Pre production seems to have even more points to it than the actual production of the film. Everything needs to be planned exactly so that everyone knows what they’re doing on the day of the shoot so that there is as little misunderstanding as possible. If everything wasn’t planned prior to filming, you would lose valuable filming hours that could be crucial to the film for example, if you need to shoot on a sunny day in England you will need to film as quickly as possible as you may not get another chance soon, delaying the filmmaking process.
These are all the key things that need to be done in pre production. Before learning all of these points I was unaware that so many small details had to be taken into consideration, like the amount of portable toilets that will have to be hired on set. In preproduction you have to constantly assess the risks so that no members or the cast, crew or kit will be harmed as that could cause a pause or delay in the making of the film that has to meet a deadline.
Before choosing a location you need to make sure that everything you want to do will be practical: Will there be enough suitable accommodation for everyone involved in the film? Is it safe? Will the budget cover cooking the location? Will there be a power source? The film can only go ahead if all of these pre production points have been considered and confirmed possible.
As well as all of the pre production that takes place during the recees’s, there is also a lot of admin that has to be done so that everyone know what needs to happen and when. Every member of the cast, crew and kit needs to be insured and contracts need to be arranged. There could be hundreds of cast and crew members on a set and each and every one of them is important and needs to be accounted for.
