The Pre-Production Process
My media product
Our task was to create a 90 second short film of any genre. This was for the 'DepicT!' short film competition held online every year. To distribute or short film we used YouTube and Facebook to share it with our friends and subscribers of the East Norfolk YouTube channel. This worked well because this method is fast and free to do, accompanying the fact it being accessible to anyone and everyone who uses those platforms. As well as this, we could apply for the competition and release our video on the 'DepicT!' website to reach even more viewers.
Types of moving image media
There are many forms of moving image media products. These are made up of feature length films, short films, animation, TV productions, trailers/advertisements, music videos, online videos and idents. Feature length films are productions with a running time of over an hour and are used more frequently by the professionals because they have the funds and resources to create them to a high standard, although amateurs do make their own feature length films. This type of film is most often distributed via theaters and cinemas, although they can be released online, on streaming websites or even straight to DVD. Amateur feature length films are often not released into theaters due to their low budget and sometimes low quality unlike the professionally made films that are consistently played in cinemas and other such facilities, but are released on sites like YouTube and Netflix. An example of this would be 'Smosh The Movie' that came out in mid 2015 and was only released on Netflix and YouTube for a small fee due to its low budget and overall quality.Short films are another media form, but with a running time of around 45 minutes or less. They are mainly distributed online, in theaters or on public screens at festivals or other events. Short films often have a lower budget than that of a feature length film due to the lack of the need of many props, costumes, actors and equipment. The film that I and my group produced was a short film with a running time of 90 seconds. This suited us well because it was fast and cheap to produce as well as the easy distribution method. Despite this, our final product was a decent standard.
Online videos are videos such as YouTube content, website trailers and other viral videos. There are many popular video creators known online such as PewDiePie, VanossGaming and CorridorDigital. Their videos are mainly released on YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms. PewDiePie has an app for IOS and Android, so he often uploads videos to the app as well as the two other mainstream sites, although this is not a very popular method of media distribution among online creators; this type of online media product is very popular because it reaches millions on a daily basis due to their large subscriber counts and entertaining content, despite its low cost and quality.
Funding
Moving media production is a very money oriented task that can cost millions depending on the budget. Due to this, many movies never get past the stage of being just an idea. Despite this, there are many ways in which you can obtain money to make and distribute a film, for instance private investors such as Megan Ellison who help fund productions. Megan Ellison created an entire media production company that specialises in assisting producers fund their movies and has helped create films like 'Zero Dark Thirty', 'Terminator Genysis' and 'American Hustle'.
Another way to gain the money is to set up a kickstarter. This is a crowd funding method that gets people to donate until you reach your budget goal. The show 'Video Game High School's third season was funded through a kickstarter that raised over $890,000 from around 11,000 people that supported and donated to the producers.
In addition to this, another means of receiving the required funds is via the 'British Film Institute' who invest over £26,000,000 of lottery funds each year to support film development, production and distribution. The budget of our short film was £5 and was supplied by the college. We planned when and on what we'd spend the money such as certain day's travel or props.
Requirements
Once the funds are obtained, the money is spent on a multitude of things. Equipment, actors, crew, locations, sets, props, costumes, travel, accommodation, music/video rights and advertising are all the things that are the main spending necessities.
We had our £5 budget, but did not spend it. The locations we used were free to the public and we included no actors, so no funds were spent there. In addition to this we were using equipment supplied from the college for free and the crew we had was just our group of 3 students. We didn't use any sets, props or costumes due to the nature of our film so that saved up a large proportion of our budget. To add to this, the music we used in our short film was royalty free, therefore we did not have to pay for the rights to use it.
Personnel
Different scales of productions such as low budget short, TV programme or Hollywood feature length need a different amount of crew. Moving media production crews usually consists of writers, directors, producers, actors, stunt doubles, technicians, researchers, stunt coordinators, editors, camera men, sound men and cinematographers. Although, low budget films typically need a lot less crew and usually only contain the vital members such as a director, actors and camera men who all may vary their jobs throughout the production process and attempt to do other things such as editing or researching. Hollywood feature length films often require more staff than TV shows due to the tight schedule and amount of work they have. They may have multiple people for each job and even need to hire more people for new jobs.Other contributors
Runners are often hired to do small tasks that would otherwise slow down the process of making the film, such as delivering scripts or equipment, filing, photocopying and other low key jobs. Caterers are placed on filming sights to prepare and serve food to all the cast and other crew members several times a day. During production, accountants are also hired and become responsible for all the costs and other finance related problems throughout the whole process. Some jobs they do include calculating prices and profit margins, liaising with financiers and managing cash flow. Another job that happens behind the scenes is publicising. Publicists generate and manage the publicity of the production in question which is done through press coverage and campaigns they set up.In our film we all shared the jobs to gain experience. We all filmed and edited at some point, although I am the only one who appeared in the film in terms of talent, despite it only being a voice over. Out of the 3 members of my group, Joe has the most experience with the camera, so he done the most difficult shots but taught me how to do several kinds of shots for when it was my turn. Zara had the most confidence with editing on Premiere Pro and After Effects, so she willingly done a majority of the harder editing, but me and Joe learnt and took turns on the more basic levels of it.
