The Pre-Production Process
Requirements for a Moving Image Production
Type of Production
Our BTEC Media task was to produce a 90 second short film for depict. Depict is Watershed's international online film competition that,since 1998 has been challenging film makers to create 90 second ultra-short masterpieces.The focus of depict is on uncovering emerging international film making talent, which shows originality, imagination and the ability to engage in a minute and a half. In groups we put our minds together to brainstorm ideas of potential narratives to the film, we decided on a story and soon put it on paper in a drawing perspective using storyboards which gave us chance to put it in shots and change anything if we felt wasn't right. YouTube was used to distribute our film, YouTube is a video sharing website that allows billions of people share and watch original created videos from all over the world. We posted it on the East Norfolk BTEC media YouTube account (https://www.youtube.com/user/ENBTECMEDIA).
There is lots of different types of moving image media products which differ in ways of audience. For example there is advertisement which is made to get someone interested in a company, product or a type of service, whilst films are to make money from selling the production.
a good source of money you can get is having an investor. Film investors are people who seek out or are approached about up coming films or ideas of a film that could potentially make profit, the investors give the film makers money in exchange for a percentage of the films earnings. This is a good source of finance if your film is new and original enough to show promise to the investor. Sometimes the investment may come from a film investing company which may want to bring forth there own ideas towards the film making process which could cause confusion(See source 1). An example of a film investor is Megan Ellison, she is the daughter of Larry Ellison the co- founder of the oracle software company and the third richest man in america, she invested her money into the making of 'Zero Dark Thirty' and soon became the most talked about independent film financier in Hollywood.
Source 1: http://themoviefund.com/
Kickstarter helps artists, musicians, filmmakers,designers and other creators find resources and
support they need to make their ideas reality. Kick start is an online pledge corporation that allows creators to get funds for their projects by giving a short description, investors and even fans will fund for the pledge, however you get nothing if the money does not reach the target amount you will not receive the funding for you film. For example Zach Braff who pledged a kickstarter and when it succeeded he got a lot of hate from other film makers as he had already become successful from the TV series he had starred in 'Scrubs'
https://www.kickstarter.com/?ref=nav
https://www.barclayscorporate.com/sector-expertise/technology-media-telecoms/media.html
http://madworldfancydress.com/pages/hire-products
Broadcast Advertising
Outdoor Advertising
Public Service Advertising
Product Placement Advertising
Cell Phone & Mobile Advertising
Online Advertising (aka Digital)
Personnel for a television programme:
Executive Producer - the owner of the TV program and as such, the ultimate authority for the project. Sometimes the executive producer is merely the money or the “bank” behind the project and has very little creative input or interest in the project.
Producer (PGA) - hired by the executive producer to be in charge of the creative quality of the TV show. The producer is similar in nature to the architect who designs a house, but who does none of the actual work of building the house.
Associate/Assistant Producer (AP) - assists the producer in any manner needed. Some producers have a lot of responsibility in coordinating the creative aspects of the show, while other AP’s are merely glorified secretaries that assist in coordinating schedules, telephones, and contracts in non-creative, clerical roles.
Director (DGA) - is hired by the producer or executive producer to be in charge of coordinating the daily responsibilities on the set for the shooting of the actual program episode.
Actors (SAG) (AFTRA) - are referred to in the industry as “talent” and are primarily responsible or supplying the dialogue and visual action in front of the camera for the film.#
Writer (WGA) - primarily responsible for writing the script or teleplay which contains the show’s dialogue or spoken lines.
Music Director (ASCAP) - is primarily responsible for composing and/or arranging a TV show’s music.
Personnel for a Hollywood feature film:
To decide our locations for filming we used location recces, location recces are pre-filming visit to a location to work out its suitability for shooting, including access to necessary facilities and assessment of any potential lighting or sound issues, and is closely related to location scouting.
After deciding on a location we had to fill out a release to give permission from the owner of that location so we could film there.
To insure safety and smooth filming we did a risk assessment brain storming all possible dangers and out comes that could come up whilst filming out of college.
