BC Institute of Film Professionals
1385 Homer Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 5M9
Phone: 604.291.6525
Fax: 604.692.2551
info@bcifp.com

Stages of Production

The film set represents only one part of the broader industry that contributes to film production. The industry can be described as five distinctly different stages contributing at different times to the larger production process. The Stages are:

Development
Pre-Production
Production Shooting
Post-production
Distribution and Exhibition

Development
Two to five people, including deal-makers, money people, producers, script writers, directors, performers, agents, production designers - the concept people. Development describes the time before a film begins shooting when the producers, screenwriters and deal-makers work together to get a "green light" on their idea or project from a studio, network or other source.

Pre-production
Ten to twenty people including casting, script re-writes, hiring of crew, location scouting, set construction and costume coordination. During pre-production, the crew plans and prepares (acquires, builds, etc.) all of the elements which will be required during shooting.

Production shooting
Forty to two hundred people, including all the craftspeople/artists involved with shooting the film, performers, drivers, caterers, etc. Production shooting is the process of actually shooting the film. The type of project will dictate the length of shooting time and the size of the crew. A feature film generally takes 3 months to shoot, while an hour episode for television takes generally 7-9 days.

Post-Production
Ten to twenty people including film editors, sound editors, film labs, visual effects, musicians, etc. Post-production follows the shooting of the film and involves editing, sound editing, special visual effects and computer generated imaging.

Distribution and Exhibition
After the editing is complete, it is up to the advertising and marketing wizards to put the final touches on the project before distribution. For some projects, audience testing may be done (and occasionally this will result in re-editing the film). Distribution involves a variety of activities aimed at achieving maximum availability of the film (including production of trailers, scheduling of tours, etc.) while meeting the contractual obligations to investors and partners. Distributors secure theatrical and broadcast releases. There may be requirements for versioning, dubbing or subtitling, as well as publicity arrangements for interviews and previews for critics. The number of people will vary depending on the size of the project, but marketing costs often equal the cost of production.

While each sector is distinct and has its own time-frame, stress levels, concerns and priorities, all of the sectors dovetail into each other. One does not happen without the others, and all are required to realize the film. Many different and varied areas of skill, craft and artistic expression are represented in these five production areas.