The Production Process
The production process refers to the stages (phases) required to complete a media product, from the idea to the final master copy. The process can apply to any type of media production including film, video, television and audio recording. The stages in each medium vary; for example, there is obviously no storyboard in an audio recording. However the same general concepts work for any medium.
The three main stages of production are:
- Pre-production: Planning, scripting & storyboarding, etc.
- Production: The actual shooting/recording.
- Post-production: Everything between production and creating the final master copy.
Other stages include:
- Financing: This happens before pre-production, and involves budget forecasting, finding investors, etc.
- Screenplay: This can be considered a separate stage before pre-production.
- Distribution: After post-production, delivering the content to the audience (e.g. film prints, CD/DVD, etc).