Film Production and Pitching An Idea

Film Production

When it comes to producing a film,  there are three key stages that the film must be processed through before it is released to the audience; production, distribution and exhibition. This means that the investors within these three stages will have a commanding influence over the film at various points within its production. It is important to keep track of how much is spent on each of these stages, mainly to ensure that each one gets even expenditure, so one is not lagging behind another.

Within the films production the producer plays a variety of important roles, the first and extremely important one is taking the initial idea of the film and raising the belief that it can be done, and that it can be a success. Before this can be done there does however need to be an inspiration for the film, and this can come from many diverse locations, such as a book, play or television programmes ect.

Once the films idea has been concluded and summarised, the producer will proceed to present the potential investors with a “package”. This package will include detailed storylines and scripts, the generic characteristics of the film ( genre) so it can be identified whether there is any potential for success in the current film market. A proposed budget will be necessary and also required is a story board of key scenes, to give the investors an idea of whats going on within the film.  An established director with proven success will help attract an audience to the film while at the same time reassuring the investors, the same can be said for the cast of the film, the bigger the names the more potential attraction to the film there will be. A talented an experienced “behind the camera” crew will also aid the overall quality of the film and then finally a list of any potential spin offs or sequels ect, another potential road to profit for the investing committee.

The Pitch

The pitch is the term used for to the producers presentation of the package of a potential film. The pitches themselves are often straight forward and easy for the potential investors to understand, so they can get a good grasp of what the film will be like and whether its worth them investing. The character and narration within the pitch will be kept to a basic level to aid in this also.

High Concept Films

High concept films are the Hollywood studios response to the high risks of film production, and they can include repackaging previously successful elements of a film, such as the high rated staff and successful directors, or extending an existing films franchise with a sequel, or creating variations of a film to meet the current popular genres.