Why Preproduction Is the Most Important Part of Production
Adam Erickson
Our success as filmmakers lives and dies by how much we invest in preproduction. It’s often the first phase to get cut when time is tight, but it’s the phase that makes everything after it possible. Preproduction lets us answer hard questions before we’re on set, set clear expectations with crew and leadership, and solve problems before they arise. That work frees us to focus on the creative once we’re rolling, and keeps us from having to problem-solve when we’re already stretched thin, mentally and physically. This session walks through preproduction using our Christmas and Easter productions at Seacoast Church as the case study, including moments when strong preproduction saved us from catastrophic problems on set. We’ll break down the process step by step: the tools we use, the questions we ask, and the specific benefit each step delivers.
Key Takeaways
Get a repeatable preproduction framework that separates your creative decisions from your on-set problem solving, so you’re never doing both at once.
Learn how to build a plan detailed enough that someone else can execute your vision without you in the room.
Walk away with a toolkit for turning a raw idea into a plan your whole team can follow.
See how to build in contingency planning so a personal crisis or schedule change doesn’t sink the project.
Session E
Creative Church Lighting: Visually Setting the Table for Christ Encounters
