Film Festivals and Filmmakers

Everything You Always Wanted to Know

For about 12 days in May, the Cannes National Film Festival is celebrated. More than 200,000 people, including filmmakers, film fans, and many stargazers, gather on the Croisette to take part in the national film festival. On the 12th, the last day, about 4,000 films are screened, many careers are launched and, like other film festivals, there are disappointments. More than 200,000 people came together. Also, many stars from all over the world come here to attract attention.

The filmmaker has to do many things, like write a script, shoot the film, edit it, and then distribute it to the public. This depends entirely on how complex the subject is and also on various issues that would arise during the making of the film.

Development:

The idea of the filmmaker or a storey that a producer finds is first turned into a script. The source of the storey can be many, such as from a book or a play, or it can also be a remake of an older movie. An overview synopsis is prepared once the storey is chosen. This divides the movie into several scenes, each of which consists of one paragraph. This is then processed into a treatment of 25 to 30 pages, which describes the characters and the atmosphere of the story.

Based on the story, a scenario is then developed, which is then edited over and over until the storey becomes viable. At this point, the filmmaker would like to contact the film distributors to find out how these films are doing in the market to ensure that their film becomes a success. The film is now being presented to its financiers. If they are impressed with the film, they offer financial support for the film. This could be major movie studios, a major movie board, or even independent financiers. Preproduction:

The production company’s banner is created, and an office is opened for it. The company is created, and then the storey is brought to life on a storyboard and drawn out using concept artists and illustrators. The estimated budget for the film is currently being determined.

The filmmaker then hires the crew determined by the estimated budget for the film.

Production:

The shooting for the film is now starting and more crew will be needed. To help manage this stage in the movie production process, a director is hired who is in charge of everything that happens.

Post-production:

The filming will take longer and therefore needs to be edited, with the best scenes selected and made into a real movie.

The movie is then released theatrically and then formatted as needed. The press releases, posters, and other materials are published and well advertised. Now enough publicity is given to the film and then it is launched.

However, for the independent filmmaker, all you need is a working script and you’re on your way!

The competitions at the film festivals are usually only open to normal narrative films, but sometimes documentaries are introduced as well. For example, Michael Moore’s controversial documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” won the award in 2004. Filmmakers are welcome to submit both feature films and short films. There are prizes in each category.