How Long Does The Average Film Take To Produce?

The production length of a film can range depending on various factors of cost and practicalities. For an average Hollywood release, the overall production time takes roughly three years. For the first year a film is in development, wherein directors, actors and crew are hired, budgets are decided and locations scouted. The film will then move into pre-production, often including storyboarding, redrafting scripts and rehearsals. Once this is complete, production begins, involving the shooting of all the scenes in the final shooting script. This can take a varying length of time depending on the size of the film and the amount of location shooting needed. Following the production wrap, the finished film will go into post-production, where the footage is edited and soundtracked. CGI effects are often inserted into the film during this period, which can take up to a year, including reshoots. A marketing and distribution plan is then decided on, before the film is released in cinemas. The film with the estimated longest production time is British work It Happened Here, allegedly conceived in 1956 but not released until 1966, while many films can now be shot very quickly using digital technology and uploaded onto the internet.