Legal Issues
In a media production there are legal issues you have to consider, for example choice of music if you have so, is it royalty free or does someone have a copy right over that piece of music, this should be considered for other materials also. Copyright is a legal right created by the law of a country that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights for its use and distribution. This is usually only for a limited time.
Clearance:
Film clearance is the process of acquiring the required permission for all aspects of a film production. The necessary clearances can include sets, actors/extras, music, stock film, art, posters, products/brands, books, broadcasts, computer programs, dramatic works, photographs, etc.
Public liability insurance:
This is an agreement in which member of your production will sign to ensure the proof of their work and is insurance to if there was an accident involving your film.
BBFC- British bard of film classification, is an organization of people who classify age ratings on films and games, for example: PG, 12, 15, 18
There is lots of different types of moving image media products which differ in ways of audience. For example there is advertisement which is made to get someone interested in a company, product or a type of service, whilst films are to make money from selling the production.
- Animation
- Music videos
- Television
- Online videos
- Channel ident
- TV soap/series
- Feature films
- DVD
- Public screens`
- Blu-Ray
- Television
- Cinema
- Download
- Social media
Finance and Sources of Funding
There is lots of sources of funding available, for example:
- Investors
a good source of money you can get is having an investor. Film investors are people who seek out or are approached about up coming films or ideas of a film that could potentially make profit, the investors give the film makers money in exchange for a percentage of the films earnings. This is a good source of finance if your film is new and original enough to show promise to the investor. Sometimes the investment may come from a film investing company which may want to bring forth there own ideas towards the film making process which could cause confusion(See source 1). An example of a film investor is Megan Ellison, she is the daughter of Larry Ellison the co- founder of the oracle software company and the third richest man in america, she invested her money into the making of 'Zero Dark Thirty' and soon became the most talked about independent film financier in Hollywood.
- Kick Starters
Kickstarter helps artists, musicians, filmmakers,designers and other creators find resources andsupport they need to make their ideas reality. Kick start is an online pledge corporation that allows creators to get funds for their projects by giving a short description, investors and even fans will fund for the pledge, however you get nothing if the money does not reach the target amount you will not receive the funding for you film. For example Zach Braff who pledged a kickstarter and when it succeeded he got a lot of hate from other film makers as he had already become successful from the TV series he had starred in 'Scrubs'
https://www.kickstarter.com/?ref=nav
- Self Funding/Competitions
- Bank Loan
https://www.barclayscorporate.com/sector-expertise/technology-media-telecoms/media.html
Requirements for Production
- Property: Props are the items that are in each shot of the film and are mostly the objects that re moved or move around the shot, for example a weapon in an action film. Props can be obtained from personal possessions, shops, or from online markets.
- Cameras: To make a film you need a camera, you can get a camera from either buying, hiring or borrowing one. You can buy a camera from lots of electronics stores like 'Curry's' and 'Argos' which are the top results on Google. Hiring will be more beneficial if you are on a low budget as a quality camera can cost more money than you can pay, hiring a camera can be around £50-£70 a day depending on what camera you want to hire. You cant always just have a camera to get the shot you desire therefore camera equipment is needed, for example a tripod, used to get a steady shot or to get the shot at a different height that you can yourself. You can hire equipment from camera hire companies but can also buy them for quite cheap in which you can then use every time you film.
- Talent
Talent is the people in shot, they could be famous actors starring or the people who are in the scenery. In bigger productions like Marvel they pay their actors because of their successes in previous films and the prequels of a series, for example 'Avengers Age of Ultron' Robert Downy Jr was paid $40 million for his part as iron man. However for short film productions you may only need a normal person to be an act in a few shots, therefore you can go on a website called 'Fiver' (https://uk.fiverr.com/) which you can search for actors advertising their skills in which you only pay them a fiver to act for you.
- Costume
http://madworldfancydress.com/pages/hire-products
- Lighting
Lighting is used to create or hide shadows, if creating shadow in a shot it can purposely help the film in being intriguing and exciting depending on your genre. You can use sun light outside which is obviously free, or hire or buy lighting equipment.
- Advertising
For your film production to get viewed by your audience you must get the film known and promoted. Therefore advertising gets people aware and gets their attention then they will want to see the film when it is finished.
