UNIT 1 PRE-PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES (UNIT 2: COMMUNICATION SKILLS) Introduction

The type of production that I will be working on is a short film, but before undergoing the production, I will need to do one of the most important things in filming, pre-production. In the film industry, there are different types of production that will need to take place before the making of a film and one of them is Pre-production, which is very important to any media production. Pre-production is the course taken before the actual shoot begins. For example, before shooting your film, a writer might need to be undertaking a script development and think about the synopsis of the film, interviewing the crew, sign contract proposal and preparing the shooting script. Film financing is also one of the fundamentals during pre-production as producers need to have enough funding to make the film by looking for people that can invest in their film. Therefore, without thinking of the fundamentals of pre-production you wont be able to make the film successful. Pre-production is important because it gives the producer and director the ideas they need to create a clear final film product. It helps you be prepared and ready for a film, it gives everyone a sense of direction and it communicates the intention of the film so that everyone knows what there are doing, and it gives the production team time to communicate with the distributors and anyone important for the film. Without pre-production the film will tend to lack in purpose and direction and it wont give out a message that it intended to give properly. An example of a film that went through the procedure of pre-production is The Dark Knight Rises. For instance, before the director of the dark knight rises even began to think about creating a sequel for The Dark knight, he had an idea of what the story would be built on an inspiration. These ideas came from various sources of inspiration. In this circumstance, the film The Dark Knight Rises was inspired by the comic book Batman from Banes (the main villain of this film) comic book debut Knightfall, the 1986 series The Dark Knight Returns, and the storyline No Mans Land. Without pre-production, Christopher Nolan wouldnt have time to get inspiration and so the film wouldnt be developed to its highest standard and things were going to go wrong and their shoots couldve fallen apart. For our short film we will make sure to undertake pre-production and cover all the aspects of pre-production and this will include a detailed storyboard, script, equipment list, location report, budget, personnel, contingency plans, production log and shot list.

This will be vital to the success of our film because it will help the production team to prepare all the fundamentals involved in a film production and it will make the production teams job a lot simpler as it wouldnt get anyone behind schedule and other personnel involved in the production.

Finance
Before the production of a short film, the producer of the film will need to work out how they can get financed and must have enough funding to make the film to highest standard possible. A vital aspect in being a film producer is drawing investment needed to make the film. This could range from private finance, co-productions and public investment. Getting investment from a private finance in a film means youre most likely going to have to pay them back. On the other hand, short film producers tend to prefer public investment because theres no interest. In regards to that, there are various ways in which short films can get financed. You dont need a lot of money to get a short film done, but you still need the funding from potential sources of investment for a short film. One of the ways is through private finance where private individuals are willing to invest their money on short films but for a short film producer, it is unlikely to go for such route because private investors usually demand an interest and it is very unlikely for private investors to invest on a short film. Short film producers could also raise money through pre-sales and this is a way of giving distribution companies the right to sell the short film to retailers and broadcasters. Product placement is one of the ways you can fund your own short film by getting in touch with brand managers and if they think your film is good for their brand then you can get cash for including their products on set. Secondly, your film can be self-financed from the money in your bank but theres a possibility that you can get bankrupt. Thirdly, some charities will fund your short film but it will be reasonable if your film has the same theme or topic of the film is related to the charity organization. Additionally, the British filming industry is often the way British short films would look for finance. One of the ways they use to invest money on British film is through the use of lottery funds. Furthermore, your local council could also fund your film if it could help the community. Finally, the UK government funding may invest their money on British short films as it can also play a big part in the British economy.

Production cost provided by Charlie Brooker when producing a short film. Location fees - 1,800 Camera hire - 850 Camera crew and equipment - 5,100 Lighting equipment - 1,100 Sound equipment - 700 Shooting tape stock 400 On line master stock - 80 Dubbing stock - 80 Costume - 200 Props - 500 Animation - 5,000 What you would need to budget for in a short film? Having a budget is a necessity before the making of a short film and youre to consider the amount of money you will spend. You will need a budget before you make a short film and youre to not only will you have to consider the budget for the materials and facilities, you will also have to take into account how much you are willing to pay the people working in your film production. For example, you will consider paying the crew that is working next to you and those are the camera crew, lighting crew and the department of photography crew. You will also need to think about paying your talent and those are the actors, dancers and singers, probably your most important assets. Finally, you will also need to consider your post production crew and the equipment necessary for your film production. It is important to know what you need to spend your money on during preproduction and that is anything which is significant to your whole production. Knowing the amount of money youre going to spend is important as it stops you from going over your budget. It is important to not go in debt especially if your film didnt make enough profits. There are several things that you will need to budget for in a production of a short film and these include facilities, personnel, materials and contributors. Your personnel are the people in the production team that you will need to pay to make your film successful. These include, the camera crew, costume designer, art director, and sound designers. Contributors mostly your most important assets are to be included in your what to budget for list and this includes talents and extras, the people who are going to act in your film. Apart from the technical stuff, it is

