The Role of Film Pre-Production – Stages Of Pre-Production Process
Pre-production in film. It’s easy to work out what the words actually mean. If “production” refers to the actual shooting of the movie, the pre-production meaning is just anything that comes before that. However, this doesn’t offer us a great deal of explanation.
We know that this comes before the cameras roll, but what are the pre-production steps that need to go into making a movie to ensure that everything goes to plan? Is it really that crucial?
What is Pre-Production?
Pre-production tasks in film or video production include writing the script, selecting locations, casting actors, and scouting shooting locations. It is a critical stage of the production process because it lays the groundwork for all subsequent work in production and post-production.
Pre-production ensures that the project stays on track, on budget, and meets the quality standards that have been established.
The Pre-Production Phase Explained
Whether we are talking about a full-scale movie pre-production or a simple commercial, there are usually steps that should be taken before you get to the point of rolling cameras.
Let’s look at some of the steps that classify this phase of filmmaking.
Strategy:
It starts with a plan. Before anyone even thinks about starting work on the actual visual aspect of a film, the concept and strategy should be mapped out.
A strategy is all about how you are going to convey a message and get this across in a powerful way. Working with our Saudi Arabia film production agency, you can ensure you have a helping hand through every aspect of creating your visual masterpiece, whether you want to shoot in the stunning deserts, historical sites of interest, or modern media centers of Saudi Arabia.
Concept:
The concept is a part of pre production planning where the general skeletal plan of your production starts to take shape. How you’re going to get your message across, and what the film is going to look like. When is it set? How long will it be?
As with many aspects of the pre-production process, things may change as your ideas evolve, but the concept is likely to stay more or less the same. By the end of the concept phase, you should be able to clearly communicate details about your film.
Script:
We all know how powerful words are, and this is why it is truly crucial that they are perfectly planned. The script may come before other movies pre-production in the case of big blockbusters, but in many pre-production examples, the film studio takes this on to help create the best brand message and properly portray the image you want to. For instance, in a commercial campaign.
Without scripting, the production phase will descend into chaos.
Storyboarding:
Storyboarding starts to introduce a visual aspect and a plan for the scenes of the film. Where will actors, props, and backgrounds be? Storyboards are a crucial part of the pre production phase as they provide a framework for everyone to work to when the time comes to start the cameras and produce something stunning and mesmeric. This is where creative agencies really come into their own.
Production Design:
The role of a production designer can also be a big part of the pre-production of movies, as they start to plan the sets, backgrounds and locations, and even props and costumes.
In a big movie or ambitious project, production design may involve a whole department of people ensuring that the whole look of the movie is on point, and building a stunning aesthetic world for the film to be shot within.
This isn’t an exhaustive list. There are other aspects of pre-production processes that may be industry-specific or depend on what type of movie you are making. For instance, some may require visual effects teams to be briefed and included from an early stage.
How Pre-Production Fits In Filmmaking:
“Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. It’s an old adage but it is certainly true in this instance.
It is no coincidence that many of the roles in film include the word “director” as it is all about steering a production in the right direction, and making sure that it is built around a vision.
All of the pre-production examples in this guide are common in the industry, but every production will also look slightly different. The knowledge, experience, and intuition to adapt while still creating a precise plan is where the best film production studios come into their own, creating a focused strategy.
Done well, pre-production can also save a lot of time and effort when it comes to both the production and post-production stages, as crew members, actors, and everyone else in the significant cast and crew should know exactly what they are doing on the day. Often, things are planned down to the tiniest detail or prop.
The whole process is meticulous, but with an experienced agency such as Insight Studios by your side, you can ensure that every stage gets the same level of detail. We get your film off on the right foot and continue that way.
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