Here`s what`s happening right now at the Cloud 9 production centre in New Zealand, home of the Tribe…
Pre-production started in May and is continuing right now up until the start of shooting the series from July 3rd.
What does this all mean though?
Well, before the Cloud 9 team can start filming they need to have several hugely important elements in place – or else filming would be pretty impossible – and these are the things that are done before production starts (that`s why it`s pre-production!)…
Scripts
Scripts are crucial – without them there would be no storylines, no dialogue or lines for characters to speak – effectively, no series.
Scheduling
Once you have your scripts – what needs to be filmed – you then need to work out a shooting schedule.
The production team has to take account of many factors – the distance to a location, the balance between exterior and interior studio scenes in an episode, which characters are in which scene, how many scenes and minutes can be filmed per day, et cetera.
A filming schedule is created to try to get as much top quality drama filmed per day for an episode in the most effective and efficient way. Once the schedule is finished the production team then know what they need to film on a particular day.
Without a schedule, the team would have no idea what they were filming each day – or where and how – and everything would quickly fall to pieces!
The cast
But to film the scripts once the schedule is in place you need several other elements in place – such as the cast!
Right now many of the cast are enjoying a break before filming starts – and some of the cast are in Europe on a promotional tour (please check Guide News for the latest).
The cast co-ordinator makes sure the key cast will be available to film the different scenes (which in turn must fit in with plans for schoolwork or college work) – and all this must be planned in advance.
And for new characters there are auditions and rehearsals – and that is happening right now. As a world exclusive, one of the new characters in Series 3 is an enigmatic figure called “Panther” who is a member of a Tribe that also includes a former Mall Rat who will make a surprising return…
Art, Costume, Hair, Make-up
As the scripts come in, other crucial components of the production team must also plan before filming can begin.
The Art Department translates the writers` scene backdrops into reality so they can be filmed. Sets have to be designed and built. Props must be acquired. Exterior locations have to be dressed and designed according to different scenes.
The same is true for the cast in terms of hair, make-up and costumes. Many of the cast will have grown since Series 2 wrapped – and they will need alterations to their costumes. New costumes will need to be designed and then made up. New hair and make-up needs to be designed and applied.
The animal wrangler has to train the animals for different scenes. Something that might appear as simple as (for example) a rat running across the floor or a dog barking at something would require training in advance before it can be filmed.
All of this has to be done before production starts – otherwise the cast and film crew would turn up and find there were no sets, no props, no hair or make-up designs, no costumes – and you can imagine what chaos that would be!
Music
Right now the composer of the Tribe`s music, Simon May, is composing some new themes and incidental music for Tribe Series 3.
It is important to keep things fresh but staying within the Tribe “style” of music – and Series 3 will have some new music befitting some new elements in the storylines.
Before the music can be used it needs to be written – and that`s happening now.
And – ACTION!
So pre-production is a crucial phase – there are several hugely important things to plan and arrange before production can start.
A series the size of the Tribe is a huge undertaking – 52 x half-hour episodes over six months is a big production and everything has to be scheduled and considered in advance.
That happens in pre-production – which is happening right now at the Cloud 9 production centre in New Zealand – and which will continue all the way up until the start of shooting from 3rd July.