Flow Chart
Stage 1
Making a film takes years and involves hundreds of people but all films start with a moment of inspiration. Inspiration is all around us in newspapers, books, plays and even conversation. Wherever the idea comes from it is the producer who decides to make this great idea in to reality. A director can visualize a script and make into a reality. They know how to take a story and put it into the big screen. The writer defines and clarifies the idea. The plot and the main characters and turns it into something tangible. The writer will then write a treatment a one page description of the main story and characters of the film. A pitch contains all the information the producers need in order to sell the idea to the financers to commission a script.

Stage 2
The next step in the development of the project is to turn the rough idea of into a final script ready for production and this costs money. The producer uses the treatment and pitch plus powers of persuasion to get money to develop a script. The producer approaches film production companies for development money, but they have projects of their own. The producer can offer the future sales and broadcast rights to the film in return for money to develop the script. The producer can also apply to a public funding body such as the UK film council for a development grant. The producer can even pitch the film to private investors in hope that they will support the project.

Stage 3
With development financed secured, it is down to the writer to deliver the product that the producers and financers want. The writer produces a synopsis and then with the producer he agrees or disagrees on the key scenes and events in the film. There are as many ways as writing as there are writers, but most writers create a step outline to plan their script. Part of the writer’s fee is conditional on delivery of the first draft; this can be the hardest part of screenwriting. Once the writer and prouder are happy, the draft is sent to the financers all of whom will have their own ideas. When everybody is happy with the script it is locked off and becomes a final draft then the writers get paid. The final stage of the script development process is the creation of a sales treatment.

Stage 4

The market-  Fianciers can be anywhere in the world to secure the investment she needs to make the film. The producer must travel.

 Investment- Private induviduals. Production companies and public bodies all invest in films. The producers lawyer draws up contracts to seal the deal.

 Presales - The producer can also raise money through presales. Selling the right to the film before it has even been made.

 Banks and cap funding - There are departments of banks that specialise in film finance. They invest in commercial projects and also offer loans.

 Completion bonds - Most financiers insist that a completion bond is in place before they agree to invest. This is insurance for the production.

 Green light -  Once all the essential funding and insurance is secured the film gets the green light and the producer ends up being very happy.

  Stage 5

 What is packaging?- The director and the producer must now package the script in to a full commercial proposition ready for financing.

 The cast- One common way to make the project more commercial is by attaching well known stars to the script.

 The heads of the department- Respected commercially successful heads of departments carry considerable clout with knowledgeable financiers.

 Detailed budget and production- To turn the film into a proper busniness proposition the producer must know how much it will actually cost to make.

 Finance plan and recoupment schedule- Potential investors will want to know how the producer will raise the money and how she plans to pay them back. 

 The complete package- The producer has packaged the film into a viable commercial proposition. Now its time to see what people think of it.

 Stage 6

 The kick off meeting- Once all the heads of the departments are appointed. The shooting script is circulated and pre-production begins.

 Casting - The casting director along with other memebers of the team begin the long process of casting the actors.

 Storyboarding- Storyboards are the blueprint for the film where every shot is planned in advance by the director and the dop.

 Production design- The production designer will decide how every aspect of the film will look and hires people to design and build each part.

 Special effects planning- Effects shots are much more planned in detail than normal shots and can take months to design and build.

The production unit - The line producer and the production manager make up the logistic triangle of production            

             
Stage 7
The production office is the main contact point for production as a whole; the office is responsible for all the requirements of the shoot.
The camera department is responsible for getting all the footage that the director and edit or need to tell the story.
Once the lighting squad and sound are set up and hair and makeup have been checked, then the shot can begin.
In the midst of all this commotion, the actors must create an emotional world and draw the audience into it.
Every special effect is carefully constructed and must be filmed with minimum risk of injury to the cast and crew.
Film productions are run with military precision if they fall behind schedule the financers and insurers may step in.

Stage 8
As the processed footage comes in, the editor assembles it into scene and creates a narrative sequence for the film.
Once the picture is locked, the sound department work on the audio tracks laying creating and editing every sound.
Digital effects are added by specialist effects compositors and titles and credits are added in composting suite.
The final stage of the picture edit is to adjust the color and establish the fine aesthetic of the film.

Stage 10
 As the finishing touches are being made to the film in post, the distributors plan their strategy and begin to market it. To help to sell the film to distributors the producers secure the services of a sale agent, a specialist in film sales. Knowing the marketing team is essential the marketing team runs advanced screenings to see how the film is received. The potential audience for the films is targeted with posters, cinema trailers, TV spots and other marketing material. Television, radio, magazines and newspapers can all help spread word of mouth about the film. The birth of digital media and the internet has flooded the world with information but has also made niche marketing possible. In order to get the film to audiences the distributor must negotiate a deal with cinemas to screen it.

Stage 11
Cinema exhibition is still the primary channel for films to reach their audiences and box office success equals financial success. A high profile star studded premiere is used to launch the film to the public with an explosion of media coverage. The UK has more than 3,500 cinema screens although not all are British owned or show British films. Distributors supply exhibitors with prints off the film, the more screens the film is shown on the more prints are needed. The exhibitors take their share of the box office receipts after which the distributors recoup their marketing costs. Once the distributors have been paid, the financers can recover their investment as laid out in the recoupment schedule.

Stage 12
A successful run in cinemas makes the film a sought after product which can then be sold through other more lucrative channels. Hospitality sales for hotel channels and in flight entertainment can bring in millions of additional revenue. UK audiences spend more on DVDs than cinema tickets so success on DVD can compensate for box office failure. Television is the final source of revenue, rights are sold separately for pay TV showings and terrestrial broadcast. Rights for computer games and other product licenses can be extremely lucrative sources of additional revenue. Once the film has made a profit the producer and key creative people can reap their rewards or maybe not. The final income from a film is never known. Distribution continues in perpetuity and it may even be re- released in the future.