1. How a film is made
By Charlie Callaway

2. 1.The Idea
• A film is made by someone having inspiration. The idea can come
from anything in everyday life E.g. From a
newspaper,Magazines,Hobbies And just every day life.
• After you have and idea you need to go out and find a producer
who is willing to make the film for you.
• After you have a producer you need to get a director which will
help develop your idea into the making of the film.
• Once you have your producer and director on board you need to
get a writer who will write the script for the film.
• The writer will then write a treatment. A one page description of
the main story and characters of the film.
• You need to make a pitch which will help you to sell the project to
financial backers. Your pitch must include The Genre of the film
for example Horror such as Saw, The target market, from 18 years
old and mainly males, list of people required for the project, a
rough budget and a brief synopsis.

3. 2.Development Finance
• First thing to do is to pitch to project. Its basically when you turn the
idea into a finished script it can take a long time And a lot of money.
• If The producer can afford to she can invest money herself into the
project. If she does she will own all the rights.
• Once the script has been writing they need to take it to company and
try to persuade them to invest money in to the project but they will
ask for some of the profit that will be made.
• The producer can offer the future sales and broadcast. Theirs usually 3
main people in this “The sales Company”, “The Broadcaster” and
“The Distribution Company”
• The producer can also apply to a public funding body E.g. “Uk film
council” The uk film council operates a limited development designed
to invest into the uk film talent.
• The producer will pitch to a private investor and hopefully they will
help the project.
• If the producer has managed to get a development deal it includes an
agreement from the sales distribution and broadcast.

4. 3.Script Development
• For the writer and producer to make a good film they need to have
stuff in common and get on well because it’s a stressful job. And if
one day one has an idea they need to discuss it rather than arguing.
• When making a film you need do the step outline it contains short
written description of all the scenes that they will edit and
eventually it will make the script.
• Part of the writers fee is conditional on delivery of the first draft.
This can be the hardest part of screen writing.
• Once the producer and writer are happy the draft is sent to the
financers .All of whom will have there own ideas.
• When everyone is happy with the script. It is locked off and
becomes a final draft. Then the writer gets paid.
• The final stage of the script development process is the creation of
sales production

5. 4.Packaging
• What is packaging? Packaging is when the producer director
must now package the script into a full commercial
proposition ready for financing.
• One common way to make the project more commercial is to
attach well known stars to the script .
• Respected. Commercially successful heads of department
carry considerable clout with knowledge financers.
• To turn the film into a proper business proposition. The
producer must know how much it will actually cost to make.
• Potential investors will want to know how the producer plans
to raise the money. And how she plans to pay them back.
• The producer has packaged the film into a viable commercial
proposition now its time to see what people think of it.

6. 5.Financing
• Financers can be anywhere in the world. To secure the
investment she needs to make the film . The producer will
have to travel.
• Private individuals. Production companies and public bodies
all invest in films. The producers lawyer draws up contracts to
seal the deal.
• The producer can also raise money from “Pre sales” selling
the rights to the film before its out.
• There are departments of banks that specialise in film finance
they invest in commercial projects. And also offer also loans.
• Most financers insist on a completion bond is in place before
they agree to invest. This is insurance for the production.
• Once all the essential funding and insurance is secured. The
film gets the “Green Light” and producers get drunk ;).

7. 6.Pre-production
• Once all the heads of the department are hired. The
shooting script is circulated and pre – production begins
in the earnest.
• The casting director with the director and producer.
Begins the long process of identifying and casting the
actors.
• Story boards are the blue prints for the film. Where every
shot is planned in advance by the director and the dop.
• The production designer plans every aspect of how the
film will look. and hires people to design and build each
part.
• Effects shots are planned in much more detail than
normal shots. And can take months to design and build.
• The 1st ad, The producer and production manager make
up the key logistics triangle of the production.

8. 7.The Shoot
• This is the key moment in film production, Shooting
begins, Funding is released. And the production breaths a
Hugh sigh of relief.
• The camera department is responsible for getting all the
footage for the director and editor need to tell the story.
• Once the lighting and sound are set up and hair and make up
have been checked The “Shot” Can begin.
• In the midst in all of this commotion. The actors must create
an emotional world and draw the audience into it.
• Every special effect is carefully constructed and must be
filmed with minimum risk of injury to cast and crew.
• Film productions are run with military precision if they fall
behind schedule the financers and insurers may step in.

9. 8.Post production
• As the processed footage comes in. The editor it into
sequences and creates a narrative sequence for the film.
• Once the picture is locked. The sound department works on
the audio track laying. Creating and editing every track.
• Digital effects are added by specialist effects compositions
and titles and credits are added in composition suite.
• The final stage of the picture edit is to adjust the colour and
establish the fine aesthetic of the film.
• After picture lock. The rough sound mix goes to a dubbing
theatre where the sound mixer sets, The final levels.
• After the film cut the film reaches “Full lock”. It is now
finished and ready for duplication but who gets the final cuts?

10. 9.Sales
• To help her sell the film to distributors. The producers secure
the services of sales agent a specialist in film sales.
• To help sell the film. A trailer is made to show busy film buyers
the most marketable aspects of the film.
• The producer and the sales agent collect everything they will
need to sell the film distributors.
• The market is saturated with films. So the producer must go
to great lengths to attract attention for her product.
• A high-profile screening at one of the top film festivals can be
great for generating “Heat” around a film.
• The producer now has a hot product. And can negotiate good
deals with distribution around the world.

11. 10. Marketing
• To help her sell the film to distributions the producer secures
the services of a sales agent.
• Knowing the audience is essential. And the marketing team
• runs test screenings to see how the film is received.
• The potential audience for the film is targeted with posters.
Cinema trailers. T.V spots and other marketing materials.
• Television, radio, newspapers and magazines can all help
create a positive word-of-mouth about a film.
• The birth of digital media and the internet has flooded the
world with information. But also made niche marketing
imposable.
• In order to get the film to audiences the distributor must
negotiate a deal with the cinemas to screen it.

12. 11.Exhibition
• A high-profile. Star studded premier is used to launch the film
to the public with an explosion of media coverage.
• The uk has more than 3.500 cinema screens. Although not all
are British owned or show British films.
• Distributors supply the exhibitors with prints of the film. The
more screens the film is shown on the more prints are
needed.
• The exhibitors take their share of the box office receipts. After
which the distributors recoup there marketing costs.
• Once the distributors have been paid. the financers

13. Step 12
• Hospitality sales for hotel channels and in-flight entertainment can
bring in millions in additional revenue.
• UK audiences spend more on DVD’s than on cinema tickets so
success on DVD can compensate for box office failure.
• Televisions on the final source of revenue rights are sold separately
for pay-tv showings and terrestrial broadcast.
• Rights for computer games and other product licenses can be
extremely lucrative sources of additional revenue.
• Once the film has made a profit the producer and key creative
people can reap their rewards or so the theory goes..
• The final income from a film is never known distribution continues
in perpetuity and it may even be re-released in the future.