Film Production

THEORY & PRACTICE

Film vs Video….?

 Film is a series of moving pictures, usually shown in cinema or on TV

and often telling a story
 Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback,
broadcasting and display of moving visual media
 Key difference:
 The term ‘film’ is referred to movies of an artistic or educational nature,
which are not expected to have large and commercial appeal. The term
‘video’ usually means a film recorded on a video cassette.
Evolution of Film

Though the history of film is

not clearly defined, but the day
28 December 1895 is known as
the breakthrough in the film-
making when more then ten
short films of Lumeire brother
were displayed and screened in
Paris.
 Evolution of Film

Soon film production companies were established all

over the world. The first decade of motion picture saw
film moving from a novelty to an established mass
entertainment industry.
 The earliest films were in black and white, under a
minute long and without recorded sound.
 During the 1890s films became several minutes
long and started to consist of several shots
 The first film studios were built in 1897. The first
rotating camera for taking panning shots was built
in 1898
Three stages of Film Production

 Pre Production
 1. The Idea
 Sources of Inspiration
 Writer
2. Development of Finances
3. Script Development
 4. Packaging
 Packaging the script
 The Cost
Ten stages of Film Production

 Production
 The Shoot
 First Day of principal photography
 Camera
 Lighting
 Sound
 Acting
 Special physical effects
 Chain of command
Ten stages of Film Production

Post Production
 Editing
 Sound Effects
 Grading and colour
 Final mix
 Sales & Marketing
 Exhibition
Where to Start…..? IDEA

 Building your script - the foundation

 An idea or principle/belief you can use as the focus of your script, around which to tell
a story.
 DO carry a pen and paper with you everywhere you go.
 You can’t predict when that winning idea will pop up into your mind. If you don’t write
it down, you are likely to forget later in the day. Write any ideas down immediately!
 DON’T write down just one idea and expect that to be the basis for your entire film.
It may well be a great idea, but the greater the variety of ideas you have to choose
from, the more flexible you can be with story/characters and plot when writing your
script.
 If you have trouble thinking of ideas during the day, keep a pen and a piece of paper
next to your bed
Inspiration

 The Bridges of Madison County

1995
 Based on an inspiration of the best
selling novel of Robert James Walter
“The bridges of the madison
county”
 Produced and directed by Clint
Eastwood with Kathlean Kennedy as
its Co-poriducer
 Further many ideas of the film were
inspired by other directors. MANN
Adaptation

 A film adaptation is the transfer of

a written work, in whole or in part,
to a feature film. It is a type of
derivative work. A common form
of film adaptation is the use of a
novel as the basis of a feature film.
 The Lucky One is a 2012 romantic
drama film directed by Scott Hicks
and released in April 2012.
 It is an adaptation of 2008 novel
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks.
Culture

 The film was inspired by a short story

of Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi "Gandasa"
which described the culture of rural
areas
 Moula Jutt 1979 : Directed by
Younes Malik and produced by Sarwar
Bhatti represents the rural culture of
Pakistani central Punjab.
 Its success set the trend of action
films being popular in Pakistan and
cemented Sultan Rahi as Lollywoods
main hero.
Sequel

 A sequel is a film that continues

the story of, or expands upon, some
earlier work.
 In many cases, the sequel continues
elements of the original story, often
with the same characters and
settings. A sequel can lead to a
series.
 Official Sequel or Unofficial sequel
 Moula Jatt was an unofficial sequel
of Wahshi Jatt in 1975
Sequels (Official & Unofficial)

 Film Maula Jatt was commercially a

huge success in the 1980s and
celebrated its Diamond Jubilee at the
cinemas and the box office.[3] It
spawned a number of sequels,
 Maula Jat tey Noorie Nut as well
as Maula Jat in London and continues
to influence popular culture.
 Now Pakistan's highest grossing film 
Waar (2013) director Bilal Lashari has
said that he is going to make official
remake of Maula Jatt
Incidents or Accidents

 Titanic is an American epic romance-

disaster film, directed by James
Cameron, who got the inspiration for
the film came from his fascination
with ship wreck.
 Production began in 1995, when
Cameron shot footage of the
actual Titanic wreck.
 Titanic was the first film to reach the
billion-dollar mark. It remained
the highest business until Cameron's 
Avatar surpassed it in 2010
Types of Film
Action

