Pre-Production Process
The media production that i produced was a Depict short film (90 second)
Depict is a digital moving image competition, allowing anybody who wishes to enter their short film to independently do so, not only does this allow their work to be public but also for it to be reached to film makers, allowing the films to be seen by a higher audience, and to maybe become successful because of how it is furthermore distributed.
Our short film was distributed via youtube, where we could independently upload, making no revenue. However, there are other ways independent films can be distributed, via sites such a Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets. Social media is a perfect place to start when distributing short moving images as they can successfully reach a larger audience sparking public interest very promptly.
Very similar to youtube, another site successful for uploading videos is Vimeo. Vimeo is a video-sharing site where content can be shared, views and uploaded.
However, short independent films may be distributed via 'top' distributing companies such as Walt Disney, Universal studios etc by being shown as part of a feature film before the main film in cinema screenings. However, this often is very unlikely, as not many short, low budget and independent films catch the attention of these higher companies.
Short film festivals and independent cinemas are also held, allowing short film makers to pitch their creations to wider audiences to get them recognised.
Media products such as TV shows are distributed via broadcasted (ITV, BBC etc) onto TV channels, allowing them to be available constantly to the public.
The B.F.I (British Film Institute) are a company sponsored by the Lottery to advertise and support upcoming independent film makers in production distribution and audience development. To do this, they allow film makers to pitch ideas to them, where they will be guided. They will also hold film festivals, where low budget independent films will be shown for scouts and directors to view.
Funding for films can either come from production companies, the public, or self funding.
Production companies will usually be very high up, meaning they are in a financial position to spend a lot of money producing programmes, films and other moving media texts. The public can impact finance and funding by taking advantage of companies such as the B.F.I by donating when possible.
Self funding is simply small groups of people/teams using their own money to create the digital text of their choice. Prime public examples of these are well known low budget films 'Blair Witch' and 'Clerks'. These are both independent films, created and funded by the people who made it. Because of this, they are very low budget; and don't show any aspects of skilled editing, props, or visuals because of the low budget spent on making it.
These types of low budget films are not known to make a lot of money, as they are simply not big enough to be worth anything. Things such as product placement and Ad Revenue would not apply to these, as no company would see any possibility in a small, independent film making a massive difference to their product sales. This is also the same for Ad revenue, no company would be willing to pay to have their product adverts in the credits/features of the film because of the little faith in the audience being big enough to make a difference.
Crowd funding could also be a possibility for small film makers willing to create a film. This is when produces raise small donated amounts of money from mainly their targeted audience via sites such as GoFundMe and Kickstart, where keen movie fanatics will often visit as they are interested in the particular area.
Any production will have a variety of requirements in terms of what the money they have to use will be spent on. Low budget films will be more likely to spend their budget on good equipment such as cameras, microphones and lighting to make their media texts a better quality. They would also benefit on spending the funds on raising
advertisement for their upcoming release, as it would add to their success.
Any production will need locations to film on, and transport to get to and from. High end productions may spend a large proportion of their budget on locations, by hiring places and warehouses, also using props to create the right mood and atmosphere for the setting. Low budget however will probably just seek to use public places at no cost by getting a location release(permission to use a place)
Cast and Crew costing wouldn't be so much of an issue for a low budget, independent film, as mainly the production team/volunteers who are also friends would normally star in the film. However, large production companies often spend millions on getting big stars to play leading roles in their media texts; not only does this increase advertisement as the public will often identify a film as to who is staring in it, but it will also increase the quality, meaning people will be more likely to spend money on going to see it, and buying the DVD/release.
Insurances are also a big part of budgeting, especially if the film is very action like and injuries could be easily obtained.
For my own, personal Depict project, we used a Canon SLR camera and a tripod to obtain most filming. These were hired from college, and we could use them at no cost.
