A overview of pre-production work behind what the camera sees.
In Depth Cine offers A Cinematographer’s Guide To Pre-Production – which doubles as an overall guide to small- or no-crew, micro- or no-budget productions:
The steps in the process:
- Project Introduction
- Research
- Visual Plan
- Location Reconaisance – often with other key crew or HODs (heads of department)
- Shot List – may include storyboards – here are some examples of storyboard to final product
- Lighting Plan
- Gear List – determined by, or developed alongside, the post production workflow
- Crew List – budget, working style, and tech needs determine camera, lighting, and grip departments
- Technical Coordination – scheduling crew around location and budget considerations
Further Viewing
Here’s Shane Hurlbut ASC with 5 Tips (in under 4 minutes) for how to light a room (via Filmmakers Academy):
Visual research techniques for getting your crew and yourself on the same page ahead of production:
Who exactly is your crew? Here are a couple of handy explainers:
Related Posts:
Film School: Camera Movement Handy guides to knowing how, when, and most importantly why, to move the camera.
Film School: Visual Research Techniques for getting your crew and yourself on the same page ahead of production.
Film School: Who’s Who of Cinema Lenses An introductory overview to the glass through which commercial feature films are captured.
Film School: Goodbye Green Screen, Hello ‘The Volume’ A look at the virtual set used in The Mandalorian.
Film School: How to Make a Documentary (with Mark Bone) A behind-the-scenes look at making a documentary - and how to approach crafting your own.
Film School: Colour in ‘Euphoria’ "Sometimes, in order to get to the deepest emotional depths of a character, capturing a feeling, rather than reality, is more important."
Film School: Phantom Cinematographer The unusual and enlightening process of Paul Thomas Anderson's celebrated film.
Film School: Digital Cinema Camera Workflow An overview of how major movies are shot on digital cameras, from camera setup to final export.