Explainer: Pre-production in films—meaning, importance, tasks it entails
What's the story
When a Hollywood/Bollywood film is ready for release, there are a few faces we see everywhere—the leads, the director, and sometimes, the supporting cast.
Someone we don't see as often but is an indispensable part of filmmaking is a producer, whose work begins much before the film does, and ends much after the release.
Their first task is pre-production.
What does it exactly mean?
Collaboration
But first, who does a producer collaborate with?
Since a producer is the binding thread of the entire set, they work with a large ensemble.
These include (but are not limited to) the director/directors, actors, marketing crew and agencies, distributors, film financiers, and writers.
Thus, they spearhead the entire venture, and it's not uncommon for a project to fall apart if the production isn't up to the mark.
Meaning
Understand it through this definition
Studio Binder describes pre-production as "[It's] the planning process and execution of every task that must take place before production begins."
"It usually begins once the script is finished and involves the director, cinematographer, producers, first assistant director, production managers, production coordinators, and location scouts."
The other two stages are production (when a film goes on floors) and post-production (after a film wraps up).
Production schedule
Charting the production schedule is a necessary step
Once the script is locked, the producer must plan an effective production schedule in a way that maximizes productivity and eliminates any chances of unnecessary spending/time wastage.
This can include allotting certain days to the director to film a particular sequence, or working out the logistics of a particularly demanding action sequence that could take days.
They also map out the most important scenes.
Casting, location scouting
Producers also take care of casting and location recce
Casting is one of the most fun parts but also one of the most consequential (actors can sometimes make or break a film). Sometimes, actors come aboard before the pre-production itself.
Casting and location scouting decisions sometimes also lie with the director and in some cases, the director's production house co-produces a project.
For instance, Zoya Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar often produce their directorials.
Storyboard, budget breakdown
This is why making storyboard and budget breakdown is essential
Picture this.
You're spending crores of rupees; naturally, you would want to take care of every penny that's burning a hole in your pocket.
Thus, the budget breakdown is essential—how much will the actors take home? The extras? The dancers?
Equally important is a storyboard—a chart of how each scene will look once it's translated from the page to the screen.
Call sheets, paperwork
Call sheets and paperwork are other significant tasks
The producer needs to be on their toes vis-a-vis paperwork so neither party can go back on their words once the project begins to roll.
In addition to preparing contracts for everyone involved in the film, another important pre-production task is to work on call sheets, which describe the shooting schedule of everyone involved, alongside the scenes to be shot on a specific day.