We didn't have a budget, as our short film was just group task work; however, we were aware that if the college didnt have a mask for us to use as a prop; we would have had to purchased one independently, along with the fake blood used for effect at the very end. The only thing that cost us money in our production was printing off the emblem onto paper, however this was a very minute cost and did not effect anybody financially. We could have spend money on costumes, which would maintain continuity and make the digital media text more believable, however; we didn't have the funding to do so.
For a low budget, short film; what is known as a 'skeleton crew' will often be used. This is where a production crew is stripped down not the essentials, saving alot of expense and time. It can also help when shooting without a permit, meaning the sights of a large film crew don't draw unnescsfary attention.
For any film a producer and director will be required regardless of the financial situation, so these go without saying.
If necessary, a director of photography may be required. Sometimes, the director may feel comfortable enough to manage this role, but if there are lights to be positioned and cameras to be set up, the DOP will be used. Overall, the role differs from a standard director as they don't directly work with the actors and actress', just the set up of equipment and visuals.
Production assistants are also very helpful when production is in process. Production assistants generally speed up the production process, from helping with equipment movement, locations, props, and general set organisation they are a credited asset to keep the ball moving smoothly.
Production assistants aren't always necessary however, if the production budget is limited. Their job could easily be fulfilled with all people involved in the production generally helping out away from their specialised area.
Having a specialised makeup and hair artist is also a great asset to any production team, as this isn't a job which anybody could easily do. Not only does good hair and makeup add to the films genre/era, and improve the quality; it also allows the actors and actress' to feel more in character and add a sense of professionalism, especially to low budget and independent films.
A television programme would be be very different to this, and a skeleton crew will very rarely be used as they have broadcasters funding their productions, so money is never really an issue. There will be a variety of jobs for each stage in production. For example; pre-production will involve roles such as story editor, screen writers and casting directors. Story editors are different from normal editors, as their area focus' specifically on the story line of stories, creating good plots and gripping content. Screen writers take these ideas and write the script, and casting directors vary from normal directors as their role is to scout and find the perfect people to play specific roles.
For main production, roles such as boom operator, stunt runner and gaffer will be required. A boom operator simply is in control of the microphone, and they will be specialised in this area. Stunt runner will be in charge of any stunt actors needed for the production, This role would very rarely be needed in a low budget short film, as not only would the financial position not be high enough to pay for stunt actors, insurance at this level and the extra crew members, low budget films don't usually have plots that would require large action scenes.
A gaffer is the main electrician on the set of the television programme, their role will be to make sure there is a constant reliable electricity source to set and behind the scenes at all times. They will specialised with dealing with electricity faults, and fixing any problems as quickly and efficiently as possible to keep production schedule on track.
A hollywood feature film can have anything from 500 to 3000 crew members alone to create the moving image. In comparison to a television programme, a Hollywood film would have a much higher budget as thing like CGI and special effects would be implied a lot more. There would also be many staff away from the actual directing production such as casting directors who contribute to the pre-production process who work alongside producers and directors to ensure the film is correctly cast. However, roles such as a greensman is very much needed, these maintian order around set and make sure everything is running smoothly.
Nobody in a hollywood film would have to partake in a number of different roles, as they would specialize in their certain area. In the Iron Man Marvel films, there is recorded to be over 3000 crew members, this is very different to a small budget film which would have around 20.
For my depict work, i worked among three other students, who all took individual roles to produce a succsesful piece of work. For example, as i have worked with the camera in previous productions and am very confident in this position i decided to role myself as director, this role found me moving equipment to and from location and making sure everybody was doing as they should whilst in shot. Rachel is a confident performing arts student, and was very willing to be casted in the film as one of the actors alongside Leah and Alannah, who depsite their lack in experience, took to the roles and job very successfully.
In the professional media industry, deadlines and time management are a vital importance, because if a project doesnt meet a required deadline it runs the risk of not making it to the public viewing. All financial return agreed upon must also be met, and this cant be if a film is running off schedule and doesnt make it to cinemas etc on time.
