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RTV 322 Movie BizOverview: Starting a Movie

Project

I. Film versus video

II. Stages of Moviemaking

III. Movie Studios

IV. Above the line positions

V. Below the line positions

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Film vs.Video

Film stock is the imaging device for motion picture film

CCD or CMOS is the imaging device for video

‘Video’ on web sites -- electronic information

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Picture resolution

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Major Movie Studios

Paramount (including MTV Films, and other subsidiaries)

One of the oldest, largest and most well known movie production and distribution companies. Only studio IN Hollywood.

Founded in 1912 by Hungarian-born Adolph Zukor.

Currently owned by Viacom Inc. Paramount held the record for highest

grossing film at the box office (unadjusted)--Titanic 1997 grossed $1,842,879,955 at the world wide box office, with a domestic total gross of $600,788,188.

Avatar now #1 As of Jan 20, 2010: Estimated budget: $200 - $500 million Domestic box office gross: $512, 852,205 Foreign box office gross: $1,172, 833, 529

Worldwide: $1, 685, 685, 734

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avatar.htm

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Paramount Behind the Scenes...

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Paramount Behind the Scenes...

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Paramount Behind the Scenes...

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Paramount Behind the Scenes...

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Paramount Behind the Scenes...

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Major Movie Studios

Warner Bros. -- Burbank, CA One of world's largest and most

successful film producing and distributing companies.

Originally founded in 1918 by four brothers, who were immigrants from Poland.

The third oldest of Hollywood studios, and is one of the original pioneers in the film industry.

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Major Movie Studios Sony Pictures

1987, Columbia Pictures Entertainment (Columbia and Tri-Star Studios)

Walt Disney (Buena Vista Distribution) Founded in 1923 by Roy & Walt Disney

20th Century Fox Owned by News Corporation (Fox)

Universal Owned by NBC Universal (Comcast) Founded in Los Angeles in June, 1912 by

a German Jewish immigrant: Carl Laemmle

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Other Movie Studios

Dreamworks SKG (Spielberg) New Line Cinema

Founded in 1967. In 1996 it became a subsidiary of Time Warner. In 2008, ceased independent operations as a movie studio / absorbed into Warner Brothers.

Miramax founded by Harvey Weinstein and Bob

Weinstein in 1979; bought by Disney in 1993, sold in 2010

Lionsgate

What is a studio?

Production facilities, but… Funding agency for making movies Why are majors significant vs.

independents? Distribution credibility

How often does a film make money?

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5 stages of moviemaking

Filmmaking vs. moviemaking Development Pre-production Production Post-Production Distribution and exhibition

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Development

Who can pitch, to whom do you pitch, optioning a script / step deal

The script is written and drafted into a workable blueprint for a film

Decisions made about stars (‘packaging’) and initial casting, location, budgets

Who is calling the shots?

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Development steps...

Producer finds a story (from...) After identifying a theme or underlying

message, the producer works with writers to prepare a synopsis

They produce a step outline, (or scene outline) breaking the story down into one-paragraph scenes that concentrate on dramatic structure

Then, they prepare a treatment, a 25 to 30 page description of the story, its mood, and characters

‘Notes’ along the way

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Development

Next, a screenwriter writes a screenplay over a period of several months.

The screenwriter may rewrite it several times to improve dramatization, clarity, structure, characters, dialogue, and overall style. Other writers may be brought in.

BUT, Producers often skip the previous steps and develop submitted screenplays -- which investors, studios, and other interested parties assess through a process called script coverage.

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Development...

A film distributor may be contacted -- assess the likely market and potential financial success of the film.

Hollywood distributors consider: the film genre, the target audience, the historical success of similar films actors who might appear, potential

directors. All these factors imply a certain appeal

of the film to a possible audience and hence the number of "A.I.S." during the theatrical release.

