Pre-production process essay

Pre-production process essay

The production me and my small group of 3 had created, was a short film production made for my Depict Unit 1 coursework needed for my creative media production course. It was distributed over YouTube for streaming purposes, which contains other sources of moving images media on the website such as Television (single, series, serials), films (feature and shorts), Adverts and music videos there were also other sources of distribution that can be used such as Blu Rays, DVD’s, other online streaming platforms (Netflix, Hulu, Crackle and Amazon Prime etc.), Cinema, Private and Public screenings.

For the funding we had not actually received any funding for the short film we were offered £5 for props if needed, but the props and equipment needed for the production had already been available without cost, for example the cameras were available in the AV room for rent
with student cards but equipment can be bought from such local resources like white label media. This being a student made production in a low budget college only allowed us to have certain props and equipment. Other sources of funding could be used though for example our own money could be used, Bank loans, Funds/Bursaries, Competitions, Crowd funding such as Kick-starters Etc.,Selling rights such as marketing (adverts, sponsors).

The requirements for the production and usually for any other productions, even though no money was actually needed for this production for props, equipment or even paying the crew we had, there are requirements for a production to be had and to have their money spent on such as Equipment: (props, cameras, effects, etc.) Transport: for example paying to have various people involved in the production such as the talent have to travel to where the production is being filmed sometimes so their travel usually has to be payed for. Talent: in our production the talent was not payed because it was a short film production made in education by students, but in other productions such as a feature film would consist of the talent talking over and negotiating how much they would be getting payed for doing the production then signing a contract. Crew: (Director, Cinematographer, camera men Etc.)  Money would have to payed to the crew similarly to the talent in different productions to ours such as feature film production. Facility hire: we did not need to pay for any location we used during filming for our production because it was all filmed in the bounds of the college which we did need permission from the caretakers of the college to film on the premises but in a different production such as a TV series, most filming locations would be have to payed for depending on where it is filmed, Clearances/ insurance/ copyright. For our depict project to make the short film we had to require; Personnel: Talent (actors) and crew (the production team), Equipment: Cameras, voice recording equipment, editing equipment and props (scissors)

When making the depict project our personnel only consisted at three of people which is acceptable for a low budget short created in a low budget college production but in other forms of media the makeup can be extremely different such as, a low budget short which we had, contains what is known as a ‘Skeleton crew’ usually in a production like this which consists of a very minimal cast and crew needed for a film which will usually consist of a director, actors, camera man, editor, sound engineer and producer. A television show would consist of a larger crew of people typically have a cast and crew such as the talent, casting director, costume designer, director, writers (head writer, screenwriter, story editor and writer), production team (Floor manager, stage manager, production manager stunt coordinator etc.), a publicist and post production crew (colourist, editor, composer, Foley artist, sound editor etc) A feature film would have a similar crew with very similar jobs but the crew is a percentage larger than the other for example a feature film would typically have a Directors (director, sound director and second unit director) , Production (producers, executives)During the project we were all allocated similar roles, apart from the talent part because I was the only one in the group who was on camera at all times, but when doing the planning, storyboards, paper work etc. It was equally shared out between all three of us, separate assignments were given for us to individually do at points but we did a few of the tasks working together at points for example the risk assessment had been done by me but the story board had mostly been worked on by Mollie but all three of us had participated in helping construct and detail the storyboard, we had all had doing most of these tasks such as acting and filming from doing our induction task when joining the course we are currently doing, when making a production there are certain contributors who are all issued specific jobs and how to do them this typically happens with most moving image productions more commonly with feature films to the production behind the camera such as a director (directing the what is on the screen) , screenwriter (the person who adapts the script into the screenplay ), producer (helps produce the production), cinematographer (person in charge of the shooting of the production)etc. In front of the camera also mostly consists of Actors, extras etc. An actor’s job is considered more important than an extras job because they possess more screen time and are given lines so they are a more valuable asset to any production.

When making our production we were given deadlines for each stage, we had 1 week for pre-production, 1 Week shooting and 1 week editing, for the most part I had followed these deadlines well, we pre-production done on the deadline all completed, when doing the filming we had to have it finished within 3 days because I was not able to be present for the next 2 days for filming which could not be done because I was and the next 5 days for editing, the filming was done in the last three days that I was present and my group had edited their version of the depict short and when I came back I had use the footage we had made to create my separate version of the short. In the industry missing deadlines in a moving image productions can result in many different consequences for example more expenses being paid, the more time spent making the project the more money would be have to be spent on the requirements, leading to even more risk of losing money when film is released.

when making the project, equipment was needed for filming so we were given certain DSLR cameras from the AV room in the college that we rented with our student cards, we had also rented other necessary pieces of equipment for filming from the AV like the SD card, the Tripod for the camera and the voice recorder need for the voice over scenes. There were no props that specifically needed buying for the production, the scissors used in one of the scenes was the only prop used in the production which we had borrowed from the classroom with permission.

