2. DEVELOPING THE PLOT –STRUCTURING THE
STORY
One must have a story to tell before trying to show it in any other form. The basic
structure used by anyone sane in the Three-Act-Structure. It’s a simple form: Beginning,
middle, end. Once the idea is made, screenwriters usually write out the scenes and plot points
in different forms. The most useful one is the use of notecards and a board. This enables you
to shift order of scenes and have a clear layout of the story in chronological order.
In the Beginning…
3. SCREENPLAY WRITING
This is possibly one of the most important parts of creating a movie. This process
should only start once the structure of the movie is completely laid out. The screen play
contains everything an audience will see in each scene. The character’s dialogue is incredibly
important, but so are other components. One must write out the place, what will be seen
around the character, as well as concise descriptions of their actions as they speak. This will,
of course, then be rewritten to create the best product possible.
In the Beginning…
4. FINANCING YOUR MOVIE
This portion of the process is often described as the worst part, and it is one that
requires much patience in order to succeed in the rest of the film making. This may take
years, and movie makers often give into the urge to move it along by dipping into their own
money. If you can afford to do this, great! Good luck with that. One has to show off the
screenplay to possible investors, providing them with the information of how you will be
spending their money. Advertise your idea as much as possible, because funding often comes
from multiple resources. Get your idea out there and be patient.
In the Beginning…
5. CASTING
Everything done from here on out must be done with the assurance that you have
the money to do it, so don’t proceed without proper funding. You will have to hire a casting
director, an incredibly useful person. You must describe to them what type of actor you desire,
also factoring a little bit on looks. They have thousands of actors that they can call to offer a
role, or to ask to audition, and also have an eye for undiscovered talent. They can narrow
down the possibilities, and you, the director, will have the final decision for who to cast.
In the Beginning…
6. LOCATIONS
This has many different ways it could turn out, using varying resources to find the
right places for your film. Trying to do it yourself may save money from asking other people,
but could cost you in the fact that the prime location you found is not as cheap as one would
hope. You may ask a film location agent, and if they like you, they may give you a few
recommendations from what they know. If you are not so lucky, but can afford it, I would
suggest hiring a location scout to help you in finding good places with good deals.
In the Beginning…
7. SHOT LIST-SCRIPT BREAKDOWN
This is the point in time in which you break down the scenes and list the shots,
along with the small details that will be needed for them. These details include things such as
description of the framing, focal length, camera movement, and other things that should be
thought about as you take the shot. For the script breakdown, you will want a movie producer
who knows what they are doing. This is when you identify everything that you will need for
shooting the movie. This includes things like locations, props, special effects etc. that you will
need to create the movie. Don’t take this step for granted.
…towards the peak…
8. TECH SCOUT
This is a crucial point in the process that allows the director to outline their vision in
detail to the film crew. The director, cinematographer, production designer, line producer, and
the 1st Assistant Director must will meet up and go to each of the locations that will be part of
the movie and lay things out. The director explains to the heads of production how they want
the scene to look; where the camera will be, details of camera movement, what the actors will
be doing, what the look of the scene must be, etc. As you, the director, explains, the 1st AD
should be taking notes on important things involving the shoot that may not have been written
somewhere else. It is also their job to point out possible problems that may arise in the shoot.
…towards the peak…
9. SCHEDULING (1ST AD)- PRODUCTION DESIGN
This is the point in time in which the other departments start to become more
involved. The 1st Assistant Director creates a schedule for taking the different shots for the
film. You should hire an experienced 1st AD, and trust their judgement. They will likely
schedule it according to the camera and lighting setup in order to save time, so don't argue
with it. The head of production design will then spend time procuring the necessary items for
the shoot, also being in charge of the design and overseeing the production of pieces. The
costume designer does the same within their own department.
…towards the peak…
10. PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY
This is when we get to the more exciting part of making your film, actually watching
it come to get her through a few more steps. Before the shot is started, the crew must show
up at call time, the camera crew begins to set up at this stage. The 1st AD should be there to
supervise, and though the director isn't always there, it's wise to be present in order to start
thinking about the shot about to take place. Remember that when you actually begin directing
the actors to tell them what is happening in the scene, what it is about, what a character
means or thinks behind the dialogue. This is necessary in order to achieve the right emotional
and power behind the scene.
