Movie Development

In the film industry, movie development or simply development refers to the initial stages of working a story idea into a viable script. A producer zeros in on an idea for a script that can be original, based on a true story, or an adaptation. Producers are also routinely given unproducedspec scripts by associates and agents. Once a producer commits to a project, movie development begins and people are brought on board to help with this phase of the project.

If working with an original idea, the story is often fleshed out through a series of meetings and phone calls with writers or associates who will be involved in the project. A synopsis is written, then an outline, treatment, and script. If starting with a spec script, the usual path is one of rewrites and reworking the script idea. In all cases, producers like to get a director and talent attached to a project as soon as possible in order to attract financial backers and a studio. Further rewrites are made to accommodate the wishes or particular style(s) of attached talent.

The amount of time a project stays in the development stage depends on many factors, but a period of months is usually minimal. The process of movie development is a collaborative one that is commonly fraught with opposing creative ideas, conflicting egos and a high potential for tension and stress that can slow down or even derail progress. Hollywood politics might also dictate whether or not a project survives development. Plans that get stuck for years in this phase are said to be in “development hell.”

Assuming a project makes it through the movie development phase, the screenplay is pitched to a studio executive and to additional executive producers that will be providing financial backing. Once a studio greenlights the project, (which might require more rewrites), it moves into the pre-production phase. In this phase all arrangements are made that must take place prior to actual shooting. For example, the movie is fully cast, the crew is hired, and sets are built and/or locations are chosen and contractually secured. Production, or the actual shoot comes next, followed by post-production or final editing and the screening phase. Finally the movie is premiered and released.

Movie development is the first step in a long road to movie production. Hollywood has many more projects in development than will ever be made. Even a project that successfully completes the development phase has no guarantee of seeing the big screen. Any number of circumstances can arise in the interim that will spell disaster or cancellation of a project. By some estimates less than 10% of movie development projects are ever produced, with the vast majority being permanently “shelved.”

Where Are Most Movies Filmed

The highest-grossing movies worldwide tend to be those produced in the United States, which are increasingly being filmed in locations outside the US. Movies that are produced in the US are mainly filmed in the Los Angeles or New York City areas, but half of the 50 most popular US movies in 2012 were filmed at least partly in other countries. Canada is one of the most common filming locations for American movies because production costs tend to be lower and there are less-stringent legal requirements. Another reason for filming outside the US might be the popularity of action and adventure movies, which often have some settings outside the US.

Shooting Script

A shooting script is a document used within the film and motion picture industry that indicates how different scenes in a movie breakdown. This is basically a screenplay that has been adjusted by the director and other members of the film crew for use as a document to plan out different shots and days of filming. The pages of a shooting script are numbered, as are the individual scenes and shots that need to be filmed. This document also includes notations and instructions on how scenes will be filmed, with indications of different shots such as close ups and the angles that will be used.

While a screenplay is written out by a writer, as a way to tell a story on paper, the shooting script is written for practical purposes. It is typically a version of the screenplay that has been altered or adjusted for use in shooting the movie. As scenes are removed, added, or altered, the shooting script is also changed to reflect this. Each page of this script is numbered, and every scene within it is also numbered, to make it easier for directors, cast, and crew to all know exactly what is being filmed on any given day.

As changes occur to the shooting schedule or new scenes are added to a movie, the shooting script is adjusted accordingly. If a scene is added between the original scene "4" and "5," it is typically labeled as scene "4A" to avoid any confusion with the initial version. Similarly, if a scene is removed from the film, then the scene number remains within the shooting script, but its content is simply replaced with the word "omitted" to ensure people know it was removed and is not missing. The page numbers in this script are handled in a similar way, so that new pages get letters and those removed are indicated accordingly.

Directors and cinematographers typically make notations in a shooting script to indicate how different scenes are going to be handled during filming. This allows the cast and crew to better understand what is happening, and provides an overall guide for the shooting process. Technical cues are typically included in this, so that a scene within a shooting script might include notation such as "CU" for close up. Specific instructions on where the camera is facing are included, as well as indications of actor placement for shots over the shoulder of a character or scenes in which actors move in and out of frame.

How Do I Become a Unit Production Manager?

You can become a unit production manager (UPM) by applying for assistant-level jobs on film and television sets in the entertainment industry and working your way up by virtue of excellent job performance and networking. The skill set you need to do the job can be obtained through experience, by attending film school, or by entering an industry training program. Jobs in the entertainment industry are few in number and high in demand. Ultimately, obtaining any position is more a matter of persistence and luck rather than any specific set of credentials.

A unit production manager handles the overall budget, schedule, and contracts that are part of a film or television project. He is hired by the producer, supervises production assistants, and coordinates operations in conjunction with other project departments. The UPM is a union member of the Director's Guild of America (DGA). Line producer is the analogous title used by non-union UPMs.

