The Institutional Context by Sammy Wood

The Industrial Context

The Idea
Before anything gets underway, a story line needs to be discussed and thought about. This includes getting sources of information from real-life events and planning your main idea. Then the Producer approaches the writer and tells them their idea for the writer to create a story. The writer then produces a treatment of the main characters and main story-line and then a pitch is made which includes information about the budget, the market, includes a one-liner and the people that will be involved in the production.

Development Finance
After the pitch has been made, the full script needs to be produced and this needs Development Funding by a Production Company, so they need to be impressed with the story-line and have faith in it to do well, so that they feel confident in putting money towards it to then hopefully make a profit out of it. Distribution Companies then ask to have the right to distribute the film to cinemas, Rental Companies and Broadcasters. Being accepted by the distribution companies, means that they have faith in the film for it to do well and make a profit. However, there are also Private Investors that like to become involved with certain films that they feel will do well.
The next step is producing a script that can work with the budget of the Producer and this is what the producer checks when the writer is writing the script. A step line is then crated and this is when a short written description is made of the scenes and then it should make up a script. The draft scripts and final scripts contain actions, dialogue and transitions between each scene. The producer, director and writer all meet to agree on the ideas and the script of the film.
The producer then takes the Final draft and comes up with a rough budget. The cast that is chosen is a massive persuading point to companies who want to invest in the film. The producer then needs to work out the exact amount of time and money that is needed to make a pitch to a production company. A financial plan is then made by the producer to plan how to fund the money. The recoupment schedule predicts how much the film is going to make. The package has now finally been made with a final draft script, a sales treatment, a list of cast that are being used and Head of Departments, a detailed budget, a production schedule, a finance plan and a recoupment schedule. The producer then shows this to a number of Companies, who he hopes will invest in it.

The People Involved
A meeting then needs to take place to find certain people to fit certain roles. For example, a head of sound, a casting director, a director of photography, a production designer and the line producer need to talk about how they are going to run things. The casting director then chooses possibilities for roles and about 30 cast members are chosen. The director will be present with the story-board artist to contribute to how every shot is going to look. The production line then needs to get to work to choose costumes, find locations and design the set. The visual effects supervisor then chooses the special effects that will be needed throughout the filming. The production unit then get together to discuss methods of insurance etc.

The Filming
The film making then starts to begin. The sound team are responsible to make sure that the sound works. Health and safety needs to be sorted. The stars need to prepare for their roles. The extra’s also need to know what they are doing in particular scenes. The photographer needs to make sure that the photos need to be of high quality. The camera team make sure that they get high quality shots. The focus puller also needs to make sure that particular objects are in focus. The gaffer sets up the lighting in certain positions. The props manager needs to make sure that the hire furniture is not damaged. And the director chooses which angles will capture the audience well. The make-up designers need to make sure that the actors look like the role that they are trying to play. The armourer is aloud to operate the weapons used in a film.
The editing then takes place. The sound editor organises the mix and sometimes songs are made to be used in the film this is called a soundtrack. This is all closely watched. Credits also need to be made. Once all of this has been completed the film reel can be duplicated.

Advertising
A trailer is then needed to be made to market the film and once a distribution deal has been made it can be distributed across certain territories.
Marketing is the next major target point and it is very important. This is where PR companies and advertising agencies are included. The marketing team will need to focus on the right target audience to spread the word about their film and producing positive feedback. Advertising means catching the eye of the specific target audience.
The premiere is the main-point where the stars can sell the film. In the UK cinemas the cinemas make most of the profit from food and drink sold inside the building and not must from the actual sales of the ticket. The cinemas are sent a 35mm film print to show at their cinema. The profit is then told to the production team about the film that they have produced.
Other ways of income are used to make the most profit. In-flight entertainment is used to sell the film to people who haven’t yet seen the film in the cinema for free. DVD copies are also sold and can be rented to the general public. It is also shown on certain channels for a fee or for free. Another type of merchandise can be made by making a game of the film to attract that market of people. Once everyone involved has been paid back the profit can then be announced.