From the Script to the Screen

Go outside and take a photograph of a tree, a car, a person, or yourself. Take a ‘selfie’, whether it be a portrait, self-portrait, or landscape, take a photograph. Regardless of what it is that has been photographed, an artistic crime has just been committed (yes, there is such a thing). The crime is one of the mind. A crime that is not punishable by law, but instead by the self, and of course, the artistic community. The crime is simple. It is common among amateur filmmakers and photographers alike. An essay, as mentioned in Portrait of the Essay as a Warm Body by Cynthia Ozick, is largely a poetic piece; one that is crafted from a singular idea, and produced, like poetry, in an attractive, appealing way, both aesthetically and literally. A film is done in the same manner, with the same methodical ideology and a precise balance of visuals and written work. From the script to the screen, a film is formed, filmed, and finalized in three poetic stages, the pre-production, production (shooting stage), and post-production.

The crime, as previously mentioned, is simple. When one intends to create a piece of artwork, whether that be poetry, photography, or film, there are three stages the artist of such piece must follow. The idea stage, known in film as the pre-production phase or the planning phase. This stage was eliminated when the photo was taken (the one from the paragraph above). The second stage or the production stage is where the idea is executed. For a novel, short story, or piece of poetry, this is where the work is written. In terms of film, this is where it is shot. The final stage, or the editing stage is where the artistic work is then revised, finalized, and above all else, edited. As a comparison, human action works the same way; there is intent to perform an act (idea for such act), the act itself (crime or not), and the consequence to such act (positive or negative), if any. Human act, to clarify, resembles the creation of art, specifically in film.

This essay will outline the steps to create, from scratch, a professional film utilizing the same three stages that ought to be applied to any other realm of creative work, but before moving onward a clarification needs to be made. 

The terms: ‘movie’ and ‘film’ have different definitions. Although, in reality, they are separate terms, they are equivocated in conversational language. To clarify, the word film refers to a compilation of images in a sequence to reveal a story in order to evoke emotions from a targeted audience, while simultaneously portraying a specific message. A film is formal, carefully planned, and meticulously executed. A movie on the other hand, is not as sophisticated and doesn’t focus all of its time and energy, as a film does, on character development, the plot (story), or conflict. To make life easier, The Shawshank Redemption is an example of a film and Transformers: Age of Extinction is an example of a movie. A movie is an informal film, so to speak. A good movie, having “pure entertainment value” is meant to keep the viewers on ‘the edge of their seat’ while a good film is meant to keep the audience intellectually engaged and invested in the evolution of a character in the fictional world they find themselves in.

The difference between the movie and the film is critical to understanding the creative process that goes into making a film.

A film is a thing of the mind. It sources from the mind and begins with a concrete idea. The idea is the most important aspect involved in the creation of a film (or so I am arguing). From this idea a script or screenplay is formed. There isn’t much difference between the terms ‘script’ and ‘screenplay’ other than: the term ‘script’ can refer to anything ranging from a radio play to a theatrical production, while the term ‘screenplay’ refers specifically to the script for a film or movie. Do not confuse this with a teleplay. A teleplay is a script for the small screen, for television.

Speaking exclusively of the big screen, there are two versions of the screenplay: the spec. script, short for speculative and the shooting script. The main difference between these scripts is the timing in which they are written and what is included on the page. For the speculative script; camera direction, dialogue delivery specifications, lighting, sound, music, props, and costume information is not included. The screenplay is, in essence, the film puked, in word form, onto 120 pages of script. It is a visually oriented, written piece. On the contrary, all of this is added after the spec script has been sold to the production company. The director and cinematographer, hired by the  production company will then, with assistance from the original writer, add the additional visual and audible directions.

Once a spec. script is bought, the original writer has very little say in the end product. The speculative script is written, pitched, sold, mutated into a shooting script, translated to a shot list, and given to the cast and crew all before the actual production is to commence.

The production stage, commonly referred to in the industry as the shooting stage is also arguably the most important stage involved in the entire process as it is the only stage where every single cast and crew member is invited to be in one place at the same time. A common misconception when it comes to film is that most people believe that an editor is not allowed on set. This is not the case, however, like the writer, they are not commonly found on set. But, like with all things there are exceptions. An editor is sometimes, like the writer, requested on set to ensure that what is being filmed is feasible to re-create, or edit in the final stages of post production. With current blockbuster films, this is very rarely the case as the director, nowadays, will commonly have ample knowledge regarding all aspects of production. The production stage is when the film is made. All elements are shot and recorded for preparation in post. This stage requires an abundance of teamwork and directly influences the editing stage as well as the final product.

The final phase of filmmaking is known as the post-production stage or editing stage. In this stage the raw footage is reviewed, corrected, edited, and layered together to produce a sequence of events, as it appeared in the original script. This is where the story comes to life. It  is where the director, editor, and, on occasion, the writer will come together to finalize the film. This stage involves video editing, sequencing, colour correcting, audio mixing, visual effects and marketing. Along with the piecing together of the actual film, a team of marketers and advertisers are tasked with creating posters, advertisements, trailers, and websites (social media included). The post-production stage of a ninety minute film usually takes about seven months (with limited VFX). This is, on average, about double the time it would take to complete the production stage of a film, assuming there aren’t too many location changes, or setbacks that would cause the filming to take longer. In many cases, the filming will take longer than three months.

As is evident, each and every production stage is vastly important in the creation of the a film. One mustn’t eliminate any stage of production. If this is done, in any artistic case, there will be consequences. Without any one of which the film would not be completed. There are numerous amounts of people that are required to work on a film, from the catering staff, to the actors, to the writer, and to the director themselves. A team effort. Film, as it stands, is a three staged – poetically driven, visually oriented, and methodically balanced form of artwork. That is what it is. There is no other way to put it.