The 3 Creative Pillars You Need Before You Can Go Into Production

[sedohrman13]

A lot of honest, well-meaning people agree to help their filmmaking buddies make a movie before the movie is ready to be made. How do you know the movie is ready for nuts-and-bolts production? In my opinion, there are three crucial creative elements you need to nail down:

1. A Good, Solid Script: This is the obvious one but how many filmmakers come up to you with "It's almost there." Make sure the director (or you) is completely satisfied up and down with the script.
2. A Complete Set of Storyboards: If you are a director that wants to convince people to help you for cheap or free, or you are a producer that has been approached, there had better be a detailed set of 'boards. That visual representation of a screenplay, helping everyone visualize each shot and scene, is a vital piece of the puzzle. It's an invaluable tool for planning and ensuring that everyone involved in a potential project understands the vision.
3. A Well-Researched Book of Visual References: This is where a vision starts to take on a tangible form. A collection of images, photographs, color palettes, and design elements that inspire the look and feel of a film is essential for communicating an aesthetic to potential cinematographers, production designer, investors, and other interested parties. Directors who come at me with reference inspire confidence in a vision.

It may just be me, but unless I have all three of these things, I am hesitant to help directors. It is more than a script when communicating vision, it takes more! Am I asking too much?

 

[Maura N.]

Hey sedohrman13 and welcome to our community!

Your insights are spot-on! Your criteria for gauging readiness before diving into production are not asking too much at all. In fact, they're crucial for ensuring a cohesive vision and a smooth production process.