Moving Images, Understanding Media

Chapter 8 The Production Process 287

CHAPTER IN FOCUS

In this chapter you will:

• create a short motion picture that features multiple production
  departments


• investigate personnel roles in pre-production, production, and
  post-production


• evaluate the work of key crew positions in the creation of motion
  pictures

The Collaborative Process

Th rough every chapter of this book, you have been studying and using the

production process. Th e fl ow of ideas, communication, and physical work that

generates the creation of motion pictures has been at the heart of all of the

exercises in this text. Now you will expand the range of your perspective.

In this chapter, you will review the key steps of the production process

as they exist in contemporary moving image media. As a result, you will

investigate the primary jobs that are part of live-action motion picture

production, centering on fi lm and television occupations. Th e types of

positions necessary to a project depend on many factors, particularly the

budget. For animated or computer-generated moving images, the division

of labor stems from the needs of those formats (such as character modelers

or background artists). However, the organization of creative departments

follows similar patterns to standard fi lm production processes. Even in the

making of interactive games, the staff will break down the duties in relation

to production needs, many of which mirror those of feature fi lms. In their

case, the solutions are those of the virtual reality world.

Managing Cooperative Endeavors

Motion picture productions function in ways that refl ect countless other fi elds

of human endeavor, from construction projects to scientifi c research to the

creation of a high school or university course. Typically, there are various

stages: setting goals and planning the mission; creating, gathering, and

selecting the physical elements and evidence; and assembling and evaluating

the product to try to achieve the desired result.

You have been developing cooperative skills and measuring the success

of collaborative ventures throughout the work of this text. As you have

probably seen numerous times, the eff ectiveness of an undertaking depends

greatly on the proper coordination of tasks and contributions of each team

member. At this point, your response to that statement may be “Easier said

than done.” As you have observed, the parts to a creative puzzle tend to be

very diffi cult to piece together.

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