Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a motion picture is produced . Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screenwriting , casting , pre-production , shooting , sound recording , post-production , and screening the finished product before an audience, which may result in a film release and exhibition. The process is nonlinear, as the director typically shoots the script out of sequence, repeats shots as needed, and puts them together through editing later. Filmmaking occurs in a variety of economic, social, and political contexts around the world, and uses a variety of technologies and cinematic techniques to make theatrical films, episodic films for television and streaming platforms, music videos, and promotional and educational films.
58-527: Paul Benjamin Auster (February 3, 1947 – April 30, 2024) was an American writer, novelist, memoirist, poet, and filmmaker . His notable works include The New York Trilogy (1987), Moon Palace (1989), The Music of Chance (1990), The Book of Illusions (2002), The Brooklyn Follies (2005), Invisible (2009), Sunset Park (2010), Winter Journal (2012), and 4 3 2 1 (2017). His books have been translated into more than 40 languages. Paul Auster
116-420: A cast and crew of hundreds, while a low-budget, independent film may be made by a "skeleton crew" of eight or nine (or fewer). These are typical crew positions: In production, the film is created and shot. In this phase, it is key to keep planning ahead of the daily shoot. The primary aim is to stick to the budget and schedule, which requires constant vigilance. More crew will be recruited at this stage, such as
174-464: A certain appeal of the film to a possible audience. Not all films make a profit from the theatrical release alone, however, the studio mainly targets the opening weekend and the second weekend to make most domestic profits. Occasionally, a film called a "word of mouth film" does not market strongly but its success spreads by word of mouth. It slowly gains its audience. These are special circumstances and these films may remain in theaters for 5 months while
232-556: A few inches away from him at the time. This event changed his life, thinking about it every day. After graduating from Columbia University with B.A. and M.A. degrees (English, Comparative Literature) in 1970, he moved to Paris where, among other jobs, he tried to earn a living translating French literature. After returning to the United States in 1974, he continued to work on his poems, essays, and translations of French writers, such as Stéphane Mallarmé and Joseph Joubert . His work as
290-538: A film, create and edit the sound and music, and mix the final cut on a home computer. However, while the means of production may be democratized, financing, traditional distribution, and marketing remain difficult to accomplish outside the traditional system. In the past, most independent filmmakers have relied on film festivals (such as Sundance Film Festival , Venice Film Festival , Cannes Film Festival , and Toronto International Film Festivals ) to get their films noticed and sold for distribution and production. However,
348-441: A freelance job held by recent university graduates, does not feed scripts into the system that are ready for production nor already produced. "Coverage" is a way for young screenwriters to be read and their ideas might make their way up to an executive or famous producer and result in "meet and greets" where relations with up-and-comers can be formed. But it has not historically yielded ideas studios pursue into production. The studio
406-430: A green light may have protracted difficulties in making the transition to pre-production and enter a phase referred to as developmental hell for extended period of time or until developmental turnaround . Analogous to almost any business venture, financing of a film project deals with the study of filmmaking as the management and procurement of investments . It includes the dynamics of assets that are required to fund
464-415: A pairing of producers with writers , where they develop a "take", a basic story idea that utilizes the concept given by studio executives. Often it is a competition with several pairings meeting with studio executives and "pitching" their "take". Very few writing jobs are from original ideas brought to studios by producers or writers. Perhaps one movie a year will be a "spec" script that was purchased. Once
522-601: A sequel. They will additionally acquire a completed and independently financed and produced film. Such notable examples are Little Miss Sunshine , The English Patient , and Roma . Studios hold general meetings with producers and screenwriters about original story ideas. "In my decade working as a writer, I knew of only a few that were sold and fewer that made it to the screen," relays writer Wayne Powers. Alan Watt, writer-director and Founder of The LA Writer's Lab confirmed that completed original screenplays, referred to as "specs", make big news when they sell, but these make up
580-415: A translator led to the publication in 1982 of The Random House Book of Twentieth-Century French Poetry , which he edited. Following the appearance in 1982 of his acclaimed debut work, a memoir titled The Invention of Solitude , Auster gained renown for a series of three loosely connected novellas published collectively as The New York Trilogy (1987), and is often cited as his most widely known work to
638-418: A typical film run is closer to 5 weekends. Further earnings result from pay television purchases, foreign market purchases and DVD sales to establish worldwide distribution gross of a film. Once a screenplay is "green-lit", directors and actors are attached and the film proceeds into the pre-production stage, although sometimes development and pre-production stages will overlap. Projects which fail to obtain