Within my own personal group for my depict task, time management was something both i personally and the group struggled with. One of the main reasons being that we started again, as we weren't happy with the location we chose for some shots, however; despite overrunning by two lessons and missing the original deadline, we completed overall on time as we were able to fit editing in with blog work.
In the media industry, equipment is obtained via professional houses and stores which have equipment for larger scale productions. Most equipment available is things like lighting, cameras, green screen facilities and sound equipment.
For my depict project, we used a Canon SDLR camera, college rented tripods and a memory card. In the final stages of production, we also found ourselves needing to use box lighting to create effect. This however was available at college at no price.
When filming and creating media, there are a number of legal issues that have to be faced. Copyright being a main issue. Copyright is something which all companies considering any type of production have to take into account, especially before displaying their work to any distribution companies. This law results in all productions being covered from other companies being able to use it.
Production companies will usually be very high up, meaning they are in a financial position to spend a lot of money producing programmes, films and other moving media texts. The public can impact finance and funding by taking advantage of companies such as the B.F.I by donating when possible.
Self funding is simply small groups of people/teams using their own money to create the digital text of their choice. Prime public examples of these are well known low budget films 'Blair Witch' and 'Clerks'. These are both independent films, created and funded by the people who made it. Because of this, they are very low budget; and don't show any aspects of skilled editing, props, or visuals because of the low budget spent on making it.
These types of low budget films are not known to make a lot of money, as they are simply not big enough to be worth anything. Things such as product placement and Ad Revenue would not apply to these, as no company would see any possibility in a small, independent film making a massive difference to their product sales. This is also the same for Ad revenue, no company would be willing to pay to have their product adverts in the credits/features of the film because of the little faith in the audience being big enough to make a difference.
Crowd funding could also be a possibility for small film makers willing to create a film. This is when produces raise small donated amounts of money from mainly their targeted audience via sites such as GoFundMe and Kickstart, where keen movie fanatics will often visit as they are interested in the particular area.
Any production will have a variety of requirements in terms of what the money they have to use will be spent on. Low budget films will be more likely to spend their budget on good equipment such as cameras, microphones and lighting to make their media texts a better quality. They would also benefit on spending the funds on raising
advertisement for their upcoming release, as it would add to their success.
Any production will need locations to film on, and transport to get to and from. High end productions may spend a large proportion of their budget on locations, by hiring places and warehouses, also using props to create the right mood and atmosphere for the setting. Low budget however will probably just seek to use public places at no cost by getting a location release(permission to use a place)
Cast and Crew costing wouldn't be so much of an issue for a low budget, independent film, as mainly the production team/volunteers who are also friends would normally star in the film. However, large production companies often spend millions on getting big stars to play leading roles in their media texts; not only does this increase advertisement as the public will often identify a film as to who is staring in it, but it will also increase the quality, meaning people will be more likely to spend money on going to see it, and buying the DVD/release.
Insurances are also a big part of budgeting, especially if the film is very action like and injuries could be easily obtained.
For my own, personal Depict project, we used a Canon SLR camera and a tripod to obtain most filming. These were hired from college, and we could use them at no cost.
We didn't have a budget, as our short film was just group task work; however, we were aware that if the college didnt have a mask for us to use as a prop; we would have had to purchased one independently, along with the fake blood used for effect at the very end. The only thing that cost us money in our production was printing off the emblem onto paper, however this was a very minute cost and did not effect anybody financially. We could have spend money on costumes, which would maintain continuity and make the digital media text more believable, however; we didn't have the funding to do so.
For a low budget, short film; what is known as a 'skeleton crew' will often be used. This is where a production crew is stripped down not the essentials, saving alot of expense and time. It can also help when shooting without a permit, meaning the sights of a large film crew don't draw unnescsfary attention.
For any film a producer and director will be required regardless of the financial situation, so these go without saying.
If necessary, a director of photography may be required. Sometimes, the director may feel comfortable enough to manage this role, but if there are lights to be positioned and cameras to be set up, the DOP will be used. Overall, the role differs from a standard director as they don't directly work with the actors and actress', just the set up of equipment and visuals.
