ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the many components people have to deal with in the preproduction stage calculating production costs, finding funding sources, acquiring permissions and permits, drafting release forms, developing the shooting schedule, compiling the all-important shot list, using storyboards, and assembling the production crew. The basic documentary filmmaking crew can probably consist of three to five people. As the production progresses, more people, often contract employees, can be needed to do such jobs as research, acquiring archival film, video footage, and photographs, locating reenactment and talent actors, and the like. So, eventually there may be more people involved in the project, but usually not during initial production shooting. So, when the crew is about to begin shooting at a remote location, it is a good idea to record at least a few minutes of ambient sound from the location of each shoot.
