pre- production assignment

Pre-production

Financing:

There are five main methods of financing films: government grants, tax incentives and shelters, debt financing, slate financing through hedge funds and private equity firms, individual investors. Financing is crucial towards the cost of film production. You have to finance the money you use on a film so that you don’t over spend and get into financial difficulties. The things a film producer needs to keep in mind when coming to the cost of a film is that the cast and crew need to be paid, facilities need to be hired, equipment needs to be purchased or hired, props/ costumes must be provided, transport between locations must be considered and clearances may need to be budgeted for things such as soundtracks. Public funding comes into financing of a film, as the funding provided by a publically funded agency, from monies allocated via tax relief, the national lottery, or funded via grants to support the arts from the department of culture. Examples of funding within film making can be BFI who is the leading agency for the film in the UK. They fund over £26 millions of lottery fund to support film development and distribution of activity in the UK. The creative England fund offers a number of funds for development and production funding. All strands have flexibility with respects to international projects. Creative England is particularly interested in projects from regionally based film makers or which have a strong regional voice. To help with recruitment, BBC films committed to finding and developing new talent, collaborating with some of the foremost writers and directors in the industry. Applicants usually get in contact with BBC films via an agent or individually, as an established producer. BBC films cannot accept unsolicited material. Private funding refers to funding accrued from investors, therefore the film production often has to be seen financially attractive. Examples of this include equity financing which is having investors contribute money to the production in exchange for a percentage ownership interest in the film the profits derived from the exploitation of the film. Another private funding technique is crowdfunding which means it collects multiple investments via private donations.

One of the main advantages of private grants is the limited amount of regulation of awards for grant recipients. Private grant recipients typically do not have to wait for multiple authorizations from a bureaucratic management system before receiving their awards. Additionally, the qualification process can potentially be much simpler for applicants than that of public grants. For example, a private grant may not require a lengthy proposal to receive grant money, unlike public grants that may require an in-depth explanation of how you plan to use the funds. Fewer applicants apply for private grants, increasing your chances of receiving a grant award. Because private grant institutions are not held accountable for their actions by voters and other legislatures, applicants and grant recipients may face problems with project support, rejection and getting their voice heard. For example, if you submit an application for a private grant, the institution has no responsibility to inform you of why you they denied your proposal, unlike publicly funded grants. If you feel the grant process is discriminatory or unresponsive toward recipients, you may not be able to seek help from a higher authority. Private grants may also award smaller individual grant amounts due to limited resources.

Public grants are set into motion by legislative bodies, greatly increasing the resources and accountability of the grant project. For example, if you have problems with the disbursal of your public grant, staff members are available to personally follow your case. You can address any continuing problems with the grant program with legislators using public hearings. The amount of available money for public grants is usually greater than that of private grants, leading to overall larger awards. Additionally, a public grant is more likely to cover all of the expenses of your project due to its size. Public grants follow strict application deadlines and procedures that can cause problems for applicants. For example, an application submitted five minutes passed an 11:59 p.m. deadline might not be accepted due to the grant's rules. Because taxpayers fund public grants, the programs carefully select who qualifies for the award. The grant program may be averse to funding a new idea or something that is not proven to work yet. Additionally, the funding of public grants is subject to the ebb and flow of the political tide. The next party in office may choose to cut the resources for a particular grant.

Timescales:

Time scales are effective management of time essential to pre-production. Cast and crew will often Have other commitments in their schedules therefore planning must carefully consider when all the required components are available at any given time. This makes you question if all the equipment is available at the times required. Realistic schedules for production must be accurately thought through if shooting overruns this can impact not only cast and crew’s availability but also the budget being spent. An example of this is avatar as it took ten years to produce and its planned release into cinemas in 1999 however was released in 2009 due to the producers having to wait longer for the production of technology so they could create Pandora with the special effects needed. From this it is the highest grossing movie of all time.

Facilities:

A key element of pre-production is the consideration of what materials and equipment will be required in order to produce a successful film. Keeping in mind the producer needs to consider what equipment will be used and where will provide it for them, do they have to pay a cost or can they hire them out at a cheap charge, and is there any of the specialist equipment needed such as certain special effect cameras and lenses for the better effect on the film. They can also consider the mise en scene of the film such as props, costume and its setting and are they required at certain times. Also following through the pre-production they have to think ahead to post production in terms of software editing and if they will be able to use things such as special effects software and Foley tracks.

