Welcome to the third edition of the textbook on producing and filmmaking. The industry has changed so much in the last few years, and the aspects of production have become so complex and specialized, that the previous edition is hopelessly out of date. It has been 18 years since the previous edition was published, and the need for a new edition is obvious. Those of you familiar with previous versions of the textbook will notice that this time I have paid more attention to the specifics of film production than in the previous edition. I have added large sections on the organization of the production process, expanded previous chapters on the preproduction period, distant location filming, and much, much more. As you read, you may be surprised by how much of what is discussed in the book often does not correspond to the actual practice of producing and organization of the Russian film industry, but my goal is not to tell you about how the film production is organized in Russia, but about WHAT IT SHOULD BE!
Not all of you will become producers, many will work at film companies, and some at large studios. Then it will be in your power to recreate the film industry and make it what it should be in a civilized country.
I hope that this textbook will be useful to you and you will succeed in your chosen path.