Film Producer example essay topic

Mrs. Grinnell English 121st May 2005 Film and Video Production: Becoming the Future of the Silver Screen Every so often a movie is released with such tense anticipation and glamorous visual art that the public is drawn to this dramatic rendition of life in the theatre. For even just two hours or so, you are put into a different lifestyle. Action, drama or comedy it may be. We are thrust into a different way of thinking.

We are forced to learn the characters thoughts and feelings. The hard work and artistic skill that goes into these magnificent films is not an easy thing to mimic. Out of the thousands of movies released worldwide each year only a handful are truly worthy of the label film art. Most of the great movies are either produced by a multi million dollar company that hired a director with quite a bit of experience under his belt, or are made with little money and slowly find their way into the film business due to increasing popularity because of the good writing and talented though unknown actors in the film. These small films are a great way to get a foot in the door of the giant Hollywood business. There are many courses that need to be taken to get a bachelors degree in film arts, and though not promised, it can really help one get a good footing in the business of film and video production.

The first thing needed is to learn the basics of film making. This course would be labeled as Introduction to Film and Video or Introduction to Cinema. It introduces the basic education for prospective film students. It starts with the conceptualization to execution and examines the many different film genres, such as context of history, theory, fiction, drama and comedy.

Many major colleges across the U.S. offer this course, such as UCLA, UT at Austin, SDSU and many others. This course is easy to complete and requires no pre-requisites. Though taking courses such as these is not required to get into this business, it is defiantly recommended since one's chance of creating a small film with the common amount of knowledge and having it produced and hit the big time is very slim. Film is such a competitive business that education is crucial if one wants to land a decent job in the work force. Although it is possible to do it all without the education, it is highly unlikely. The knowledge one learns from just basic filmmaking techniques will prove extremely valuable in the future on the set.

Another important skill that needs to be at least looked at is screenwriting. Screenwriting refers to the art and craft of writing screenplays or scripts. Even if one plans on becoming a director and not a screenwriter one needs to know what kind of scripts to look for. This is very important for a beginning small movie director since the reader will most likely be writing their own scripts to get some recognition. A script is a document that outlines every aural, visual, behavioral, and lingual element required to tell a story, according to the dictionary definition at web It is crucial to remember that film is a visual medium. One doesn't tell the audience the story, one shows them.

So what one will be writing is not a novel but more like explaining a dream on paper. One must learn to write a screenplay visually. As famed director Darren Aronofsky said in an interview with a struggling screenwriter trying to get published, "Most of what one writes that doesn't work on screen will just be improvised on the movie set". There are many important requirements for screenplays that may seem like minutia at first glance but the format of ones script is extremely important since it will be submitted along with hundreds of others to one producer. For example, the main font in use in the U.S. by both publishers and the Hollywood film industry is Courier 12 pitch According to AFI (American Film Industry) the basics of screenwriting.

Though this seems unimportant, when a publisher is looking at a manuscript he is going to look for things like this. So if one is planning on writing a screenplay one will want to learn the most intricate aspects of how it is done. There are classes one can take to learn the basics screenwriting, many of which can be found online, such as web This site offers plenty of online workshops that can greatly guide one in the style of screenwriting. This is highly recommended for anyone starting out in this business. It is also important to know ones role in this whole process.

There are producers and then there are directors. A film producer oversees the making of movies. The producer initiates, coordinates, supervises and controls matters such as raising funding, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors. The producer is involved throughout all phases of the filmmaking process from inception to completion of a project. A director orchestrates the artistic and dramatic aspects of a film.

The role typically includes: Defining the overall artistic vision of the film and controlling the content and flow of the film's plot. As well as directing the performances of actors, both mechanically by putting them in certain positions (i.e. blocking), and dramatically by eliciting the required range of emotions. Also organizing and selecting the locations in which the film will be shot and managing technical details such as the positioning of cameras and the use of lighting. All concerning definitions according to Filmmakers Magazine. Another aspect of filmmaking to learn about is cinematography. Cinematography is the art and process of recording visual images for motion pictures.

A professional who engages in cinematography is known as a cinematographer. As a process, it is closely related to photography. Cinematography involves the framing of a shot, the photographic aspects of a shot and duration of the shot. Like photography, cinematography is a creative and interpretive process that affects the motion picture. A cinematographer frequently has to work together with the director to ensure the artistic coherence of the final product. Columbia College Chicago offers an extensive film and video program.

It offers the core courses for students seeking a degree in filmmaking. "Taught in distinctive learning centers, areas of concentration include Alternative Forms, Animation (traditional and digital), Audio, Cinema Studies, Cinematography, Directing, Documentary, Editing, Producing, and Screenwriting. Some students choose to prepare for a working life in one of the specialized disciplines; others opt to graduate as an independent filmmaker with all-round experience". As stated at Columbia College Chicago's official website at web This college is a great example of the wealth of knowledge and experience that can be gained through taking such courses as these. The information received through a course like this and many others can greatly help in establishing one's career.

To be more specific, Production I and II, Direction I and II, Editing, Lighting, Animation workshop, Audio and Visual media, Visual effects, Studies in film history and so on. All of which can be found at web course lists / F/V. html It is also important for one who is interested in this career to look at the history of cinema. One can learn a lot simply from studying the work of talented directors. There are many film associations and guilds that can be of help in one's pursuit of this career. The Association of Lighting Designers, the American Society of Cinematographers and the Motion Picture Association of America are very good examples. The Motion Picture Association of America offers great research reports on movies and scripts and can be a good way of keeping informed with the public's side of things.

Such as US Economic reports and explains what to expect from the rating system. As stated at web Founded in 1922 as the trade association of the American film industry, the MPAA has broadened its mandate over the years to reflect the diversity of an expanding industry. The initial task assigned to the association was to stem the waves of criticism of American movies, then silent, while sometimes rambunctious and rowdy, and to restore a more favorable public image for the motion picture business. It would also be a good idea for a prospective director to attend some of the popular film festivals, such as the Cannes or Sundance Film Festivals. These film festival show not only some of the biggest hit movies of the year, but also low budget films that are trying to get some recognition. They are festivals of raw talent and great films.

There are many film festival's one can attend to gain more knowledge about the business. Film Festival's could help to broaden the readers knowledge of the actual film production world. It would help show the impact of good screenwriting and small films that can indeed start out as nothing and grow to become a worldwide grossing feature film. In conclusion this author would like to let the reader know that, though an exciting career this is, it is an extremely hard business to break into. It takes a lot of hard work and patience and maybe just a bit of luck. One could attend a college and take all the required courses, get a degree and still never see a movie set or get a good grip on the business.

Although, If one has the heart and strong will to make it in this business it could be extremely rewarding. web - (Columbia college Chicago) web Film Festival / web - Cannes Film Festival web - Paragraph 1 - (Courses) Feature Filmmaking - Rick Schmidt - Producing and Directing -MPAA. com -.