…towards the peak…
11. REHEARSAL
You now want to experiment with your shots and actors a little. Most directors like
to use the time the crew is using to set up to run through the scene with the actors. It's best to
run through the movements and actions the characters will go through in order to adjust their
placement regarding the position of the camera as well. You may try different things, because
even though you have it all planned out, there is always room for experimentation and
improvement.
…towards the peak…
12. SETTING UP AND TAKING SHOTS
And now, you get to see your work come to life, though there is still work to do.
Setting it up included going over and choosing the focal length, camera placement, actors'
marks. Then you must go one to explain to the cinematographer where to place the camera,
which lens they should use, and any other things involving camera movement. This may take
some time, but getting it right is important. As the shot is taken, play close attention to how it's
going. As a director, you may want to focus more on the monitor rather than the real actors, as
this enables you to see it the way an audience would. (Ambient Sound:You will want to take
some sound from the set, meaning the whole crew is silent and you just record the silence of
the surroundings)
…towards the peak…
13. CHECKING THE TAKE
This should take place after every shoot. It is a surprisingly hard process, as you
have to do it quickly enough to redo the take, as well as any other ones scheduled for that
day. You will want to look over it on the video monitor and look out for multiple things. First
question you'll want to answer is "Is this the way I saw it when I pictured it?" Major things,
such as actors' marks or certain actions. But also look for small mistakes in the take, think of
what can be done better, even if it may have been good enough the first time. Try to make it
perfect, and ask for the opinions of your crew as well in order to get multiple perspectives on
your piece. Repeat the process as many times as is necessary.
…towards the peak…
14. EDITING
This is a better, calmer environment than during production. You will be able to
calmly look at the takes and see anything you may have missed, though you cannot retake
them now, and you will simply have to work with what you have. You will likely want
professionals to be there with you in order to make sure that you don't end up doing
something wrong. This process involves the obvious part of putting it all together and
smoothing out any rough edges. The visual effects also come in at this point. Good software is
important, but you will want someone there to help you out.
…in the end.
15. SOUND MIXING AND MUSIC
You will have to be prepared to be a little creative when adding the sound to the
film. You will obviously add any sound effects necessary, as well as choose the level of the
soundtrack. The goal is to make it seamless, having it all sound like one take. The best way
to do this is by staggering the sound tracks, making the empty sound at the beginning and
end on the same track. The best way to cover any sound is with dialogue or other loud noises
to avoid the prominent difference of ambient sound at different times of the day. This is the
point in time you can use the ambient sound taken earlier. Music wise, you will want to talk
with a composer, explaining to them the feel of the scene, as well as starts and stops in order
to create a unique track for your movie.
…in the end.
16. TEST SCREENINGS
Once you think you are done with the movie, editing and music all set, it would be a good idea
to have a test screening with people you trust. Having them see the movie and give you
feedback is incredibly important, because you get a feel for how the real audience would feel
at certain parts of the movie. This criticism will help you to cut out unnecessary parts of your
movie that you may have originally felt were brilliant. When this is done, you will likely have to
go back to editing.
…in the end.
17. MOVIE DISTRIBUTION
Though you have now gone through a long and strenuous process, your work is not done yet.
Distributing your film can be just as hard as the other parts. The first person you will want to
approach with this is an experienced and reputable independent film distributor to take care of
it. Ideally, they will give you an advance payment and you split the money after they have
marketed it well, as this is a motivator for them to properly advertise your film. If this fails, you
may end up looking for more difficult and unsavory situations, such as distributors who will
leave your movie on the self. Word of warning, do not let anyone see your movie before the
official first screening, because early rejection means no real benefit. Most likely, you will have
to do self advertising and allowing your movie to be bough on Amazon or available on
demand. This may not be ideal, but it can still result in a relatively good situation.
…in the end.