important to keep food in mind; both drinks and snacks or actual meal. This will help stabilize your contributors to perform at the highest standard possible. You could also possibly budget for insurance covers and permits just in case damage is done to any public things and could help you save money. Since anything unexpected could happen during the production of the film, it is best to also budget for contingencies. A short film production can cost between 9,500 to 10,000 to make depending on what the story requires and who is in it. I will need to make sure to create a budget when making my short film so that Im aware of how much is being spent. I will need to budget for the talents and extras, production crew, facility houses and production equipment, and music and props. The most likely route for me to take for my film to get financed is through the British Film Industry because theyre trustworthy and theyre most likely going to give me the funding necessary if my film presentation is successful. Making a budget is really important to my film production has it will help me manage and keep track of how I am going to spend. Attack the block is a film that was financed by the UK Film council and Film4. Although, the UK Film council doesnt exist anymore, the BFI did a takeover. Although Film4 is a channel, it develops and co-finances films. Nick Frost, a private investor, also took part in the film and hence the reason why he invested some of his money into the making of the film in hope to benefit from it. The budget was 13million to make attack the block and this was moderately small compared to Hollywood film, but quite a high budget for a British film. With the low budget, they had to make sure that they dont spend a lot of money for CGI. However, despite the high amount of money it took for the film to be made, it only accumulated $5,824,175. This means that the film wasnt successful and they lost money.

Time
Time is very essential to a film production because it helps the production team to manage and keep everything organized. You need to know and always meet a film deadline and as a result you will need to plan and consider the amount of time needed for every production phase and the duration of the entire film. Knowing this will enable a film producer and director to reach their film deadlines. Meeting deadlines is so important in a film production because it shows that you are responsible and dependable as a team leader. For example, a director and scriptwriter will need to ensure that the shot-list and script are completed on time to maintain a smooth work flow. Therefore, money and time are properly saved, and losing more money or time is avoided. Apart from keeping deadlines as a whole, you will also need to respect the time given when you rent specific equipment or props (availability of equipment). Knowing the cost and how long youre meant to keep hold of equipments and props is so important because it reminds you of how long youre meant to keep the equipment for. For example, if you needed a Volkswagen for your film, you will need to know the duration youre renting it for as it will ensure that you dont waste time to shoot a scene where the car is needed and if you take too long you might need to pay extra money. It is always important to rent cheap stuff as youre more likely to have it for a longer period. An example of a film that took a great amount of time to be made and well managed its time is Titanic. It took about 15 years from the original idea to the official release of the film; the actual production of the film took 4 years to make. It made $2,544,132,032 as a profit and this suggest that the film was planned well, they met deadlines implying that they cared about their work and are reliable professionals. For my short film, itll take about three weeks to a month to get everything done from pre-production to post production. This includes all the film paperwork and the editing. I will need to make sure that all my film paperwork is done in time so that I can have enough time to create and finish my film production. Having clearances for everything is important because before youre able to distribute your film to the public, it is vital that it is cleared this is basically permission to be able to utilize anyone and everything that shows in your film. It is also important to have everything cleared as you work through all the production phase so that time isnt wasted. One of the things that needs license is music and popular music can be expensive for clearance. You also need to make sure that you have script

clearances where depending on whether it is fiction or not, you will have to make sure that none of the characters bear a resemblance to real life figures dead or alive. Content clearances such as logo & brand names or famous arts & people need to be cleared. Lastly, contributors clearance is basically getting permission via the release form to show that everyone is liable to contribute in the film.