Time
Our time frame for the production of our short film was 3 weeks. We had one week to plan, one week to film and then one week to edit; we used this time span to our full advantage. We spend the full first week perfectly planning out our shot list and other paper work until the final day. The week that we were meant to be spend shooting, ended early as we finished filming a day early so we went straight to editing the next day. For the next week we edited everyday, switching scenes around and placing the voice over, over the video and syncing it up. No time was wasted over the 3 weeks and every deadline was either met on time or earlier.
If you don't meet deadlines in the professional world of media production, many things can fall apart and ruin the whole process. Things such as investors pulling out, actors becoming unavailable or crew members quitting can occur if deadlines are consistently not met because filming gets set back each time and becomes an inconvenience to everyone else. If these things do not happen, there are still draw backs from pushing filming back such as having to pay every single worker for an extra day or week of work which can drain a budget unexpectedly.
During the process of production, many pieces of equipment are necessary to create a high quality product at the end. To do this, producers need a place to either buy or hire this equipment from companies that have all the equipment needed such as 'Decode Camera, Lighting and Grip Hire'. This company is an online service who rent equipment and deliver their products to the renter. From this website, to hire a high end digital film camera it would cost around £850 per day, good quality lighting is around £90 a day and a microphone kit is around £30 a day. In our film, we did not have to pay for thew equipment we used because it was lent to us by the college for free.
Locations
To secure and film at our locations legally, we had to complete location release and location reccee forms. The location release form gets signatures of the director and the person who owns the location. Having their signature and consent gives permission to film in that location under their rules and regulations. We then had to fill in the location reccee sheet which is similar to a location release but includes different details such as the surrounding area of the location, it's accessibility and parking. This also happens in the professional side of media production, but on a much larger scale due to bigger productions requiring a lot more space and or locations for filming. Producers often have to pay large amounts of money to rent out land or different areas whereas our locations were free to the public at all times. An example of this would be the abandoned London scene from '28 Days Later' in which the several streets of London were closed off for a short period of time to enable filming to happen. To do this they had to get permission from the council and police.
Equipment and Facilities
During the process of production, many pieces of equipment are necessary to create a high quality product at the end. To do this, producers need a place to either buy or hire this equipment from companies that have all the equipment needed such as 'Decode Camera, Lighting and Grip Hire'. This company is an online service who rent equipment and deliver their products to the renter. From this website, to hire a high end digital film camera it would cost around £850 per day, good quality lighting is around £90 a day and a microphone kit is around £30 a day. In our film, we did not have to pay for thew equipment we used because it was lent to us by the college for free.
Locations
To select a location for each of our shots we discussed areas around the places we lived and found pictures to show how much it resembles the image we had in our heads. We used a storyboard to draw out the images we had thought up and added other details such as sounds. We wanted peaceful and calm shots to go along with the theme and music included in the film. We then had to fill in several forms and sheets to actually get the locations we wanted.
To secure and film at our locations legally, we had to complete location release and location reccee forms. The location release form gets signatures of the director and the person who owns the location. Having their signature and consent gives permission to film in that location under their rules and regulations. We then had to fill in the location reccee sheet which is similar to a location release but includes different details such as the surrounding area of the location, it's accessibility and parking. This also happens in the professional side of media production, but on a much larger scale due to bigger productions requiring a lot more space and or locations for filming. Producers often have to pay large amounts of money to rent out land or different areas whereas our locations were free to the public at all times. An example of this would be the abandoned London scene from '28 Days Later' in which the several streets of London were closed off for a short period of time to enable filming to happen. To do this they had to get permission from the council and police.
We faced several logistical issues whilst planning; one of them being possible risks. We overcame this by completing a detailed risk assessment to warn the crew from any dangers they may face while filming. We included risks such as tripping hazards, road accidents and sharp objects in the surrounding environment.
Whilst making a film, a lot more than cast and crew is needed. These include props, costumes, scripts, graphics, audio, video and music. Graphics cost a large sum of money to include in media productions. They are the logos and brands that are shown throughout a production. Popular companies such as 'Apple', 'Coke' and 'McDonalds' are all included in many types of media production and pay to do so. The prices paid to place products such as 'Coke' in a mainstream feature length film range from around $25,000 to $250,000. In addition to this, many costumes and props are made originally for certain film productions. This costs much more than renting them, but gives the production team unlimited use of them for one set price. Music can be obtained through royalty free sites or via making a song souly for the production itself. This can be expensive but can eventually make money back in later months or years when other companies or people use it in their productions. An example of this would be the song 'Skyfall' by Adele made for the film of the same name in 2012.
