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146 10 preproduction survey Once you have signed the production contract, you are ready to begin the film. You are now in for a period of work that can take anywhere from two months to a year or more and that falls into three distinct sections: preproduction, production, and postproduction. This chapter deals with the problems and tasks you are likely to encounter during the preproduction phase and all the arrangements you have to make before shooting. It assumes the outline or script has been approved and you can move into action. This is a tremendously important period. Time and effort invested here in coherent planning, which is the essence of preproduction, pays off immensely when you come to the actual shooting. During preproduction you have to attend to the following matters: reviewing people and location selecting the crew selecting equipment drawing up the shooting schedule obtaining permissions dealing with problems of foreign locations Preproduction is also a good period to look a few more times at the outline or the script. When you began writing it, your key consid- Preproduction Survey 147 eration was that it be accepted by the sponsor; you are now beyond that stage, and you should probably reconsider the script as a plan of action. Preproduction is a useful time to stand back and ask yourself, “Does it really say something? Does it have vision? Conflict? Interesting characters? Does it have a point of view? Are the main ideas still valid?” This questioning is not a once-and-for-all process. It should be something that goes on (at least subconsciously) through all the film stages. But the preproduction period is an especially good time to do this because you can still change a lot of things, whereas once you start filming such changes become much harder and more expensive. Reviewing People and Location During preproduction, try to revisit all the filming locations and talk once more to the main people who will appear in the film. The location review (on which I often take the cameraperson) helps, first of all, to refamiliarize you with the subject matter. A few months may have passed since you did the scouting and research, and things may have changed. The review also helps you sort out practical questions, such as parking and security. You are also now looking at locations from a slightly different perspective, with a director’s eye rather than a writer’s eye. What will be the best shots? From which direction does the sun come up? Should you plan to shoot that building in the morning when it’s in shade or in the afternoon when it’s sunlit? What is the sound situation like? Do the rooms echo or reverberate? Is there exterior sound interference from noisy traffic or schools getting out? This is also a time to meet again with your key film participants and anyone else who is going to help you. The meetings serve both a psychological and practical purpose. First, it may be beneficial to talk over the film in a little more detail with your on-camera interviewees and explain to them what you want to do. It’s a time to put their minds at rest about how difficult it will all be and about how much their lives will be disturbed. This is also a time to get to know them better: to explore who they are, what they will say, how they might appear on camera, and if anything new and important has happened to them since you last met. You should also work on establishing a real trust between yourself and the participants or the interviewees. I cannot stress enough how important this is; it has always seemed to me that documentary directing is more about trust than about finding the right camera positions. You should also use this time to examine scheduling possibilities. When are your participants free? When do Preproduction 148 they do those particular operations at the hospital? When do the main business meetings take place? What is the actual date of the school graduation? Whom should you contact when you come to film? How many days in advance should you notify that contact person? One particular point that calls for your attention is future lighting options. For example, it was only while doing a preproduction recce that I noticed that the hospital where I wanted to film used electrical outlets totally different from those normally used. Had that been overlooked...

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