1. The Concept
The idea behind something always has a starting point, and needs some way to be communicated. A concept is either visualized, written down, and sometimes both. Without being putting pen to paper so to speak, a concept can easily be lost through misinterpretation or miscommunication.There needs to be some kind of funding to back the concept and make it come to life. Without this, possibly the pre-production phase and far more likely the production phase will not come to pass.