Production assistants are also very helpful when production is in process. Production assistants generally speed up the production process, from helping with equipment movement, locations, props, and general set organisation they are a credited asset to keep the ball moving smoothly.
Production assistants aren't always necessary however, if the production budget is limited. Their job could easily be fulfilled with all people involved in the production generally helping out away from their specialised area.
Having a specialised makeup and hair artist is also a great asset to any production team, as this isn't a job which anybody could easily do. Not only does good hair and makeup add to the films genre/era, and improve the quality; it also allows the actors and actress' to feel more in character and add a sense of professionalism, especially to low budget and independent films.
A television programme would be be very different to this, and a skeleton crew will very rarely be used as they have broadcasters funding their productions, so money is never really an issue. There will be a variety of jobs for each stage in production. For example; pre-production will involve roles such as story editor, screen writers and casting directors. Story editors are different from normal editors, as their area focus' specifically on the story line of stories, creating good plots and gripping content. Screen writers take these ideas and write the script, and casting directors vary from normal directors as their role is to scout and find the perfect people to play specific roles.
For main production, roles such as boom operator, stunt runner and gaffer will be required. A boom operator simply is in control of the microphone, and they will be specialised in this area. Stunt runner will be in charge of any stunt actors needed for the production, This role would very rarely be needed in a low budget short film, as not only would the financial position not be high enough to pay for stunt actors, insurance at this level and the extra crew members, low budget films don't usually have plots that would require large action scenes.
A gaffer is the main electrician on the set of the television programme, their role will be to make sure there is a constant reliable electricity source to set and behind the scenes at all times. They will specialised with dealing with electricity faults, and fixing any problems as quickly and efficiently as possible to keep production schedule on track.
A hollywood feature film can have anything from 500 to 3000 crew members alone to create the moving image. In comparison to a television programme, a Hollywood film would have a much higher budget as thing like CGI and special effects would be implied a lot more. There would also be many staff away from the actual directing production such as casting directors who contribute to the pre-production process who work alongside producers and directors to ensure the film is correctly cast. However, roles such as a greensman is very much needed, these maintian order around set and make sure everything is running smoothly.
Nobody in a hollywood film would have to partake in a number of different roles, as they would specialize in their certain area. In the Iron Man Marvel films, there is recorded to be over 3000 crew members, this is very different to a small budget film which would have around 20.
For my depict work, i worked among three other students, who all took individual roles to produce a succsesful piece of work. For example, as i have worked with the camera in previous productions and am very confident in this position i decided to role myself as director, this role found me moving equipment to and from location and making sure everybody was doing as they should whilst in shot. Rachel is a confident performing arts student, and was very willing to be casted in the film as one of the actors alongside Leah and Alannah, who depsite their lack in experience, took to the roles and job very successfully.
In the professional media industry, deadlines and time management are a vital importance, because if a project doesnt meet a required deadline it runs the risk of not making it to the public viewing. All financial return agreed upon must also be met, and this cant be if a film is running off schedule and doesnt make it to cinemas etc on time.
Within my own personal group for my depict task, time management was something both i personally and the group struggled with. One of the main reasons being that we started again, as we weren't happy with the location we chose for some shots, however; despite overrunning by two lessons and missing the original deadline, we completed overall on time as we were able to fit editing in with blog work.
In the media industry, equipment is obtained via professional houses and stores which have equipment for larger scale productions. Most equipment available is things like lighting, cameras, green screen facilities and sound equipment.
For my depict project, we used a Canon SDLR camera, college rented tripods and a memory card. In the final stages of production, we also found ourselves needing to use box lighting to create effect. This however was available at college at no price.
When filming and creating media, there are a number of legal issues that have to be faced. Copyright being a main issue. Copyright is something which all companies considering any type of production have to take into account, especially before displaying their work to any distribution companies. This law results in all productions being covered from other companies being able to use it.
