The Complete Guide to Film and Digital Production, 3rd Edition

Book description

This expanded, updated, and revised third edition of Lorene Wales’ The Complete Guide to Film and Digital Production offers a comprehensive introduction to the positions/roles, procedures, and logistics of the film and digital video production process, from development and pre-production all the way to marketing and distribution. Lorene Wales offers a hands-on approach suitable for projects of any budget and scale, explaining every stage and key role/position in the life of a film and providing a wealth of sample checklists, schedules, accounting paperwork, and downloadable forms and templates for practical use. Other topics include a description of the latest mobile apps used in production, tax incentives, the DIT, set safety, and an expanded chapter on copyright, fair use and other legal matters.

A companion website includes video tutorials, a personnel hierarchy, a guide to mobile apps useful during production, PowerPoints for instructor use, and a complete set of sample production forms and templates for download, including schedules, accounting paperwork, releases, and production checklists.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. List of Figures
  7. Preface
  8. Acknowledgements
  9. Part I Development and Pre-Production
    1. 1 Film Development and the Producers
      1. The Producer’s Job
      2. The Executive Producer
      3. Line Producer
      4. Working with First-Time Directors
      5. Associate Producer
      6. Assistant to the Producer
      7. Producing in the Field
      8. Producing Live Events
      9. Producing Documentary
      10. Producing Mobile Content
      11. Producing Animation
      12. The Psychology of Producing
      13. Film Development
      14. Acquiring the Script
      15. Working with Writers
      16. Developing the Package
      17. Acquisitions, Contract, and Deals
      18. Summary
      19. References
    2. 2 Script Breakdown and Scheduling
      1. Scheduling a Film: Step-by-Step
      2. The Script Breakdown
      3. What Are the Elements?
      4. Other Categories
      5. A Note on Continuity
      6. Breaking the Script into “Eighths”
      7. The Breakdown Sheet
      8. The Strip or Production Board
      9. Creating a Schedule
      10. Scheduling Parameters
      11. Putting the Schedule Together
      12. Schedules to Print
      13. Updating Your Schedule
      14. There’s an App for That!
      15. Summary
    3. 3 The Budget
      1. Budgeting Software
      2. Budget Structure
      3. Starting to Write a Budget
      4. Padding the Budget
      5. The Contingency
      6. Fringe Benefits
      7. Union versus Nonunion
      8. Local versus Distant
      9. Budget Disbursement and Tracking
      10. Managing the Budget
      11. Good Budgeting versus Bad Budgeting
      12. Budget Line Items
      13. Tax Incentives
      14. There’s an App for That!
      15. Summary
      16. References
    4. 4 The Production Team and Staff
      1. Unit Production Manager
      2. Production Office Coordinator
      3. Local Production Coordinator
      4. Assistant Production Office Coordinator
      5. Travel/Movement
      6. Office Production Assistants
      7. Receptionist
      8. Head Accountant
      9. First Assistant Accountant, Second Assistant Accountant, and Accounting Apprentice
      10. Technical Advisor
      11. Script Supervisor
      12. Product Placement
      13. There’s an App for That!
      14. Summary
    5. 5 The Production Office
      1. Production Office Considerations
      2. Setting Up the Office
      3. Running the Production Office
      4. Keeping It Running Smoothly
      5. The Meet-and-Greet
      6. The Wrap Party
      7. Wrapping Out the Production Office
      8. Production Lists
      9. Summary
  10. Part II Production
    1. 6 The Director’s Team and 2nd Unit
      1. Director
      2. First Assistant Director
      3. The 1st AD–Director Relationship
      4. Production Meetings
      5. 2nd Assistant Director
      6. Walkie-Talkie Etiquette
      7. 2nd 2nd Assistant Director and/or DGA Trainee
      8. Set Production Assistants
      9. Director’s Assistant
      10. Choreographer
      11. Dialogue Coach/Dialect Coach
      12. Storyboard Artist
      13. Set Operations
      14. Closed Set
      15. Set Protocol
      16. AD Paperwork
      17. 2nd Unit
      18. There’s an App for That!
      19. Summary
    2. 7 Casting, Actors, Extras, and Stunt People
      1. Casting Department
      2. Casting Director
      3. Local Casting Director
      4. Extras Casting
      5. The Background Coordinator
      6. Casting Assistants
      7. How to Run a Casting Session
      8. Screen Tests
      9. Rehearsals and Training
      10. Fittings
      11. Working with Minors
      12. Working with Animals
      13. The Taft–Hartley
      14. Categories of Actors
      15. Day Players versus Weekly Players
      16. Stunts
      17. Stunt Coordinator
      18. Stunt Person
      19. How a Stunt Could Work: A Car Roll
      20. Working with the Screen Actors Guild
      21. Summary
      22. References
    3. 8 The Art Department
      1. Production Designer
      2. Art Director
      3. Set Decorator
      4. Lead Man and Swing Gang
      5. Art Department Coordinator
      6. Set Designer
      7. Set Dresser
      8. Props
      9. Assistant Props
      10. Illustrator
      11. Draftsperson
      12. Art Department Production Assistants
