The Pre-Production Process:

 

Requirements for a Moving Image Production

What type of media product did you produce and what was it for? How did you distribute it?

For this project, Sam, James and I produced a short film for the DepicT! competition. We uploaded the final product, entitled 'Blood Orange' to the social media site 'Youtube' where it would be distributed amongst viewers.



The final official advertising poster for 'The Hunger Games'.
Films are heavily advertised through movie posters, television
infomercials, flash ads online and throughout the internet.

What other types of moving image media product are there? What different distribution methods are there?

There are various moving image products available today which are distributed by various methods. The main products are:

• Films - Many professional films are first released in the cinema and later become available on video (most notably DVD) and television, whereas amateur and low-budget films are often released directly to video or, in recent years, to the internet.

• Television Programmes - Programmes on television can be either fictional (such as 'Dexter') or non-fictional (such as 'Storage Wars') and can be found in all genres. They usually come in series, being shown at set times and dates on a daily or weekly basis, and tend to last between 30 minutes to an hour long. In more recent years, series have become widely available 'on-demand' on websites such as ITV player and multi-platform applications like 'Netflix'.

A screenshot from the popular American crime drama 'Dexter'.
Television programmes are more continuous and long-lived than films which, though are being increasingly 'stretched-out' with sequels and often-late 'prequels', rarely span across any further than a trilogy (3 films), if that.

• Video Shorts - Most notably seen on, and popularised by the website 'YouTube', video shorts/ short videos vary in length from a few seconds to around 30 minutes, though are usually between 5 and 10. Unlike films and television programmes, these can be created by virtually anyone with little or no budget whatsoever, and prove to be a useful method for amateur filmmakers to express their talents; many websites now exist to showcase short films by aspiring filmmakers, getting them noticed by those involved in the industry and thus allowing them to progress further to a professional level.

Finance and sources of funding
What sources of funding exist for film, television and other moving image productions?

Some examples of funding sources that exist for film, television and other moving image productions include:

• Production Companies - Most likely the ideal choice for professional filmmakers, production companies (such as 'Warner Bros', creators of the 'Harry Potter' films) specialise in big budget productions.
• Private Investors - In some situations, funding is provided by a wealthy individual who has expressed interest in an initial concept that they believe has potential.
• Self-Financing - Self-financing, as the name suggests, is when the producer of a film funds their own production.
• Crowd Funding - A relatively modern method of funding a production, 'crowd funding' is essentially appealing to the public, in a manner similar to that of a charity, to generously donate their own money to fund a production. Rather than approach organisations or wealthy individuals to contribute significant amounts to cover the whole cost, this method requires many smaller donations to accumulate the desired amount.
• Filmmaking Organisations - Some organisations, in particular the 'British Film Institute'

Requirements for any production (what investments must be made)

For a moving image production, investments must be made for various essentials...


• Equipment - Such as cameras, stabilising equipment, lighting and sound recording devices.
• Costumes and Props - 
• Actors - Depending on the experience and status of the actor, production companies may invest significantly in their talents for them to star in their project. Lesser known actors are often willing to work for minimal pay or simply for the opportunity to express their potential and make themselves known within the industry.
• Crew - From camera operators to electricians, the producer must ensure that their crew is recruited and effective throughout production, in some cases providing them with food and accommodation. In much the same way as with actors, more experienced crew members are able to charge larger salaries for their services.
• Clearances and Copyright - Best completed during the pre-production phase, clearance is obtaining permissions for locations from landowners, for using copyrighted material (such as soundtracks) and for talent releases.

The actor 'David Tennant', most notable for his character
of 'The Doctor' in the long-running Britsh sci-fi television
programme 'Doctor Who'.

Requirements for your DepicT! project

For our DepicT! project, we needed to have certain things

• Props - Oranges, tray, knife, mug, juicer, various kitchen equipment
• Location - Staff room kitchen
• Equipment - Camcorder, tripod, zoom mic, SD card, editing suite
• Costumes - Casual clothing (no dress code)

Personnel

Different types of productions will need different sized teams and budgets to create.

• Low Budget Short - Cost is minimal and often obtained through fundraising, such as charging for parties and other events, though film making organisations or private investors may fund productions in which they see potential. A minimal crew should include a director a camera operator and sound engineer, and in the case of low budget productions many crew members will take multiple roles.
• Television Programme - A Pilot for a drama series will cost around $500,000 minimum, but television series can range anywhere up to the $13 million per episode NBC paid Warner Bros to produce the hit show 'ER'. The average cost per episode for a television series is $1.5 - $2 million. The drama series 'Lip Service', created by Harriet Braun (or Aunty Harriet to me), had several directors each overseeing 2 or 3 episodes. Their crew included one cinematographer, numerous editors, casting crew, production designers, costume designers, sound engineers, camera operators and production managers, to name a few of the crucial members. Over 100 people were involved in this production, with the vast majority holding single roles.

A screenshot from 'Lip Service', an English Drama aired on BBC 3.
 Though it was created and written by Harriet Braun, various directors oversaw 2 or 3 episodes each.

• Hollywood Feature Film - The cost of a Hollywood movie varies greatly as they can cost as little as $25,000 ('The Brothers McCullen', 1995, by Edward Burns) to $335 million ('Cleopatra', 1963, by Joseph L. Mankiewicz) but when an average cost is found between 20 of the highest budget films distributed by major studios and 12 of the lowest budget films grossing at least $1 million at the box office, it comes to $139,084,697 (around $140 million). The crew is significantly larger than those of low budget shorts and television programmes, and includes everything from the crucial camera operators and actors to hundreds of additional roles under the banner of visual effects, music and transport department. 'The Matrix Revolution' produced in 2003, had a crew of over 700.

Allocations in your group

Though we all helped with storyboarding, script writing and editing, each of us had our particular areas of interest.

