Tool: Filmmaking: An overview
The Five Stage of Filmmaking
Haere ki wīwī, ki wāwā.
Go anywhere you like.
The filmmaking process can be organized in five separate, but at times overlapping, stages:
This document offers an overview of the different activities and aspects of each of these five
stages for the purpose of helping teachers (with no or little previous experience in
filmmaking) to facilitate the EOTC module/activity in which students will create a short film
(max. 2 min.) based on selected whakataukī1.
Point of Departure (POD):
Before the actual filming of a short movie can begin, the filmmakers need to establish a
specific and well-defined point of departure (POD). There are several ways of looking at the
POD. It can be a springboard into the unknown: the better the springboard, the greater the
leap. It can be a means to an end, like the rope, which allows a kite to soar in the wind. It
can be compared with the seed of a giant tree – given the right environment, care and
circumstances, capable of growing into something magnificent.
Whakataukī: Māori proverbs.
In filmmaking, you can choose any POD you like, it can be: a story, a location, an image, a
poem, a piece of prose, a theme or issue, a piece of music, an object, a character or
collection of characters, a proverb, an oxymoron, a song, photographic images, a certain
relationship, a play or section of a play – the options are endless. In this particular module
the short film will be inspired by a whakataukī.
Once the POD has been established, the actual preparation and development of the project
can begin. This includes:
Establishing the filmmaking team(s);
Pitching project proposals;
Brainstorming and research;
Converting the POD into film script (screenplay);
Deciding who will direct the film;
Finding financial resources;
Developing preliminary schedules and budgets.
Filmmaking is a collaborative process. However, the very nature of the medium requires
individual students to take on a variety of specialized roles, such as: writer, director, camera
operator, actor, editor, or producer. The filmmaking’s requirement of many hands and many
minds provides great opportunities for developing rich collaborative environments inside and
outside the classroom. For this module we propose that a filmmaking team is made up of 6
– 8 students and that, within each team, the students themselves determine the allocation
The writer investigates and explores (in collaboration with other team members) the
subject of the film, writes the script, creates scene breakdowns, records sound during
filming, writes narration in post-production, and could write the press kit information.
The director leads the brainstorming sessions, creates storyboards, determines what to
shoot (creates shot lists), calls the commands ‘action’ and ‘cut’ during the filming, and
finds additional sounds and music.
The camera operator researches visual imagery (relating to whakataukī), creates
shooting schedule, operates the camera, and finds additional photos and video footage.
The actors improvise, rehearse and act the dramatic scenes and actions.
The editor leads the research (during development stage), creates equipment and
contact lists, logs field footage, operates editing system and determines final edit
The producer leads the preparation of the pitching and the pitching itself, creates budget
and resources list, creates production reports, schedules editing equipment and assists
team with editing.
The development stage is about asking questions, unleashing the students’ imagination,
using the potential of research and creative exploration to develop and strengthen the
filmmakers’ voice. Where a whakataukī is used as the point of departure of making a short
film, the development stage is about exploring the traditional values and cultural knowledge
contained in a whakataukī, and at the same time, providing an opportunity for the students
to translate the whakataukī in material that is relevant to their world, relating to matters they
care about, matters that interest them, matters they are really passionate about. There are a
few suggestions, or guidelines, that can assist the process of development:
Associate images with the whakataukī;
Think of references to the whakataukī;
Find new and original ways to interpret the whakataukī;
Push the ideas as far as possible, no matter how wild, or unrealistic;
Avoid criticism, judgments, or censorship at this stage;
Keep a record on paper, audio or video of the ideas generated;
Set a time to finish the brainstorm period;
Research offers a great platform to encounter things you never knew existed. It opens the
door to possibilities and knowledge you don’t know that you didn’t know! It leads to an
expansion of the world in creative and unforeseen ways. The process also fosters students’
confidence in their ability to find out about something. It is vital that value is placed on both
facts and fantasies, in other words both objective and subjective findings and responses are
of value to the process of research, learning and creation.
The process of ‘Pitching’ a proposal will help develop the students’ oral presentation skills,
particularly the ability to strongly argue a case they feel passionate about.
For the purpose of ‘Writing the Script’, students need to select the most striking or inspiring
material from their brainstorm and research activities, and turn these into a coherent
dramatic story. A film script involves dialogue, descriptions of images and the physical
context of scenes and actions (locations). In order to develop ideas and materials into an
effective film script it may be helpful to address the following questions:
Where does the story/actions take place?
