In the film industry, pre-production usually only commences once a project has been developed and is greenlit. At this stage a project will generally be fully financed and have most of the key elements such as principal cast, director and cinematographer in place, as well as a screenplay which is satisfactory to all the financiers. It can also mean the actors of the movie are about to shoot the movie.

During pre-production, the script is broken down into individual scenes and all the locations, props, cast members, costumes, special effects and visual effects are identified. An extremely detailed schedule is produced and arrangements are made for the necessary elements to be available to the film-makers at the appropriate times. Sets are constructed, the crew are hired, financial arrangements are put in place and a start date for the beginning of principal photography is set. At some point in pre-production there will be a read-through of the script which is usually attended by all cast members with speaking parts, all heads of departments, financiers, producers, publicists, and of course the director.

Even though the writer may still be working on it, the screenplay is generally page-locked and scene-numbered at the beginning of pre-production to avoid confusion. This means that even though additions and deletions may still be made, any particular scene will always fall on the same page and have the same scene number.

These are typical crew positions:

• The director is primarily responsible for the storytelling, creative decisions and acting of the film.
• The assistant director (AD) manages the shooting schedule and logistics of the production, among other tasks. There are several types of AD, each with different responsibilities.
• The casting director finds actors to fill the parts in the script. This normally requires that actors audition. Lead actors are carefully chosen, often based on the actor's reputation or "star power."
• The location manager finds and manages film locations. Most pictures are shot in the controllable environment of a studio sound stage but occasionally, outdoor sequences call for filming on location.
• The production manager manages the production budget and production schedule. They also report, on behalf of the production office, to the studio executives or financiers of the film.
• The director of photography (DoP) is the cinematographer who supervises the photography of the entire film
• The director of audiography (DoA) is the audiographer who supervises the audiography of the entire film. For productions in the Western world, the nearest role is that of sound designer.
• 
  The production sound mixer is the head of the sound department during the production stage of filmmaking. They record and mix the audio on set - dialogue, presence and sound effects in mono and ambience in stereo . They work with the boom operator, Director, DoA, DoP, and First AD.
• 
  The sound designer creates the aural conception of the film, working for the supervising sound editor. Some productions employ a sound designer instead of a DoA.
• The composer creates new music for the film. (usually not until post-production)
• The production designer creates the visual conception of the film, working with the art director.
• The art director manages the art department, which makes production sets
• The costume designer creates the clothing for the characters in the film working closely with the actors, as well as other departments.
• The make up and hair designer works closely with the costume designer in addition to create a certain look for a character.
• The storyboard artist creates visual images to help the director and production designer communicate their ideas to the production team.
• The choreographer creates and coordinates the movement and dance - typically for musicals. Some films also credit a fight choreographer.