Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Welcome to DSLR Film School, your one stop shop for all things filmmaking, I'm your host
Zain Chagany and this week I wanted to talk to you guys about the six stages of film production.
That's right, six. In the coming week, I'll be premiering the first DSLR Film School short
film and in the coming weeks I'll be walking you guys through the various steps I took
to produce the film. Because of that, I think it's important that you guys have an understanding
of each of the six stages of film production prior to my behind the scenes episodes. The
six stages of film production are: Acquisition, Development, Preproduction, Production, Post Production,
and Distribution. Each of these stages will have a variety of steps that you will have
to take to complete each phase of production. These steps will vary based on the type of
film you're producing. So let's start with acquisition. This phase can be as simple as
thinking of an idea or as complicated as getting the rights to use a book or person's life
as the muse for your film. If you're just starting out, maybe even making your first
film, you probably won't have to deal with any of the complex stuff like clearing rights
and such, unless you are planning on selling your film. Now onto development. Development
is probably my favorite phase of production because that's where all the writing happens.
You get to develop characters and the plot, start writing the script and preparing treatments
for investors if you're planning on having them. Once your script is finalized you enter
preproduction. So you've got your script ready, but you don't have any way to produce it.
I like to think of film production as a big puzzle. Every puzzle is different and will
need different pieces in order for the film to come together. Preproduction is the phase
when you want to find all the pieces. For most films this is where you'll start searching
for your cast, your crew, your investors if you need them, locations, equipment, and anything
else you might need to have before you hit that record button. As a producer it's your
job to make sure the film comes together, which is why it's so important that you be
as thorough as possible during preproduction. Finally after all the preproduction is over
we enter production: The glamorous phase of film production that everyone wants to be
a part of. During production you essentially shoot the film. If you've already planned
everything out in preproduction, production will usually go off without a hitch. But that's
not always the case. Tons of projects fall apart during production, whether it's due
to an actor walking, improper use of funding, or something as nonsensical as a bear eating
the entire cast and crew. Production is where the project can come to life, or perish in
a blazing inferno. In my opinion there is nothing more satisfying than wrapping a production.
And once you're wrapped, you get to enter postproduction. During postproduction, the
footage and sound from the film is logged and edited. Some directors choose to be heavily
involved in postproduction, others wait to see the final cut. Once picture is locked,
the film will usually be sent off to a colorist, visual effects artists if necessary, sound
designers, and sometimes composers. Once all of these steps have been completed, postproduction
is over and we enter the distribution phase. Distribution, like all the other phases, will
vary based on the type of film you're producing. If you're doing something small like a short
film for fun, your distribution might just be uploading the file to youtube and posting
the link on social media. If you're doing something like a commercial for a client, distribution
might be delivering the final cut. Or maybe you're doing an indie feature film. Your distribution
might be submitting your film to festivals in the hope of generating buzz and finding
a sales agent who can get you a deal on your film. There are tons of ways to distribute
your film and it's up to you to decide what the appropriate way is for your project. So
those are the six steps of film production. Whether you're making a short film, or a studio
blockbuster I can guarantee you'll follow some iteration of these steps during the production
of your film. But that's pretty much it. If you have any other questions for me you can
leave them in the comment section down below. Be on the look out later this week for the
first "DSLR Film School" short film. If you liked this video, give it a thumbs up, share
it with anyone else you think might like it. Subscribe if you haven't already for new videos
every Monday. But that's all I've gotta say for today. Thank you all so much for watching
and I'll see you next time.