Pre-Production

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.