Finding the right locations to find a film requires planning so there are such things called location recess and releases. the definition of recess is visiting locations filming on them to find stability to the vision of the moving image and for the necessary facilities needed for the productions. Releases are when filming on site of a production the legal requirements needed for the production are that you need a release form stating that you are allowed to film on the location you have decided to film on and it has to be signed by basically whoever is in charge of the location you are filming on such as a owner, caretaker or council for example to film the scenes which had filmed in the college we had needed a signature on our location release form from the caretaker which we had gotten, which had allowed us to film where ever we wanted on the college premises.When filming we did not actually need to film anyone else but the college because it was the right setting, scenery and had the right facilities for the area, the only scene that was not really shot on college grounds was the first scene which see's the main character walking towards the college which is filmed just about 60 feet away from the college. we found that the college was the best place to film all apart from one scene on the college grounds because we all felt it in a way was capturing the claustrophobic environment we were setting out to create for example the scene when i am walking round the back of the car to get to the back entrance of the college it gives you sense that my character is trying to escape something creating that feeling, another example would be the scene which see's the main character leaning up against the wall having a form of panic attack we had chose that part of the college because we felt the darkness of the room and the staircase could create a shot that fit the tone of the final scene we wanted to create.

In a Moving image production various Materials are needed for certain requirements such as; Props: which we had acquired from from the classroom because we had only needed one scene and one use in particular.  Filming Equipment: such as cameras, tripods, lenses etc, which we had obtained from the colleges AV room which we had rented. Filming equipment can also be obtained in other ways for example purchasing it for the production which has be allowed by the budget from various online stores and filming equipment warehouses like white label media (http://www.wlms-ltd.co.uk/) and  using equipment which has already been purchased by members of the crew. Editing Equipment: such as  Laptops, PC's, Software etc, we had obtained of these materials from the college, we were provided with a Mac and Adobe Premiere Pro in class after filming. These materials can be obtained in another various different ways for example; for example if a director had been taken on by a studio him and his crew would usually be provided with the equipment or funded by the studio to have editing equipment, Audio: which can be bought or downloaded for free depending on the website or specific track this can be found at websites such as Ben sound (http://www.bensound.com/)

When obtaining materials there is a cost to getting the required materials needed for a moving image production, depending on the budget  provided for the production there are certain restrictions to what you can and cannot purchase, for example; A low budget film would not consist of high amounts of expensive filming and editing equipment depending on circumstance or focus of the production or another example could be a Hollywood blockbuster film would consist of a great amount of top quality expensive editing and filming equipment also depending on the focus of the production and circumstance because the film could be very reliant on visual effects rather than practical effects.

There are several legal issues that need to be considered in a media production these are as they follow

• Copy write Law: this is so companies and individual  keep full ownership of the work they put out to the public, so the likeness or ideas can not be stolen by anyone. copy write can protect anyone in the UK there is no sorted fee needed to copy write. The music we had used for the production was royalty free which had allowed us to use it on Youtube and with no charged fee.
• Health and Safety: this is to ensure the safety of anyone involved with the production to prevent accidents, injuries, fatalities etc and to also avoid lawsuits from others because those in charge of the production can be held liable for any injuries or accidents. to help with the health we had created a risk assessment which helped prevent the potential injuries or accidents when filming.

There are certain regulations for a media production needed to regulate, OFCOM is the communications regulator for the UK; the Regulate TV, Radio, Film, Fixed telecoms, Mobile Phones and Postal Services, OFCOM does not regulate BBC though, the BBC has its own trust (BBC Trust) the BBC is private and does not receive funding through advertisement, this is why no channels or stations owned by the BBC do not have any advertising, unlike OFCOM are a independent regulated company which need funding through sponsors the media platforms they use,The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification, they control the age in which it is suitable to watch a specific film or video E.G. U, 12A, 12, 15 and 18, OFCOM can only control television and radio media platforms they cannot control what appears on the internet that people may find harmful or upsetting to watch, the BBFC aim to protect children and adults from seeing something that may be harmful to them much like OFCOM do get there responses of the public every so many years to see if the age ratings are still of approval or if they need to be more strict. 

Trade Unions are a organised groups of workers traders and professions (camera men, actors, stunt doubles etc)  that are formed to protect their rights and interests; these groups are created because if a work force feel they can't agree on something their employer has changed or done they can talk to the employer as a collective, they also have the ability to go on strike as a unity, BECT is a union created for the media industry They protect things like employment and pensions and promote equality in the workplace. A trade association is an organisation that is funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry.