A.

2 CASE STUDY OF PRE-

PRODUCTION
DOCUMENTATION
JAMIE HOLDEN
PRE-PRODUCTION OF MAJOR FILMS

All films no matter how big or small will have to go through some form of pre-production
to ensure that the crew know exactly what it is that they are trying to achieve and how
they are going to do this. Some examples of pre-production that would need to be carried
out are; Risk Assessments, Meetings, Scripts & Drafts, Location Recces, Equipment Lists etc.
All of these documents are necessary to ensure that there is no confusion in the crew/cast
and to make sure that the film is as good as it can possibly be.

This is a very basic example of a

storyboard.
EXAMPLE OF A FILM WHERE PRE-PRODUCTION
HAS BEEN USED
An example of a film that uses Pre-Production is ‘Jurassic World’. It was released on the 11th June 2015 and had a budget of
$150,000,000, which would have been used for everything from hiring the cast/crew, to holding meeting and putting together scripts
and equipment lists. This large budget allows for the film to be successful as they are able to pay for the high end equipment and the
best cast possible, ensuring that the film is the best quality possible. The large budget is possible as a result of the multiple production
companies involved such as; Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment and The Kennedy/Marshall Company. The large budget also
allows the film to have a large number of distributors in a large number of countries, including; Andes Films in Chile, B&H Film
Distribution in Ukraine, Columbia Pictures in the Philippines, Finnkino in Finland and NOS Audiovisuais in Portugal. This would be
important for the branding of the genre as they are spreading it worldwide to gain as much interest as possible, thus expanding their
audience and making the film as successful as possible. As of the 13th November 2015, ‘Jurassic World’ has made $652,177,271 in the
American box office alone, showing how much of a success the film was. Jurassic World’s success is a result of many things, the cast
and crew putting together a good film, the actual content of the film itself and a combination of other things. However none of this
would have been possible if they had not undertaken pre-production stages to ensure that the film was complete and they knew
exactly what they were trying to achieve.

Another reason the film was so successful is because it has an existing pre-sold audience, being Jurassic Park fans. This means that the
pre production had to be precise and relevant to the previous film to keep fans of the franchise interested in the new film as it is a
continuation of the previous film.
HOW INDIVIDUAL PRE-PRODUCTION AREAS WOULD
CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS OF THE FILM
Each stage of Pre-Production would contribute to the overall success of the film in its own individual way. Some examples of this are:

- Storyboards: Storyboards allow the cast/crew to know exactly what is going on throughout the film and show the story that they are trying to bring to life. It
means that no one on the set is left not knowing what the story is and allows them to work at an efficient pace. Storyboards allow the cast and crew to work
efficiently as they know exactly what they are aiming to achieve in the scene, making the production run smoothly allowing them to make the best film possible.
To the left are examples of what the storyboard slots would look like after the first draft, in comparison to the final designs. This allows the crew to get a better
idea as to exactly what they will have to do to best capture the ideas presented. As shown in the bottom one, the first draft idea is very basic and shows a slight
understanding of the idea, whereas the one above shows the fully developed idea with extra details to best show the realism of the scene, also presenting the idea
in a clear way that is easy to understand.

- Risk Assessments: Due to the film including some stunts, risk assessments are created to ensure that everyone involved are aware of the risks and know exactly
what to do if one of the scenarios becomes a reality, making the set of the film as safe as possible. An example of a risk that could occur during the filming of this
film would be an injury performing one of the stunts shown in the film. This made the film successful as the viewers were able to see a stunt perfected on screen,,
while the crew work to ensure that the stunt is performed smoothly and the safety of the crew is the main priority.

- Meetings: Meetings with the cast and crew are important as they ensure that the film production is running smoothly and it also provides an opportunity to
discuss any problems that they might have and time to resolve these problems. Meaning that they are able to work efficiently in creating the best possible film.
CONT.

Scripts & Drafts: Scripts ensure that the cast of the film know exactly what to say/do in every situation allowing the production of the film to run as efficiently as
possible. This also means that the cast are able to adapt the script if they feel that it would suit the production better, giving the film a more natural feel. The
scriptwriter was used for the previous Jurassic films to ensure that they were able to capture the essence of he film and continue it into the next film in a seamless
way to ensure that the fans stick with the franchise, allowing the film to be as successful as possible. The script would consist of a first draft, which is then looked at
by the directors etc., and is then tailored to be the best version that it could possibly be.

Equipment Lists: Equipment lists allow the crew to know exactly what they will need to complete the production to the best quality and also ensure that everything is
accounted for. The equipment list would work hand in hand with the production schedule to ensure that the cast and crew know exactly what they are filming next
and know exactly what props/equipment they will need for each scene. The equipment that they used includes; Arriflex 435, Panavision Primo Lenses, Panavision 65
HR Camera, Panavision System 65 Lenses, Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2, Panavision Primo Lenses, Panavision Panaflex Platinum, Panavision Primo Lenses, Red
Epic Dragon, Fujinon Premier Cabrio Lenses. This equipment is comprised of high range cameras etc, to ensure that the film is created in the best possible quality.
This would allow the film to be successful as the audience are ,more likely to enjoy the film if it is good quality, this could even lead to them telling others about the
good quality of the film, thus bringing more success to the franchise

The film includes high profile actors and actresses such as Chris Pratt. This is significant as because Chris Pratt is a well known name, he is likely to bring a new
audience in who haven’t necessarily heard of the Jurassic franchise before, simply because they are fans of him as an actor. This means the film is likely to be more
successful that if the cast had a cast that was lesser known. An audition would have still had to have taken place to ensure that he was the right person to play this
role, however due to his experience the producers would have considered him prior the audition process.

In conclusion, Pre-Production allows the film to be produced as efficiently as possible and also ensures that it is created to the best standard possible.
HOW THE BUDGET IS SPENT

The budget would have to be spent in a variety of areas. For example, the company would have to pay for
the casting process, which would contain the promotion of the position and then the recruiting process
itself such as interviews etc. They would also have to pay for all of the equipment that they need in advance
to make sure that the production runs smoothly.
The production company may also have to allocate part of their budget to paying professionals to create a
storyboard and scripts and drafts for them to ensure that they are completed to the highest possible
standards so that it is clear to everyone involved what the they need to do.
The majority of the budget that is allocated to the pre production will need to be spent on the casting as
this is the largest part of the pre production and takes the most time and money as they need to ensure
that they have marketed themselves well and can bring in the most suited people or each position, they
would also have to pay their salaries which would need to be prepared for in advance.