Saturday, 12 October 2013

Pre Production Planning

By Samantha Messenger


I'm utterly without any organisational skill. I don't have a place for anything, whether it's my keys, phone or one of the hundreds of odd socks I own. Upon discovering that my flatmates actually hang up my keys for me if they find them in a place they know I'll never see them, I decided it was time to sort this out.

Video and film production is a collaborative process, involving a huge team of people, many of whom have their own creative ideas and input. It's imperative that this tangled web of creativity is properly managed and the final objectives and decisions are conveyed to the key people in the production. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to do this and in this short article, I'll be showing you how.

Having worked on various film and video production shoots, I can honestly say it's evident which shoots have been properly prepared in advance. While no shoot will go 100% to plan, it's amazing to see the difference in a shoot when the key production roles are all working collaboratively and the project has a real sense of forward motion - instead of just stopping and starting to indulge every guy and his 'suggestion'.

Scripts ensure the content has been signed off and that every desirable bit of information is addressed, the storyboard will have nailed down each shot that is integral to the flow of the film and the treatment will ensure that no wayward ideas derail the final objectives of the film.

Looking back at when I started getting interested in filming and production I did not realise the significance of storyboarding until it was way to late - on the day of filming when things became very intense and stressful with the deadline rapidly approaching. Without a planned storyboard the day was very unorganised and unenjoyable. I have however, learnt from past errors and ever since have made sure that a well thought through storyboard always features in the pre-production process. Making sure that it continues to develop and progress all through the entire planning period to ensure that we are all happy with the final outcome.

Let me know what methods you use to streamline your pre production process in the comments below!




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment