Production Planning Tools
Planning a film production is an important step in determining of the production process will actually take place. The planning process allows the production team to get an idea of what funding is necessary, and what the funding will be used for in order to seek funding from an outside source.
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Purpose
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For independent, self-funded films, the planning process of the production will not be as crucial as in professional and funded films. For professional and funded films, the planning process helps production crews find funding and display a basic guideline of what the finished production will include.
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Tools
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The tools necessary for planning a production includes a knowledgeable production team who document expenses and do field research to determine the cost of the finished production. Material tools necessary include film editing software, film scripts, strict schedules and other planning lists for supposed cast members, necessary outfits and props. Another important production planning tool is marker boards and idea boards where sketches are drawn to convey the funding needs in a visual display, rather than a list of words and phrases. The tools for planning a film production may include any item or set of items a member of the production team uses to keep track of the progress of the film or items necessary for the production. Tools may include cell phones, PDAs, personal assistants, notebooks, sketchbooks, laptops and any other object a person uses to plan for film productions or other events.
Process
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Planning for a film production includes writing the script or purchasing the script for the production. A planning committee, or the production team as a whole, must divide the script into scenes, characters, outfits, props and special effects. Breaking down the script into parts allows for better analysis of the funding necessary for the film production.
Considerations
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Independent film planning tools most often include only sheets of paper or online documents outlining the script and scenes of the film production. A schedule is often necessary to keep track of when filming will take place at certain locations. Because independent films are self-funded, the planning process of the production is only necessary to keep the production team, director, and actors on track and to prepare for filming. Professional production teams will use the production plans for funding, as well as to guide the process of the production from planning to completion.
Benefits
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Using various production planning tools, for even the smallest productions, allows casual filmmakers to famous directors to keep track of what is needed for the film production. Production planning tools also allow teams to monitor what parts of the filming process have been completed, and which scenes and items are still necessary to complete the final production.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit "Are you ready???" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: ssh (Shazeen Samad) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