• Maya (Me) - Though I had originally been set as the main actor, James took over as he was more confident and generally better at acting than I was, though I had a minor role in the last couple of shots as well as shooting a couple of scenes myself. Generally, I was rather critical of the production, often pointing out mistakes and making small adjustments. 
• James - James was the main actor in our production, and had the single line of 'what?'. 
• Sam  - Sam was the creative genius behind the concept of 'Blood Orange', as well as the main scriptwriter and cameraman. 

Other Contributors to a Media Production

In addition to the main crew, other people involved in the production of a media text include:

• Researchers - To make a production more factual and realistic and avoid the error
• Accountants and legal team - Handles paperwork and legal issues, such as health and safety and copyright.
• Transport Department - Arranges transport for crew to filming locations.

What was your Timeframe and how well did you use the time you were given? Did you meet deadlines set?

We were given 3 weeks overall to complete our production; 1 for pre-production, 1 for the main production, and the last for post-production. It was inconvenient having a week break between filming as it was rather distracting and disorientating. There were many recurring issues, such as clothing changes and lack of stunt props, that stalled the production however it was completed on time. Now that we have experienced them, we can learn from our mistakes, and avoid them in future projects.

Meeting Deadlines in the Professional Media Industry

It is important that deadlines are met when working on a professional film. If these are not met, the producers may find that:

• The production is cancelled - 
• Funds have been exhausted - 
• Their reputation has been damaged - 

Equipment/ Facilities Needed for Professional Production

These include but are not limited to:

• Professional Camera -  The current industry standard F23 CineAlta film style camera is available for purchase at $100,000, or $3000 a day to rent. For those on a budget, the cheapest movie-quality cameras, such as the Panasonic DVX100 and the Canon GL2, will cost $1000 - $4000.

The F23 CineAlta camera, the standard camera for professional filmmakers today.

The Panasonic AG-DVX100B, ideal for amateur filmmakers on a budget. This particular once is listed at $3,995.00.

Cog Media, Norse House, Norwich - Does filming and graphic design.

What equipment was available to you for your DepicT! project? How did you obtain it?

We used basic college equipment for our DepicT! project; a camera, tripod, boom mic and SD card.

Locations: Where did you film and how do you go about securing locations legally?

We needed a kitchen environment for our production, so we set about acquiring permission from the canteen. However, due to health and safety, this could not happen, but we managed to access the staff room's kitchen as there was little dangerous equipment.

What are location recces and location releases?

When a particular location is needed for a film, the film company send out a 'scout' to find them, known as 'location recces'. When the recce finds a suitable location, permission from the landowner is sought, known as a 'location release'.

How and why did you pick specific locations for your DepicT! video?

We chose a kitchen as it was the location in the script and therefore most suitable, and though we recce'd the canteen kitchen we ended up in the staff room kitchen.

What logistical issues and risks did you face? How did you asses/ overcome them?

In order to overcome the problems of health and safety, we filled in a risk assessment form.

Materials: What, in addition to equipment, crew and cast, is needed to make a moving image text? Where/ how are they obtained?

• Music and Soundtracks - The rights to copyrighted music and soundtracks are bought from the artists.

What financial considerations are there when using certain materials?

Certain materials, such as music and products, have been copyrighted and so the rights to use them must be bought from the owners.

What legal considerations might there be when using certain materials in a media production?

If copyrighted material is used in a production without the owners consent, then the owners have the right to sue the producers. It is important that the 

How did copyright affect your DepicT! production?

Thankfully, our DepicT! production was free from copyrighted material and so was completely unaffected. Though we used a music track that was not created by us, it was from Premiere Pro's free music database.

 

• Clearance - Clearance is the process of establishing and negotiating any permissions that are required to include use of someone else's intellectual property in your creative project.
• Public Liability Insurance - Public liability insurance covers a production company against legal costs and compensation payments resulting from injuries or property damage to members of the public which was caused by a member of the production team.
• Completion Guarantee/ Insurance - A completion guarantee is a guarantee made by producers that a production will be completed by the agreed time.

Regulation: What is a regulatory body and what do they do?

Regulatory bodies set standards and impose requirements, restrictions and conditions. They prevent false advertising and offensive content. The Advertising Standards Authority is one such body.

What is OFCOM and what is their function?

OFCOM is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. It is the organisation that handles complaints from consumers, issues licences for the radio airwaves and television. OFCOM's Broadcasting Code applies in the following areas:

• Protection of under-18's
• Harm and Offence
• Avoidance of inciting crime or disorder
• Responsible approach to religious content
• Prohibition of use of images for very brief duration (subliminal advertising)
• Fairness
• Privacy

OFCOM regulates the BBC.

OFCOM's website: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/

What is the BBFC and what is its function?

The BBFC decides classifications and content warnings for productions.
BBFC's website: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

Trade Unions and trade associations: What are they and what do they do? Why are they important?

A trade union is an organisation consisting of mainly workers that's main aim is to protect and advance the interests of its members in the workplace. These interests include agreements with pay and conditions, discussion of changes to the workplace and providing their members with legal and financial advice.

Trade unions are important as they help their members negotiate better pay and working conditions, provide training for new skills and overall give general advice and support. Without them, human rights and welfare in the workplace may be violated.

What are PACT and BECTU and what do they do?

PACT is the UK's trade association for independent creative content producers in film, television and digital media. It stands for the 'Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television'.
PACT's website: http://www.pact.co.uk/home/

BECTU is the UK's media and entertainment trade union, covering the sectors of broadcasting, film, independent production, theatre and the arts, leisure and digital media. The unions key aims are to protect jobs, increase membership, win new recognition agreements and improve pay and conditions of service, including pensions.

BECTU's website: http://www.bectu.org.uk/home