Producing a Story, Step 1: The Process and Authoring

So... you want to tell your story?

GOOD!

We’ve been waiting for you!

Finally, the masses will have your volumes at their disposal to critique! How delightful.

Hold up. Wait a minute. You have A LOT to do before your story’s ready for social media, commercials, wide print, mass distribution, Broadway, the Cannes Film Festival or the board room.

Before you read any further, here’s the most important thing; NEVER SELL YOUR OWNERSHIP OF THE STORY. Always maintain control over your story. Don’t sell the story, the title or characters. You can lease out the rights, but you should NEVER sell the story. I don’t care how big the check gets. If the check gets big, that means it’s worth more in the future. Why? Because selling your story gives someone else the right to change it. You’ve spent TOO long developing and building it. It’s YOUR story. DO NOT SELL.

When reading the following list, please keep in mind that I’m listing a lot of different steps in the production processes for different types of media and art. Not ALL these steps will apply to you to, but many will. Also, I’ll cover EACH of these steps in subsequent posts, so don’t get overwhelmed. There MAY be steps I neglect to included for a specific industry. IF that’s the case, please let me know so I can edit the list to include that step. It’s important to me that this be as accurate as possible.

Steps before your story will ever see an audience:

-Authoring (idea creation)

-Hire a Writer (getting the idea on paper in various form)

-Pitch your work and find an Executive Producer/ Editor/ Show Runner/ Account Manager (this is who makes the money decisions and gets “final say” in the project - we'll get into the differences in job description and "title")

-Make a preliminary budget (how much will it cost me to see how much this project will cost me?)

-EDIT (the only good writing is re-writing)

-Hire a Creative Director/ Director/ Record Producer (this is who makes the work come to life through creative vision - we'll get into the differences in job description and "title")

-EDIT AGAIN

-Create a look and theme for the show (DO THIS BEFORE YOU TAKE ANOTHER STEP)

-Storyboard the show to get an idea of what you need/ don’t need

-Consult technical talent (lighting, sound, carpentry, routing (trucking), costuming, etc.) Do this based on the script and storyboard BEFORE you scout locations for the production. You should find a location that meets the needs of the show. Don’t let your space limit you.

-Location scouting (where will the art be presented? Sometimes this is multiple locations)

-EDIT AGAIN

-BUDGET (add up all the estimates and production costs, include administration and ticket costs. Get market research to determine how much your project will make overall. If your costs are less than your bring in… determine if it’s worth the risk.) IF SO….

-EDIT AGAIN

-Cast the story - Sure, big names help, but a powerful story doesn’t need a “big” name, it needs the “right” name. This is true no matter the genre and medium of art. Keep in mind that sometimes the cast is what’s happening around your main story. If your main character is a statue, the supporting cast is the company it’s presented with.

-Prepare a “reading” of the story for potential investors - Show the project’s vision and worth.

-Find investors (chances are, you wont have all the money to make this show happen. Maybe you will, but if you don’t, you’re going to need to find someone to help with the costs. REMEMBER: DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO KEEP OWNERSHIP IN THE PROJECT)

- EDIT AGAIN

-Assemble your crew

-Set your production schedule

-Build the sets, make and fit the costumes, build special effects, rehearse the cast, record audio tracks, conduct interviews, program the show.

-EDIT AGAIN (are you getting a theme here with editing? Your writer should be involved in the entire process)

-Tech/dress rehearsals- This is when everything starts coming together - it’s ALSO when the producers and investors start seeing the entire vision.

-Pre-production shooting

-Showing/ screening/ previews/ reading - this is the first time your art sees a potential audience to get their critique and see what edits need to be made to make the “show” a success. This can be small groups, but needs to be first-time viewers/ readers outside your team.

- EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT

-Production/ re-shooting/ re-tracking/ re-editing - Sometimes this takes months depending on your medium.

-More showings/ screenings/ previews/ readings

- EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT

-Production/ re-shooting/ re-tracking/ re-editing

-More showings/ screenings/ previews/ readings

(rinse, repeat… get the point?)

...

-Opening/ release

As you can see… there are a lot of steps going from Authoring to Presentation of a story. It’s the case, no matter what form or medium your story takes. Sometimes it’s very expensive and time consuming. Sometimes, it’s a matter of getting some people together and making a powerpoint, and other times it’s just you and some canvas and paint with the help of an agent. No matter the case, there’s a lot of work that goes into actually telling a good story, in the best way.

Come back next week and we’ll dive into the process of going through these steps… one by one… with some insight from those who actually DO it across the entertainment industry.