      13. Assistant to Production Designer and Art Director
      14. Construction Coordinator
      15. Construction Foreman
      16. Construction Laborers
      17. Standby Painter
      18. Standby Greensperson
      19. Operations
      20. There’s an App for That!
      21. Summary
    4. 9 The Camera Department
      1. Director of Photography
      2. The Digital Imaging Technician (DIT)
      3. The Data Wrangler
      4. Camera Operator
      5. 1st Assistant Cameraperson
      6. 2nd Assistant Cameraperson
      7. Clapper and Loader
      8. Camera Production Assistant
      9. Video Village
      10. Steadicam Operator
      11. Special Operators
      12. The Camera Package
      13. Operations
      14. Stock
      15. Dailies
      16. Behind-the-Scenes for DVD
      17. Tests
      18. There’s an App for That!
      19. Summary
      20. References
    5. 10 Grip and Electric
      1. Gaffer
      2. Best Boy Electric
      3. Electrics
      4. Generator Operator
      5. Rigging Crew
      6. Key Grip
      7. Best Boy Grip
      8. Company Grips
      9. Dolly Grip
      10. Crane Operator
      11. Operations for Grip and Electric
      12. The Grip Package
      13. The Lighting Package
      14. Laying Dolly Track
      15. Truck Wrap
      16. There’s an App for That!
      17. Summary
    6. 11 The Sound Department
      1. Sound Mixer
      2. Boom Operator
      3. Sound Production Assistant
      4. The Sound Package
      5. Operations
      6. Playback
      7. There’s an App for That!
      8. Summary
    7. 12 Special Effects and Visual Effects
      1. Special Effects
      2. Special Effects Coordinator
      3. Operations on Set
      4. Visual Effects
      5. Visual Effects Producer
      6. Operations
      7. Summary
    8. 13 The Wardrobe Department
      1. Costume Designer
      2. Wardrobe Supervisor
      3. Men’s Costumer/Women’s Costumer
      4. Seamstress
      5. Wardrobe Production Assistant
      6. Assistant to the Costume Designer
      7. Operations
      8. Other Issues
      9. There’s an App for That!
      10. Summary
    9. 14 Makeup and Hair
      1. Key Makeup
      2. Other Makeup Personnel
      3. Key Hair
      4. Assistant Hair/Additional Hair/Extra Hair
      5. Operations
      6. There’s an App for That!
      7. Summary
    10. 15 Locations
      1. Location Manager
      2. Assistant Location Manager
      3. Location Production Assistant
      4. Location Scout—the Person
      5. Location Scout—the Event
      6. Location Considerations
      7. The Technical Scout
      8. Maps
      9. Location Services
      10. Shooting on Location versus in Studio
      11. Location Paperwork
      12. There’s an App for That!
      13. Summary
    11. 16 The Transportation Department
      1. Transportation Coordinator
      2. Transportation Captain
      3. More Transportation Crew
      4. Operations
      5. Picture Vehicles
      6. Production Vehicles
      7. Summary
  11. Part III Post-Production and Beyond
    1. 17 Editing Picture and Sound
      1. Post-Production Supervisor
      2. Editor
      3. Assistant Editors
      4. Sound Designer
      5. Sound Designer/Editor
      6. Dialogue Editor
      7. Sound Effects Editor
      8. Music Editor
      9. ADR Editor
      10. Looping/ADR
      11. Re-recording Mixers
      12. The Sound Mix
      13. The Post-Production Process
      14. Main Titles and End Credits
      15. There’s an App for That!
      16. Summary
    2. 18 Music
      1. Licensing Rights
      2. Music in the Public Domain
      3. Other Ways to Get Music
      4. Music Supervisor
      5. Composer
      6. Conductor
      7. Arranger/Orchestrator
      8. Copyist
      9. The Scoring Session
      10. Sound Track Album
      11. There’s an App for That!
      12. Summary
    3. 19 Safety on Set
      1. OSHA
      2. Safety Officer/Manager
      3. The Set Medic
      4. Safety in Pre-Production
      5. Issues or Hazards
      6. Safety during Production
      7. The Safety Check
      8. In Case of Emergency
      9. There’s an App for That!
      10. Summary
      11. References
    4. 20 Legal Issues
      1. Copyright and Intellectual Property
      2. Fair Use
      3. A Note on Lawsuits
      4. Parodies
      5. Clearances
      6. Releases
      7. Contracts for Cast, Crew, and Services
      8. Insurance
      9. Workers’ Compensation
      10. Completion Bond
      11. Why You Should Get a Lawyer
      12. Summary
      13. References
    5. 21 Miscellaneous
      1. Craft Services
      2. The Craft Services Person
      3. Catering
      4. Set Massage Therapist
      5. Set Etiquette
      6. Unions, Guilds, and Associations
      7. Summary
    6. 22 Marketing and Distribution
      1. Marketing Starts in Production
      2. The Unit Publicist
      3. The Still Photographer
      4. Press Day
      5. Publicity Kicks In
      6. Testing
      7. The Marketing Plan
      8. Marketing inside the Industry
      9. Distribution
      10. The Distribution Process
      11. Film Revenue Stream
      12. The Distribution Contract
      13. Distribution Rights
      14. Bargaining
      15. Sub-Distribution Agreements
      16. Packaging
      17. Delivery
      18. Territory
      19. Revenue Considerations
      20. Summary
  12. Glossary
  13. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Complete Guide to Film and Digital Production, 3rd Edition
  • Author(s): Lorene M. Wales
  • Release date: February 2017
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781315294872