Who is the hero or leading character?
What is his or her quest?
What are the obstacles on the journey?
What is the dramatic climax?
Is there a turning point?
What is the resolution?
Think of a story as having a beginning, middle and end. Keep in mind that the story needs
to be told in 2 minutes of film maximum! Once a rough draft has been written, ask the
students to fill in the detail of the locations, characters and dramatic events. What time of
the day is it? What are the character(s) wearing? What are the characteristics of the space
(indoors, outdoors, furniture, other people, views, etc.)? And so on. Writing a script offers a
great opportunity to explore language and develop literacy skills.
Once the script (or screenplay) has been drafted, it is necessary to create a ‘Shot List’. A
Shot List is a listing of the images that will be recorded by the film crew for a particular
scene, location or shooting day. It is created in order to fully understand what specific shots
must be filmed to tell the story of a particular scene. The list will include information about
the subject of the shot, what kind of shot it is (close-up, establishing shot, medium shot,
wide shot, etc.), information about the angle of the shot, the time of the day, and the
location (interior, exterior, inside a building, on a mountain, near a lake side, etc.). Often, it
is the director who creates the Shot List. A Shot List helps with the planning and scheduling
of the filming; it will safe a lot of time and prevents the accidental emission of important
The pre-production stage covers all the planning, research and preparation before the first
day of shooting. It involves:
Preparing storyboards, and submitting for approval;
Preparing breakdown of requirements (locations, materials, people);
Preparing shooting schedule and budget;
Arranging to use locations (permission, travel, access);
Creating, or sourcing, props, costumes and set devices.
Storyboards tell a story with pictures. They contain sketches of the different shots in the
Shot List. Often, storyboards look like comic book drawings. They provide a visual image of
what the shot is about, the location, the suggested camera angle, what lighting is required
and what movement (if any) the camera provides. Storyboards function as an important tool
for translating the vision inside the head of a filmmaker into a tangible image on paper. The
process of storyboarding helps to open up discussion of the story, and specifies what needs
to be filmed and how.
From an educational point of view, storyboarding helps students in developing visual
presentation skills, which compliments the ability for oral communication.
All in all, storyboards contain information on the actors involved, the dramatic action, the
setting or location, the camera angles, the camera movement, the lighting ideas, and any
other relevant information. Therefore, they are of crucial importance in the preparation and
planning of the actual filming.
An excellent and most enjoyable way of developing students’ skills in Storyboarding is by
studying comic books. Ask the students to bring their favorite comic books to class. Comics
are great tools to develop filmmaking skills, as they often provide fantastic examples of
The pre-production process of planning provides students with the opportunity to develop
skills in problem solving, analyzing, estimating, budgeting, scheduling and visioning. It is a
time consuming process that requires a lot of patience, attention and communication skills.
The planning process can be broken down into a number of steps.
Step 1: Shooting Script (having a script that is ready to shoot).
Step 2: Script Breakdown (establishing what elements are required to film each scene,
such as actors, set, props, wardrobe, etc.)
Step 3: Selecting Location (determining exactly where the filming of each shot or
scene will take place).
Step 4: Equipment.
Step 5: Scheduling (creating a shooting schedule, outlining which scenes will be
Step 6: Budgeting.
Step 7: Problem Solving (determining what obstacles and challenges may arise from
the schedule, such as weather circumstances, and then solving them, finding
Step 8: Communicating to the Team (distribute all breakdowns and schedules to each
member of the team).
Step 9: Rehearsing the dramatic actions.
A shooting script is a script in which the scenes have been given a sequential reference
number in order to facilitate the breakdown and scheduling process.
In the context of this EOTC module/activity, it speaks for itself that the students will be
encouraged to incorporate a variety of interior and exterior locations outside the classroom
as locations for the filming of some or all of their scenes. In the pre-production stage the
purpose of the various shots is considered when scouting for the most suitable locations.
For example, the purpose of one shot may be ‘establishing a wide shot of the city’ and the
Look Out point on Mt Vic (Wellington) is identified as the most suitable location for this shot
as Mt Vic is not too far from school, and it offers an suitable and very interesting point of
view of the city.