Each television show or film is organized like a separate business entity. You are contracted to each production for as long as it lasts. At the end of the production, you apply to work on a new project, submitting your credentials and interviewing for a position. This makes the desire to become a unit production manager highly reliant on networking and your ability to make a positive impression that will get you recommended for jobs on new productions.

You can become a unit production manager (UPM) by applying for assistant-level jobs on film and television sets in the entertainment industry and working your way up by virtue of excellent job performance and networking. The skill set you need to do the job can be obtained through experience, by attending film school, or by entering an industry training program. Jobs in the entertainment industry are few in number and high in demand. Ultimately, obtaining any position is more a matter of persistence and luck rather than any specific set of credentials.

A unit production manager handles the overall budget, schedule, and contracts that are part of a film or television project. He is hired by the producer, supervises production assistants, and coordinates operations in conjunction with other project departments. The UPM is a union member of the Director's Guild of America (DGA). Line producer is the analogous title used by non-union UPMs.

Each television show or film is organized like a separate business entity. You are contracted to each production for as long as it lasts. At the end of the production, you apply to work on a new project, submitting your credentials and interviewing for a position. This makes the desire to become a unit production manager highly reliant on networking and your ability to make a positive impression that will get you recommended for jobs on new productions.

Screenplay

A screenplay is a manuscript for a film. Written by a screenwriter, screenplays are typically the first completed step of a film. Writing a screenplay takes both technical formatting knowledge and writing ability; many writers complete dozens of drafts and revisions before reaching a version that may be ready for production.

The basic components of a screenplay are action and dialogue. "Action" is used to describe things such as the location of a scene, the personality, appearance, and features of characters, and the visual actions that occur in each scene. Since film is a visual medium, action may be more extensive and descriptive in a screenplay as opposed to a play. "Dialogue" refers to the words that the characters speak. Through these elements, the screenwriter tells a story meant for a film format, just as a playwright creates works meant to be performed on stage.

Commercial screenplays typically adhere to a specific style and format. Many screenwriters use software that automatically formats dialogue, action, and other elements with the correct margins, spacing, and capitalization rules. Formatting rules differ between genres; a TV script may look significantly different from a film script. Among professional screenwriters, adherence to proper formatting frequently serves as a basic code that suggests that the writer understands the business; new screenwriters are often encouraged to learn formatting rules by heart in order to ensure that their scripts are taken seriously by other industry professionals. Independent filmmakers, or those that operate outside of the major film-making platforms, may choose to ignore or re-interpret formatting rules for artistic reasons.

Writing ability is key to writing a good screenplay. Although some people may have an inborn talent for natural-sounding dialogue or creating compelling storylines, many screenwriters improve simply through writing many screenplays, listening to notes from friends and professionals, and continually working on becoming better writers. Some of the factors that determine screenwriting ability include the ability to create a compelling, logical story, the invention of interesting characters, and an understanding of what can and cannot be done on screen. This third factor can greatly influence the chances of a screenplay getting made into a film; even an extremely well-written script may be dead in the water if it includes elements that are impossible or incredibly expensive to replicate onscreen.

A screenplay typically forms the basis for an entire film production. Without the screenplay, producers wouldn't know how many actors to hire, designers wouldn't know what costumes would be appropriate, and actors wouldn't know what to say or what happens in each scene. Though screenplays often go through extensive re-writing on the way to the screen, they can serve as the heart and primary inspiration that draws a group of filmmakers together to make a movie.

How Do I Write a Screenplay?

If you've always wanted to work in the exciting, creative television or film industries and have a particular gift for spotting "the next big thing" before it emerges, you may have what it takes to become a development executive. This is a high-level management position within the studio power structure, generally above creative and studio executives. A development executive (DE) is in charge of reading scripts, managing creative talent behind the scenes, and getting new movies and TV shows into production. DEs are not only expected to stay on top of the latest trends, but also must be able to identify and develop a hit before the competition beats them to the punch.

To become a development executive, you might start out as a scriptwriter or reader at the network or studio. This provides an excellent opportunity for studying film narrative and scriptwriting techniques. Reading hundreds of submissions per week is one of the most effective ways to learn what works and what doesn't. Once you've internalized the basics of a good script, you'll soon be making recommendations to your overseeing producer on stories that higher executives might find worthy of a possible new TV series or feature film. Should a show or film you pitched go on to achieve success, you'll be well-positioned for a promotion and further along on the way to DE status.

