Production
Pre-production is the tasks undertaken before production begins. Exactly what is included in this stage depends on the medium and situation.
For a small video company, pre-production may refer to everything that happens before shooting begins, for example, meeting with the client, research, storyboarding, location planning, etc.
For feature films, pre-production is more specific and only begins when other milestones have been met such as financing, screenplay, casting and major staffing. In this case pre-production includes:
• Location scouting
• Prop and wardrobe identification and preparation
• Special effects identification and preparation
• Production schedule
• Set construction
• Script-locking (semi-finalisation of the script)
• Script read through with the cast, director and other people who are needed
In film and video, production refers to the part of the process in which footage is recorded. This is what most people imagine when they think of a film being made — actors on sets, cameras rolling, etc. The production phase is also known as principal photography.
In large feature films the beginning of the production phase marks the "point of no return" - the point at which it is no longer financially possible to cancel the project. At this point it is almost always cheaper to continue until the project is finished than to deal with the financial mess of canceling.
The goal of production is to record all required shots, however it is fairly common to shoot "pick-up" shots in post-production. Pick-up shots may be required when a mistake is noticed, a script change is made, or even if a performance is not good enough.
Post-production is the third and final major phase of the production process. It is often referred to simply as ‘post’
There are many things that can happen in post-production. Common tasks include:
• Editing video footage
• Editing the soundtrack, adding sound effects, music, etc.
• Adding titles and graphics
• Colour and exposure correction
• Adding special effects
• Re-shooting certain scenes if required ("pick-up" shots)
In some cases post-production is relatively straightforward, consisting of choosing and arranging footage in the correct sequence. In most cases however, post-production is a time-consuming job taking longer than the actual production phase.
Distribution
This is the final stage; where the film is released to cinemas or, occasionally, to consumer media (DVD, VCD, VHS, Blu-ray) or direct download from a provider. The film is duplicated as required and distributed to cinemas for exhibition (screening). Press kits, posters, and other advertising materials are published and the film is advertised and promoted.
Film distributors usually release a film with a launch party, press releases, interviews with the press, press preview screenings, and film festival screenings. Most films have a website. The film plays at selected cinemas and the DVD typically is released a few months later. The distribution rights for the film and DVD are also usually sold for worldwide distribution. The distributor and the production company share profits.
Exhibition
Exhibition is the retail branch of the film industry. It involves not the production or the distribution of motion pictures, but their public screening, usually for paying customers in a site devoted to such screenings, the movie theater. What the exhibitor sells is the experience of a film (and, frequently, extras like soft drinks and popcorn). Because exhibitors to some extent control how films are programmed, promoted, and presented to the public, they have considerable influence over the box-office success and, more importantly, the reception of films.
