The pre-production process

• My group and I produced a 90 second short film to be entered in DepicT! DepicT! Is a web-based competition that challenges people to produce a film that's only 90 seconds long. The competition is broad in that it doesn't specify a particular genre and it doesn't matter what your budget is leaving it open to everyone. The prizes involve winning up to £2500 and great industry exposure. DepicT! Has been uncovering international film making talent since 1998 when it was first introduced. People who make it to the short list are invited to the Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival and given a industry platform which creates a gateway to awards such as the Oscars, BAFTAs, European Film Awards etc. This exposure gives filmmakers the perfect opportunity to promote their work as well as meeting professionals in the industry. Short listed films are screened at the DepicT! Showcase and the winners are announced in front of an audience. All films entered into DepicT! are distributed via YouTube.
  
  
  As a class we were given the instruction to produce a short film as part of our project. However there are many other moving image media products out there such as feature films, TV programmes, web series/webisodes, music videos, adverts, idents and many more. A feature film is a film that is devoted to one topic or issue and is typically long as it goes in to much depth about the particular topic. However the length of the film can vary depending on location and time. Feature films are not usually distributed on television and typically require buying a cinema ticket to view the picture. After appearing in the cinema the films are distributed through DVD's and blue-rays. An example of a very early feature film is Oliver Twist. TV programs are another type of moving image; they consist of series, miniseries or serials. Series are content intended to be broadcasted on television that doesn't include commercials, trailers or channel idents. TV series such as Peep Show consist of eight series each series containing a maximum of nine episodes (varying depending on series.) Some series have limited number of episodes, these are called miniseries. Series such as Neverland only has two parts and therefore would be considered a miniseries. They tell a story just like a regular series however they typically contain more drama, excitement or action in each episode as there are less episodes to spread this out over. TV series are distributed through television and on demand. Another type of moving image are webisodes. A webisode is an episode that can be part of a series (web series) distributed through the web that is viewed either through downloading it or streaming it. Webisodes may or may not have been on TV however they are clearly characterised by their online distribution. Webisodes can either be episodes that were originally distributed through television but can now be watched on different sites available online such as The Walking Dead series or can be a single video distributed only through the web such as YouTube videos. Music videos are also another type of moving image. A music video is usually a short film combined with a song. Music videos can be used for artistic purposes creating an ascetically pleasing picture integrated with music. However in today’s industry they are typically used for promotion and marketing purposes. Music videos really took off when MTV was introduced in the 1980's as they based the channel solely on music television. Television advertisements otherwise known as adverts are another type of media product. Adverts are short television programs with the purpose of marketing a product or service. Adverts such as the John Lewis and Coca Cola adverts have become very well know over the years as they have become an annual tradition in association with the build up before Christmas.
  
  Prior to the pre-production process of film the finance and funding of the film must be determined. It is concerned with the value of the film that's being made. The value is determined by the income the film will bring starting from its release in cinemas and following through to DVD sales etc. Sources of funding can come from private capital funding, private investors, banks, loans, grants, funds, competitions and crowd funding. Private capital funding is the source of funding with the least risk due to the tax incentives put in place when financing the film meaning the cost of the film is refunded to the investor. The investors fund the film and make back the money they put in. However the investors have to make an unfunded commitment to begin with, meaning the risk could be seen as high all depending on the success of the film over a period of time. Private investors are people who fund a film on their own without business partners etc. Megan Ellison is one example of a private investor. She put her own money into films such as Zero Dark Thirty and Catch.44. She is also a film producer and helped produce as well as funding some films including the award winning American Hustle. Another way in which funding can be acquired is through loans and banks. Films like Clerks were made on a very low budget however sourcing the funds were still difficult with Kevin Smith selling his possessions, maxing out roughly 10 credit cards, dipping into his college fund and spending insurance money he was given for his car. Grants, funds and bursaries are another source of funding. This is when organisations finance the production of the film. The most well know example of this is The British Film Institute (BFI.) The BFI is an organisation that uses lottery funds to support and finance film production and distribution. It is an executive non-departmental public body that is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The organisation has been very successful and have come up with a five year plan for 2012-2017 called Film Forever. It's main incentive is backing the education of film and unlocking film heritage as well as supporting the UK film industry. Competitions such as DepicT! are another way to finance a film production. Winning money from film competitions gives new film makers who without that money wouldn't have the opportunity to produce films due to the lack of funding. Crowd funding is an alternative form of finance which has occurred outside the traditional funding system. It is where money is raised from contributions from mail-order subscriptions and benefit events but today it's usually done through internet-mediated registries. An example of this is the film Veronica Mars. The writer Rob Thomas raised $5.7 million from 91, 585 backers through crowd funding.
  
  When carrying out the pre-production process of filmmaking, the requirements for the production must be evaluated. After establishing the source of funding the next step is to decide what the requirements are and how the money will be spent. Various aspects of the production must be assessed when creating the budget document. Things such as equipment, transport, talent, crew, materials, facility hire, insurance, copyright and clearances should be considered when doing so. When carry out our DepicT! Project we were given a budget of £5. We were able to use the college equipment such as camera, tripod etc. and we done it at college therefore none of our budget was spent in those areas. Our talent and crew were all people doing the project therefore no money was spent on them either. We filmed on college premises so that we wouldn't have to cover facility hire. We also made sure our music came from an online free music site to ensure that copyright was not an issue.
  
