Learn English – What does “go on floors” really mean

idiomsphrase-meaningterminology

When reading movie magazines or news I come across lines like the below:

  • Mr. A's new film goes on floors next month.
  • The actors 2 movies are going on floors later this year.

One can guess the meaning of the phrase go on floor from the above lines but I am not sure what exactly it means, and couldn't find it in any dictionary.

Best Answer

The floor here is a bit of film jargon, referring to the floor of a studio. As explained in A Dictionary of Confusable Phrases (2010) by Yuri Dolgopolov, on the floor means

  1. in a movie or TV studio: I'll make a shooting script…. It'll be something you can go on the floor with. 2. (of a film) being shot; in production: At Elstree, only one film, the Guinea Pig, is on the floor

(it is in the "confusable phrases" dictionary in contrast to on the shop floor).

The OED similarly has, under floor (n.1):

d. spec. The floor of a studio where films or television programmes are shot; hence used allusively: (a) a film or television studio; (b) in phr. on the floor, of a film: in production.

Thus, a film that is going on the floor or going on floors is one going into production, i.e. that has graduated from development and pre-production. In Western entertainment media, however, this phrasing seems to be rather rare. Its use in popular culture seems to be limited to the Indian subcontinent. A Hollywood movie doesn't go on the floor, it goes into production or starts shooting.

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