The locations scouts will survey the environment for suitable locations, taking still images,
trying to find out whether permission is required, and if so, how the contact person can be
reached. It is important to take into account the lighting situation of the various locations, as
well as any sound issues that may exist (such as for example noise pollution by low flying
A shooting schedule contains the date of filming a particular scene, the title of the film, the
scene number as allocated when creating the shooting script, the scene description, and an
estimated time required for the shooting of that scene.
When working with actors, it is a good idea for the director to rehearse a particular scene
with the actors the day prior to the shooting of the scene. This enables the director and the
actors to explore how to approach the scene without the pressure of camera operator and
The production stage involves the actual shooting of the scenes, with the use of camera(s),
and possibly lighting equipment and microphones. When the first day of filming arrives, it is
good practice to have a production checklist. The checklist will make sure that all equipment
and supplies planned for, are available and at hand (camera, fully charged batteries, tripod,
sufficient blank tapes, scripts, shot list, storyboard, pen and paper, etc.).
Script, Shot List, and Storyboard are essential documents to identify what is required for the
filming of each scene. The Script provides the details, the Shot List provides an
organizational strategy, and the Storyboard provides the visual notes. Each document
contributes a different angle on the same activity.
To communicate exactly what is planned and expected for a particular day of shooting,
filmmakers use a tool called Call Sheet. The Call Sheet lists: what scenes are planned, what
actors are required, where, when and for how long, actors and crew are needed, what will
happen in case it rains, any other special instructions.
During the actual filming of a scene, the director gives the commands ‘camera rolling’ (for
the camera operator to start filming), ‘action’ (for the actors to begin their actions), and ‘cut’
(to signal the end of each take and stop the camera).
Although planning and preparation are essential aspects of the filmmaking process, it is
important to encourage the students to be present, in other word: to be sensory alive in the
moment. Presence is an ability that will allow students to take advantage of the unforeseen
opportunities that eventuate or exist in the moment. It is an ability that could transform a
well-prepared creative project into something extraordinaire. Through presence true
inspiration, and accidental collisions, can enter, and influence the outcome of, a creative
process (whether acting, directing, writing or producing) in original and surprising ways. The
key here is a willingness to experiment, allowing hereby accidents, failure or mistakes to
provide new possibilities.
At the end of each shooting day/session the filmmaking team write a Production Report.
Where the Call Sheet gives an answer the question, “What do we plan to do?” the
Production Report addresses the question, “What did actually happen?” Compiling a
Production Report offers students a great opportunity for reflection and self-evaluation. It is
particularly useful to look at what went wrong, and trying to figure out why it went wrong, as
there are valuable lessons to be learnt – not for the purpose of laying blame or pointing the
finger, but in terms of how critical mistakes can be avoided in any future (creative)
The Post-production Stage involves everything that relates to the process of turning the
recorded footage into a finished film. This includes the editing of the recorded material, but
can at times also require the filming of additional footage, purchasing or sourcing footage
from ‘stock libraries’, re-recording dialogue, scoring or recording music, creating titles and
showing the finished product to a test audience.
In practical terms it comprises of the following activities:
Logging the footage;
Capturing the footage (for example on iMovie or Final Cut Pro);
Titles and credits;
Exporting the project to DV tape, or as digital movie file onto a CD, DVD or the Web.
Some filmmakers strongly believe that movies are made in the editing room. Editing is a
highly evolved art form on its own accord. The way images are arranged in a final montage
(or edit) has a huge impact on how the audiences will experience the film. Creative editing
can suggest a link or relationship, between seemingly unrelated incidents. The process of
editing also allows the inclusion of sudden shift in timeframe and/or location.
The great benefit of editing for student filmmakers is that it develops higher order thinking
skills, such as analyzing, synthesizing, and arrangement of material to communicate an idea,
image or feeling.
The post-production process can be broken down to the following steps:
1. Log the Footage (using Footage Log form);
2. Paper Edit (using Edit Decision List);
3. Assembly (putting film clips into a linear order);
4. Picture Cut (including visual transitions);
5. Sound Cut (dialogue and sound effects);
6. Titles and Finishing;
7. Test Screening
8. Exporting for Viewing.
Distribution is about showing the film to an audience. It involves the marketing and
promotion of the film, and creating a sense of excitement for potential audiences. To
complete this EOTC module/activity it is highly recommended that the students organize a
premiere to show the short movies to fellow students, teachers, parents and other invited
guest, definitely with popcorn and perhaps even a red carpet!