Pre-Production
In this task we were asked to create a short, 90 second film
presenting whatever we wanted. Of course, before we even begun creating it we
had to think as a group what the plot was. As it needed to be quite basic to be
no more than 90 seconds. As my group were quite interested in the funny side of
things, 'memes'. I thought of making the story plot so bad it's funny because
if we pulled it off, it would be amusing yet liked by everyone in the group.
The only cost that was in the film was buying a bottle of water.
Of course, the first take on that scene didn't end up how we wanted it to be,
but somehow the boys managed to put it back into the machine and get it out,
again and again for free. Of course if we were going to make an actual film,
longer than 90 seconds there are many more things we'd need to cover. For
example, finance and the sources of funding. Some films, go around making
flyers to get people interested in the movie. Adverts are the big one, for my
opinion. There’s adverts everywhere you go, on notice boards, on TV, on YouTube
and you also get short films while you’re in the cinema. This all promotes the
film because each time you see the advert or even click off the advert, not
even watching the whole 5 seconds of it someone gets paid. So it’s very
beneficial to have advertising for your film. Some producers throw different
events to get the movie out there and into the world, like the websites:
Kickstarter, IndieWire and GoFundMe. They do this because when a film comes out
the viewers have all heard of it before, heard the name, seen the trailer and
heard people talking about it from where they've seen it. The funding sites
helps you, 1 Set a best-case-scenario deadline, 2 Budget money and time. These
are two are the main theories as to why crowd fund, or fund your film. Of
course there are some negatives about this as well, for example: 1 Be vague, if
you’re vague when funding your movie then not many people will be interested.
This creates the mood of it
being popular and if you overhear someone talking about something, some people
may think that they also want to see it to join the trend. It boosts the
popularity of the film and in some cases it can boost the amount of views by
how many people watch it. An example of this is The Blair Witch Project.
The movie itself was created about a myth, but actually the myth was created
just for the film, so people got spooked by something which they thought was
real when it actually wasn't. So it's like manipulating the audience into
watching the movie because they thought it was true.
The equipment we had for the filming of this 90 second film, the
college had supplied the camera and tripod and obviously the vending machine
which was the main focus was sitting in the college too. We didn't need much to
film it. Unlike actual film productions, bigger, professional companies
buy/rent lots of things to help film and edit their tapes. For example;
Cameras, Lenses, Stabilization, Computers and storage, Memory cards, Sounds and Lighting,
crew, actors, props. Many things can change financial considerations when
using certain materials because if you were filming in a dark area and you
wanted some light, you don't actually need to pay for lighting as a lamp could
save money, for an example.
For our location basis we didn't need to ask for permission as we
were just filming at the field opposite the college, and inside the college. We
picked a specific vending machine, that not many people walked past as while we
were filming we didn't want other students to come past chatting and ruining
it. We didn't need to fill out any health and safety regulation forms as none
of what we filmed risked our lives or anyone else's. Our first thought, when it
came to planning the plot we wanted to involve a fake gun. But while we were
filming, all of us forgot about it. So that may have saved some paperwork. Big
film productions such as Hollywood, have to sign forms and preferences to let
them film in that certain area. Obviously it takes time. If the crew were to
break something, for example if they were filming in somebody's house then
they'd have to pay for the damage. They also have to fill out a lot more
paperwork because there would be a lot more people involved in a big
co-operation, unless it was a low budget short moving production as then it may
vary.
A movie has many requirements; they have a budget on what they can
spend. Big productions can spend thousands of pounds, on the location, health
and safety, the actors, the equipment, special editing processes and animation
if that's included. Even renting out the products costs a lot. If the movie
goes over the date when it's supposed to be finished then that means the
production will have to pay out even more for the equipment, which could be
risky if they didn't have a lot of money to start off with. If that was the
case if you were renting the equipment, then that may mean you're spending a
lot more money than you would if you were originally buying the products. Of
course you can get films made from spending little money, an example of this is
The Blair Witch Project, they got the public involved in the documentary side
asking them random questions, making them believe it was true making it become
popular. Also, Clarkes, is another good example because the director was the
actor, which meant little money was spent on things. Low budget movies can
actually turn into high budget movies, because The Blair Witch Project got
really popular so the income was more than double the amount they spent on
creating it.
Makeup for a typical low
budget short film is required to have, a director of photography, this is one
of the most important positions you could have in any production. The director
of photography will have to understand what you want and how you want the
audience to see it. The lighting, the darkness and different colours will pay a
part in how the DP will undertake the work. A good DP could possibly hide the
poor makeup spent on the actors faces, that's if the lighting and darkness was
on point. If this was for a short film and not for a television programme, or a
Hollywood feature film, the main director is likely to do the photography
themselves. It saves money on hiring someone in and they can also do it up to
their own standards as well.
Makeup and hair is also a
big part in the film industry. Although many productions, such as Indie, skimp
out in these departments. No makeup, or little can be seen through some films
and when people compare it to a high priced Hollywood feature films you
immediately side with the bigger production (Hollywood.) But low budget films
cannot spend all their money on one makeup artist, so they tend to not hire any
makeup artists and either go with what they do or none at all. Hollywood
productions can hire multiple makeup artists for their films, making sure the
DP can grasp different photographing looks that will be consistent through the
production because they have the money. This is the same for television
programmes, the makeup has to be the same for each character otherwise the
continuity will not flow and each character may have a different face every
week.