Personnel
Matching skills and experience is important because it demonstrates that you have the requirements that specific jobs requires. Having the skills is important because it will enable you do the job as you have the right expertise in it. Having minimum skills in that job role suggest that you have minimum knowledge and lack information concerning that specific job role. Having the experience allows you to be confidence in what youre doing because you know how to do it, and it gives you less confusion and minimum difficulty. However, having only the skills without experience suggest that even though you have the right skills, without the experience you wont be capable of doing it correctly therefore you will lack in belief and selfconfidence. Also, you wont be capable of doing your specific job role if you dont have the right skills and experience as without the other, you still lack something important. Particularly, if youre an actor, youre literally the embodiment of a film production because you represent the script in real life so without the skills to portray the character youre playing as a realistic figure, you wont be capable of doing it. Likewise, without the experience of being an actor, it is rather impossible to show the directors visions come to life. Scriptwriter Its a script writers responsibility for developing a narrative, writing the narrative and delivering the script to the development executives. Therefore, screenwriters have a great effect on a film and also the films success depending on the skills of a screenwriter. They also have an influence over the finished film. Most screenwriters are hired by the producer to create a screenplay for the producer who has a story the story could be based on a comic book, poem, true story or an existing work. Most screenwriters are freelancers who pitch their work to producers, hoping the producer is willing to use their ideas. As a scriptwriter, youre expected to have a great understanding of the narrative given to you by the producer or director, and

you must have a creative mind required to write your vision on the paper, and to make the characters in the film to feel and appear as if their exist. They need to write the script with a picture in their mind in order to use sound and mise-en-scene to match and support the action so that the narrative can seem consistent and believable. Finally, a scriptwriter salaries ranges from $28,219 - $147,591. Actors Actors understand the directors intentions in order to bring a script to life and to become the characters theyre playing. Most Actors work across the media industry such as Film, Television and Radio, and may also provide Voice-overs for commercials and documentaries. Actors are chosen by the Director, Producer or Casting Directors, and in some cases, theyre suggested by the Scriptwriter. Actors are the embodiment of a film production because they represent the script in real life. Since its rare to see the director, producer and the script writer of a film, actors are there to show their visions come to life and show the director, producer, screenwriters work and efforts. They must also work with the director to research into the characters that theyre portraying in order to make natural and realistic characters to express the suitable emotion based on the script. An average salary for an actor starts from 15,617 to 55,667; however, more experience actors will be given higher salaries from 15,209 to 134,129. Sourcing the right team for a media production is also an important factor in pre-production and you will need to make sure that you have enough personnel, and that each member of the team has the skills and experience to take on their specific roles. There are various ways in which you can recruit the production team for a film. Usually, it is the producers job to contact actors through their agents. The agents negotiate the payments with the producer if the film should get made. Another way you can recruit talents and extras is through the internet where you can use social networks to notify and advertise your film idea to the public inquiring them to participate. Next, you can audition talent and extras, for this is almost certainly the best way to identify if they have the right skills and experience in acting. Lastly, you can always demand CV from those who wish to take part in your film as this allows you to observe the experience and skills they have. For my short film, I will assure to use personnel with matching skills and experience. Even though it will be difficult to find distinguished actors, I will still need to make sure that I use actors that have the skills and experience to

help in the film making. Therefore, I am most likely going to make sure that I use students who did and still undertake GCSE and A-level drama due to their fine experience and skills, and better understanding of drama. In order to assess the personnels skill level and experience, I will let them audition to prove their worth by recording them and then re-analyzing the audition to make sure they match the skills and experience that I am looking for. An example of a film that had talents with skills and experience was The Dark Knight Rises and this is proven as it won for Best-Characters award.

Facilities
Facilities for a film are very important and this ranges from camera systems and recording technologies to computer software and studios. There are different types of facilities that I will need to make my short film from the beginning of the production to post-production. During the production, the Sony camera is the most important equipment that I will need to capture and record the action taking place in the film and a tripod to maintain stability for the camera, and to adjust the height of the camera for a specific scene that is suitable for the adjustment. Also, I will need lighting since our short film will be recorded in the dark, I will need very good lighting to make the scenes look better and clearer for the audience. Undoubtedly, I will need to think about sound devices in case the characters sound isnt heard properly in which I will probably have to consider using a condenser boom microphones as they are superior in picking out quality sound. In brief, during the production phase, the equipment that is needed is the camera, tripod, sound device and lighting equipments. The college will be able to provide all the production equipment needed for our short film. During the post-production phase, the equipment and facilities needed is the editing room, studio and computer software. I will use the studio to re-create sound that werent there during the production phase or just to make sound new foley sounds that could help to improve the film. In the studio, i could record all types of sound and modify them to my liking to fit with my intended vision of the film using different types of effects and dynamic processes. For instance, if a specific sound didnt work out or not heard I could use the studio to synchronize sound by making the talents or extras lip-sync as accurate as possible. Meanwhile, I could use the computer software, the IMACs, provided by the college to edit my short film using the editing software, Final Cut Pro. From that, I can add sound effects if needed and decrease and raise the volume to my liking. I would not have access to a

