The Six Stages of Media Production

There are six stages that a film production goes through to actually become a film.
-Negotiating a deal
-Pre-production and preparation
-Production
-Post production
-Distribution and Marketing
-Exhibition

A film cannot become a film without going through these stages. Without these stages we wouldn't have the high quality popular movies that we have today.

NEGOTIATING A DEAL IN CONTEMPORARY HOLLYWOOD

The international film industry is dominated by a handful of major companies, still referred to as "studios", such as Paramount, Universal and MGM. These studios don't own all studio facilities as such and most films they handle are made by smaller companies.
A film begins as an idea "pitched" to a studio. It is conceived as an individual product and put together by a producer as a "package" of a story, stars and a director and crew. There are a number of ways in which the package can be financed, but for big budget films the "deal" will nearly always involve one of the major studios. The concept behind a new film could be developed from many source, but to the interest to the studios in the relatively "conservative" atmosphere of Hollywood it will probably need to be supported by evidence of previous success associated with the ingredients of the proposal:
-Sequels
-Prequels
-The next "episode/installment"
-Remakes
-Novel Adaptions
-Original Ideas
-A new twist on a popular story
Sometimes it isn't easy to work out why a deal "seemed like a good idea at the time". A finished product can take two to three years to complete, and the main star could have faded from view or public taste in that time. Film producers must make an educated guess about the audience in a year's time and what changes need to be made, and they gamble with large sums of money.


PRE-PRODUCTION

Once the go ahead has been given, the production team has a great deal to do before shooting begins. Parts must be cast, locations chosen, costumes researched, dialogue coaches and wranglers (animal handlers) hired, hotel rooms booked etc. The Pre-Production stage is crucial, as this is where the script is finalized and all the crew is contracted. The final budget should be decided and the script needs to be re-worked if the budget is over-run.


PRODUCTION

This is where principle photography begins. The average filming time is 50 days for a film with 2-3 minutes of footage per day. a low budget film will take around half the time by using set ups and keeping the script tight. Even having an extra day of filming can mean a considerable amount of money being spent.
Special effects that require actors can be tricky, which means that the production will have to move to a company that has the technology to do such things.
The shooting is the most visible aspect of the production stage and therefore generates thew most interest.


POST-PRODUCTION

This is the longest stage of production where the editing and such takes place. This is important to the  sound of the film as well, as this is where the film is scored and the dialogue is cleaned up. Special effects are added at this stage and the film goes through the color gradients and other adjustments to the final version.


DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING

The distributors handle the film at this stage and they market the film in a particular way. Release patterns are negotiated. Big budget films are distributed by the film company themselves. As the international market grows, companies can open more studies in different places, meaning that films can be released in new countries.


EXHIBITION

This is where the film is advertised and, and it also where the release of the film is and when the film is released is negotiated. The cinemas with the most recent technology will most likely be the places with the best films within them, but this means that entrance to a film can be more expensive. For a film with a smaller budget, this exhibition stage is where it is decided whether or not to put a film into a cinema, what with it being small budget and less likely to turn a profit. This means that such films could be released straight to online streamers or DVD.