Locations:

The method commonly used is the Reece. A Reece is a set of questions you answer to see if a location you are thinking of is suitable for what you are wanting to do with your film. The questions involved are usually: how long does it take to travel, do you need permission to use this area, does it look appropriate for the content you are needing, is the area safe to film in and also will it cost anything to use that area. This idea of a Reece is useful because it shows if the location you’re planning to use has a risks or holds any limitations for your work. These kinds of questions help to decide if this is your ideal place for filming and when looking for these answers, the judging of locations will be stronger and much more accurate than before. Examples of limitations and risks with finding your locations could be a kitchen and risks in this area can be sharp equipment or hot surfaces and another risk could be in a public area and people not wanting to be in sight of the camera and being told off for producing work in a populated area. When filming productions, before any actual shooting can take place, the locations must be found or built (if making a set). In some situations, permission to film in certain areas will be needed, as the land could be private property.

Personnel:

Not only do we need to consider cast and crew within our film, it is essential to consider extra people needing or even specialists who can ensure your film is running smoothly and examples of these people can be stunt crew or advisors for the film. Giving certain people certain roles has to be carefully chosen as each person’s job needs to be matched up with their skills.

Additional materials:

This includes required things included for production of production and the post production of a film. This includes scripts and story boards, original filmed materials, archive or library materials, props and costumes and assets which are anything purchased or produced for production which carries value. Story boards are required to give the producer a brief insight into how their work is going to play out. This gives them something to go off and lets the producer have a starting point. Props and costumes will need to be required as there will be some sort of cost around this so this would also link into their financing. Also the library materials such as sound will have a cost which therefore also comes into the financing area.

Codes of practice/ regulations:

Health and safety is ab era that needs to be considered for this as rigorous health and safety risk assessments must take place and be stored. And also copyrighted materials must be documented and obtained. When creating productions, copyright is something that can stand in the way, and can limit you. For example "music" copyright is one of the main limitations. When someone wants to use some copyrighted music in a film, they have to buy the rights to use the song, although this can be very expensive. Although in some situations, "fair use" allows copyrighted music to be used for free. For example if someone was doing a parody of a film, and used the same music from the film (for example star wars), then this would be under the "fair use" rule and they would not be breaking copyright law, by not paying for the music. When filming productions, before any actual shooting can take place, the locations must be found or built (if making a set). In some situations, permission to film in certain areas will be needed, as the land could be private property. Ofcom is a regulatory body that has control over certain things that companies and crew can do when shooting something. They are what makes the sure the UK have a large variety of TV shows, that fit to the editors code of practice, not breaking rules e.g. being too violent. A pact is involved as the producer’s alliance for cinema and television campaign for producer rights.

The proposal:

A proposal is an aspect for all projects to consider. This is a visual representation of what the film is going to look like and this gives a brief outline to other film producers in the same production line. This helps to recruit team members onto your film as this outline will excite other crew members to come join the production of this film.  Included in this proposal, will be brief biographies of the crew that is to be included in this production, this includes director, writer, producer, sound editor, photographer.  It includes information that shows why they would benefit this project that is being announced and will show their experienced within the production of this film. Once this has been done, a script can e written

Scripting: master scene script:

The accepted formatting for film scripting is done in what is called a master scene script. Prospective studios will not even read scripts that are not produced in this format. The characteristics of a master scene script is scene heading, action, character name, parentheticals, dialogue, transitions. The first element is the scene heading - often called the slug line. All screenplays written in the master scene format are broken into individual scenes not cuts. Each scene heading is written in all caps and begins with INT or EXT for Interior or exterior. This is followed by the name of the location and a designation of day or night. The second element is the action portion of the script. This is written in present tense language and should only include what can be seen and heard. In other words, no writing about what people are thinking - this is a film you’re making not a novel. Sounds Effects that are key to the story but heard off screen need to be put in ALL-CAPS as well as the name of a character when you first introduce him or her. The next element is the Character name. This goes on its own line in all caps. If the character is off screen or delivering a voice over you can designate it so with an O.S or a V.O.Underneath the Character name are Parentheticals that shade the meaning of the dialogue delivery. Remember the key to the Master Scene format is Readability so only include parentheticals that are absolutely necessary for understanding the context of the story. Then there are the dialogue blocks which are written in their section off set from everything else. The final element is the scene transition. This is a holdover from the continuity script days. These go on the far right of the script and explain the transition between scenes. Again, the purpose of this format is Readability so only include transitional elements when they are absolutely important to the story you’re trying to tell.