proper editing room but theres a room with IMACs dedicated for students to edit their film. In the college, there are no facility houses, but there is a media area that offers studio, editing room and equipment that feels like a facility house where it provides suitable working environments for students. Film productions are large and expensive to make that involves a variety of staff members and needs modern technologies. For this purpose, outsourcing companies became distinguished and important for film producers and directors. Outsourcing allows film companies to transfer other aspect of the film production by making contracts to third parties, in a different country, in order to save themselves money and reduce costs rather than completing every production by themselves. For example, different parts of a filmed could be filmed in a different country probably because of the location is suitable or the skills or expertise of a specific thing isnt within the film company so they tend to go out to find the source of what they need. Therefore, time and money are saved because the pay rates in developing countries are lower due to the difference in currencies. This allows the film company to save money and then invest on important facilities. In addition, depending on the skills and knowledge of the outsourcing company in films, it may provide outstanding services and higher quality of work. In India an outsourcing costs for a studio is around $60,000 Transmission (TX) Ltd is company that provides post-production facility with camera and excellent recording technologies. They provide HD cameras to 360-degree & spherical video recording underwater. They have also different types of cameras including thermal, high speed, time lapse and IR in any environments.

Contributors
During the pre-production, I will need to make sure that I am aware of what contributors I will need and these are vital personnel needed for my short film and beside the production team; I will also need talents and extras to contribute in my short film. The talents are actors that will participate in the short film and I am going to recruit students that have at least experience and skills in acting therefore I will recruit those who are doing A-levels drama or people who have participated in GCSE drama. This will make my short film look at least professionally done. I am going to have to organize a way in which I am going to recruit these contributors and I could do this by going directly to drama classes to ask if anyone is interested in contributing. Also, I will need extras and these are the people that will help develop and make my film easier to understand through small details that will take place. Additionally, I will need two production team members and this is the camera man and the lighting man. The lighting man is very important because most of the scenes are captured in the dark so the lighting will really need to focus on the characters to make it clearer. Somehow, the lighting man will need to be cautious during the lighting not to focus entirely on the characters because it might make it unrealistic. The camera man will be able to capture and record all the action taking place. For the short film, I will be the sole director directing the film, and commanding the talents and extras. As I am making a short film, talents and extras are a necessity but if I was making a TV programme, I will need experts and public because they will most likely stick with the programme till the end of a series. For example, in attack the block, the computer generated imagery was kept to a minimum due to its high cost, so they hired an expert. All the contributors need a release form to show that they have the permission to contribute in my short film. It is very important that release form are presented because then I might not have the right to show or sell it and it is vital that such release form are organized at the very beginning of the production in order to not waste time or cause any disturbance. An example of a film that obviously needed and had contributors is Attack the Block. There were talents and extras that were recruited and probably their skills and experience were assessed before being chosen for those specific parts. The contributors that contributed in the film some of them were younger than 16 years of age and so it was very important that they signed a release form for in this case their parents had to sign them or else they wouldnt be able to contribute in the film. Release form is very important as it is evidence that the contributors have agreed on to participate

in a film. An example of a film with exceptional contributors is Man of Steel as it was directed by Zack Snyder, the main character were Henry Cavill and Amy Adams. Example of a release form:

Location
Identifying and deciding on locations is very important during pre-production and once this is done I will need to do a recce and risk assessments. A recce is when you visit your chosen locations to find out whether it is safe of any risk and fitting for your film. Its essential to check the location that I will be filming because it can save me a lot of money and time during the production process. From doing this I will be able to know the distance, health & safety, power supply, potential weather problems and the cost for using the location. For our short film, we went to several locations to do a recce in order to find an appropriate and suitable location for our short film. During the recce, I will also complete a risk assessment detailing the risks for filming in that particular location and if any potential hazard is found, we assess who is at risk, whose responsibility, and how are we going to make sure that this potential hazard doesnt take place. Any limitations can take place in a location that will limit and affect the production team in my short film in different ways and this could include noise, distance, cost and weather. I will need to make sure that whilst I am assessing the location, the noise level has to be low and even if I choose a place where theres a lot of noise, I can find a way to tackle this disturbance. The noise could range from nearby airports and traffic noise. Fortunately, our chosen location has no traffic noise because it is surrounded by houses. Also, when it rains, it could rain anywhere; therefore I will need to check the weather on the day I will be filming. For example, weather could also be a potential hazard if it is extreme and the people who are at risks are the production crew, personnel, production equipment are at risks for extreme weather. Since we are filming outside, to make sure that extreme weather doesnt affect us, it will be important to make sure the personnel and the production team is dressed suitably according to the weather. A lot of time is spent filming outside and people could catch cold quickly and having layers of clothing is most reasonable. It is also important to bring hats and waterproof jackets or hats. Since one of the crew members houses is near, the production team can use that as a place to stay indoors if permitted. Everyone from the production crew and personnel are responsible if they get affected by extreme weather and so they have to make sure that they have the appropriate clothing. Weather could also limit us because if it rains it might mean we would have to wait till it stops which will waste more time. Furthermore, I will have to make sure that the distance isnt really far from