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#1732855706286696-445: A very small portion of movies that are ultimately given the green light to be produced by the president of a studio. The executives return from the retreat with fairly well-established instructions. They spread these concepts through the industry community, especially to producers they have deals with (traditional studios will have those producers in offices on their lots). Also, agents for screenwriters are made aware. This results in
754-479: Is customary for the production office to arrange a wrap party , to thank all the cast and crew for their efforts. For the production phase on live-action films , synchronizing work schedules of key cast and crew members is very important. For many scenes, several cast members and many crew members must be physically present at the same place at the same time (and bankable stars may need to rush from one project to another). Animated films have different workflow at
812-454: Is drawn up to plan expenditures for the film. For major productions, insurance is procured to protect against accidents. Pre-production also includes working out the shoot location and casting process. The Producer hires a Line Manager or a Production Manager to create the schedule and budget for the film. The nature of the film, and the budget, determine the size and type of crew used during filmmaking. Many Hollywood blockbusters employ
870-404: Is the film distributor who at an early stage attempts to choose a slate of concepts that are likely to have market appeal and find potential financial success. Hollywood distributors consider factors such as the film genre , the target audience and assumed audience, the historical success of similar films, the actors who might appear in the film, and potential directors. All these factors imply
928-460: Is up!" to inform everyone that a take is about to be recorded, and then "quiet, everyone!" Once everyone is ready to shoot, the AD calls "roll sound" (if the take involves sound), and the production sound mixer will start their equipment, record a verbal slate of the take's information, and announce "sound speed", or just "speed", when they are ready. The AD follows with "roll camera", answered by "speed!" by
986-633: The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York since then. Paul Auster died of complications from lung cancer at his home in Brooklyn , on April 30, 2024, at the age of 77. He was survived by his wife Siri Hustvedt, their daughter Sophie Auster, his sister Janet Auster, and a grandson. Filmmaker Although filmmaking originally involved the use of film , most film productions are now digital . Today, filmmaking refers to
1044-438: The film editor reviewing the footage with the director and assembling the film out of selected takes. The production sound (dialogue) is also edited; music tracks and songs are composed and recorded if a film is intended to have a score; sound effects are designed and recorded. Any computer-generated visual effects are digitally added by an artist . Finally, all sound elements are mixed down into "stems", which are synchronized to
1102-432: The internet has allowed for the relatively inexpensive distribution of independent films on websites such as YouTube . As a result, several companies have emerged to assist filmmakers in getting independent movies seen and sold via mainstream internet marketplaces, often adjacent to popular Hollywood titles. With internet movie distribution, independent filmmakers who choose to forego a traditional distribution deal now have
1160-481: The property master , script supervisor , assistant directors, stills photographer , picture editor , and sound editors . These are the most common roles in filmmaking; the production office will be free to create any unique blend of roles to suit the various responsibilities needed during the production of a film. Communication is key between the location, set, office, production company, distributors and all other parties involved. A typical day shooting begins with
1218-464: The Bridge (1998). After a steadfast commitment to filmmaking during the late 1990s, Auster decided to turn his attention once again to writing novels, memoirs, and essays during the remaining two decades of his life. Between 2002 and 2024, Auster published nine novels, two memoirs, an 800-page biography of Stephen Crane ( Burning Boy ), and a sustained jeremiad (Auster calls it a "political pamphlet") on
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#17328557062861276-700: The Face features songs by singer Selena . Her bilingual duet with David Byrne , " God's Child (Baila Conmigo) ", appears on the film's soundtrack. The film once again centers on the Brooklyn Cigar Store and manager Auggie ( Harvey Keitel ), although most of the other characters are different. The store owner's frustrated wife Dot ( Roseanne Barr ) is one of them, and one of the plotlines follows her attempts to seduce Auggie. Madonna , Michael J. Fox , Lily Tomlin and Lou Reed as himself also put in appearances. The film received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes ,
1334-401: The Face was filmed over a five-day period as a follow-up to Wang's 1995 film Smoke . During production of Smoke , Keitel and the others ad-libbed scenes in-character between takes and a sequel was made using this improvised material. Lily Tomlin was nominated for an American Comedy Award as "Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" for her performance in this picture. Blue in
