Film Production

Internet...

Film production is a three step process: (1) PreProduction (Developing the script), (2) Production (Shooting the script) and (3) PostProduction (Editing the film and adding the sound tracks).

1. How does the format of a screen play differ from that of a stage play?

A screen play is a cross between a novel and a play. It contains....

1. A description of the scene (INT. EXT.), time of day (NIGHT, DAY) and action,
2. A description of the composition (LONG SHOT, CLOSE-UP, POV),
3. The dialogue spoken by the characters, and
4. An indication of how the scenes are joined (DISSOLVE, FADE OUT).

Link to an exerpt (Scene 11) from Lawrence Kasdan's 1979 screen play for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). The script is based on a "story" developed by producer George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Following the cutting from the script is the same scene as it appeared in Campbell Black's 1981 tie-in book.

2. Who owns the rights to a screen play, the writer or the producer/studio?

The studio or production company.

3. Briefly outline how a screen play may evolve from an idea to a shooting script.

A film script evolves in a three step process. (1) The writer begins with an idea or concept. It is (2) fleshed out in an adaption (or story), a narrative describing how the concept will be adapted to the screen. The final step is (3) the actual development of the screen play or shooting script. Each step my be developed by a different writer.

4. Why are many films based on adaption of well known plays or novels?

Film production is an extremely expensive operation. Most producers would prefer investing their money in a property with a proven track record: a book: The Client (1994), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Gone with the Wind (1939) -- a play : A Few Good Men (1992), Inherit the Wind (1960) -- a television series: Maverick (1994), The Fugitive (1993) -- the remake of a movie: King Kong (2005), Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Flight of the Pheonix (2004) -- for example. All films are linked to their Internet Movie Database entry.

5. Why are few screen plays published?

Most publishers do not believe the general public can read and understand a film script. Crown Publishers in New York have printed two collections, edited by Sam Thomas, of the Best American ScreenPlays. Some scripts are also available on the Web. Drew's Script-O-Rama is probably the most complete archive on the Internet.

6. What is a tie-in book?

A novel based on the screen play.

     What is its function?

To create excitement about the movie. Normally the tie- in book hits the market about the same time the film opens in "a theatre near you." The idea is, after you have seen the film, you will go out and buy the book. Because the tie-in book is being written at the approximately the same time as the film is being shot, scenes which have been left on the cutting room floor are often still in the novel.

7. What are the major production responsibilities of the director,

Set up the visual composition of each scene, as well as stage the action of the film...

     the director of photography,

The Director of Photography or Cinematographer puts the director's composition on film...

     the film editor?

Piece the numerous shots together to create scenes. The editor is guided by the screen play and the director's notes.

8. What is a storyboard? How is it used in the film making process?

The storyboard is a series of drawings illustrating the shots outlined by the writer in the screen play. It is a communication link between the writer, director and cinematographer. Bones (2001) Storyboards by Marc Vena In the images on the left, the COP enters the building (top), and the camera PANs with him as he moves to the stairs (middle) and climbs to the second floor (bottom). Note the shape of the drawings -- Bones was a "scoped" film.

9. Why are films not shot in chronological order?

All films are shot out of sequence because it is more efficient (cheaper). Normally, all scenes set in one location are shot before the production company moves to the next location. The first scenes filmed for James Cameron's Titanic were those staged in the North Atlantic: the underwater shots of the decaying bow of the actual RMS Titanic, and the scenes with Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) and Old Rose (Gloria Stuart) on the Russian research ship: Keldysh. The next month, September 1996, the company began principle photgraphy at the Fox Baja Studios.

The first scenes shot [at Fox Baja] were in Rose and Cal's suite -- Rose unpacking her French impressionist paintings. Two days later. DiCaprio arrived on the set and for his first day of filming was charged with the formidable task of sketching Winslet's voluptuous form. She disrobed and posed -- impudent, like Manet's Olympia -- on an Empire devan. "Like Cleopatra" reads Cameron's script. (Paula Parisi. Titanic and the Making of James Cameron. pg. 117-118)

10. What is an establishing shot?

A long shot, usually an exterior, which establishs a scene's location.

