Filmmaking, or film production, is the process of creating a motion picture. Traditionally, filmmaking is thought of as a process specific to the creation of feature films; however, its iconic methodology has been used in the creation of other types of filmed products, including movies and episodic series for streaming and network broadcasting, commercials and advertisements, animations, music videos, and documentaries.Ascher, Steven, The Filmmaker’s Handbook, 5th Edition, Penguin Random House, 2019, pp. 1-2 It involves a number of distinct stages, including an initial story idea or commission, followed by screenwriting, casting, pre-production, shooting, sound recording, post-production, and screening the finished product before an audience, which may result in a film release distribution and exhibition. Generally, the process is nonlinear, in that the filmmaker typically shoots the script out of sequence, repeats shots as needed, and puts them together through editing later. Filmmaking takes place in a variety of economic, social, and political contexts around the world and uses a wide range of technologies and cinematic techniques. While originally films were recorded on photographic film, most modern filmmaking is now digital.
The production of a film typically consists of five major stages. The first is development, where the initial idea for the film is explored, rights to intellectual property (IP) may be secured, the screenplay is written, and financing is obtained. This is followed by pre-production, where all the arrangements and preparations for the shoot are made, including hiring cast and crew, scouting and securing locations, and constructing sets. The third stage is production, which is when the raw footage and other elements of the film are recorded.
After filming is complete, the project enters post-production. In this stage, the raw footage is edited, sound is mixed, visual effects are added, and a musical score is composed and recorded. The final stage is distribution, where the finished film is released to audiences. This involves marketing and promotion, and the film may be shown in cinemas/movie theaters, released on home video, or made available through streaming services, cable, or television. Some filmmakers operate outside of the mainstream system and engage in independent filmmaking, which has become more accessible with the advent of affordable digital technology and streaming platforms.
Production stages Film production consists of five major stages: Development: Ideas for the film are created, rights to existing intellectual properties are purchased, and the screenplay is written. Financing for the project is sought and obtained. Pre-production: Arrangements and preparations are made for the shoot, such as hiring cast and film crew, selecting locations, and constructing sets. Production: The raw footage and other elements of the film are recorded during the film shoot, including principal photography. Post-production: The images, sound, and visual effects of the recorded film are edited and combined into a finished product. Distribution: The completed film is distributed, marketed, and screened in cinemas and released on home video to be viewed at home.
Development 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 the media and real life, as well as 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, or graphic novel. Likewise, research through surveys may inform their decisions. They may have had blockbusters from their previous year and wish to explore a sequel. They will additionally acquire a completed and independently financed and produced film. Such notable examples are The English Patient (1996), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and Roma (2018).
Studios hold general meetings with producers and screenwriters about original story ideas. "It's become a lot more inclusive and expansive," a studio executive told TheWrap. “What used to happen was films were greenlit before the committee even met; it wasn't a collaborative process. Now you have three or four meetings. We beat it up quite a bit before we greenlight it." Studio executives can no longer green light one-third of their movies based on gut reaction to a project, Producers Guild Co-chief Hawk Koch recalled: "There's not anybody who makes movies because their gut tells them to do it anymore," Koch said. "It's a focus group."
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 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. Completed original screenplays, referred to as "specs," can make big news when they sell; one such example was the highly sought-after spec script, One Month Mark, by Sophie Fleur De Bruijn in May 2026. However, these make up a small portion of movies that are ultimately produced, as projects based on existing IPs are seen as being "safer" by most studios.
Once 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 (1992), which earned Best Picture and Best Directing Oscars for its Director/Star Clint Eastwood, as well as a nomination for its screenwriter, David Webb Peoples, took over 10 years. Although it varies by project, on average, it takes several years to produce a film. According to Xavier Luis Salinas, a line producer and unit production manager, “While in production, schedules can change at the turn of a dime, and you have to be ready to pivot right then and there. From the time you develop a script to a shooting script, you are looking at one to three years."
Writers have different styles and creative processes; some have stronger track records than others. Because of this, how 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 (WGA). As of May 2025, the WGA allows a screenwriter to contract for a First Draft and a Revision. In April 2026, the WGA was negotiating a deal with studios and streaming services to increase minimum payments for writers, improve the union's health plan, and more. Preliminary discussions are minimal with studio executives but might be quite detailed with the producers.
Next, a screenwriter writes a screenplay, typically over a period of several months; however, every writer's process and speed varies. Deadlines are in their contracts, but historically there has been little pressure to adhere to them, given the "better late and great" rationale—though Warner Bros. attempted a crack down on screenwriters' late delivery dates in 2010. The screenwriter may rewrite the script several times to improve dramatization, clarity, structure, characters, dialogue, and overall style.
A finished script undergoes script coverage, where it is analyzed and graded before a report is written up (typically by interns or entry-level assistants or readers) to be given to higher-ups (producers, agents, and executives). Coverage is a way for young screenwriters to be read and may be occur via agencies, studios, production companies, or a paid script coverage service or company.
The studio 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 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. How long a film stays in cinemas depends largely on box office performance. 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, but popular films may remain in theaters for months, while a typical run is closer to 30 to 45 days, which became the new norm following theatre closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic—prior to which the standard theatrical run was 90 day. 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 greenlit, directors and actors are attached and the film proceeds into the pre-production stage, although sometimes development and pre-production stages will overlap. Projects that fail to obtain a green light may have protracted difficulties in making the transition to pre-production and enter a phase referred to as development hell for an extended period of time or until developmental turnaround. However, the average produced script can spend five to seven years in development.
Like almost any business venture, financing a film project deals with the management and procurement of financial resources to cover production costs. It includes the dynamics of the assets required to fund the filmmaking and the 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.
For major studios, the average cost to produce a movie is about $65 million. The total cost to make a film depends on several factors, including its genre. On average, the most expensive movie genres are adventure, sci-fi, animation, and fantasy. Conversely, genres like music-based, horror, and romance typically have smaller average budgets. Also, finding funding generally takes longer for independent films, since they do not have that backing of a major studio.
Pre-production