What Exactly is Pre-Production?
In filmmaking, there’s a reason seasoned directors and producers place so much weight on preparation. Pre-production is the stage where creative ambition meets logistical planning. It’s the blueprinting process where every detail—from scripts and storyboards to casting, budgets, and schedules—is mapped out before a single frame is shot.
For ad films especially, where time and budgets are tight, pre-production can make or break the final outcome. Done right, it ensures that shoot days run smoothly and that the finished film truly captures the brand’s message.
The Old Truth, Reimagined
General Norman Schwarzkopf once said: “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” He was talking about military strategy, but ad filmmakers can relate to this wisdom in their own way.
For us, the battlefield is the shoot floor, and the peace time is pre-production. Which is why, in the language of advertising, the saying can take on a new form:
“The more you sweat in pre, the less you bleed in production.”
Every extra hour spent planning, detailing, and rehearsing in pre-production saves double the effort, cost, and stress once the cameras start rolling. This is where potential chaos is caught early, where creative dreams are broken down into executable steps. Pre-production is not just a stage—it is the foundation on which everything else stands.
What Happens in Pre-Production?
Pre-production is made up of several critical activities that set the tone for the entire project:
- Budgeting and Scheduling – Every rupee and every minute is accounted for. Assistant directors and producers plan each beat of the shoot.
- Location Scouting – The director identifies and finalizes the best location possible as per the vision of the project.
- Casting – Auditions and shortlists help find the perfect face to bring the brand story to life.
- Technical Recce – Spaces are studied to see how they serve the narrative, while technical teams conduct recces for lighting, sound, set design, and camera needs.
- Team Assembly – Directors, cinematographers, production designers, stylists, and crew are locked in.
- Storyboarding and Shot Lists – The film is visualised frame by frame, ensuring clarity before the camera rolls.
- Rehearsals – Actors may run through lines, blocking, or even dance sequences to smoothen performance on the day of the shoot.
Every one of these steps is a safety net—catching problems early, while the costs are still low and fixes are still possible.
Why Pre-Production Matters So Much
Ad films are often shot under tight timelines, with little room for error. If something goes wrong on set—an unavailable actor, a missing prop, a location challenge—it can cause delays that are expensive in both money and morale.
Pre-production acts as the insurance against such chaos. It ensures that:
- The creative idea aligns with the business objective.
- Every team member knows their role and responsibility.
- Unwanted surprises are minimised on set.
- The film delivers not just visuals, but an experience that audiences remember.
In short, pre-production is where creativity finds structure. Without it, even the strongest idea risks falling apart.
The Takeaway
If production is the heartbeat of filmmaking, pre-production is the backbone. It’s the quiet stage that doesn’t get much attention from the audience, but without it, the magic of ad films would never happen.
So, Sikhiya students, remember this new truth for your filmmaking journey: the more you sweat in pre, the less you bleed in production.
In the next Sikhiya episode, we’ll move into the production stage itself—where all the planning comes alive on set, and an ad campaign begins to take its real shape.
Until then, don’t forget to check out Jersey13 Sikhiya’s third episode, which went live this Monday, and keep a tab on our Sikhiya blog posts every Wednesday right here on our official website.