The Creation of a Motion Picture Film

Paper Summary:

This paper explains the business background making a movie including budget ratios and the role of the film's accountant. The author feels that the time allocated for development and pre-production may seem extraordinarily long; however, time spent at this level is substantially less costly than time spent in production. The paper also includes macroeconomic strategies to further the global film industry.

Table of Contents
Issue Statement
Method of Investigation
Background on Film Production
Creative Development
Developing the Script
Creating the Package
Raising Production Financing
Studio Development and In-House Production Deals
The Studio Production-Financing Distribution Deal
Studio-Based Independent Production Company Financing
Independent-Distributor Financing
Pre-Production
The Production Manager
Creating a Budget
Above-the-Line vs. Below-the-Line Costs
The Shooting Ratio
The Production Schedule
The Production Board
Creating the Shooting Schedule
Script Breakdown
The Shooting Script
Studio versus Location Shooting
Shooting Interiors versus Exteriors
Pick-up Days
Sound
Crew Size
The Cross-Plot
The Director
The Cast
The Writer
Location Units
The Cinematographer and the Art Department
The Equipment
Lab Costs
The Production Accountant
Film Insurance
Conclusions Drawn from the Literature
Summary
Discussion

From the Paper:

"The first step toward the creation of any feature film is the development of the idea for the film. Development is what happens before any funding can be sought. Development comprises those activities relating specifically to taking a concept or idea and turning it into a finished screenplay. Essentially this is the stage where the idea begins to be turned into a reality and this reality will usually be in the form of a script synopsis or outline proposal. It is also the first hurdle for the project. It involves formulating and organizing the idea or concept for the movie, acquiring rights to the underlying material, preparing an outline, synopsis or treatment, and writing, polishing and revising the various drafts of the script."

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