Pre-Production: Planning for Beautiful Disasters

A film is built on planning and collaboration. Pre-production is where the visual language is defined, problems are solved, and a director's vision becomes a technical plan.

This three-hour workshop breaks down the pre-production process. We will simulate a pre-production cycle, focusing on the relationship between the Director and the Director of Photography (DP). You will follow the process from the first creative meeting to a final shooting plan, learning how to navigate artistic and logistical challenges.

This workshop is for any filmmaker looking to improve their pre-production planning skills.

• How to conduct an initial creative meeting to establish a film's tone, pacing, and style.
• Techniques for using tools like Shot Deck to build a look book and communicate visual ideas.
• Strategies for collaborating with Producers and ADs to balance creative goals with logistical constraints.
• Methods for assessing a location using tools like viewfinder apps and Sunseeker.
• How to communicate visual and technical needs to a gaffer, key grip, and camera team.
• How to adapt a plan based on new information without sacrificing the core vision.

Hour 1: The Creative Foundation

• Introductions
• The Director & DP Meeting: We will break down a script and simulate the first creative conversation, covering:
• Synopsis and thematic analysis.
• Tonal notes and visual style.
• Pacing, rhythm, and film references.
• Live Demo: Using Shot Deck to compile "touchstone images" for a look book, focusing on lighting, composition, and texture.

Hour 2: Logistics and Location

• Introducing the Producer/AD: We introduce logistical challenges and production constraints to the plan, such as actor availability and budget limitations.
• Location Scouting: We will treat the studio space as a film location. You'll learn:
• How to use viewfinder apps to frame potential shots.
• Using Sunseeker to plan for natural light.
• How to talk to department heads (Gaffer, Key Grip) about power, gear, and load-in.

Hour 3: Synthesis & Discussion

• Adjusting the Plan: As a trio (Director, DP, Producer), we will modify the initial plan based on the logistical realities discovered in Hour 2 to create a final shooting plan.
• Q&A / Group Discussion: An open floor for questions about pre-production, on-set collaboration, and problem-solving.

• Directors and Directors of Photography
• Producers and Assistant Directors (ADs)
• Film & Media Students
• Anyone interested in the workflow of film pre-production.

Maya Bankovic, CSC, Director of Photography

Maya Bankovic, CSC is an award-winning Director of Photography working in narrative fiction and commercial cinematography. A versatile cinematographer, Maya's emphasis on capturing grounded, emotional performances has led her career, while her embracing of new technology and storytelling languages has expanded her palette since her experimental beginnings.

Most recent work: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022), Blue Heron (2025) and Ordinary Angels (2024).

Maya's Full Bio

Joyce Wong, Director and Screenwriter

Joyce Wong is an award-winning director and writer. She has been described by the LA Times as “a major talent to watch” and was named one of CBC’s 17 for 17' great Canadian filmmakers of the future.

Joyce has directed over 50 episodes of television, she has won a Canadian Screen Award for her work on Baroness Von Sketch Show (IFC) and most recently, she directed on The Sticky, a grounded and edgy Amazon series with a Fargo-esque tone, starring Margo Martindale. Other shows she has directed on include Sort Of (Max), Bet (Netflix), Son of a Critch (CBC), Workin' Moms(Netflix), Run The Burbs(Hulu), Fakes (Netflix), ODD SQUAD (PBS) and more.

Joyce's Full Bio

WEXFORD PLAZA (2017)

Their collaborative project, a narrative feature, Wexford Plaza, is a dark comedy that screened in competition at Slamdance in 2017, was awarded the Comcast Best Narrative Feature Award by the Center for Asian American Media in San Francisco, and nominated for the Toronto Film Critics Association's Best Canadian Film Award.

Stream Wexford Plaza on Amazon Prime

Host or Publisher Toronto Thrive