 Action films usually include high energy,

big-budget physical stunts and chases,
possibly with rescues, battles, fights,
escapes, destructive crises (floods,
explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.),
non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm
and pacing, and adventurous, often two-
dimensional 'good-guy' heroes (or
recently, heroines) battling 'bad guys' -
all designed for pure audience
escapism. Includes the James Bond
'fantasy' spy/espionage series, martial
arts films, Shoalay
Adventure

 Adventure films are usually exciting

stories, with new experiences or
exotic locales, very similar to or often
paired with the action film genre.
They can include traditional
swashbucklers or pirate films, 
serialized films, and historical
spectacles (similar to the epics film
genre), searches or expeditions for
lost continents, "jungle" and "desert"
epics, treasure hunts, disaster films,
or searches for the unknown
Comedy

 Comedies are light-hearted plots

consistently and deliberately designed
to amuse and provoke laughter (with
one-liners, jokes, etc.) by exaggerating
the situation, the language, action,
relationships and characters. This
section describes various forms of
comedy through cinematic history,
including slapstick, screwball, spoofs an
d parodies, romantic comedies, black
comedy (dark satirical comedy), and
more,
 Daddy cool, Dhamal
Crime

 Crime (gangster) films are developed

around the sinister actions of criminals
or mobsters, particularly bankrobbers,
underworld figures, or ruthless
hoodlums who operate outside the law,
stealing and murdering their way
through life. The criminals or gangsters
are often counteracted by a detective-
protagonist with a who-dun-it plot.
Hard-boiled detective films reached
their peak during the 40s and 50s.
 Vaastav. etc
Feature/Drama Film

 Feature films are mostly fiction, sometimes

total fantasy. Some may be based on real
events or people, but the director and
screenwriter will be adding drama and
impact with their creative license.
 Drama film is a genre that relies on the
emotional and relational development of
realistic characters.
 Drama film aims to tell an honest story of
human struggles.
 A dramatic film shows us human beings
at their best, their worst, and everything in-
between.
Non-featured Film or
Documentary
 A non-feature film, which may also
be called a documentary, draws
upon reality and presents a point of
view  about a certain topic.
 The Topics, Characters, Locations
are based on reality and the
purpose of film is basically
document the same.

Docudrama

 Though the word 'drama' stirs up the

element of fiction in the minds of
viewers, and the word 'documentary'
stirs up an image of something that is
totally unrelated to drama,
a docudrama is actually a dramatic
representation of real-life events
 A docudrama or documentary drama)
features dramatized or re-enactments of
actual events or characters.
 In the core elements of its story a
docudrama strives to adhere to known
historical facts, Jinnah, Gandhi
Epic/Historical

 Epics-Historical Films often take an
historical or imagined event, mythic,
legendary, or heroic figure, and add
an extravagant setting and lavish
costumes, accompanied by grandeur
and spectacle and a sweeping
musical score.
 Epic film is a style of filmmaking
with large scale, sweeping scope, and
spectacle.
 Padmavati, The Last Legion, Gladiator
Horror

 A horror film is a movie that seeks to

elicit a physiological reaction, such as
an elevated heartbeat, through the use
of fear and shocking one's audiences.
 Horror Films are
unsettling films designed to frighten
and panic, cause dread and alarm, and
to invoke our hidden worst fears, often
in a terrifying, shocking finale, while
captivating and entertaining us at the
same time in a cathartic experience
 Sinister, Split, Darr, Room 33
Music/dance

 Musical/dance films are cinematic

forms that emphasize full-scale
scores or song and dance routines
in a significant way (usually with a
musical or dance performance
integrated as part of the film
narrative), or they are films that are
centered on combinations of music,
dance, song or choreography.
 Thriller, Center Stage, Born to
dance, Dance Camp
Science Fiction

 Science fiction film (or sci-fi film)

is a genre that uses speculative,
fictional science-based depictions
of phenomena that are not fully
accepted by mainstream scienc.
 Science Fiction Films are
usually scientific, visionary, comic-
strip-like, and imaginative, and
usually visualized through fanciful,
imaginative settings
 Matrix, Alein, Avarar
People in Film Making
THEORY & PRACTICE
Key Creative Team