1392-567: The First Draft. Preliminary discussions are minimal with studio executives but might be quite detailed with the producer. Next, a screenwriter writes a screenplay over a period of several months, or however long it takes. Deadlines are in their contracts but there is no pressure to adhere to them. Again, every writer's process and speed vary. The screenwriter may rewrite the script several times to improve dramatization, clarity, structure, characters, dialogue, and overall style. Script Coverage,
1450-475: The ability to reach global audiences. Blue in the Face Blue in the Face is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster . It stars Harvey Keitel leading an ensemble cast, including Giancarlo Esposito , Roseanne Barr , Michael J. Fox , Lily Tomlin , Victor Argo , Mira Sorvino , Lou Reed , Keith David , Jim Jarmusch , Jared Harris , RuPaul , and Madonna . Blue in
1508-548: The advent of home video in the late 1970s, most major films have followed a pattern of having several distinct release windows. A film may first be released to a few select cinemas , or if it tests well enough , may go directly into wide release . Next, it is released, normally at different times several weeks (or months) apart, into different market segments like rental , retail , pay-per-view , in-flight entertainment , cable television , satellite television , or free-to-air broadcast television. The distribution rights for
1566-409: The camera and sound stop recording. The script supervisor will note any continuity issues, and the sound and camera teams log technical notes for the take on their respective report sheets. If the director decides additional takes are required, the whole process repeats. Once satisfied, the crew moves on to the next camera angle or "setup", until the whole scene is "covered." When shooting is finished for
1624-419: The camera operator once the camera is recording. The clapper loader , who is already in front of the camera with the clapperboard , calls "marker!" and slaps it shut. If the take involves extras or background action, the AD will cue them ("action background!"), and last is the director, telling the actors "action!". The AD may echo "action" louder on large sets. A take is over when the director calls "Cut!" and
1682-408: The complex sense of wonder and gratitude in his works, which often features "sly humor" in an oeuvre which she considered "a grand experiment, not only in storytelling, but also in the endless nature-versus-nurture debate, the perpetual dance between inheritance and free will, intention and chance, dreams and fate. This elaborate investigation into the big what-if is also a mesmerizing dramatization of
1740-424: The crew arriving on the set/location by their call time. Actors usually have their own separate call times. Since set construction, dressing and lighting can take many hours or even days, they are often set up in advance. The grip , electric and production design crews are typically a step ahead of the camera and sound departments: for efficiency's sake, while a scene is being filmed, they are already preparing
1798-412: The daughter of professor and scholar Lloyd Hustvedt . They lived in Brooklyn and had one daughter, Sophie Auster , a singer. Daniel Auster was arrested on April 16, 2022, and charged with manslaughter and negligent homicide in the death of his 10-month-old infant daughter Ruby, who consumed some of the heroin and fentanyl he was using. Ruby had died five months previously, on November 1, 2021. At
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1856-615: The development process proceeds from there and how much detail a writer returns to the studio to divulge before beginning writing can vary greatly. Screenwriters are often protected by the union, the Writers Guild of America , or WGA. The WGA allows a screenwriter to contract for One Draft, One Revision, and One Polish. Bob Eisle, Writer and Member of the Guild Board, states, "Additional writing requires an extension of contracts and payment for additional work". They are paid 80% of their fee after
1914-403: The film are also usually sold for worldwide distribution. The distributor and the production company share profits and manage losses. Filmmaking also takes place outside of the mainstream and is commonly called independent filmmaking . Since the introduction of DV technology, the means of production have become more democratized and economically viable. Filmmakers can conceivably shoot and edit
1972-473: The film has a rating of 43% based on reviews from 23 critics, with an average rating of 5.7/10. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, remarking that the movie "was shot in six days, and sometimes feels like it…Some of the bits work and others don't, but no one seems to be keeping score, and that's part of the movie's charm. Ebert also notes that " Smoke is, of course,
2030-622: The film is advertised and promoted . A B-roll clip may be released to the press based on raw footage shot for a "making of" documentary, which may include making-of clips as well as on-set interviews separate from those of the production company or distributor. For major films, key personnel are often contractually required to participate in promotional tours in which they appear at premieres and festivals and sit for interviews with many TV, print, and online journalists. The largest productions may require more than one promotional tour, in order to rejuvenate audience demand at each release window. Since