Types:
Broadcast Advertising
Outdoor Advertising
Public Service Advertising
Product Placement Advertising
Cell Phone & Mobile Advertising
Online Advertising (aka Digital)
Requirements for depict
For our depict production, we did not require a large amount of equipment, we borrowed a camera, tripod and SD card from the AV room in college and the mask we used from our teacher. Everything to do with editing and distribution were provided by the college.
Personnel
Personnel is the people involved with the film, like camera crew or Talent, the amount and extended skills of the personnel depends on the production size and budget.
The personnel for a low budget short film would consist of only a few people, there would be the camera crew which would not be more than 2 or 3 people depending on the shot or distance. The talent would be more or less 4-5 people depending on the character rolls and the narrative, there would not be that many people acting because of the size of the production. Usually the people who are directing the short film would also be editing the film and would also distribute the film, probably via YouTube or a social media based web page.
The personnel for a low budget short film would consist of only a few people, there would be the camera crew which would not be more than 2 or 3 people depending on the shot or distance. The talent would be more or less 4-5 people depending on the character rolls and the narrative, there would not be that many people acting because of the size of the production. Usually the people who are directing the short film would also be editing the film and would also distribute the film, probably via YouTube or a social media based web page.
Personnel for a television programme:
Executive Producer - the owner of the TV program and as such, the ultimate authority for the project. Sometimes the executive producer is merely the money or the “bank” behind the project and has very little creative input or interest in the project.
Producer (PGA) - hired by the executive producer to be in charge of the creative quality of the TV show. The producer is similar in nature to the architect who designs a house, but who does none of the actual work of building the house.
Associate/Assistant Producer (AP) - assists the producer in any manner needed. Some producers have a lot of responsibility in coordinating the creative aspects of the show, while other AP’s are merely glorified secretaries that assist in coordinating schedules, telephones, and contracts in non-creative, clerical roles.
Director (DGA) - is hired by the producer or executive producer to be in charge of coordinating the daily responsibilities on the set for the shooting of the actual program episode.
Actors (SAG) (AFTRA) - are referred to in the industry as “talent” and are primarily responsible or supplying the dialogue and visual action in front of the camera for the film.#
Writer (WGA) - primarily responsible for writing the script or teleplay which contains the show’s dialogue or spoken lines.
Music Director (ASCAP) - is primarily responsible for composing and/or arranging a TV show’s music.
Personnel for a Hollywood feature film:
- Art department
- producers
- writing credits
- special effects
- stunts
- costume and wardrobe
- 2nd unit directors and assistant directors
- sound department
- transportation
- camera and electrical crew
The reason that a Hollywood feature film has such a large personnel is because of the sheer scale of the production and the colossal amount of revenue they make in the selling of the film.
Time
We were given the time we had in lesson to produce or depict short film, therefore we had double lessons to get vital shots we needed and had other times where we could just sit and edit when we were all in one group, however there can be mess up when one or more people don't show up when you are in a group of three that can be damaging to production.Location
After deciding on a location we had to fill out a release to give permission from the owner of that location so we could film there.
To insure safety and smooth filming we did a risk assessment brain storming all possible dangers and out comes that could come up whilst filming out of college.
Legal Issues
In a media production there are legal issues you have to consider, for example choice of music if you have so, is it royalty free or does someone have a copy right over that piece of music, this should be considered for other materials also. Copyright is a legal right created by the law of a country that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights for its use and distribution. This is usually only for a limited time.
Clearance:
Film clearance is the process of acquiring the required permission for all aspects of a film production. The necessary clearances can include sets, actors/extras, music, stock film, art, posters, products/brands, books, broadcasts, computer programs, dramatic works, photographs, etc.
Public liability insurance:
This is an agreement in which member of your production will sign to ensure the proof of their work and is insurance to if there was an accident involving your film.
Regulation:
OFCOM- Is the communications regulator. They regulate the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms, and mobiles.
Hello Will,
ReplyDeleteYou have outlined requirements and sources of requirements for a specific media production.
Josh