Television production, whether it is a sitcom episode, a feature-length movie, a corporate training video, an educational program, or a newscast, must complete four basic phases before it is realized. These phases are the conceptualization phase, the preproduction phase, the production phase, and the postproduction phase. Completion of these phases may take months or years depending on the type, length, and complexity of the production, and, in fact, some programs such as a daily newscast may only allow for a single day to follow these phases on a loose basis. However, a good, tight production will usually execute each these four phases to some degree.

Conceptualization

The conceptualization phase of production is where the bulk of the creative work is completed. This phase begins with the generation of ideas. These ideas can be brainstormed by one or more creators, or in the...