where the equipments are stored to where the contributors live. This will allow us not to waste time during travel. The cost for travelling wouldnt really be a problem since we students use Oyster Cards but again if this was a blockbuster film the distance would be taken into consideration due how much it may cost to travel from one place to another. In conclusion, during the location assessment, I will need to make sure I take all these into consideration.

Codes of practice and regulation

The film industry is regulated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) in other words, when a film has gone through all the production stage, it is then sent to the BBFC who verifies whether the film has abide by the principle or standard before being released through different broadcast medium. The BBFCs job is to bring a sense of consistency to the classification of the film, and rate films, video games and DVDs according to their contents. Before a film is released into theatres, the BBFC will classify or rate it and this done by looking at the contents presented in the film, considering issues such as language, nudity, sexual content, horror, drugs and discrimination. Whilst examining the film or video games, they look at its content and how it may be potentially harmful. Also, they consider the impact, the tone, or context the film or video game may have on the audience how it may make the audience feel. If a film or video game is found too extreme, the BBFC is likely to reject the film instead of passing them. You will be left with no choice but to alter the film or introduce a new one. In the case of DVDs, they would verify whether it is suitable for viewing at home especially since there is a higher risk of underage viewing. If the DVDs dont meet the requirement, it might end up being restricted from being sold. The BBFC doesnt accept or receive financial support from the film industry nor the government. So, they get funded when films, DVDs and video games submit their work for classification. Its income comes from the payment it charges for its services. This is calculated by measuring the duration each film and DVDs submitted for classification. The Human Centipede II is a horror film that has been rejected and banned by the BBFC due extreme sexual violence, graphic gore and potential obscene. The BBFC refused to give it a rating therefore it cant be distributed legally. The film has also been seen as disturbing for the viewers at home hence it was also banned for DVD incase it is exposed to younger children. Similarly, OFCOM is an organization that regulates TV and radio sectors and their purpose is to make sure that the

television viewers and radio listeners are protected from harmful and offensive information. They protect viewers and listeners, and people in the radio or television programme from being treated unjust or unreasonable. Apart from regulating TV and radio sectors, their duties are to ensure that high-quality programme are provided to the audience with high-speed broadband, radio and television services are supplied by a variety of organizations, and to protect people from having their privacy exposed.

Codes of practice - location permissions, health and safety insurance (public liability).
Before I begin the production of my short film, I will need to get location permissions from the authority or local council from where you want I shoot. This will grant me the permission to rehearse, and the right to make additions and alterations to the location. Failing to inform the authority, I might not be allowed to film, and even if I did theres a chance that Id be stopped during the production process. In addition, I will also need to get health and safety insurance for the every contributors to cover any risks that could be exposed. The insurance should be able to cover for the equipment, footage and public liability. I will need public liability insurance because I will be recording at a location where there will be members of the public where they might be at risk from my production activities. This is important because theres a possibility that an adjacent property could be damaged and a member of the public could be injured public liability insurance would allow me to cover all the legal responsibility in the event of public accident or property damage. In consideration for everything, I need to also consider my surroundings because the police or local authority may get involved if my film production is triggering unreasonable noise and causing a nuisance to the public. Finally, I will also need to consider what I am doing during unsocial times. Trade union - Broadcasting Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) During pre-production I would need to make sure that I follow and that Im aware of the importance of the code of practice and the industry guidelines that relate to the area of my production. I need to make sure that Im aware of the restraints they provide. Broadcasting Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union is a trade union that covers broadcasting, independent production, film, theatre and the arts, leisure and digital media. They represent a community of workers in different roles across the media

industry. BECTU provides personal advice on any job role youve taken, advice on health and safety, and it also offers training support and courses. Their main aim to protect jobs, increase membership and improve conditions of service, including pensions. BECTU would have an impact in our short film since it could give us more support, guidance and suggestion on how to develop our short film.