Materials
Whilst making a film, a lot more than cast and crew is needed. These include props, costumes, scripts, graphics, audio, video and music. Graphics cost a large sum of money to include in media productions. They are the logos and brands that are shown throughout a production. Popular companies such as 'Apple', 'Coke' and 'McDonalds' are all included in many types of media production and pay to do so. The prices paid to place products such as 'Coke' in a mainstream feature length film range from around $25,000 to $250,000. In addition to this, many costumes and props are made originally for certain film productions. This costs much more than renting them, but gives the production team unlimited use of them for one set price. Music can be obtained through royalty free sites or via making a song souly for the production itself. This can be expensive but can eventually make money back in later months or years when other companies or people use it in their productions. An example of this would be the song 'Skyfall' by Adele made for the film of the same name in 2012.
Legal Issues
During production, there are many legal considerations that have to made. Copyright is one of the biggest issues that producers face whilst making a media project. It can cause many issues such as being sued, large payments and going to court. Copyright happens when a piece of music, video or any other kind of work, is taken and used in someone else's without having the permission of the original creator. Producers must have full consent from the person who made the work they wish to use and credit them for doing so at some point during the work.
You are automatically given copyright protection when you create any kind of literature, art work or media production. It protects you from people copying, stealing, adapting or selling your work for their own benefit.
In our 'DepicT!' film, copyright affected the amount of freedom we had with music selection. We couldn't have any well known songs or many other songs on the internet due to them being copyrighted; therefore we used royalty free music sites to find a piece that we could legally use without and backfires.
Clearance- This is the rule that you can only distribute your film if it has been cleared. This means having written permission to use everything and everyone included in the film, such as actors.
Clearance- This is the rule that you can only distribute your film if it has been cleared. This means having written permission to use everything and everyone included in the film, such as actors.
Public Liability Insurance- This protects your company from legal or compensation bills if anyone is injured during the production process or if you cause property damage to any shooting locations.
Completion guarantee- This is a form of insurance offered by an completion guarantor in return for percentage of the profit based on the budget of the film. This usually happens to independently financed films to guarantee the producer will complete and deliver the film.
Completion guarantee- This is a form of insurance offered by an completion guarantor in return for percentage of the profit based on the budget of the film. This usually happens to independently financed films to guarantee the producer will complete and deliver the film.
Regulation
Regulation is the control or guidance of mass media via governments and other bodies such as OFCOM, BBC Trust and BBFC. This regulation introduces rules and procedures in light of public interest or encouraging competition and an effective media market. The main ways of enforcing regulation is done through radio, press and television but can be done through other mediums such as film and music.
In Europe, regulation is done via the European Union. In most EU member states, they removed media ownership regulations and replaced them with competition laws.
In the US, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution doesn't allow the government to stop freedom of speech or the press. But regulations in media have made exceptions to this right. For example, there are restrictions to public broadcasters that forbids the broadcast of 'indecent' material on public channels.
OFCOM (Office of Communications) is a government approved regulatory and competition body for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the UK. They have powers across many media platforms that protect the interest of the public and consumers by stopping harmful or offensive material from being broadcast.
The Board Of Governors was the regulatory body for the BBC. It too protected the interests of the public until it was replaced by the BBC Trust in 2007. The BBC Trust is an external operation outside the BBC that aims to make decisions in the best interests of license fee payers instead of just the public like OFCOM and the Board Of Governors did.
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is a non-governmental organisation that is responsible for the classification and censorship of all films in the UK. They have to classify all videos, DVD's and video games that are introduced within the United Kingdom to prevent offensive or harmful material being released.
OFCOM (Office of Communications) is a government approved regulatory and competition body for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the UK. They have powers across many media platforms that protect the interest of the public and consumers by stopping harmful or offensive material from being broadcast.
The Board Of Governors was the regulatory body for the BBC. It too protected the interests of the public until it was replaced by the BBC Trust in 2007. The BBC Trust is an external operation outside the BBC that aims to make decisions in the best interests of license fee payers instead of just the public like OFCOM and the Board Of Governors did.
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is a non-governmental organisation that is responsible for the classification and censorship of all films in the UK. They have to classify all videos, DVD's and video games that are introduced within the United Kingdom to prevent offensive or harmful material being released.
Trade Unions and Trade Associations
A trade union is an group of people that have come together and want to achieve common targets such as protecting the integrity of its trade, improving safety standards and obtaining higher pay and other working benefits such as health care and better working conditions. A trade association is an organisation that is funded by businesses that operates in a specific industry. Trade associations participate in public activities such as advertising, education and publishing but may also offer other services such as producing conferences and offering educational materials. Many of these associations are non-profit organisations governed by laws and directed by people who are also members.
PACT (Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television) is the UK's trade association that supports solo content producers in feature length film, television and animation or children's media. PACT campaigns on problems relevant to its members such as diversity and international issues.
You have made a very good start here and this is a very encouraging first formal written assignment. You write clearly and succinctly, making solid points and providing concise explanations throughout. You have explained requirements and sources of requirements for production in some detail and you have provided examples throughout and made really good use of the blog.
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