Definition of "preproduction" [preproduction]

• Taking place or existing before production: preproduction planning. (adjective)
• Of, relating to, or being a prototype: preproduction models of next year's automobiles. (adjective)
• The preliminary arrangements, as concerning financing or personnel, that are made upon the inception of a project: a movie in preproduction. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "JE: TriStar bought One for the Money thirteen years ago and it has been in "preproduction" every since."
• "Two weeks into preproduction, at some point in preproduction, Mark Romanek stepped out and we had no director."
• "The story of the teenaged Peter Parker is now in preproduction with the announcement of the new director and star expected in the coming weeks."