILM DISTRIBUTION AND ANNEX MARKETS

Distributors purchase film rights from the producer, promote the film and distribute the film copies to cinemas around the world. They organize the broadcasting modalities on television and on cable channels and distribute video cassettes. Depending on the case, the indoor distributor and the audiovisual broadcaster belong to the same group or not. These tasks may be outsourced by specialized distributors in foreign markets or in a particular market. For this service, the producer allocates a variable percentage to the distributor and the distributor deducts from the producer's share the costs of editing the film's copies, advertising, and promotion. Producers can also ensure the control of ancillary or derivative products (publications and various articles such as toys or video games), as well as the musical rights related to the film.