Requirements for Production.

Introduction (Types of production)

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We made a 90 second film for an internet competition called DepicT! DepicT! is open to any one from any where in the world and the prize for the winner is £1500 cash and UK distribution of the winning film through the Digital Screen Network.

There are many types of media forms in the creative industry such as TV, internet, cinema , magazine and newspapers. These tell us about the latest music , film , TV programmes and other media projects about to hit the industry. Nowadays we mostly use the internet to listen to radio and watch TV.

Finance and sources of funding.

There are many sources of funding for filmmakers who aspire to work in the creative media industry. Here are some examples:

• Sponsorship - is supporting an event and providing them with money.
• Product placement - is when a manufacturer of a product pays the filmmaker when their product is featured in the film.
• Loans from banks.
• Competitions- Filmmakers can win money from these and also win advice and guidance towards there film. DepicT! is an example of this as they offer £1500 to the winning product.
• Self finance - the filmmaker may use their own money to make the film.
• High Net Worth Individual - Rich people who help other people make films. For example Megan Ellison. Megan Ellison has helped produced many films such as Waking Madison and Main Street. She's the founder of Annapurna Pictures.
• British Film Institute (BFI) - Uses lottery money to help film production.

Requirements

In a production the money will be spent on many of things , such as  personnel with includes talent, which is actors and extras, and crew. It will be spent on equipment , materials, fatility hire, clearances and transports. Material are things like costumes and props for the actors. Fatility hire is for things like special effects and editing, which is an important thing to a film. In our 90 second film we had to attain costume and props which included; a suit, gun and fake blood. We also had to get clearances so we could film in our college AV room which looks much like a DVD store. We needed a camera and tripod and luckily all we needed was our student card to get hold of them. We required talent so all three of us , plus two guest actors had to sign talent release forms. For the three of us , we had to sign minor release forms as we are under the age of 18.

Time

Time in the media industry is very important as we discovered during the making of our video. Our deadline was the 17th of October and we managed to meet that deadline however we had to re-shoot one scene but it didn't effect our editing very much. In the media industry if you do not meet deadlines then this could cause you to get a bad reputation meaning there will be no trust with producers causing an end to your career in the extreme case. You can also lose money as was discovered in the movie 'Heavens Gate'.

The director  Michael Cimino spent a phenomenal 44 million US Dollars on the movie only for it to make less that 3 million US Dollars and many bad reviews. It is on the 50 worst movies list voted by the public and it ended Micheal Cimino's career as a director.You can find more about the film here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven's_Gate_(film)

The equipment available to us were cameras , tripods and iMac's to edit on. Luckily there was enough cameras , tripods and computers to go around so we didn't have a problem with time. However in the  media industry it's not that easy. You attain equipment by rate cards. Rate cards are a document showing the prices and details of the transports and equipment available.

For our production , luckily each person was available as Ryan is in our class and he was filming his video in the evening. Our teacher , however may not have been available as he may have other things to do , but luckily not. In the professional industry availability may be a real issue as they may have other commitments which are much more important.

Personnel. (Talent and crew)

The size of the group we were working was a group of three compared to the thousands used in movies that was nothing. Each person in my group did multiple roles. I played the cook and i was mostly the one filming the whole thing, Josh was 'The Dealer' and did some of the filming and Matthew was 'The Customer'. In high school I did GCSE drama so had some experience acting and Josh had made a few short videos.

Experience and skill affects a production because it determines how much the talent is paid. If you want quality to make it look professional then you can expect to pay a lot towards the talent. The size of production can affect the cost of the production. This is because if you have many personnel then you will have to spread the money out more to pay them. The resources we had to get for our personnel were lights for the cooking scene, a suit , a gun and some fake blood and lucking these did not cost anything because they were already available in college.

To decide who to use in a production (talent and crew) , people will look at the talent's CVs, invite them to an interview or look at their previous work. This also helps to make it look more professional. After you find the personnel you want , to ensure their availability you draw up a contract or a talent release form.

Facilities.

The equipment required for a production are cameras, lights , props, costumes , tripods and cranes (if needed). Also studios and places for editing are required which are called facility houses. For post-production a computer is required for editing the movie and adding special effects. Facility houses are specialist companies which help with effects such as Industrial Light and Magic. Industrial Light and Magic have made visual effects for many a film for example Star Trek into Darkness which is set to be released in may 2013.                                                       

Filmmakers are likely to outsource. Outsourcing is hiring in groups or people to help with the making of the film , such as editing and camera workers. During the making of our 90 second we didn't have to outsource as each person in the group did more than one thing.

When securing facilities , one main consideration to keep in mind is the cost a long with availability of the place, the suitability to your film and the time you are able to use it for.

Locations.

• A Location Recce is a document containing locations we scouted for our short.
• A Location Release is a document which gives legal permission for you to film in a particular site.

