The script is basically the story for your film. It is where you write down everything that is going to happen in your film including dialogue, lighting and setting.
Every person participating in the production of your film should have a script as it is the guide to what they all need to do. A script should always be given to the actors/crew well in advance of you doing your film, this will give the actors time to memorize their lines and also for the crew to prepare and be ready for their roles in the production of the film.
As a general rule, one page of your script should equal about 1 minute of film, meaning that if you had a 5 page script, your film should be about 5 minutes long.
Story boards
This is the next piece of paperwork that you would do after finishing your script.
The storyboard is where you draw up the ideas for the shots in your film. There is also space for you to add extra information about the shot, you could use this space to write down the type of lighting you want in the shot or to describe what you can see in the picture.
The storyboard gives the first sense of what the film will look like through the camera. This is an important piece of paperwork as you will know exactly what shots you’ll need instead of having to waste time deciding on them during the shoot.
Risk Assessment
Possibly everyone’s least favourite part of the paperwork is the risk assessment, this is the boring health and safety bit which is essential for any production you do.
It is the document that outlines all of the potential risks during the shooting of the film and how you will overcome them.
This paperwork helps you to consider what factors you need to think of when shooting at different locations. An example of a possible risk that you would have to outline is if you were shooting on a bridge (Example) there is a risk that you could fall off. You would also need to describe how you would overcome this risk by saying that you would stay away from the edge of the bridge and take extra caution when on the bridge.
Production & Shooting Schedules
The production schedule is a plan of what you are going to do and when you are going to do it.
Without filling out this information you have the potential to loose track of what you have an haven’t done and quite possibly forget to do an important part of the production process.The schedule includes every step of the production from the initial planning to the exhibition of your film.
It is important to fill out this sheet as it will give you an idea of the timescale for your film and what you need to be doing each day.
You will need to regularly revisit this document and possibly make changes to it depending on your progress in the production. Regular checks on this will ensure that you are running on time with your film.
It is especially important if you are working to a deadline as you will need to ensure you distribute time appropriately for different stages of the production to make sure that you meet the deadline that you have been set.
Cast & Crew Call Sheets
The Cast and Crew call sheets are two documents that list everyone that is involved in your production.
The Cast Call Sheet lists everyone that is going to be in your film, when & where they are needed and what they need to do.
The Crew Call sheet is a list of everyone who is undertaking the technical roles in your production such as the camera operators and the production assistant.
You would fill in this sheet before shooting so that you know who is going to be taking each role.
Every location and date that you film requires its own sheet as you may need different crew and actors on different locations and dates.
This document helps you keep a note of who is responsible for each role and would be useful if something went wrong as you would be able to determine who is responsible for this.
