Pre-production Planning and Scripting
Pre-production is where the exam tests documents: what each one contains, in what order it is made, and what happens when it is missing. Planning questions are often "what would you do next?" scenarios.
Development documents, in order
- Logline – the story in one or two sentences.
- Synopsis – a page of plot.
- Treatment – approach, tone, look, structure.
- Screenplay – the master script.
- Shooting script – broken into scene numbers with shot numbering.
- Storyboard – frame-by-frame sketches.
- Shot list – shot number, scene, size, angle, movement, lens, description, equipment, notes.
- Floor plan – camera, lights and talent positions.
- Call sheet – date, location with map, weather, sunrise/sunset, crew contacts and call times, scenes and pages to be shot, equipment, safety notes, nearest hospital.
- Budget and schedule – stripboard breakdown by scene and shooting day.
Also required: location recce and permissions, casting and release/consent forms, property and wardrobe lists, and music clearance (a sync licence) if you use an existing song.
Screenplay format rules
Courier 12 pt; scene heading (slugline) in caps as INT./EXT. – LOCATION – DAY/NIGHT; action in present tense; character name centred in caps above dialogue; transitions right-aligned. One formatted page ≈ one minute of screen time.
Worked example
Scene 2 is two characters talking in a café. Reasoning for coverage: shoot a master two-shot for orientation, over-the-shoulder shots each way, close-ups of each speaker, an insert of the phone screen and a cutaway of the barista. Keep all cameras on one side of the line so the edit does not flip screen direction. Every setup listed exists to give the editor a choice.
Traps that cost marks
- Writing camera angles and "we see" in a spec screenplay.
- Inconsistent sluglines, so the schedule cannot be broken down.
- Filming in a public place without permission.
- A call sheet with no emergency or contact information.