 Producer
 The producer initiates, coordinates, supervises, and controls matters
such as raising funding, hiring key personnel, contracting and arranging
for distributors. The producer is involved throughout all phases of the
process from development to completion of a project.
Key Creative Team

 Director
 The director is responsible for overseeing the creative aspects of a film,
including controlling the content and flow of the film's plot, directing
the performances of actors, selecting the locations in which the film will
be shot, and managing technical details such as the positioning of
cameras, the use of lighting, and the timing and content of the film's
soundtrack
Key Creative Team

 Writer & Screenwriter

 Screenwriters or scriptwriters are responsible for researching the story,
developing the narrative, writing the screenplay, and delivering it, in
the required format, to the Producers. They are almost always
freelancers who either pitch original ideas to Producers in the hope that
they will be optioned or sold, or who are commissioned by a Producer to
create a screenplay from a concept, true story, existing screenwork or
literary work, such as a novel or short story
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT

 Executive Producer
 An executive producer is usually an investor in the project or someone
who has facilitated the funding of the project. There may be multiple
executive producers on a project, depending on the financing
arrangements.
 Line Producer
 Typically, a line producer manages the budget of a film production.
Alternatively, or in addition, they may manage the day to day physical
aspects of the film production.
CAMERA DEPARTMENT

 Director of Photography/Cinematographer
 The director of photography is the head of the camera and lighting
department of the film. The DoP makes decisions on lighting and
framing of scenes in conjunction with the film's director.
 Camera Operator
 The camera operator operates the camera under the direction of the
director of photography, or the film director, to capture the scenes on
film. Depending on the camera format being used for filming (eg film or
digital), a director of photography may not operate the camera, but
sometimes these two roles are combined.
SOUND DEPARTMENT

 Production Sound Mixer (Sound Recordist)

 The production sound mixer is head of the sound department on set,
responsible for recording all sound during filming. This involves the
choice of microphones, operation of a sound recording device, and
sometimes the mixing of audio signals in real time.
 Boom Operator (Boom Swinger)
 The boom operator is responsible for microphone placement and
movement during filming. The boom operator uses a boom pole to
position the microphone above or below the actors, just out of the
camera's frame.
HAIR AND MAKE-UP
DEPARTMENT

 Make-up Artist
 Make-up artists work with makeup, hair, prosthetics and special effects
to create the characters look for anyone appearing on screen. Their role
is to manipulate an actors on screen appearance.
 Hairdresser
 The hair stylist is responsible for maintaining and styling the hair of
anyone appearing on screen. They work in conjunction with the makeup
artist
WARDROBE DEPARTMENT

 Costume Designer
 The costume designer is responsible for all the clothing and costumes worn by the
cast. They design and plan construction of the garments down to the fabric, colours,
and sizes.
 Costume Supervisor
 The costume supervisor works closely with the designer to supervise the creation or
sourcing of garments, hiring of support staff, budget, paperwork, and department
logistics.
 Costume Standby
 The costume standby is present on set at all times to monitor the quality and
continuity of the actors and actresses costumes before and during takes. They also
assist the cast with dressing
POST PRODUCTION

 Film Editor (Offline Editor for video productions)

 Offline editing is actually a rough or draft cut of the project by editing a low-quality
footage together, so the main editor and possibly director could get ideas for the
final cut. Offline editor is to create an edit decision list (EDL) which is similar to
log sheets (a list of shots)
 Assembles the various shots into a coherent film, working closely with the director.
 Online Editor (for video productions)
 Online editing is a final cut of the project by editing a high quality footage
together. Online editors would reconstruct the final cut based on the EDL, created
by the offline editors.
 When the offline edit is complete, adds visual effects, titles, and applies color
correction. Also ensures that the program meets the technical delivery
specifications.
VISUAL EFFECTS (VFX)

 Colourist
 Adjusts the colour of the film to achieve greater consistency.
 Visual Effects Supervisor
 The visual effects supervisor is in charge of the visual effects department.
 Compositor
 A compositor is a visual effects artist responsible for compositing images from
different sources such as video, film, computer generated 3-D imagery, 2-D
animations, matte paintings and text.
 Roto/Paint Artist
 Manually creates mattes for use in compositing. May also paint visual information
out of a scene, such removing wires and rigs, logos and scratches.