Overview
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This free 12-hour course explores the intriguing world of film production, and illuminates the processes of film development, distribution and finance.
Syllabus
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- Week1Week 1: The value of film
- Introduction
- 1 Cultural and economic value of film
- 1.1 What is the cultural value of film?
- 1.2 Value and the creative and cultural industries
- 1.3 Why should we support film?
- 2 Why film matters to the economy
- 2.1 Money spent by inward investment films
- 2.2 The benefits of inward investment
- 2.3 Should we protect home-grown production?
- 3 Thinking about the value chain
- 3.1 The film business value chain
- 3.3 The value chain stages and power
- 3.4 Who has the power?
- 4 Week 1 quiz
- 5 Culture, economy, value and power
- References
- Further reading
- Acknowledgements
- Week2Week 2: Developing a film
- Introduction
- 1 Where do films come from?
- 1.1 Where films come from
- 2 Development stages
- 2.1 Making sure your project is legal
- 2.2 Why development is so important and so hard
- 2.3 The development budget
- 2.4 From idea to screenplay
- 2.5 Money upfront: ‘pre-pre-production’
- 3 What does the public funder look for?
- 4 Week 2 quiz
- 5 Building the case
- References
- Further reading
- Acknowledgements
- Week3Week 3: Where do films go to?
- Introduction
- 1 What distributors do
- 2 The distribution life cycle of a film
- 2.1 A journey through windows
- 2.2 The changing life cycle of the film
- 2.3 The marketing plan
- 3 Theatrical performance
- 3.1 Analysing the box office
- 3.2 How profitable is the theatrical release?
- 3.3 What do the numbers look like?
- 3.4 Marketability versus playability
- 3.5 Case study – the release of Spooks: the Greater Good
- 4 Week 3 quiz
- 5 Digital solutions
- Acknowledgements
- Week4Week 4: Where does the money come from?
- Introduction
- 1 Sources of funding
- 1.1 Three principal sources
- 1.2 How does distribution finance work?
- 1.3 Why there is public funding for film: culture
- 1.4 Why there is public funding: the economy
- 2 The bank loan
- 2.1 The complexities
- 2.2 Fragmentation of the value chain
- 3 What factors shape the finances?
- 3.1 Market value
- 3.2 Case study: Spooks – the financial package
- 4 Week 4 quiz
- 5 Film value chain and innovation
- References
- Further reading
- Acknowledgements
- Week5Week 5: Making the film
- Production: the cost and complexity of films
- 1 The producer’s role: ‘make our days’
- 1.1 Job roles and how they are paid
- 1.2 Retaining people
- 2 The schedule
- 2.1 Breaking down a scene
- 2.2 Scheduling the film
- 2.3 Other costs and considerations
- 2.4 The final budget
- 3 Making your film bigger than it costs
- 4 Week 5 quiz
- 5 Producer and project
- Acknowledgements
- Week6Week 6: Film: past and future
- Introduction
- 1 Looking back
- 1.1 The first of the Bond movies
- 1.2 When it all went wrong on Dr. No
- 2 The cost of independent production
- 2.1 Who holds the power?
- 2.2 The future
- 3 End of course quiz
- 4 Better business, better films
- 5 End of course round-up
- Take the next step
- References
- Acknowledgements
