What Goes Into a Movie Production?

            Making a film is not an easy task to do. There are many things that should be covered and executed perfectly. The process of making a movie involves several stages. There has to be a main idea and story for a movie, writing a scenario, casting actors, shooting the film, editing, and distributing the movie. Filming a movie can take place in many different places, depending on the context and the idea of the film. Also various filming technologies and techniques can be used. Typically, it usually takes between a few months to a couple of years for a film to be fully completed.

Stages of Movie Production

            There are 5 main stages that go into movie production – development, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution.

1. Development is the first stage of making the film. This is the stage where the budget for the movie is set, all movie ideas are considered, and the screenplay is written. The ideas for the movie may come from a book, novel, another film, video game or it might be an original idea. When the main theme is selected, the producer then works closely with the writers to prepare the outline of the movie. Characters are formed and key points are visualized.
2. Pre-production comes next, when all preparations are undertaken for the movie shoot to start. The movie is visualized by the director and storyboard is created. The crew, cast, locations and sets are all selected. The size of the crew and cast depends on the budget and nature of the movie. Big blockbusters have hundreds of actors involved, while smaller films can be created with just a few actors.
3. Production is the third stage of the movie creation. The raw shooting has been done and different elements are added to the film. Actors are called as they are needed for the shooting and the scenes are recorded.
4. Post-production can often take more time than production of the movie. This is very important stage of filmmaking as it requires lots of work. This is the stage when different visual effects, sounds and images are edited and added to the movie. The film editor is assembling the movie, cuts some scenes, or connects two scenes together. Dialog is edited, music and graphic details are added. Everything is mixed and created so it will look perfectly on the screen.
5. Distribution is the fifth and final stage of movie production. When the film is fully completed, it is marketed and distributed to cinemas. The film can also be released on DVD, Blu-Ray or other digital form. Posters, press kits and other marketing materials are all published and the movie is ready to be seen by people everywhere.

As you can see, there are many elements that go into a movie production. The entire process is far from easy and it can be very time-consuming. That is necessary for the film to look good for the audience, but patience and hard work can pay off eventually.