Scripting: shooting script:

A spec script is a screenplay that’s written “on speculation.” That is, you, the screenwriter, write the script without any development contract or promise of payment in place, in the hopes of getting it optioned, sold, or gaining representation by an agent. Its how most screenwriters break into the industry. But the spec script will undergo many changes between the time it’s first optioned or sold, and the time shooting begins for the movie. That leads us to a shooting script, a script that has been vetted, changed, rewritten and is now being used as the blueprint for filming the movie. It’s a different animal than the original spec, in a few fundamental ways. These changes are necessary as the master scene can be changed and the final script is a final confirmation of what will take place and this will give the production company a final look at what will be produced.

Storyboarding:

A visual aid makes it much easier for you to share and explain your vision for your video with others. We’ve all had experiences where we were trying to explain something and the other person just can’t see your vision. The core of this issue is that most stakeholders don’t have the experience of visualizing something off of a text deliverable, such as a script. When you have a storyboard, you can show people exactly how your video is going to be mapped out and what it will look like. This makes it infinitely easier for other people to understand your idea. When you storyboard a video you’re setting up a plan for production, including all the shots you’ll need, the order that they’ll be laid out, and how the visuals will interact with the script. The storyboard is a starting point or suggested thorough line around which you can plan your coverage (all the angles you will shoot of a scene). This really comes in handy when you’re making your video, as it ensures you won’t forget any scenes and helps you piece together the video according to your vision. While it may take you a little while to put your storyboard together, in the long run it will save you time in revisions later. Not only will it help you explain your vision to your team, it will also make the creation process go more smoothly.

Shooting schedules:

A shooting schedule a plan that every film, TV show, and commercial follows to make sure the production goes smoothly. It's a simple breakdown of the scenes, talent, time, cast, company moves, and day breaks. The Director, Cinematographer, and Assistant Director will collaborate on the shooting schedule. It's important all of them to be in sync. They can also help one another with the intangibles of each scene.  Each person brings their previous experience to the table, and they help define what a shooting schedule for this project is.

Other paperwork:

A day out of days report, or DOOD, is quite simply a chart. On one axis, the chart shows the names of all of the characters in the film, sometimes with a note about which actor is playing which character. Each character is numbered, and they’re usually listed in order of importance to the story – for example, the protagonist is “#1”. The numbers in this scheduling document correlate to the numbers in all other documents. On the chart’s other axis, you’ll find all of the days in the film shoot. Here, in each box, you’ll find a notation that indicates whether an actor is working on the day represented by that box.

The Script Breakdown. This isn’t a scheduling document so much as a process that leads to other documents being created. The script breakdown sets the stage, so to speak, for the rest of what we’ll be discussing today. Before you can create a scheduling document, you need to break the script down into its constituent parts and, if you’re using scheduling software, enter those parts into the system.

The functions of pre- production:

The creation of a video is usually broken down into three parts, each playing a vital role:

  1. Pre-Production – the concept creation and planning phase.

  2. Production – the execution resulting from the pre-production plan.

  3. Post-Production – the capturing editing and special effects.

Pre-production is the most crucial aspect for the outcome of the project as it allows video project to run smoothly from start to finish. The idea od having a master script can allow tweaks to be made to the production and ideas can be changed to constantly improve the production of the films. Budgets can be managed due to the financial side of things where the producer creates an overall budget for the making of the film and the props, costume etc. can come at a cost however this can be changed through loaning and hiring to keep the costs low. Also time scaling towards the budget it beneficial as they will have whatever is needed for when they specifically need it causing less corruption in the production of the film.

Purpose of pre-production:

Looking at the legal aspects of the functions of pre-production are examples such as filming people. There are several rights which apply to the use of a person’s image which filmmakers should consider, particularly when filming in the streets of the UK. Where consent has not been given, film makers must decide if they can use the image they got and if so how they can avoid showing anyone faces in the scene. Filming buildings is another issue as there is legal issues to consider within the UK. Buildings are protected by copyright under English law. It is worth bearing in mind that you may need to position yourself on private land in order to film certain buildings. This will require consent of the landlord and/or owner of the land in question. Many apparently public spaces are actually privately owned portions of land which are made open to the public for very specific purposes, not including filming. Additionally, if you want to film inside a building, you will certainly need the permission of the building owners. Copyrighted material such as building logos or companies being shown within these settings may have to be distorted or blurred from vision as this could cause legal issues with those companies and that can put an effect on budgeting. Health and safety in the production of films can involve insurance of the actors and of course consent of these actors has to be done before they can use any of them. This insurance helps actors with trauma they might endure in the filming process. An example of this is within star wars, Harrison Ford injured his ankle of the set of the scene and insurance helped cover medical funds which helped the budget to not increase for this film.