The Trials of Cinema
By Jason V Brock
"Making
films is not for the squeamish."
It's
a daunting task–scheduling, learning how to use the equipment (video cameras,
microphones, lights), and promotion. It's an endeavor that consumes many hours
just waiting to capture something that may (or may not–sometimes it winds up on
the proverbial "cutting room floor") only be a few minutes (even
seconds) long.
Broadly speaking, creating a film can be
divided into five sections: brainstorming/research; pre-production; actual production; post-production; finally,
promotion. The first stage is when the initial budget and the parameters of the
project are established. This is essentially a paperbound theoretical exercise,
designed to pre-judge the talent needed, the scope, and other capital related
considerations. A loose guideline, it will always be changed and altered (even
discarded) as the production gets off the ground.
The
next phase is pre-production: This is when talent is lined up (either hired, or
in the case of documentaries, interviews secured), equipment is purchased, and
travel arrangements are made. This is also when the script is decided or
finalized.
In
the production phase, everything is locked down: This is when the whole thing
is finally committed–or good or ill–to some semblance of what the filmmakers hope
will be approximately equivalent to the intended end product. It is a time of
intense attention to detail, of multiple angles of literal and figurative coverage,
of "dotting Is" and "crossing
Ts".
In the fourth stage of this process,
post-production, the content will be analyzed, and multiple ways of presenting
the final creation will be tried in editing. Most crucial here is the
presentation (sonically and visually) of the raw data, winnowed down and shaped
into an engrossing narrative. This is usually the longest part of the process,
and often the most intensely collaborative (though all aspects of filmmaking
are collective), especially between
the director and the editor.
Once
there is a finished film, the process isn't over: Now the "sizzle" of
the "steak" is offered to the marketplace. This is a critical piece
of the process, as the entire enterprise can be lost due to misrepresentation
and/or mishandling of the picture.
Making
films is a rewarding experience, even as it is fraught with peril. . . There
are no guarantees with any creative endeavor, and making a movie is no
exception, but few things are as rewarding as an audience that "gets"
what you are striving for—which is the most any
creator can hope for with regard to their work.
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