2088-455: The film is carefully designed and planned. This is the phase where one would narrow down all the options of the production. It is where all the planning takes place before the camera rolls and sets the overall vision of the project. The production company is created and a production office established. The film is pre-visualized by the director and may be storyboarded with the help of illustrators and concept artists . A production budget
2146-586: The filmmaking and liabilities incurred during the filmmaking over the time period from early development through the management of profits and losses after distribution under conditions of different degrees of uncertainty and risk. The practical aspects of filmmaking finance can also be defined as the science of the money management of all phases involved in filmmaking. Film finance aims to price assets based on their risk level and their expected rate of return based upon anticipated profits and protection against losses. In pre-production, every step of actually creating
2204-539: The general reading public. Although The New York Trilogy gives a nod to the detective genre, they are not conventional detective stories organized around solving mysteries. Rather, Auster uses the detective form to address questions of identity, space, language, and literature, creating his own distinctively postmodern form in the process. Auster disagrees with this analysis, because he believes that "the Trilogy grows directly out of The Invention of Solitude ". Similar to
2262-486: The images on the screen, and the film is fully completed ("locked"). Distribution is the last stage, where the film is released in movie theaters or, occasionally, directly to consumer media ( VHS , VCD , DVD , Blu-ray ) or direct download from a digital media provider. The film is duplicated as required (either onto film or hard disk drives ) and distributed in cinemas for exhibition (screening). Press kits, posters, and other advertising materials are published, and
2320-573: The latest numbers gathered by International PEN, there are nearly one hundred writers imprisoned in Turkey, not to speak of independent publishers such as Ragıp Zarakolu , whose case is being closely watched by PEN Centers around the world." Auster was willing to give Iranian translators permission to write Persian versions of his works in exchange for a small fee; Iran does not recognize international copyright laws . One of Auster's later books, A Life in Words,
2378-545: The left of the Democratic Party ", but said he voted Democratic because he doubted a socialist candidate could win. He described right-wing Republicans as " jihadists ", and the election of Donald Trump as "the most appalling thing I've seen in politics in my life". On March 11, 2023, Auster's wife Siri Hustvedt revealed on Instagram that he had been diagnosed with cancer in December 2022, and that he had been treated at
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2436-918: The long, unending history of gun violence in America ( Bloodbath Nation ). Eight of the final ten novels Auster published during his lifetime (from 1999 to 2023) received nominations for the International Dublin Award, and Auster's 2017 novel 4 3 2 1 was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize . Auster was on the PEN American Center board of trustees from 2004 to 2009 and its vice president from 2005 through 2007. In 2012, Auster said in an interview that he would not visit Turkey , in protest at its treatment of journalists. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan replied: "As if we need you! Who cares if you come, or not?" Auster responded: "According to
2494-572: The media and real life, as well as many other sources, to determine their yearly agenda. For example, in a year when action is popular, they may wish to explore that topic in one or more movies. Sometimes, they purchase the rights to articles, bestselling novels, plays , the remaking of older films , stories with some basis in real life through a person or event, a video game , fairy tale , comic book , graphic novel . Likewise, research through surveys may inform their decisions. They may have had blockbusters from their previous year and wish to explore
2552-627: The most distinctive niches in contemporary literature". Dirda extolled his virtues in The Washington Post , attesting that Auster had "perfected a limpid, confessional style" and constructed suspenseful, sometimes autobiographical plots. His heroes operated in a world that appeared familiar but they confronted "vague menace and possible hallucination." Writing about Auster's 2017 novel 4 3 2 1 , Booklist critic Donna Seaman remarked that Auster went beyond conventions of storytelling and mixed genres, even crossing over into filmic modes. She praised
2610-489: The multitude of clashing selves we each harbor within." The English critic James Wood criticized Auster for what he considered "borrowed language" and "bogus dialogue", nonetheless conceding that Auster was "probably America's best-known postmodern novelist". He noted: "One reads Auster's novels very fast, because they are lucidly written, because the grammar of the prose is the grammar of the most familiar realism (the kind that is, in fact, comfortingly artificial), and because
2668-441: The next one. While the crew prepares their equipment, the actors do their costumes and attend the hair and make-up departments. The actors rehearse the script and blocking with the director, and the camera and sound crews rehearse with them and make final tweaks. Finally, the action is shot in as many takes as the director wishes. Most American productions follow a specific procedure: The assistant director (AD) calls "picture
