How Preproduction Works:
Pre-production and production notes is always kept in one or more books called "production books." These books are usually the property of the executive producer for long running shows, and of the line producers for individual programs in shows. Many people working on the show will have permission to look at, copy, redact, or replace these documents, so keeping them in order and available to crew is a major task of the producers.
1. Basic Show Idea: A client or you come up with an idea for a show.
- To start making the show work, you must have several things from the list below, but not always everything:
a. Money: The cash it takes to rent the studio and gather the crew. Often this means a business plan, or support from a client.
b. Resources: Things like a crew, the studio, and videotape are all resources. A studio is a fixed asset and is either rented or owned by you or your client. Videotape and supplies are expendables are part of doing business. All of this takes money, or someone willing to give it to you. This is closely related to (a) above.
c. Target Audience: Who is your show for, why are you making it, and what results do you hope for. All shows should at least take target audience into account. Target audience is not only who but why and to what effect.
- The show producers should understand the scope of the show. This means, is it ongoing, a single show, a series of shows with a definate start and end point.
2. Treatment: The show idea in narrative paragraph form. - It has two functions
a. To sell the program
b. To get all on the same page making sure everyone understands what the program is - It primarily deals with who, what, where, when, how, why, and how much. Everything discussed in (1) is boiled down until it can fit on a few pages. This needs to be clean, easy to read, in proper English, avoiding bullet points and lists (use those in your slide presentation if one is needed) and tells the reader the basics.
3. Script: The text of the show, sometimes with camera commands and special effects. - There are two types:
a. single column- a theatrical format (what needs to be said and by whom. Often used in creative style narrative productions.
b. double- audio and video (the left column is the script and the right column describes what the camera will be doing. Often used in scripted presentation format shows.
4. Rundown: Most important paperwork for the actual studio production (everyone receives one. it divides the T.V. shows into segments and lists order and time including run time and TRT (total run time. of the show.
5. Story Board: A set of drawings, usually shot by shot, that helps visualize how a production will be staged.
6. Design Paperwork: Paperwork that aids in visualizing how the show will look artistically. - Includes the following:
a. Set design- diagram of the set.
b. Lighting design- diagram of how the set will be lit.
c. Blocking diagram- where do talent and cameras go during the production.
d. Models of sets and costumes for camera tests.
e. Costume design templates- These are used for productions with unique clothing.
f. Program visualization- Some programs have shot sequences that are so complex that they require additional visualization. For this reason, digital models of the sets and shots are built. But simplist of all is to take toy blocks and dolls and “stage” your shoots. This is also very cheap. - The storyboard is sometimes considered part of the design paperwork, especially if it has artistic dimensions. - For ongoing shows, the design paperwork is only done when formats change or when new elements are needed, for example, a nightly news program will only change formats every couple of years. On other shows there may be fixed sets used every show, and wild sets which are planned, designed, and built for one particular show.
7. Breakdown: Takes a script and breaks it down into its parts so they can be organized by what day they will be shot, and what and who is needed for the shoot. - There are many forms of breaks downs.
a. In news, a breakdown is a list of planned stories for a news cast, allowing a daily schedule to be made, and is often made before the script is cut.
b. In theatrical (soap opera, sitcom, etc.) scripts are broken down like movie scripts and then a schedule is made, since more than one show, or elements from multiple shows may be in production at the same time. - Shows are often broken down by the number of pages of script to be shot. This is a useful measurement, but each show has a unique productivity in pages per / day of shooting or pages per program. A news programs that lasts 1/2 an hour may have 30 pages of two-sided script in the average show (and if you have more than that you will likely be unable to air all of your material, while less may require time be filled with conversation or teases) while a soap operat may do 15 pages of theatrical script, and a narrative high value television show may shoot five per day. - A breakdown divides a program by what is happening and what resources are needed to complete the shoot for the crew assigned. For example, while breaking down a set special props or a new set may be needed and thus can be designed and ordered. - A breakdown allows maximum use of resources. Scenes from different parts of the script may be best shot at the same time, while different news crews in the field may be able to cover more than one story.
8. Schedule: When everything happens. - The breakdown allows a schedule to be made. - A schedule must include when are where people, resources, and permissions are needed, and by what time key creative choices and projects must be completed. So a set being built is on the schedule
9. Call Sheets: Says when and where will each particular member show up. - There are several types
a. crew sheet- master list of who is doing what
b. call sheet- individual call sheet lists the schedule of when each person will show up over a period of the entire shoot.
c. everyone has call times (when to be on location. and start times (when work or show starts. )
d. Contact list. Everyone involved with the shoot, no matter how, should be in the contact list with e-mail and phone number. e. Give invited guests a letter on when to come to the shoot, call them twice (once a week before and once the night before. to remind them of the shoot. Be polite.
10. Log Sheets: list of media shot for the production. - Audio and video need to logged so they can be tracked for editing. - Each log has description, format, who owns them, what permissions were given and where they can be found, necessary for any outside material
9. Budget: Lists of all planned expenses. - Budgets always contain contingency money for emergencies. - Expenses are based on costs above and below the line. - Costs can include salary, rentals of fixed assets, and purchase of expendable.
11.Legal Paperwork - Paperwork for the smooth functioning of a television show. - These include:
a. Permission to use music. A “needle drop”.
b. Informed consent- let people who appear for free their rights, usually they give up rights to the interview forever as long as it is used for a nonprofit purpose.
c. Municipal permissions to use public properties.
d. Permission to copy media belonging to other people (old photographs for example.
e. Permissions to use private property.
f. Environmental and OSHA paperwork. - For credit purposes, get people’s names and make sure they are spelled right.