Some of the numerous tasks of film production management.
Actors' Day-Out-of-Days Form: Brief
version of the final production board, required by the Screen Actors Guild.
Shows the flow of production and actor days worked.
Actors' Production Time Report: Tracks
actor's time throughout the day and used to compute compensation, fees, and
fines. Required by the Screen Actors Guild.
Breakdown Form: A list of all scenes,
referenced by scene number and script location, required in a script, to see
how many scenes planned per location.
Call Sheet: Listing and detailed
instructions (actors, meals, props, transportation, wardrobe, weather
forecasts, and so forth) for all required resources needed for daily shooting,
at each location and time. Distributed to all in the shooting sequence to aid
schedule.
Cash-Flow Chart: Weekly expenses and
needed funds for production.
Cast and Crew: Oversight of hiring and
contracts with producer/director as well individual department heads
requirements.
Cast/Scene Breakdown Form: A list of
all actors and extras required in a scene, referenced by scene number and
script names. For actor utilization on a scene.
Change Control: Producer evaluates
changes for impact on budget, schedule, and story. Sometimes informal versus
formal.
Completion or Guarantee Bond:
Financially ensures investors and lenders that a film will be completed with
the specified script, budget, and schedule. Fee run from 3% to 5%.
Cover Set: Alternative, interior
shooting location for planned, exterior shooting; in case of bad weather or
other risk events.
Critical Chain Management: Project
management technique used to identify problems or causes that limit throughput
of a system. Helps manage risks and schedule.
Cross Plotting: Method of assigning and
managing human resources. Allows visual display of daily allocations and
availability.
Dailies: Processed film reviewed by
crew managers the day after film shooting. Helps ensure story and technical
quality.
Deal Memo: Legally binding document
made to a final contract from crew to the talent.
Forecasting: Attempt to predict the
film’s potential financial success.
Green-light: the project to go ahead,
when it ready to begin production
Incentives & Rebates: Determine
local, state, regional and national production rebates on expenditures and
incentives.
IMDB and Film Credits: Credits for the
crew and talent. Recognitions and thank you’s. Location/Scene Location Agreements: Individual homes and locations,
town and city to film office agreements.
Location & Behavioral Codes: “Filmmaker's
Code of Professional Responsibility” helps minimize impacts of shooting in
local communities.
Location Survey: Assistance to location
manager in finding shoot sites.
Nonunion Contracts: Employment
contracts and releases may be unique.
Organizational Structure: A standard
expectation and hierarchy of production roles and responsibilities. Enables
quick, efficient work and coordination among crew. However, actual working
relations tend to be more complex.
Participation Contact: Contingency
where pay (to actors, directors, distribution fees, rentals) is undetermined
until film revenues are known. This reduces the financial risk for the Production
Company, studio and producers.
Phone, Transaction, Memo Log: Used to
record details of all aspects of production including when conversations occur,
with whom, what was discussed and decided.
Post Production: Editing, marketing,
sales and relations with the studio or production company and any marketing and
sales entities.
Preliminary Budget: Based on producer
and director agreement on realistic estimates of scope and schedule, plus
union-regulated rates/expenses/dues. Prior to negotiation and contracting. For
unions, insurance, and bonding.
Pre-visualization: Pre-visualization
technique using computers and 3-D animation. Allows a rough draft of film
footage and scenes to be created before filming. Mitigates risks by saving time
and money during shooting.
Producer’s Insurance Policies: Combines
multiple forms of insurance into an annual product. Premium of 2%-3%, depending
on risk exposure.
Production Board: Industry standard
method of creating a shooting schedule. Large, paper-based display for
arranging scenes by daily sequence and required actors by repositionable
scheduling strips. Uses screen breakdown sheets and location breakdown sheets
as inputs. Digital version is more cumbersome to view. Aids in estimating
production.
Production Budget: Determines available
financial resources that influence film scope and quality. Dependent upon
financing and investment deals, with executive negotiations and control.
Changes often. Usually 10% of the budget is designated for a contingency fund
in the event or problems, changes, cost overruns.
Production Report: Daily account by the
assistant director of shooting, hours worked, script pages covered, and how
much film used.
Production or Shooting Schedule: Baseline
schedule of scenes to be shot based on the most efficient order possible, and
not by linear progression of the storyline. First assistant director is
involved. Uses a traditional production board or software equivalent as a
display and change device. Usually derived from required locations, then by actor
availability.
Radio Handsets and Phones: Used to
maintain constant communication and availability of personnel on the set.
Facilitates mobility and logistics.
Required Insurance and Permits:
Requirements and fees met prior to shooting, including liability, workers’
comp, accident insurance, work visas, city, police, medical, fire department.
Optional or
as-needed Insurance: Cast, stars, extras, props, wardrobe, sets, extra
expenses, third-party property, equipment, film, cameras, petty cash, office,
errors, omissions, excess liability, aircraft, animals.
Risk Rating: Rating of the risk to
actors by insurance underwriters.
Satellite Video-Conferencing: Allows
directors to monitor and guide shooting remotely and at multiple sites. Helps
ensure artistic vision and reduce costs.
Screen Card or Scheduling Strips: Repositionable
cards representing blocks of film shooting for scenes. Scene strips are usually
grouped by location and time of day, in order to economize set, camera, prop,
and lighting setup. Typically affixed to a production board or wall for ease of
viewing, and rearranged to optimize and adjust shooting schedules as needed.
Screenplay or Script: The foundation
and blueprint for all film scenes, the building blocks of film production,
based on a story. Color coding is used to differentiate script revisions.
Influences film scope and quality. Scriptwriting software offers the ability to
electronically link the script to production elements for a more streamlined
process. Script supervisor helps ensure quality. Script may be purchased and
already developed well in advance of production. Script legal rights may need
to be gained and purchased.
Script Breakdown Sheet/Form: A detailed
decomposition of each scene planned in a film, derived from the screenplay.
Used as a reference for all of the upcoming production. This is the most
important form completed during preproduction. See Appendix H for an outline of
contents.
Storyboard: Sketches used to translate
the script's textual descriptions of scenes into visual information. Provides
initial artistic vision and working plans for art department. Reduces costs by
establishing scope.
Technical Storyboard: Sketches used to
translate the script's textual descriptions of scenes into visual information.
Provides initial artistic vision and working plans for art department. Reduces
costs by establishing scope.
Tech Scout: Location tours. Scene is
described to the crew on each shooting site. Mitigates risks by saving time and
money during shooting, an expensive part of production. Helps ensure artistic
vision.
Trans Media: Public relations,
marketing, advertisement, merchandise, mass media.
Tracking Software: Software used for
centralized scheduling, resource monitoring, costing, accounting, and earned
value. Software used to predict attendance and optimize the scheduling of
cinematic exhibition of films in theaters.
Union Agreements and Memberships: Screen
Actors Guild /Screen Extras Guild structure much of film production practice.
Paperwork, time, rules, fees, fines and compliance costs are substantial
burdens.
Vendor Relations: Craft Service,
Catering, Construction, Props, Picture Cars etc. Establish, maintain, evaluate
and resolved any vendor issues.
Wireless Monitors: Real-time, remote
screening of live film shooting by key managers. Helps ensure artistic vision
and quality.