Cultivating industry connections and relationships with creative talent is critical to an aspiring development executive. A key part of this job is seeking out writers, cast members, directors, producers and staff the studio or network should be working with. Assembling the right production and creative team for a new show pilot show can make all the difference in whether the show becomes a hit. Development executives are always on the lookout for genres and show concepts that the studio or network needs to fill missing spaces in the programming lineup. For a DE, innovation and breaking new ground with a highly rated show or blockbuster film is always a goal.

As with many jobs in the entertainment field, talent, industry connections and experience are more important to potential employers than a college degree. Taking some courses inscreenplay development, film/TV production, scriptwriting, and marketing or advertising can be extremely helpful in preparing for this career, however. Your local community college or university likely offers informal and night classes where you can pick up some of the needed skills even if you do not plan to pursue a degree. Other vocational schools and technical institutes devoted to film and television production — such as the Art Institutes of America, the National Film and Television School, and the EU's Media Programme — are also viable options for study. Nearly all of these schools offer internships and job placement for any student looking to become a development executive.

The scene descriptions are usually presented after a scene heading, which is also known as a slug line. A typical slug line might look like this: "INT. Office – Day." The "INT" in this case, stands for "interior;" it could have been "EXT" for "exterior." These distinctions are mostly helpful for allowing the future filmmaker to break down scenes into those which will be shot indoors and those which will be shot outdoors, a consideration that can be important in movie production. Beneath the slug line, the screenwriter will lay out what the scene looks like; it is usually written from a third-person present tense perspective, instead of past tense like most novels.

The second part of trying to write a screenplay is to describe the action. This is also usually handled in the third-person present tense. An example of an action description might sound a little like this: "Carrie opens the drawer on her desk and removes the document, handing it across to Bill." Sometimes there will be some subtle — or specific — camera directions mixed into the action as part of the storytelling, but screenwriters who expect someone else to direct the material often avoid these to make the screenplay less distracting and easier to read.

The thing that takes up the biggest part of most screenplays is dialogue. Sometimes there are several pages of dialogue between each action or scene description, although this does depend on the kind of film being written. Dialogue is generally presented with the character's name centered on one line, and the actual lines for the character written below.

Usually, dialogue is about half as wide on the page as the action descriptions. For example, the margins may be set up so that the action and scene descriptions are 6 inches (15.24 cm) wide on the page, and the dialogue might be set up to be about 3.5 inches (8.89 cm). Sometimes there are little descriptions of the behaviors a character should be exhibiting while speaking in parenthesis on a separate line between the name and the dialogue.

Another important issue to consider when trying to write a screenplay is the question of pacing. Films are generally paced much more quickly than other forms of fiction since they are designed to tell a story in one sitting. Screenplays generally move more quickly than novels, for example, and time-compression techniques, such as montages, are used to quickly summarize things that might be dealt with in detail if someone were writing another kind of fiction.

Become a Development Executive

If you've always wanted to work in the exciting, creative television or film industries and have a particular gift for spotting "the next big thing" before it emerges, you may have what it takes to become a development executive. This is a high-level management position within the studio power structure, generally above creative and studio executives. A development executive (DE) is in charge of reading scripts, managing creative talent behind the scenes, and getting new movies and TV shows into production. DEs are not only expected to stay on top of the latest trends, but also must be able to identify and develop a hit before the competition beats them to the punch.

To become a development executive, you might start out as a scriptwriter or reader at the network or studio. This provides an excellent opportunity for studying film narrative and scriptwriting techniques. Reading hundreds of submissions per week is one of the most effective ways to learn what works and what doesn't. Once you've internalized the basics of a good script, you'll soon be making recommendations to your overseeing producer on stories that higher executives might find worthy of a possible new TV series or feature film. Should a show or film you pitched go on to achieve success, you'll be well-positioned for a promotion and further along on the way to DE status.

Cultivating industry connections and relationships with creative talent is critical to an aspiring development executive. A key part of this job is seeking out writers, cast members, directors, producers and staff the studio or network should be working with. Assembling the right production and creative team for a new show pilot show can make all the difference in whether the show becomes a hit. Development executives are always on the lookout for genres and show concepts that the studio or network needs to fill missing spaces in the programming lineup. For a DE, innovation and breaking new ground with a highly rated show or blockbuster film is always a goal.

As with many jobs in the entertainment field, talent, industry connections and experience are more important to potential employers than a college degree. Taking some courses inscreenplay development, film/TV production, scriptwriting, and marketing or advertising can be extremely helpful in preparing for this career, however. Your local community college or university likely offers informal and night classes where you can pick up some of the needed skills even if you do not plan to pursue a degree. Other vocational schools and technical institutes devoted to film and television production — such as the Art Institutes of America, the National Film and Television School, and the EU's Media Programme — are also viable options for study. Nearly all of these schools offer internships and job placement for any student looking to become a development executive.