Film Production Essay

Discuss The Issues and Patterns Which Enables Your Institution To Thrive As A Film Business, With A Focus On The Production Process

Working Title is a film company based in London. It is a conglomerate company, and therefore receives funding from Universal. This is a huge determining factor for the success of the business, as funding is often the most vital thing in order to produce. Warp Films is an independent film company, meaning they have to acquire a lot of their own funding through financers by pitching their ideas. The contrast between the companies is shown through quality, genre, popularity and amount of films produced - with the better funded (Working Title) outdoing Warp. This is due to the budget affecting several aspects of production.

The producer plays a key part in the production of any films made, as they come up with the initial idea - which is then transferred into a script. The script is important for securing funding; this is what is used as part of the pitch to potential investors. Therefore, the better and more inspiring the script - the more likely to secure good funding (overall making for a better, more successful film). The producer also has the role of developing it, creating it and finally taking it to the market. The script acts as a blueprint for the director, who then has to interpret this.

Before pitching the film to an investor, the cast must be planned, as this is an above the line cost - allowing to plan a budget, so the company knows how much to ask for. The investor can then judge how the film will do, and decide whether or not to invest. The average amount of financiers used is around 3-10. This is because if there was just a single investor, (although it would be easy), they then have control over the production – which film companies often don’t want. Therefore, having multiple investors allows the company to thrive, as they can receive all needed funding and still have complete control over the production. Also, if any of the investors pull out of their agreed investment, it is not so devastating as if for example there were just two investors – as they do not account for as much of the cost.

The next stage in production is planning. The hardest scenes must be planned out first before they are filmed; this involves storyboarding and general time management, as the producer has to ensure there is enough time to do these scenes. This is important in the success of the film, as the more preparation done, generally makes for better quality. This process is done alongside the Cinematographer, as they are in control of the filming section, so therefore need to have input into the preparation of scenes.

After this, the next stage in the production process is budgeting. The budget must be drawn up for investment, and a finance plan must be created. This is where the way in which the payments will be made is planned. Above and below the line costs must be calculated, with the above the line covering the majority of the budget – making it the most important. The above is mainly made up of the mainly the creative talent, whilst the below is generally everything else. The concept has to connect with the audience in order for it to be credible.

The final stage is marketing. A key feature of the film is that it must be definable. By this I mean it must fit into a genre, however at the same time maintaining originality. This is the best way for a film to succeed, as it appeals to the audience. Marketing is a hidden cost in the production process, which has to be accounted for during the budgeting. The film must be produced and marketed in the form of Cinema, DVD and Television. Certain production  tools are used to draw in potential audiences, such as famous Directors and Actors – which give the film credibility and make it appeal.

All of this process is specific to the UK film industry, and in other cultures it is done differently. For example, in the USA, the film title and release date must be decided on before the film has even began production.