Why Every Successful Film Production in Dubai NEVER Neglects Preproduction
Ever heard the saying that success is 90% in the planning, 10% execution? This is true of any professional endeavour, but especially true of film production.
When producing a film for any purpose, there are several hurdles. Plan successfully and you’ll sail over them, sprinting for the finish line, neglect preproduction and you may just find yourself falling at the first hurdle.
Film Production in Dubai
The big question is how much time do you need to plan a film production in Dubai versus shooting and editing? Broadly speaking, the process should be broken down into thirds. Plan, shoot, edit. But what if you have a particularly challenging concept to film – one that juggles several different elements simultaneously?
DON’T neglect pre-production. Invest as much time as you need to. If you believe that you need to devote more time to planning than shooting, do so!
Bringing Concept to Life
One of the key ingredients to a successful film production is understanding who clients, the purpose of the film and any vision clients may have. Don’t rush this process. Not fully understanding any of these intentions will compromise the success of the project.
Then there’s the client’s personality. This can determine the tone of the film. Think about it, some people are cynical, others optimistic. Some favour the serious, others have a more light-hearted approach to life.
But don’t assume. Sure, a client may be somewhat of a joker, but that doesn’t mean that all film production in Dubai should be all giggles. What if the purpose is to convey the emotional impact of illness? It’s not astute to storyboard, shoot and edit a film with joke after joke, right?
When it’s all said and done, use preproduction to ascertain exactly what will be the most impactful final film. Hint: it may not be exactly what the client pictured at the initial meeting, but that’s why they’ve hired a film production house – to do the things they can’t.
Remember too, you won’t even begin to storyboard, shoot and edit the film until you’ve fully nailed the concept. Neglect to do this and you’ll end up with mixed messaging, a tone that’s all over the place, a muddled purpose and poor value proposition.
How to Manage Scheduling
Now scheduling. In terms of organisation and completion of the project to any deadlines, scheduling is integral to the success of any film production in Dubai. Producers should work with DP’s and project managers, designers and video editors to bring the script to life whilst keeping to budget.
Leveraging or hiring a cast and crew with the requisite skills and experience to shoot the film, scouting locations and arranging shooting dates all fall under the scheduling quota. Remember the shooting process must run as smoothly as possible. Everyone has to know their roles, from directors to craft service.
Shot lists, camera tests and lighting and sound testing and much more should be undertaken at this stage. Any issues such as poor sound or lighting will need to be identified and resolved too. Why? You don’t want to encounter any hiccups that delay the production and compromise deadline delivery.
A Seamless Production Schedule
This leads us nicely onto the production schedule and managing any issues you may encounter. Always build in some time to address and mitigate any potential issues at the production stage. It’s not uncommon for some issues to be resolved in post-production (for instance, lighting and sound quality), but don’t forget to build this into the agreed schedule timescale.
Investing just a little extra time in advance of the production goes a long way to guaranteeing a seamless, successful production. The very last thing you want to happen is for something to wrong and not have enough time to address it.
Let’s say, for instance, that you’ve scouted shooting locations, and each requires a drive to get there. Knowing precisely how long it takes to reach them – and, more importantly, the best route is ideal to making sure that your film production in Dubai isn’t delayed by transport times.
As you can see, there are several reasons why every successful film production doesn’t neglect preproduction. Interested in learning more about why preproduction is paramount and how Sensa Digital excels at this crucial stage? Get in touch with us today.