     A master shot?

A non-committal (no center-of-interest) medium shot of the entire scene.

     An over-the-shoulder shot?

A form of close up where character A (the center-of- interest) is seen over character B's shoulder.

11. How many setups could be used to shoot a simple two character dialogue scene?

Five. A master shot, two over-the-shoulder shots, and two individual close-ups. There will probably be multiple takes of each setup. A simple two page dialogue scene, which will probably run two minutes on screen, may produce 3000 feet (33 minutes) of exposed film. Sixteen takes should produce adequate coverage for the editor.

12. What is coverage?

Coverage refers to the number of different setups used to film a scene. The more coverage, the more film exposed, the more choices the editor has in assembling the final cut.

     What is a continuity error?

Because the same scene is filmed more than once, there are often subtle differences between shots. A wine glass may be full in one take, and half empty when the scene is reshot from a different angle. When the editor cuts between these two takes, the level of the wine in the glass will magically rise and fall. This difference between these shots is a continuity error.

13. What is a process shot?

Both a process and a matt shot are forms of special visual effects (SFX). In a process shot, the actor performs in front of a blue (or green) screen. The scene's location is added during post production. Most scenes set in a moving vehicle (such as a cab) are process shots. Below is an establishing shot created by Matte World Digital for Soldier (1998).

The scene as shot on the sound stage. Note the blue screen back drop.

The scene as it appeared on screen after the background was added in post production.

     A matt shot?

A matt shot combines, through the magic of photography, a live actor and a painted enviornment to create a scene which does not exist. Today, the painting is usually done on a computer screen. Below is a composite long shot created by Matte World Digital for The Truman Show(1998).

The original scene as shot on the "back lot" of the studio.

The scene as it appeared on the screen. The matte artist has added the upper stories to the buildings in Truman's home town of Seahaven.

Also note the difference in the shape of the frame between Soldier and The Truman Show. Soldier was "scoped" and The Truman Show was shot flat.

     Why are they used?

Because they are less expensive.

14. How many weeks is a "typical" feature film in production?

Eight weeks. 48 days. The higher the budget, the more time can be spent in shooting the film. Roger Corman, the king of the low budget movie, shot the original The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) on a borrowed set in one weekend (2 1/2 days). The production budget of an "average" film in 2006 was $ 100 million. This includes $65.8 million in negative costs and $34.5 million for marketing. The production budget for John Cameron's Titanic (1997), which had a 6 month (163 day) shoot, was reported to have been 200 million dollars, making it in 1997, Hollywood's most expensive movie. (The cost in 2007 dollars would be nearly $ 260 million.) Cameron exposed 1.3 million feet of film (240 hours and 45 minutes) which was edited down to 3 hours, 14 minutes.

     How long does it take to shoot an hour long television action-adventure show?

Six to 8 days. A day normally begins at 6am and runs 11 to 13 hour long. It takes between 60 and 96 hours to produce 45 minutes of program content (for a 60 minute television show). To stay on budget, a movie company must complete approximately 2 1/2 minutes of film per day and a television production company must shoot between 5 and 7 minutes of film per day.

15. What does the film editor do?

The film editor takes the individual shots and assembles them into the scenes which will make up the final cut of the film. Up until the 1990's the film editor, often working with the director, usually cut and assembled the work print on a Moviola flatbed editing desk.

Michael Chaskes cutting a film on a 16mm Moviola flatbed.

Today the images on the film stock are transfered to videotape or DVD by the film lab, digitized and loaded onto the hard drive of a computer. The editor, using a software program such as Avid Film Composer, instead of physically cutting the film, electronically cuts and assembles the film on the screen of a computer monitor.

Michael Chaskes cuts a film on a computer.

Once the final cut has been assembled, it can be output to video tape or DVD for distribution to the electronic media: television, cable, direct-to-video and Digital Cinema. For a theatrical film release, the editing software will produce a "cut list" which will be used by the negative cutter in the film lab. The cut and assembled negative will be used to make the exhibition prints which will be distributed to the local theatres.

Michael Chaskes, a Los Angeles-based freelance film editor, believes that the editor is more than a "craftsman."