To pick specific location for out DepicT! videos was very easy as we only really needed one main place to film. However in the media industry a location manager for that production may look at numerous locations to find the perfect and most suitable one for the media product

We used the AV Room in our college as a DVD store because it has many DVDs and videos in to look like a DVD store. We used the prop room in our college as a studio for the cooking scene of our video as it had the lights and a green screen to make it look like a proper studio.

We drew up a risk assessment so we could list the limitations we would come across and how to avoid accidents during filming. The limitations we faced during out filming was the corridor during college time as many students would be walking past , so we put on "Crew" t-shirts and aimed to film when everyone was in a lesson to avoid students walking past. Also we had the risk of one of our crew tripping in the AV Room as there were many cables and tripods about , so avoid this we told everyone to be careful and look were they are standing.

Materials.

Many materials are needed for filmmakers and here are a few available to them:

• Original Materials - materials you already have and don't have to pay for - your own belongings.
• Internet - Largest bank of materials.Here you can acquire materials such as images or costumes from various websites, as long as you have permission to use them.
• Archive and Library materials - You can obtain old books which are not available online. Also known as a specialist library. These may be found in libraries.
• Images- Photos.
• Video Library.
• Sound Library.
• Recorded Music. - Such as garage band where you are able to make your own music.
• Script.
• Interviews. - with the actors or directors.
• Props and costumes - Some costume you wish to use in your media product may have a logo printed on the clothing, so to be able to use it , you should contact the brand owner to be able to use it.

When using any material in a media product you must make sure you have written permission such as a contract and a clearance which checks that all permissions have been obtained. To get permission to use a material in your media product , such as a image or a song , you may either look for copyright terms or contact the owner of the product leading to a written contract for them to sign. If they agree that is.

When using someone else's material you must pay them for it.

Contributors.

The various people that many contribute to the production of a media text are:

• Extras.
• Talent - actors.
• Members of the public.
• Experts - Doctors etc.
• Specialists.

A contributors biography is information on a person for example a CV which is useful prior to hiring them , to see if they are what a filmmaker wants. A contributors biography may include qualifications and previous successful work , such as acting or director jobs.

Legal issues.
 A clearance is checking that you have all the permissions - Location recce, copyright etc. You may need the clearance for things like music, images, talent and locations. It is very important that you get clearance for all aspects of production , if not you may risk legal action, ask to pay for damages or compensation.

Copyright may affect a media production as we learnt during editing out 90 second short. We wanted to use a Johnny Cash song but we couldn't. In a media production copyright can affect what music is used and what images are used. Also for the narrative , like in the film 'The Island' made in 2005. It is very similar to the film made in 1979 'Parts: The Clonus Horror' and the creators of the film filed a copyright infringement suit.

Public liability insurance- Money to pay out to the public or personnel if accidents happen on set.

During the film "Twilight Zone" , Vic Morrows and two children were tragically killed when a helicopter was damaged by explosions causing it to crash onto them, killing them instantly. Vic Morrows children sued and settled for an unknown amount as well as the two children's parents.

Completion insurance/completion guarantee- A promise taken out against a filmmaker as a guarantee/promise that the product is finished on time and within budget.

Regulation.

A regulatory body is a body that aims to protect the public. Here are a few examples:

• Ofcom (Office of communications)- Controls TV, radio and advertising. It protects the public from harmful of offensive material.
• PCC(Press complaints commission)- Deals with complaints about newspapers and magazines.
• ASA(Advertising standards authority)- Controls the content of ads and sales promotions in the UK.
• PEGI(Pan european gaming industry)- Gives age ratings on games.

BBFC(British board of film classification)- Funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films and video games in the UK. Which is the little symbol with 'U' or '12a' on the bottom right of a DVD or video game.                                     

This could relate to our DepicT! video as it contained violence and swearing in it. I would give it a rating of 15 because of this.

Trade unions and trade associations.

A trade union are members of a particular workforce that join together to achieve better treatment for workers. For example better pay for workers. A person may join a trade union because they may want to have someone on there side if there is a problem at work. They may also wish to join one to help others- the stronger the union the better. 

PACT(Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television) is a trade association which represents and promotes producing or marketing of a feature film, television, digital, children's and animation media companies.

BECTU(Broadcasting,Entertainment,Cinematograph and Theartre Union) is an independent trade union for people working in broadcasting, entertainment etc. They aim to protect jobs and improve the pay of the workers.

A trade association is an organisation funded by businesses working in a particular industry to help in public relations like advertising.

• BIMA(British interactive media association)- helps organisations in media solutions.
• ELSPA(Entertainment and Leisure Software Publisher's Association)- Classifies the age rating of a game.
• TIGA(The independent game developer association)- Fight for the interests of game developers.