{"id":1676,"date":"2022-04-14T13:37:28","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T13:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/ems\/?page_id=1676"},"modified":"2022-04-14T13:40:35","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T13:40:35","slug":"pre-production","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/mycours.es\/ems\/pre-production\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-production"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pre-production<\/h2>\n

Many practices from film production can be applied to the creation of shorts, video art, animation and documentary video.<\/p>\n

Pre-production<\/strong> is everything that happens before you begin shooting. In film production includes creating a company, casting, hiring staff, budgeting, insurance, acquiring gears, rehearsing, etc.<\/p>\n

As artist and DIY producer, assuming you already did all the research and already have an idea, you want to go through a few phases of preproduction.<\/p>\n

Treatment \/ Outline \/ Synopsis<\/h3>\n

A treatment is a document that presents the story idea of your film before writing the entire script. Treatments are often written in present tense, in a narrative-like prose, and highlight the most important information about your film, including title, logline, story summary, and character descriptions.<\/p>\n

Exercise:
\n<\/strong>Start fleshing out the super generic prompt. Turn it into a more specific synopsis.<\/p>\n

Define the instigating event\/object.<\/strong>
\nWhat’s the expressive goal in terms of mood and audience reaction? (comedy, suspense, romantic, sci-fi…)
\nWhat’s the unusual object\/situation? Is it prop? A special effect? A character? Make sure you can set it up for the shooting.<\/p>\n

Define the protagonist.<\/strong>
\nSince we can’t do casting, you can model them after your pre-designated actor.
\nAnswer these questions on a document:<\/p>\n

What do they want? What’s their motivation or starting point?
\nWhat’s their reaction to the instigating event?
\nWho are they? (gender, race, wealth, job, ideology… )
\nWhat’s their background\/backstory?
\nWhat are their personality traits? Write as many descriptive words ( blunt, subtly manipulative, talkative, etc)
\nWhat’s the character-defining moment that reveals some aspects of their personality and background?
\nE.g. a messy student in a comedy could be late for class bumping into people and dropping papers. A rich protagonist could well dress and drinking Champagne… the location can also define a lot of the background.<\/p>\n

Location scouting<\/h3>\n

Since you can’t make your set from scratch you need to rely on existing locations. In professional film production there are catalogues and listings.<\/a> You are more likely to write your script around a location accessible to you.
\nHere’s a checklist of things to consider:<\/p>\n

> overall aesthetic – does it match your writer’s dreams
\n> availability – public spaces should be ok, private will need scheduling
\n> accessibility and safety – don’t break into empty warehouses please
\n> access to power – if you use lights etc
\n> neatness – can the place be easily decluttered to avoid unnecessary details?
\n> size – small interiors can be especially challenging, that’s why most movies are shot in sets
\n> natural and practical lights – the existing fixtures, windows, sun and shadow
\n> sound – is it noisy? What kind of microphone do you need<\/p>\n

When scouting take pictures of potential camera angles, keep in mind that phones have wide angle lenses.<\/p>\n

Exercise:\u00a0<\/strong>
\nTogether. Think about an accessible location on or around campus. Assign one team member to location scouting for next class.<\/p>\n

Screenplay<\/h3>\n

Describe , the movement, actions, expression and dialogues of the characters.<\/p>\n

The format is structured so that one page equates to roughly one minute of screen time.<\/p>\n

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You can find a lot of actual screenplays online like this one:\u00a0eternal_sunshine_of_the_spotless_mind.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Exercise\/assignment:\u00a0<\/strong>
\nYour screenplay may not have any dialogues but still try to stick to the standard format.
\nYou can assign a team member to writing the script<\/p>\n

Storyboard<\/h3>\n

A storyboard is a shot by shot visual representation of your video.<\/p>\n

It typically includes dialogues, notes on movements, camera movements, sounds, and clearly represents frame compositions.
\nSo it’s important that the frames match your aspect ratio.<\/p>\n

They are usually in black and white and hand drawn:<\/p>\n

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They don’t have to be beautifully drawn and detailed like a comic but they should provide information about camera angles, volumes, perspective and expressions – so no stick figures.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In animation they can get very detailed and contain information about timing. They can also be synched with rough voices (animatic).<\/p>\n