Everything You Need to Know About Pre-Production

Whether you have an idea for a Hollywood feature or a micro-budget short film, your production cannot succeed without detail-oriented planning. Thorough preparation in pre-production will keep your film on schedule, within budget, and make post-production a breeze. One of the most crucial aspects of pre-production is finding the perfect filming locations. Luckily, Peerspace knows all about that, too! After all, our platform is the largest online marketplace for peer-to-peer venue rentals. And yes, that includes thousands of production-worthy spaces that you can rent by the hour.

The types of venues you can book on Peerspace include cabins, warehouses, penthouses, homes, rooftops, and more. While most of our locations already have pro equipment, like lighting and props, and are undeniably stylish, you can contact the Concierge service to add any extras to your booking. Whether you need catering or A/V gear, these logistical pros will source the goods and have them delivered to your venue. We’ll include photos from real Peerspace venues that you can book today so you know what’s out there! Now, back to everything you need to know about pre-production.

Pitch your idea

It all begins with an idea, but how can you get a group of creators to listen to this idea and encourage them to help you create it? You can accomplish this with a pitch. A pitch is a concise verbal description that explains the project that you are trying to create. Pitching your idea is the first step in building a production team that wants to bring your idea to fruition. You can also use this pitch to get a head start on finding funding for your film.

Establishing financing and a budget

Films cost money — and sometimes a considerable amount of it. Unless you are confident with funding your film out of pocket, crowdfunding and searching for film grants are great solutions to save money. There are many platforms online that allow filmmakers to fund their films from patron donations.

Make sure to set a reasonable goal and publicize it as much as possible. There are also countless film grant opportunities depending on where you live or which school you go to. It is always worth investigating what options are around you before you go out of pocket to fund your film.

On larger productions, the line producer and production manager create the budget. On smaller productions, independent filmmakers who produce their own films can complete this task on their own. Production expenses — such as paying actors, securing locations, and coming up with a catering and craft services plan to feed the cast and crew — are all valuable assets that need to be considered in the budget.

If you are planning on outsourcing post-production, such as hiring an editor or color grader, make sure you factor in post-production expenses as well. Remember, you do not need lots of money to make a great film. It is all about the substance of what you are trying to create!

Finding the right crew

Hiring the right film crew can be a long, difficult process. But it is crucial to find talented collaborators who will strengthen your project. The order in which you hire the crew is an important factor. The three main positions at the beginning of pre-production are the writer, producer, and director. After those positions are filled, it is time to hire department heads. These are essential positions for production. Once hired, department heads will help seek out other crew members in their specific department, making your job easier.

The camera department head is called the director of photography (DoP). The DoP should be one of the first department heads you hire. They are a necessary part of creating the visual strategy of the film with the director in the form of a shot list and storyboard. Other department heads to hire after the DoP include the art department, location department, wardrobe department, grip department, and sound department. Make sure to save yourself enough time before production to successfully hire all members you need for your crew.

Preparing the shot list

The next step in pre-production is beginning to visualize the script. A shot list is a comprehensive list of all camera shots that your principal photographers will capture. It is usually a collaborative process between the director and the DoP as they brainstorm the best way to visually tell the story. Shot lists rely on describing all aspects of the camera language for each individual shot such as shot size, angle, and movement.

Work on the story board

Once the shot list is completed, it is now time to go even further with exploring the visual strategy of the film. A storyboard is a sequence of drawings that represent the shots planned in the shot list. Drawing out the compositions in a storyboard gives the shot list a visual component that will keep the director and DoP on the same page.

Scout filming locations

Finding environments that are best suited for the story you are trying to tell is a vital process during pre-production. Hired in the location department, location scouts are responsible for contacting property owners and getting permission to shoot on location. The more details the director or producers provide the location scouts, the easier their job will be.

Location scouts take many photos of the location and make a record useful information on location, such as where the sun is in the sky and at what time. The more information the location department can give the director and DoP, the more efficient and creative the production can become. An effective resource for location scouts is Peerspace, which offers a robust selection of unique production venues across the country.

Assemble gear

The camera and grip department collaborate to decide what gear they will need to achieve the right visual strategy for the film. The DoP should communicate to the camera department about what format and camera the film to shoot on. Different cameras and lenses provide different looks for the film, so it is important to make an educated decision during this process. Once you have established what valuable components are needed in your camera and lighting setups, it is time to search for renting opportunities online or at gear rental shops.

Cast talent

Larger productions hire casting directors to seek out talent for a production, but these services can be quite expensive. Many micro-budget filmmakers handle casting on their own by holding auditions for their films in physical spaces or online through a video chat.

This process begins with a casting call, which is a notice for the public explaining the roles and requirements for an upcoming film. Actors will contact the director or casting director by finding their information on the casting call. The director runs the audition and examines each talent searching for the right fit.

Rehearse

Once you cast all talent, it is time for a table read. This is a process that brings all the actors together to read the entirety of the script. The more time the director has in pre-production for table reads and one-on-one rehearsals, the stronger the performances will be. Oftentimes, directors spend months working with the talent beforehand to perfect the performances to what they envisioned in the script.

Make pre-production easy with Peerspace

These processes can be daunting and time-consuming. But remember, the more time and preparation you put into pre-production, the more efficient your production will be. Make your job even easier by scoring the perfect filming locations on Peerspace! You can find the perfect venues to suit your vision while staying within your budget. And remember, the Concierge service can help you source any added equipment or other necessities for your shoot.

You can check out the rest of our resource articles especially for filmmakers right here.

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