  The production team is one of the most important elements in filmmaking. The team is made up of two key personnel, the cast and the crew. Most moving image production teams are split into three different areas of production, these are pre-production, production and post production. When it comes to low budget shorts the production team is usually kept to a minimal. Like every film you need a director. The director’s job is to visualise the script so that they can guide the production team. They also require a cameraman whose job is to operate the camera on set. Another part of the production team is a sounds person who's is a technician who is responsible for the quality of the sound as well as the sound effects. Finally a short low budget film will also need the talent. The talent is the actor/s that will feature in the film. When making a television programme the production team has the same crewmembers as stated above. However they have a much larger crew. There are many different types of producers in a team; an executive producer is the production company head, a producer is usually the primary person of responsibility for the production and an assistant producer is the right hand person of the producer. The writer’s role is to write a story that will be acted or told in the show. The floor manager is in control of the operation of the studio floor whilst filming is taking place. Another key set of personnel is the camera crew that consist of a camera operator and a cinematographer. The camera operator is instructed by the director and is in charge of filming the show. The cinematographer establishes the appearance of the show by regulating lighting, frames and shots. A boom operator's job is to operate and place microphones from boom poles. When it comes to Hollywood feature films the production team consists of all the above and many more. Other people that may contribute to the production of a media text are extras and runners. An extra is a background actor and a runner is someone who does the odd jobs that need doing on set.
  
  When producing our short we allocated roles by discussing who felt they would be able to fulfil the role to the best of their ability. We collectively decided that Kane would act in the film as neither me or Jordan felt as comfortable in doing so and Jordan and I done all the filming. None of us had experience in these roles before therefore I felt it was a massive learning curve for us all. Other people from outside of our group contributed to our short too. We were given a timeframe of one week to complete the pre-production planning, one week to complete the filming and one week to edit. We met this deadline despite Kane being on holiday half way through the week of filming and the week of editing. In the professional media industry meeting deadlines are important, as they are a way of managing time effectively. Failure to meet deadlines could result in the whole production being behind schedule. This means things would need to be rescheduled and could result in losing money. When obtaining equipment for a moving image production, budget and accessibility must be considered. Cameras, tripods and lighting equipment can be hired or borrowed from a number of local organisations. Sites such as hirecamera.com  provide the latest cinematographic equipment for hire. Costs vary depending on what kind of camera and model you wish to hire, a Canon EOS 1DC costs£128 per day to hire. When producing our short film for the DepicT! Competition we were able to use the equipment available to us from college. We were allowed to borrow a camera, tripod and any other equipment we needed. 
  
  Establishing the locations in which you are going to film in is a very important aspect in producing a moving image production. In the pre-production process a recce must be completed. A recce is a piece of paperwork that shows how the location has been assessed in order to decide its suitability for filming. After completing this, a location release form must also be filled out. A location release is a contract between the person producing the production and the owner of the private property that they wish to film on. In this form the owner grants them permission to shoot on the agreed days and time with necessary conditions highlighted in the document. When picking our specific locations for our short we had to choose sensibly in terms of where would be easy for us to obtain permission and somewhere that was accessible to us during college hours. Considering these factors we chose to shoot on college grounds. We filmed outside the front, round the back and through west block corridors. Before shooting we had to assess the possible risks that we could face and find ways to prevent them. One risk we had to take into account was the cars on the road outside the front as filming there could put the cast and crew at risk of getting hit by car. We overcome this by making sure we filmed only on the path. There was also a risk that the equipment we used could have been damaged or broken, which would have meant we would have to replace them. We overcome this risk by keeping the camera in its case anytime we weren't filming.
  
  In addition to the equipment, cast and crew a moving image text also needs materials. Type of materials may include original materials. These are things such as documentation and scripts. The scriptwriters write scripts and documents are usually formed by legal personnel. Finding costumes for the cast depends on the budget of the production. Usually there will be an allocated costume designer for the production and on larger productions they may have a buyer to find and purchase fabrics and garments. Other materials that may be required are music and sound effects. These can be obtained from sound libraries and audio libraries to ensure there are no issues with copyright. When using music from a musician or composer there must be a contract put together to grant the production right to use the music in the film or TV programme. Copyright is an important factor to consider when using musical works. It protects people’s work and prevents others from copying, distributing copies, performing or showing their work and putting it on the Internet without permission. Any work that contains copyright is legally protected against any of the above. When finding music for our short we had to consider this. We used tracks from bensound as it provides royalty free music. In order to distribute a film or TV programme to the public you need to make sure that everything in it is cleared. This means that you have permission for everything that appears in the production. This includes things such as logos, brand names and music. If clearances aren't made then it could cause legal problems when it comes to distributing and screening the moving image production. For example if you wanted to use someone else's clips, footage or images then you'll need permission from the owner. There are many organisations that provide materials that have already been cleared such as Getty images. Public liability insurance is another essential factor when making a film. If any person accidentally gets injured or anything goes wrong on set then you are covered from financial liabilities. A completion guarantee is another form of insurance that is offered by a guarantor. The percentage fee will be based on the budget of the production. Completion guarantees are often used in independent films to ensure the production is completed. 
  
  A regulatory body is a public authority that is responsible for asserting authority over the production. OFCOM is the communications regulator in the UK; they set and enforce regulatory rules to ensure people are protected and are getting the most out of what they’re paying for. They do this by making sure the UK has; a wide range of electronic communication services, a variety of TV and radio programmes, a universal postal service etc. They also make sure that the people watching TV and listening to the radio are protected from harmful content. OFCOM function under Acts of Parliament such as the Communications Act. The BBC trust regulate the BBC and challenge them to make the most creative output, serve all audiences, improve the value for money for licence fee payers and offer online services. The BBFC is an independent, self-financing, trusted regulator that operates on the fees that it charges for its services. Its aim is to act as a dependable guide in terms of media content by classifying and labelling media formats. A trade union is an organised association designed to protect workers in a trade and to underline their rights and protect their best interests. They achieve this by providing advice and support and representing people in the workplace. It is important to have trade unions as they offer a support system if issues arise within the workplace.