The actual acts of operating a flatbed and cutting and splicing a workprint can be mastered by anyone in very little time. Even non-linear cutting on a computer requires fairly minimal training.

It's the actual decision-making of cutting that's hard: for instance, how to turn 1,000' (or more) of raw coverage into a 100' scene that delivers the maximum emotional and storytelling impact that the material is capable of. It's not just cutting by numbers--"the long shot, then the over-the-shoulders, then the close-ups." It's a creative process. Maybe you play the whole thing in the master shot. Or the whole thing in a series of close-ups. Or maybe you cut together any number of angles in any number of ways. It's a process requiring intense creativity, and the editor is the first person to tackle it. (Copyright © 1996 by Michael Chaskes)

     How long does it normally take him to cut a film?

Six months. Although editing is considered part of Post Production, the film editor traditionally begins work at the beginning of the Production phase. Footage shot on Monday, will be developed and printed that night, and delivered to the editor on Tuesday. A rough cut of that sequence may be available for the director's screening on Wednesday. Usually the rough cut of the entire film will be available six weeks after principle photography wraps. It may take an additional 6 to 8 weeks for the producer, director and editor to create the final cut.

Typically it takes two to three weeks to edit a one hour, action-adventure TV show such as Law and Order or CSI.

16. Why is the music composed after the film has been shot and edited?

The music is composed to fit the final cut of the film. Often the director and editor will create a temp score with music from various albums, both classical and pop (or rock, or country), and cuts from pre-existing film soundtracks. This score is designed to give a sense of the film's musical possibilities. Most composers ignore this temp score when they begin writing.

17. Which sound tracks are recorded during the filming, and which are created in post-production?

The only sound track recorded during the shooting is the dialogue track. The remainder (music, sound effects, "Foley") are created in post-production.

18. What is the Foley track?

The Foley track is the "sound effect" track which contains the sound of foot steps, clinking glasses, pouring drinks, etc.

19. What is ADR (or looping)?

ADR stands for "Automatic Dialogue Replacement." It is a technique used to replace the dialogue on the dialogue track without having to re-shoot the scene.

     Why is it used?

Because the dialogue in the scene has been re-written or because the original dialogue track was "garbled."

20. How many prints are normally produced for a major film release?

Between 250 and 3500 prints. The cost of producing one print, a little over 2 miles of film, is about $ 1,200. The cost of producing 3500 prints for a nation wide release is approximately 4.2 million.

     How does this effect distribution?

A film can only play in as many theatres (or screens) as there are prints. An "art film" which has limited distribution has fewer prints. On the other hand Hollywood released 3,500 copies of 50 First Dates in 2004 and over 7,000 prints of Godzilla in 1998.

Many major theatre chains today are part of the Digital Cinema revolution. The 35mm projector, lens and film platter is replaced with a high definition (2048x1080 or 4096x2160 pixel) video projector and computer. In Aberdeen, the "film" arrives at the theatre on an external hard drive which is plugged into the theatre's master computer. This computer then distributes the signal to the computer-projector combo in the assigned theatre. The savings on the media alone is huge. A single print costs approximately $ 1,200. A digital copy of the same film can comfortably fit on a 300 GB hard drive which costs about $70.

21. Why do some films play the larger towns and cities first?

Because the larger towns have a larger potential audience and tend to have higher ticket prices; hence a studio can make more money showing a film in Manhatten, with a $ 12.50 ticket than they can in Aberdeen with a $ 9.00 ticket.

22. Approximately how much of your ticket price stays in Aberdeen, and how much is forwarded to the distributor?

Between 10 and 65 percent of a film's box office gross stays in the local community. The first week a film is in release, the typical theatre's cut is 10%, the second week it's raised to 20%, third week-- 30%, etc. On Broadway, the split between the theatre and the production company is 50% - 50%.

23. How long is it before a film is available on videotape?

About 6 months. A summer release is usually available by Christmas.

24. When will it appear on pay-cable?

About the same time it's released on tape.

     On the commercial networks?

Normally a film will not appear on one of the four commercial networks until 2 to 5 years after it was shown on the big screen.