What Production Value Means

Article provided by Herb Kimble.

Have you ever heard disgruntled movie-goers complain about a film’s production value? Production value is a technical term that is used to describe the material and stage craft involved in the production of a film. When someone talks about production value, it’s an abstract concept without something specific to relate to.

Camera Work

Production Value may refer to the camera work. Batman Begins suffered from some problems with production value in this respect. The shaky cam made it difficult to discern the action, a problem corrected in future installments of the series. That’s why it’s important to look at the scene from the viewer’s perspective. Keep the driving forces in the scene at the forefront of your mind and let that influence your camera work, using the lens to capture those actions and reactions.

Feeling Real

If you’re going to shoot a feature-length script then it should feel like a professional film. Make sure that you correct things like lighting and sound. The audio tracks should all be high quality, so the audience can hear what is being said with absolute clarity. Blocking is also crucial, as a poorly staged scene can break the sense of immersion the audience has with a film.

Don’t let small details go uncorrected. Low budget filmmaking is a good chance to learn the ropes, true, but you should work hard to produce the best film you can muster. Edit with purpose, pace the film well, and make necessary adjustments to adapt the script to your vision without losing touch with the essence of the story.

This article was written by Herb Kimble. Herb Kimble is an actor, director and film producer who runs CineFocus Productions in Los Angeles. He is also working toward the release of a streaming network, called Urban Flix.