The producer
How has production changed since the 1940s and 50s?
‘Producers deal with IDEAS’ – think of 5 films you’ve seen – where did the ideas for them come from? You might start with the film we’ve just seen…
Why are the stars of a film very important? Use the stars of ‘The Duchess’ as an example – what is their ‘baggage’?
Cast your own version of the film - think of who else could have played the roles of Duke and Duchess of Devonshire – or Earl Grey…
The investor
What are the 3 basic forms of FUNDING for a film?
What is an OUTLINE and TREATMENT?
What is a PACKAGE and why is it so important?
If a film is ‘in DEVELOPMENT’ what does this mean?
Why might MERCHANDISING / PROMOTIONS or TIE-INS be an important part of ‘the package’?
What are pre-sales?
Potential profit
What must a producer have a clear idea of from the outset?
How much must a film make to go into profit?
What is the highest grossing film in the UK? See attached Appendix 1 - UK Highest Grossing Movies of All Time.
What is the significance of the fact that 18 of the top 20 have been released in the last 10 years?
What is the single most important aspect of marketing a film? Why?
The deal
What is the most common form of film finanace?
How many film festivals can you name? Why are they important for producers?
Production costs
What percentage of a film’s budget goes on paying the stars / actors?
Production revenue
How much of a film’s revenue comes from video/DVD rentals & sales?
Go to the UK Film Council website. Go to the Funding page and find 5 films the UK Film Council have helped fund in recent years. Where do they get the money from?
http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/
Or you can read the attached article ‘The Achievements of Lottery Film Funding’ and find the answers there.
What happens to the profits made on these films?
The Lottery
Look up Pathe Productions, The Film Consortium and DNA Films online and make a list of the films they’ve helped finance in the last 10 years. How important to the UK Film Industry is the Lottery funding?
Pre-Production
How do filmmakers ensure that scenes shot over several months don’t contain any glaring errors of costume or location.
What is the significance of the storyboard?
Summarise the meaning of ‘above’ and ‘below-the-line’ costs.
Look at Appendix 2 attached to your Film Production pack.
What is the most expensive part of the ‘above-the-line’ costs? ‘Below-the-line’ costs? Post-production?
Production
How do filmmakers ensure a production stays on schedule?
Post production
What are the 3 stages of film editing?
Why is soundtrack so important?
