film medium part 1

7/31/2019 Film Medium Part 1

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Basic Film Production

Matthew T. Jones


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Production Phases

There are three phases of productioncommon to most professionally producedmotion pictures. These are:

Preproduction phase

Production phase

Postproduction phase


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Preproduction Phase

In general, thepreproduction phaseencompasses allaspects ofpreparation that areperformed beforethecamera starts to roll.Some aspects of

preproductioninclude:

Screenwriting

Storyboarding

Funding

Assembling a crew

Casting

Costume Design

Location Scouting

Set Design

Properties (props)

Scheduling


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Preproduction phase

Screenplay/Script: The screenplaysupplies the general plan for theproduction of a film. There are two types:

The spec script

The shooting script


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Preproduction Phase

The Spec (Speculation) Scriptis the version ofa screenplay that writers distribute to producersin the hope that it will be optioned (i.e.

considered for production). It primarily contains: Slug-Line (brief description of the setting, e.g. INT.ROOM DAY which means the interior of a room

during the day)

Business (descriptions of characters/action) Dialog (the lines intended to be spoken by the actors)


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Preproduction Phase

The Shooting Scriptis a much moredetailed version of the spec script thatincludes numbered scenes, specific

camera angles and other technicalinformation. An example of a page from ashooting script (from the film Piecesby

Andrew Halasz shot here at WilliamPaterson) can be seen on the next slide.


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Preproduction Phase

Writing a screenplay and analyzing a filmnarrative require an awareness of similarconcepts:

Character

Conflict

Action

Story

Plot


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Preproduction Phase

Character

Agent of physical and social action

Subject to physical and social action

Subject to needs and desires

Subject to social norms, mores, and laws


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Preproduction Phase

In an instructional book on screenwriting, SydField (1979) divides character into interior andexterior aspects. Viewers of a film dont have

access to the characters interior life and so itmust be expressed in the exterior life throughactions taken in professional, personal, andprivate contexts. One pursuit of narrative

analysis is the interpretation of charactermotives based on action.


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Preproduction Phase


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Preproduction Phase

Conflict

The source of narrative conflict is the needsand desires of the character when they are

met with oppositional forces. There are threebasic types of narrative conflict:

Character versus Nature (i.e. the physical world)

Character versus Character

Character versus Self


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Preproduction Phase

Action

In a film narrative, a character is expressedthrough his/her actions in responding to a

conflict. Two overlapping types of characteraction are:

Social Action (e.g. dialog, communicativebehavior)

Physical Action (e.g. stunts, athletic behavior)


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Preproduction Phase

Story

Cooper & Dancyger (1994) define a story asany narration of events or incidents that

relates how something happened tosomeone. The someone will be considered

the main character of a story, and, if theelement of causality is added to the telling ofhow something happened to that character,the story will then be considered to have aplot (p. 3).


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Preproduction Phase

Story

The Russian formalists made a distinctionbetween fabula and syuzhet:

Fabula: The story as it occurs in its natural,chronological sequence from beginning to end.

Syuzhet: The sequence in which events arepresented in the telling of the story (the plot).


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Preproduction Phase

Story

There are a limited number of relevant storiesto be told because there are a limited number

of human emotions and experiences. Plots,however, are limitless because emotions andexperiences can elicited at in an infinitenumber of ways.


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Preproduction Phase

Story

Myths or fairy tales are an excellent startingpoint for the construction of a plot because

they tap into the reservoir of unconscious,archetypal human experiences. As Cooper &Dancyger (1994) point out:

In most cases, the archetypal form of the story

remains, while the meaning and the underlyingmyth changes in response to the pressure ofchanges in society (p. 5).


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Preproduction Phase

Plot

Syd Field (1982) describes the constructionof a screenplay according to three acts:

1. Setup

2. Confrontation

3. Resolution.

A diagram of these three acts is available onthe next slide.


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Preproduction Phase


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Preproduction Phase

Plot

Act I

According to Field (1982), the first act (or setup)

must be directed toward arriving at the first plotpoint and accomplish three tasks within the first

30 pages or so. These are

1. Set up the story.

2. Introduce the main character.3. State the dramatic premise.

4. Establish the situation.


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Preproduction Phase

Plot

Plot Point I

Field (1982) defines a plot point as an incident or

event that hooks into the action and spins itaround into another direction (p. 192). In other

words, the first plot point is an event that serves asa segue between the setup and the confrontation.


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Preproduction Phase

Plot

Act II

Just as the first acted is directed toward the goal of

arriving at the first plot point, the second act mustbe directed toward arriving at the second plotpoint. The task of the second act is to show theconfrontations that stand between the protagonist

and his/her goal in approximately 60 pages.


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Preproduction Phase

Plot

Plot Point II

Similar to the first plot point, the second one is an

event that segues between Act II and Act III.However, in this case, the event brings the eventsof the narrative back on track for the third act,leading to the climax of the film.


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Preproduction Phase

Plot

Act III

Act three completes the narrative paradigm by

bringing the protagonist from confrontation toultimate resolution. Just as Act I was directedtoward arriving at plot point 1, and Act II wasdirected toward arriving toward plot point 2, Act III

is directed toward arriving at the resolution.


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Preproduction Phase

Plot

Cooper & Dancyger (1994) suggest twobasic plot structures for the short film:

1. The Journey Structure: In which the protagonistsets out in pursuit of a goal.

2. The Ritual Occasion Structure: In whichadventure finds the main character in his or her

situation (p. 8).


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Preproduction Phase

Storyboarding: A storyboardis a series ofdrawings intended to represent how thefilm will be shot, including how each frame

will be composed and how subject andcamera motion will occur. The storyboard articulates the mise-en-scene

of the film.

Mise-en-scene: All of the elements that composethe shot.


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Preproduction Phase

Funding: Films are generally expensive toproduce. Even small independentproductions with unknown actors can cost

hundreds of thousands of dollars.Because of the level of investmentinvolved, most films rely on eitherproduction companies (Hollywood films)

or independent investors (Independentfilms).


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Preproduction Phase

Assembling a Crew: A crew is the groupof workers on a film set who areresponsible for facilitating production (as

opposed to acting). Although largeproductions may employ many crewmembers in many different departments,there are only a few basic positions which

are detailed later in the production phase.


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Preproduction Phase

Casting: Choosing actors to play roles.

Costume Design: Choosing or designingthe clothing/costumes that the actors

wear. Location Scouting: Choosing the locations

where the film will be shot.

Set Design: Constructing sets where thefilm will be shot.


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Preproduction Phase

Properties (Props): Choosing the toolsand objects used in the film.

Scheduling: Coordinating all aspectsnecessary to the production.

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