preproduction

American  

[pree-pruh-duhk-shuhn] / ˌpri prəˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

1. Movies. the steps necessary to prepare a film for production, as casting, choosing locations, and designing sets and costumes.

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adjective

1. occurring before production.

preproduction British  

/ ˌpriːprəˈdʌkʃən /

noun

1. preliminary work on or trial production of a play, industrial prototype, etc

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adjective

1. (of a period, model, etc) preliminary; trial

Etymology

Origin of preproduction

First recorded in 1935–40; pre- + production

Example Sentences

Raicek has been busy in preproduction on her play “Fire Season,” which has already been workshopped with actors including Billy Crudup and Amanda Seyfried.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

I’m curious what preproduction is like for you.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025

Loader: If I could do it all again, I think I would have pushed more during preproduction to test out different designs for some characters.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2025

A late-night voice memo between Baldoni and Lively during the preproduction phase of "It Ends With Us" in 2023 gets leaked.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2025

And now the actor is in preproduction for Prime Video’s “Spider-Noir” series, in which he’ll play journalist Robbie Robertson to Nicolas Cage’s 1930s-era Spider-Man.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2024