All Topics  
Principal photography

 
Principal Photography

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Principal photography
 
 
  Topics Principal photography Topic Home

Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is actually shot, as distinct from pre-production
Pre-production

Pre-production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, Play , or other performance....
 and post-production
Post-production

Post-production occurs in the making of film, television program, radio programs, videos, sound recording and reproduction, photography and digital art....
.

Principal photography is usually the most expensive phase of film production and its start generally marks a point of no return
Point of no return

The point of no return is the point beyond which someone, or some group of people, must continue on their current course of action, either because turning back is physically impossible, or because to do so would be prohibitively expensive or dangerous....
 for the financiers.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Principal photography'
Start a new discussion about 'Principal photography'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Newark Film Production
Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is actually shot, as distinct from pre-production
Pre-production

Pre-production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, Play , or other performance....
 and post-production
Post-production

Post-production occurs in the making of film, television program, radio programs, videos, sound recording and reproduction, photography and digital art....
.

Principal photography is usually the most expensive phase of film production and its start generally marks a point of no return
Point of no return

The point of no return is the point beyond which someone, or some group of people, must continue on their current course of action, either because turning back is physically impossible, or because to do so would be prohibitively expensive or dangerous....
 for the financiers. While it is not uncommon for a film to lose its greenlight status
Greenlight

To greenlight a project is to give permission or a go ahead to move forward with a project. In the context of the Film industry and Television programs#Development businesses, to greenlight something is to formally approve its Film production finance, thereby allowing the project to move forward from the development to pre-production and pri...
 during pre-production (for example, because an important element such as a cast member drops out), it is extremely uncommon for finance to be withdrawn once principal photography has commenced (and is usually regarded as a catastrophe).

In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, since 2005, top independent production companies and major studios when dealing with major motion pictures have recently adapted the short term of Roll Programme which is similar to greenlighting, however it is commonly used by accountants and producers in highlighting the fact to all parties concerned that there is no abort, cancellation or any other route for the film apart from finishing the film under any circumstances. This is only used for very high cost films, as calling a halt to a major feature whilst in production will cost the studio or producer even more in penalty fees and insurance claims for non-completion of the project.

Once a film concludes principal photography it is said to have wrapped, and a wrap party may be organized to celebrate.

During post-production
Post-production

Post-production occurs in the making of film, television program, radio programs, videos, sound recording and reproduction, photography and digital art....
, it may become clear that certain shots or sequences are missing that are required to complete the film, or that a certain scene is not playing as expected, or even that a particular actor has failed to turn in a performance of the required caliber. In these circumstances, additional material may have to be shot. If the material has already been shot once, or is substantial, the process is referred to as a re-shoot, but if the material is new and relatively minor, it is often referred to as a pick-up.