Producing All students whether writers, directors or producers study and practice producing skills, receive industry knowledge, and learn international film industry business practices in the first two semesters of the course.
Beyond the necessary skilling up of our producers, a writer or director needs to learn these skills and insights if they are to be successful and control their professional destiny.
 Every directing decision has monetary, logistic and scheduling implications. Every sentence in a screenplay has implications in terms of the production.
Smart writers, directors and producers understand the need to develop their projects conceptually with a specific and appropriate philosophy of production in mind if they are to ensure the successful financing of their creative endeavours.
Smart writers, directors and producers are armed with sufficient knowledge to strategically drive their projects and ensure their best chance in the marketplace.
The producing program
The International Film School Syndey's producing program is based around the principles of creative ambition, career longevity, discernment, resourcefulness, collaborative spark.
A good producer will inspire his or her creative team, support the production with pragmatic verve and creative ambition, develop projects with a high degree of expertise that goes beyond the obvious and facile, negotiate with a sense of humanity and financial insight. A good producer will understand the cinematic engagement with an audience, how a project interfaces the international marketplace, conduct the financing process with creativity and imagination, determination and initiative.
Currency and knowledge
The development of producing skills is based around 'understanding gained through practical experience and received industry insights'.
 Projects are used to fire a producer's resourcefulness and understanding of the possibilities of different production philosophies.
Producers are trained to be 'mean and lean', internationally ambitious, market savvy, creatively sophisticated.
Industry practitioners from the fields of feature, TV and documentary production, marketing and distribution, finance and law, exhibition and talent representation impart cutting-edge knowledge that is never theoretical or past its sell by date.
Course Components - Producing
Tier 1
Aims:
To engage students in a productive and proactive approach to developing cinematic projects. To establish clear understandings of the producers role and responsibilities. To develop perspectives on the nature of the creative-producer and the empowerment of producing skills.
Budgeting and scheduling
Scheduling, budgeting, production office, crew structure, crewing, contracts, release forms, the first assistant director, script breakdown, production reports.
Locations and management
Location scouting, location clearances. Managing locations and assessing locations for suitability both creative and practical.
Continuity
Planning and managing the set. Recognizing continuity. Shooting and staging for consistency. The role of continuity processes.
Casting
Casting, casting agents, working with talent agents, conducting auditions.
Tier 2
Aims:
To cement a detailed skill-base in the roles and functions of the producer. To build confidence and knowledge in the production process and develop abilities in managing both people and resources.
Budgeting and Scheduling
Script breakdown. Budgeting itemization, categories and organization. Creatively managing budget to script.
Locations management
Scouting locations and assessing suitability. Logistics, transport, safety audits.
Continuity
The importance and role of continuity. Observation and notation of visual continuity. On-set continuity processes. Managing continuity for different departments; location, design, camera, performance, makeup.
Documentary production
The principles of visual truth. The different modes of documentary. Documentary technique and process.
Marketing and Distribution
The delivery of the cinematic product. Types of distribution. Marketing processes for promotion of cinematic works. Industry mechanisms for delivery.
Tier 3
Aims:
To fully implement clear personal strategies and processes for bring creative projects to fruition. To provide opportunity to engage with the process of producing a significant major project short film. To build an understanding of the legal parameters for cinematic production and cement base skills in managing budget and logistics.
Marketing, Distribution and Legalities
Working with funding organizations. Developing funding submissions. Understanding distribution structures both domestic and international. Knowledge of organizational and legislative occupational health and safety requirements, including maintaining a safe production environment.
Feature film budgeting and scheduling
Prepare a budget and schedule for a film for varying budgets and: $120,000 (AFC project), $ 30,000 (NSWFTO project), $3,000 (student project). Create an appropriate production timeline graphically, ensuring the schedule identifies clearly and accurately the major responsibilities, stages, tasks and target dates required to deliver the production within budget and to deadline.
Management
Analyse and interpret the production brief to identify the resources required for each stage in the production process. Consult with all departments involved in the production to clarify and confirm their requirements. Confirm that the estimates of the required resources are justifiable in terms of the needs of the production. Conduct discussions with departments in a manner which promotes positive working relationships, ensuring compromises to requests are reached to the satisfaction of all relevant personnel.
Tier 4
Aims:
To engage fully with the process of producing a significant major project short film. To provide opportunity to utilize a full rage of creative and practical, technical and managerial skills in cinema production. To develop clear career strategies and plans and engage with detailed procedures of funding, marketing and self-promotion.
Pitching
Developing the pitch concept. Refining and distilling the core ideas of a project into a definable pitch strategy. Presentation techniques. Focusing the pitch for a particular niche. Audience identification. Market identification.
Career strategies
Career paths and options. Skill identification. Self promotion opportunities and professional presentation.
Showreel
Building a professional and effective showreel. Demonstrating skills and ability. Refining and designed a showreel experience. Shaping a showreel for a particular market, role or career.
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