Film Making and Its Processes

Ever since its introduction in society, film making has been considered as the most popular form of art.  This is because it works wonders in the minds of the audience, substituting plain imaginations with real images that can be seen and touched.  Because of this, movies or films, which are how its products have been called since, have always been much appreciated art by the masses.  The process of making films into divided into different stages.  Although the directors or film-makers may have different styles in pursuing this work, the general flow of the said stages has remained generally the same.

Before any thing is sound is produced or action is performed or lines are delivered, the very first step of story development undergone.  Without any story to rely on, there is basically nothing to film but random sounds and visuals that may not mean anything to the audience just as the normal things they see while standing by the roadside.  It is through the development of the story, scenes have meanings and words mentioned by characters carry weight.  It is in the development stage that the plot is formulated and the script is written.  As much as possible, script should be perfect already before going into the next stage of the process.

The pre-production stage is when the cast and crew are assembled.  During this part of the process, the producers and film-makers or directors may hold auditions just to find out who among the interested actors are most suitable for the roles or characters required by the script.  Aside from this, it is also at this point when the producers go out to look for locations best suited for the scenes that would be shot.  If there are no such locations possible, sets are actually constructed according to the specifications of the script. 

The production stage is apparently the most important in the entire process although this does not mean that the other stages can be set aside or ignored.  It is during this stage that sounds, actions, and dialogues are recorded or captured on camera.  At this point, the director or the film-maker himself takes the helm and ensures that the best shots are taken.  Scenes may have to be re-shot if necessary according to the discretion of the director.  The objective is eliminate any mistake and to come up with a perfect film or movie.  The post-production stage would, however, guarantee that the product is polished well.  This means that soundtracks or musical scoring is added to the film. Visual effects may also be included.  It is at this stage when editing is done.

The final stage would be delivering the product to venues that would show the film to the audience.  This is distribution or sales.  However, in the strictest sense, this part is no longer the realm of film-making.  The only stages that may be considered as really part of the art are from story development until post-production. All throughout those stages, the film-maker is there always. 

About the Author

Find out more about film making by checking on Filmmaking Mastery.