2726-416: The next shooting day. Later on, the director, producer, other department heads, and, sometimes, the cast, may gather to watch that day or yesterday's footage, called dailies , and review their work. With workdays often lasting fourteen or eighteen hours in remote locations, film production tends to create a team spirit . When the entire film is "in the can", or in the completion of the production phase, it
2784-447: The plots, full of sneaky turns and surprises and violent irruptions, have what the Times once called 'all the suspense and pace of a bestselling thriller'." Auster's first marriage was to the writer Lydia Davis in 1974. They had one child together, their son Daniel Auster. By 1979 they were separated and were divorced in 1981. In 1981, Auster married his second wife, writer Siri Hustvedt ,
2842-507: The process of crafting an audio-visual story commercially for distribution or broadcast. Film production consists of five major stages: The development stage contains both general and specific components. Each film studio has a yearly retreat where their top creative executives meet and interact on a variety of areas and topics they wish to explore through collaborations with producers and screenwriters, and then ultimately, directors , actors, and actresses. They choose trending topics from
2900-784: The producer and writer have sold their approach to the desired subject matter, they begin to work. However, many writers and producers usually pass before a particular concept is realized in a way that is awarded a green light to production. Production of Unforgiven , which earned Oscars for its Director/Star Clint Eastwood , as well as its screenwriter, David Webb Peoples, required fifteen years. Powers related that The Italian Job took approximately eight years from concept to screen, which, as Powers added, "is average." And most concepts turned into paid screenplays wind up gathering dust on some executive's shelf, never to see production. Writers have different styles and creative processes; some have stronger track records than others. Because of this, how
2958-461: The production phase, in that voice actors can record their takes in the recording studio at different times and may not see one another until the film's premiere. Animated films also have different crew, since most physical live-action tasks are either unnecessary or are simulated by various types of animators . This stage is usually thought of as starting when principal photography ends, but they may overlap. The bulk of post-production consists of
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#17328557062863016-439: The scene, the assistant director declares a "wrap" or "moving on", and the crew will "strike", or dismantle, the set for that scene. At the end of the day, the director approves the next day's shooting schedule and a daily progress report is sent to the production office. This includes the report sheets from continuity, sound, and camera teams. Call sheets are distributed to the cast and crew to tell them when and where to turn up
3074-407: The summers of 1958 and 1959, Auster attened, respectively, Camp LakeView (East Brunswick, NJ) and Camp Pontiac (Copake, NY), where his outstanding athletic talents were recognized, especially as a baseball infielder. While attending summer camp, the 14-year-old Auster witnessed what he called the "seminal experience" of his life: a boy being struck by lightning and dying instantly. The boy was standing
3132-588: The themes explored in The New York Trilogy , the search for identity and personal meaning continued to permeate the three novels Auster published in quick succession in the late 1980s. Whether writing about the relationships between people caught in the flux of an uncertain future and uncertain identity ( In the Country of Last Things [1987] and Moon Palace [1989]), or the role of coincidence and random events in our lives ( The Music of Chance [1990]), Auster
3190-488: The time of the arrest, police remained unclear about how the baby could have ingested the drugs while lying beside her father when he was napping. On April 26, 2022, Daniel Auster died from an overdose. Daniel Auster was also known for his association with the Club Kids and their ringleader Michael Alig , and was present during the killing of fellow Club Kid Andre Melendez . Paul Auster characterized his politics as "far to
3248-757: Was born in Newark, New Jersey , son of Samuel Auster, a landlord who owned buildings with his brothers in Jersey City, and Queenie, née Bogat. His middle-class parents were Jewish , of Austrian descent; the marriage was an unhappy one, and they divorced during Auster's senior year of high school, he moving with his mother and sister to an apartment at Weequahic, Newark . An uncle was the translator Allen Mandelbaum . He grew up in South Orange, New Jersey , and Newark , and graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood . During
3306-575: Was published in October 2017 by Seven Stories Press . It brought together two years of conversations with the Danish scholar I.B. Siegumfeldt about each of Auster's fiction and non-fiction works. It has been a primary source for understanding Auster's approach to his works. "Over the past twenty-five years", wrote Michael Dirda in The New York Review of Books in 2008, "Paul Auster has established one of
3364-474: Was steadily increasing his readership and popularity. During the 1990s Auster published three more novels, but he increasingly turned his attention to script writing and filmmaking by way of his screenplay and directorial collaborations with Wayne Wang on Smoke (which won Auster the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay ) and Blue in the Face . He also directed the movie Lulu on
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