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Development... Not all films make a profit from theatrical

release -- DVD sales and worldwide... Producer & screenwriter prepare a pitch

and present it to potential financiers. If the pitch is successful, the film (or TV show) receives a "green light”

The parties negotiate a deal and sign contracts. Once the deal is set, the film may proceed into the pre-production period.

By this stage, the film should have a clearly defined marketing strategy and target audience.

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Pre-production

Preparations are made for the shoot

Cast and crew are hired UPM -- script breakdown Locations are selected Sets are built Equipment secured / leased Script re-writes and staff

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Pre-production

The production company is created and a production office established.

The production is storyboarded and visualized with the help of illustrators and concept artists.

A production budget is drawn up to plan expenditures for the film.

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Production

Actual shooting of the raw elements

Crew members sharing the ‘Director’s Vision’

Call sheets etc Studio stages, Locations,

department heads, 2nd units

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Post-Production Transfer to digital, then editing Dialogue editing / including ADR Music tracks (and songs) composed,

performed, recorded Scenes are scored Sound effects are designed and

recorded Computer-graphic 'visual' effects are

digitally added, (CGI) All sound elements are mixed into

"stems," then the stems are mixed, then married to picture

The film is fully completed ("locked")

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Once Locked...

The film is passed into the hands of the postproduction supervising sound editor to layer the sound track.

Voice recordings are synchronized The final sound mix is created by the re-

recording mixer. The sound mix combines dialogue,

sound effects, ADR, walla, Foleys and music.

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Sales and distribution

The film is screened for potential buyers (distributors)

It is picked up by a distributor and reaches its cinema and/or home media audience.

Promotion and marketing -- advertising, actor appearances, etc. $$$

‘Straight to DVD’ ?

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Major Positions

Above the line -- $$ Residuals / owners Producer, Director, Writer, Actors Producer

Hires a crew The nature of the film and the budget,

determine the size and type of crew used during filmmaking

Many Hollywood blockbusters employ a cast and crew of hundreds

A low-budget, independent film may be made by a skeleton crew of eight or nine (or fewer).

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Director

Primarily responsible for the storytelling, creative decisions and acting of the film.

Established versus emerging directors

Film school graduates ‘Author’ of a movie, while the

Producer is ‘author’ of a TV show ‘Director’s cuts’ of movies

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Famous TV Producers / Movie Directors Dick Clark, Gene Roddenberry,

Norman Lear, Aaron Spelling, Dick Wolf, Jerry Bruckheimer, Chuck Lorre...

Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, James Cameron, George Lucas, Ron Howard, Tim Burton, JJ Abrams...

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Below the Line Director of Photography (DP) The cinematographer who supervises

the photography of the entire film A chief over the camera and lighting

crews working on a film Responsible for achieving artistic and

technical decisions related to the image Some professionals insist that the term

cinematographer only applies when the director of photography and camera operator are the same person

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Unit Production Manager (UPM)

Responsible for watching all the costs--to deliver the project on budget at the end of principal photography.

Lead dept. managers, script breakdown. Producers responsible for cost-related

decisions on above-the-line (primarily, casting) issues; UPM responsible for below-the-line (primarily, production period) costs.

The film’s director has the final say on the cinematographer, costume designer, production designer, and film editor; UPM makes the deals and hires the remaining crew.

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Production Coordinator

Serves under the UPM to coordinate the various groups and personnel that come together to make a movie or TV show.

Requires organizational skills and the ability to handle a multitude of tasks simultaneously under often high-pressure situations.

Duties are often undefined and extremely varied ranging from office manager, to human resources, to controller, to accountant.

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Other major positions

Casting Director Location Manager Line Producer Production Designer * Sound Designer Art Director Editor *

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Discussion

How much control does a Producer have on a project?

How much control does a writer have on the actual implementation and production of a script (s)he has sold to a Producer?

How involved is the Director typically in casting a film? (more)

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Discussion

What is involved in Production Design?

What is involved in Sound Design? What is and how important is product

placement? How important is casting? Does the director direct talent or crew? What are some issues about location

shooting?