Pre-Production: More Vital Now Than Ever
by Brian Connor, 1 May 2006
A graduate of Penn State's Film Production program, Brian Connor has been in the business since 1981 and has worn many production hats along the way before moving into directing and heading up Real Solutions for Visual Projects (RSVP.) Brian is hell bent on bringing fresh perspectives to the creative process of production for his clients. He believes in respect for his clients, his crews and the craft. Contact him at [email protected].
There was a time, not so long ago, before there was a "deluge
in the flavors" of media, when clients, agencies and producers
were all well versed in the need for pre-production.
They knew how important it was, how crucial
for the success of the project to have a detailed
plan of action, to have every member of the team
be in sync. These days, with budgets getting smaller
while expectations increase, it seems pre-production
has fallen by the wayside, almost regarded as superfluous.
What has happened in the industry to give rise to
this?
The hazards on the way to production
With job duties expanding everyday,
it is becoming more and more common to encounter
producers whose area of expertise is in something
other than producing. Whether they come from the
advertising, internet or corporate world, the convergence
of technologies along with a lack of understanding
in the process of production contributes to problems in the planning.
Unfamiliarity in subjects like digital formats, location logistics
and post production work flows, compression codecs, etc... can lead
to complications when building a budget. The more
you know going into pre-production, the smoother
the entire process will be.
The communication pipeline
Ask just about anyone if they think good communication is needed for
the success of a project and they will inevitably
tell you yes, but rephrase the question to "Why don't you have
pre-production in your budget?" and
you might get answers like, "No money", "No time" or
even "I don't
know - can you do my job or not?" The truth
is, pre-production is more important now than ever. With the plethora
of visual formats, editing platforms and deliverable
specifications out there, there are many questions
to ask ahead of time to ensure
a smoother, more successful production. The producer
needs to make sure that the client, the writer,
DP, sound person, rental house, post house, dupe
house, web designer and graphic designer are on
the same page so that the method of acquisition
will blend seamlessly with editorial and distribution
channel(s).
Bad pre-production will cost you in the long run
These days, we all have budget cuts to deal with. Try to "see
the forest for the trees" when deciding where to make your cuts.
If you're trying to save money on a budget by, say, cutting a grip
from the production team, at least do your homework
to see how important that grip might be to keeping you on schedule.
If you have 10 interviews scheduled for one day on several different
floors of an office building, the task of setting up the shot becomes
much tougher without another set of hands. You might still get all
of your interviews done that day, but if you keep busy executives waiting
for their interview, chances are you'll hear about it. A better way
to re-work the budget might be to reduce the scope of the production,
perhaps by consolidating locations or eliminating specialty shots like
Steadicam, dolly or jib.
You're only as good as your last job
With many budgets bordering on
ridiculous, sometimes it is best to walk away from
a project and save your reputation. It takes years to build a solid
reputation and only one poorly executed job to damage it. Solid, well
thought out pre-production will keep you, your client and vendors from
getting into a no win situation. Remember, chances are you'll be asked back
if things go smoothly.
Pre-Production Checklist
- What is your budget?
- Who is your target audience?
- Who is the scriptwriter?
- How many people must approve script/cast/final output?
- What format(s) are you shooting in?
- What format is needed for final output?
- Who is editing? Can they work with your formats?
- Are location(s) secured? Is the set dressed?
- Is the crew familiar with the shooting format(s)?
- When is final product needed?
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