Pre-Production

The first real work in story development consists of establishing a story arc. We need to see growth and change in our character as they confront obstacles. Traditionally, this is done in three acts, more commonly known as a beginning, middle and end to our story. It's also referred to as dramatic structure. The beginning introduces the character(s) and establishes their goal(s). The middle, or second act, is the character(s) struggling to accomplish these goals and the obstacles that stand in their way, ending in the climax, which shows if they accomplished their goals or not. Act three - the end, resolution or conclusion - shows the growth or change of the character(s) due to the journey.

If you go out into the field or studio without a plan for your shoot, you will end up wasting a great deal of time deciding what you want to do. In this industry, as in others, time is money. It is much more cost-effective to make your shooting decisions sitting at home alone or with a small pre-production team, than to make those decisions on location while the cast and crew wait for you to make up your mind.

Once you're sitting at your edit bay, your footage has already been shot and your fate has already been sealed. The way you gathered your footage will have a big impact on how you edit. If you forgot to get adequate coverage of a scene or neglected to log each shot, your job as editor will be that much tougher. The only sure-fire way to get the best footage is to take precautionary measures in pre-production and to shoot with the edit in mind. There is a lot to be said for planning ahead. Many headaches can be avoided with a little bit of forethought and planning.