Production Assistants,
may be hired to keep things moving, their job is rather important because if
the film production goes over the time they said the film will be done by, then
that means it'll cost more for everything they've already spent money on:
location, each actor will have to be paid more money. This is again the same
for a television programme and a Hollywood feature film. Not so much a low
budget short film because they don’t hire people they do it themselves.
Location audio, each
programme, film documentary has someone hired to record the sounds and manage
the sounds present in the filming. They're going to be one of the most important
people on set, probably about up to the same standards as a DP. Sound takes up,
pretty much 50% of a film. Perfect sound and poor visuals will come across
better than polished visuals and poor sound because you sort of hear more than
you see, in my opinion. Like, if you're listening to a song, with a music
video, the music video doesn't get judged as much as the song/sound. The point
is sound is critical to the overall success of a film, (when we were filming
ours we had to make sure none of us laughed, or there were no background sounds
or anything unwanted.)
Production designers and
Script Supervisors are also a key role, but usually low budget films can't
afford them. Television programmes can involve them, the same with high priced
Hollywood feature films. Having a PD can improve a film, when you're producing
a film and you have a very low budget, a production designer can make the film
look better than it may actually be. This is similar to script writers, having
them as part of the crew can save the film.
Of course there are many
other requirements needed but I’ve only listed a few.
In the professional media
industry, if the films go over deadlines that means they'll be spending a lot
more money than they would have wanted. As explained above.
If you were filming a
professional moving image production, the nearest media facility house to us is
Oxfordshire. Website: www.the-hall.co.uk
They offer the full post production process, from digesting,
offline & online editing, graphics, audio dubbing & mixing through to
trans-coding & final delivery - whether it's a tape or a file.
Location recces means: a
military term that has been borrowed by media production in the United Kingdom
and New Zealand, derived from "reconnaissance". It is also used in
radio and television production.
Location releases means: Location releases means you cannot film
in the certain area unless you have a signed form from that particular area to
say you can. For example, if you wanted to film in Costa, you'd need them to
sign the form to say you can go ahead and film.
Materials you may need
for a production: Camera, Lenses, Stabilisation, Computers and storage, Memory
cards, Sounds and Lighting. Many things can change financial
considerations when using certain materials because if you were filming in a dark
area and you wanted some light, you don't actually need to pay for lighting a
lamp could save money, for an example.
There are many legal
issues when using certain materials in filming. For example, if you were using
a gun in a film you'd need to get a police report signed to say you can go
about using it outside in an area with people, as they may think it's real and
think they could die, we had to do the same sorts of things for our DepicT film
if we wanted use a gun or any other ‘lethal’ weapon.
Alongside legal issues,
you get copyright issues. Many things can be copyrighted without you realising.
For example, dramatic music, certain illustrations and photography can be
copyrighted. Meaning you cannot use them in your own production without a form
saying you can use them. If you don't get a form signed by the production who
made them then you could be risking your entire production.
Although copyright over some things doesn't last forever. If something is
copyrighted and you want to use it, you'll have to wait around 50 years for
most types of written, dramatic and artistic works and at least 25 years for
photographs. That's a long time to wait around so it's best to use your own or
get a form, which can also take very long to get signed.
In productions, Clearance
means: official authorisation for something to proceed or to take place, like
if you wanted to film in a certain area you'd have to get clearance from the
owners to see if you can get the seal of approval to continue with your
film-making.
Public Liability
insurance means: the cost of legal action and compensation claims made against
your business if a third party is injured or their property suffers damage
whilst at your business premises or when your area working in their home,
office of business property.
Completion guarantee
means: a form of insurance offered by a completion guarantor company that is
often used in independently financed films to guarantee that the producer will
complete and deliver the film on time, or for a certain time.
OFCOM is the communications regulator. To regulate TV, radio and
video on demand sectors, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, plus
airwaves over which wireless devices are operate.
Some aspects of the BBC
are regulated by OFCOM but most of it is regulated by the Office of Fair
Trading, the European commission.
BBFC stands for The
British of Film Classification, it's a non-governmental organisation, founded
by the film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification
and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works, such as
television programmes and trailers.
Trade Union means: Trade
union is an organised group of workers. Its main goal is to protect and advance
the interests of its members. A union often negotiates agreements with
employers on pay and conditions. It may also provide legal and financial
advice, sickness benefits and education facilities to its members. They are
important because unions are strength. Unions provide workers with a powerful,
collective voice to communicate to manage their dissatisfaction and
frustration. Unions negotiate better terms and conditions, they discuss
agreement between employers and employees. You get more annual leave in a
unionized workplace, the average trade union member in the UK gets over 25%
more annual leave a year, compared with a non-unionized worker.
Unions fight for equal opportunities in the workplace. They stand
for equal pay and treatment and again discrimination. Union work places are
safer, there are 50% fewer accidents in unionized workplaces. Local safety reps
deal with issues ranging from stress and mental health issues to hazardous
substances.
PACT, refers to pact and
the producer, and BECTU refers to the Union, its members and other individuals
engaged under the terms of this agreement.
A trade association, also
known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or
industry body, is an organisation founded and funded by businesses that operate
in a specific industry. Many associations are non-profit organisations governed
by bylaws and directed by officers who are also members.
