FILMandMOVIEmaking.com

We’ve all heard of it, but what exactly is it, in film and movie making?

It’s doing your homework, which is a responsibility and liability on the producer.

The producer needs to find the money to fund the film; this will enable him to set his budget to know if they are heading for a big budget movie with well known starring actors, whether he’s moving down the ladder slightly with actors we think we know and directors not able to list a hit movie on their CV or looking at no budget (or less) where minimum fees will be paid for everything. Or none at all. And in no particular order:

• Pre-production is the time you get your legal work sorted out
• Setting up your company
• Registering the script, the film, the music (if you need to know in advance)
• Getting your copyrights and intellectual property in line with the law
• Ensuring your contracts are correct and in place
• Beginning your chain of title
• Getting your professional team together
• Thinking long term about locations, actors, crew
• Preplanning your editing, your film stock your distribution
• And did you decide upon your movie director and your director of photography?

The more time spent in pre-production, the less hassle (and you’ll get plenty, whatever) you’ll find later.