Here a list of things that go into a basic pre production hand book and how to do them.
All pre production work should have a header at the top with the name of the project, what that piece of pre production work it, who made it and a contact detail for them.
eg Group B studio shoot , Story boards, Chloe, chloes email.
This makes it easier to locate a page of information rather than having to go through and read each page to find out what it is about. It also means if there is a problem with it rather than having to go through call sheets and contact information there details are at the top of the page making the whole process faster.
It should have a cover page on the front with a volume number on that way when the book gets updated and changed people can make sure they have the correct copy. The cover page should also have the contact information for the producer that way if there are any problems it is easier to contact them.
Treatment - This is one of the very first stages of creating a story it should be written in a size 11 Courier font like the rest of pre production, this is just to make sure it is neat and organised as well as make sure it dosent go over the amount of pages it is aloud.
the aim of a treatment is to communicate your story as quickly as possible.
there are different variations of a treatment
a 1 page one to pitch the story, a 5 page one to tell the story focusing on the high lights or a lengthy document breaking down the whole script
a 1 page treatment should have
- a working title
- The writer's name and contact information
- a duration
- a logline
- a target audience
- a synopsis
- Introduction to key characters
- sugested elements
- personal requirements
- rational and feasibility
- a fantasy cast
- technical resources
The main purpose of a treatment is to give to executives for them to decided weither they want to produce the film as reading pages and pages of scripts and paper work could be a waste of their time if they do not like it.
a script should be written in a size 11 Courier font as well this means each page will roughly equate to 1 minute of on screen time.
There should be 3 main acts to the story
1- the set up
2- the main conflict
3- the resolution
locations (or scene headings ) should be started with INT or EXT for wither they are inside or outside , you should never end a page on a scene heading instead just move it down a page.
new locations and characters must be written in bold but dont need to be if used again in the script.
there then should be some action or scene setting this should be no more then 3 to 5 lines
characters names should be 3.5"from the margin
diolouge should be indented 2.5"from the margin
any acting note eg says with scarcastly will be writen in a perethasis under the charators name
Most of the information is useless nowadays as there is software like celtex that will do it for you.
Shot list should be done from breaking down the script going through it how the director sees it from by shot.
Shot lists help you consider shooting footage based on location and setup; not necessarily in the order of the story
they should contain as much technical information as possible, the main ones inclued, shot number, camera frame , camera angle , a discription, a location , camera movement, duration, diolouge , trasitions, blocking. ETC
This information will then allow the story board artist to accurately draw the story boards they way they director sees them.
It also means you can create a shooting schedule and plan how long each scene should take to film and what will be needed in them eg props actors
Storyboards - Storyboards are tiny drawings that show each scene of your film creating a blueprint for your movie. They can help you keep your budget down by knowing exactly what you need to shoot and help translate to your vision to the rest of your crew.
a floor plan should be created to plot out where the main pieces of set are going to go , where the cameras / lights will be will be positioned and create a rough block out of how the actor is going to move around the room.
Shooting scedual - depending on how big your film schedule is the shooting schedule will either be broken down scene by scene or shot by shot.
It should have the date of filming, the time things are happening, a description of the event eg scene one , equiptment needed, actors needed, int/ext (location ) , the day number , the call times
see image below of a scene by scene shooting schedule
Script break down - Break the pages down into 8ths. This means starting from the top of the page you break the script down into 8, 1 inch rows. If the scene exceeds 8 rows it becomes 1 page and whatever the remaining 8ths are. If a scene is 2 and 4/8ths of a page, it should translate to approximately 2:30 of screen time. The script is broken into 8ths to help accurately time the script and decide how much can be covered on shoot days.
go through each scene in the script and mark it according to its needs.
You can go through and make script break down sheets and colour code it based on wither it is day INT night INT day ETX or night EXT
You can then go through and make a strip board
Each strip should include the following information:
- Scene Number
- Scene Name
- Number of Breakdown Sheet
- Page Count – This is where the breaking pages down into 8ths comes in.
- Location Name and Number
- Day or Night
- Interior or Exterior
- Characters names and numbers
- Extras – How Many?
- Special Notes: Animals, Vehicles, Music, Effects or Special Equipment
This is a long and complicated process how ever finding out all this vital information early in pre production makes the rest of the pre production simpler.
a prop list should have a detailed list of what prop we need, how much it cost , and where it was from , and when it is needed to return if needed
the set design would great a mood board, a set plan to scale, a list of dimesions, a list of material need and cost
release forms are used to say the actor allows you to use the footage of them in the film. it should have the production date, the production title , the actors name , the producers name , a paragraph saying the actor allows you to use any footage recored of them in your film and distribution, their name, adress , contact information , and signature.
location and copyright forms should have all the same information except the paragraph will be changed to i am aloud to use your location or i am aloud to use your copyrighted material.
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