Requirements for a moving image production

Type of moving image production (media forms)

What type of media product did you produce and what was it for? How did you distribute it?

We produced a 90 second short film for the Depict competition. "Depict challenges film makers on any type of budget from anywhere to show their talent in just a minute and a half. If you win you receive £1500 cash and a lifetime membership to Shooting People." I gained this information from www.depict.org. We distributed our short film online using YouTube, here is a link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBUycCP37-k)

https://www.youtube.com/user/theslowmoguys?gl=GB&hl=en-GB

Using YouTube is free and you can cast your video across the world for millions of people to see. Many people have become famous by using YouTube, for example ‘The Slow Mo Guys’ who have 4,628,827 subscribers that watch their videos. They will receive an income from having this follow base.

Other types of media products

TV

Media companies try to advertise to impact. television advertisement is a great way for a targeting a range of audiences from children to adults. for example television advertising aiming to sell child products would be shown between three and six because this is when children are home from school: on the other hand if something is targeted at an adult they would show it after 9 o'clock. The adverts can also be used to raise attention of a crisis, for example around Christmas time the Salvation Army release their advert and it is show on every top channel, this is to give people the knowledge on what they do and how you can help them. These types of charitable adverts are normally shown time and time again and this is done a purpose, it's so you remember and it's trying to get you to donate.

Radio

Radio advertising has it advantages and disadvantages. It can reach may different audiences at all times of the day, people listen to the radio when they are waking up, whereas other listeners may only listen in the evenings. The 24-hour availability makes radio advertising very valuable. In addition, it is well-established and able to reach rural areas. It is also cost effective as the production side costs less than making TV advertisement, however, the lack of visual elements may limit the message, this is a disadvantage. A very popular advertisement on the radio is the autoglass repair one, we all know it! The same as on television it is played over and over again so you remember it. The difference is when you listen to the radio you have no visual just audio so it is important that your audio is as catchy as can be. "Auto glass repair, auto glass replace" is a perfect example.

Internet Advertising

Internet advertising is growing marketing force is similar to press advertising, but its interactivity is the most powerful element. Most website have an advertising bar somewhere on their page. Your advert has got to catch the readers eye an stand out because then they will be attracted to click on it. There is also youtube advertisement, sometimes not letting people skip is the worse thing to do because they will remember you product for the wrong reason.

Mobile Advertising

Personal mobile phones are an attractive advertising media to all network operators and are gaining in power and reach. As the above, it's got to really catch your eye and be fun. For example the Clash of clans advert that pops up on most apps uses comedy to sell their product. If the person watching the adverts finds it boring and full they will not want to go any further into looking at the product.

Out of Home Advertising

Other areas where a company's product message intersects with potential buyers occurs outside of the home, meaning not via a device owned or operated by the potential buyer such as mobile phones, televisions, radio, computers, etc. Billboards, signage on public transportation, skywriting, blimps and other outdoor advertisements are examples of product messages that reach potential buyers while they are outside of their home, on the go and in public places, waiting in offices, in transit. This medium is in contrast with broadcast, print and internet advertising. There are four types; billboards, street furniture, transit and alternative.

Other types of distribution

Cinema releases- The use of Cinema has been around for a long time. Some of the most famous producers release their films in cinemas first because it raises so much money. Ouija has made $10,749,980 over a weekend.

http://www.the-numbers.com/weekend-box-office-chart

Online- There are many ways of showing your product online, from on demand to live streaming and you can buy films to stream online. Most people nowadays have access to computers and use catch up websites to watch serial series for example Eastenders is widely watched on the BBC Iplayer.

DVD & BLUE RAY- There is still a lot of money in selling your product as a DVD despite all of the above, some low budget films use DVD and Blue ray to sell their product because showing it in cinema would cost too much money and no profits would be made. People also like the idea of having the cinema experience at home with a blue ray disk because of its high definition comparable to the cinema.  As you can see below there is still large amounts of money to be made, Transformers has made $11,567,736 in it’s first week.

 

http://www.the-numbers.com/weekend-box-office-chart

Finance and sources of funding

Bank/Loan- The simplest way of receiving money, as long as you have a good credit rating banks will happily lend you the money but the problem being you have to pay it all back along with the interest that builds up over the time period you borrow for.

Kick Starters – Kick Starters is a way of gaining money from your fan base, this is called crowd sourcing. On the website the makers of the project will produce a video and if you like it you can donate money towards their goal. This is an amazing and free way to raise large amounts of money.

https://www.kickstarter.com/

Self-financed This is simply using your own money to fund your project.

Private capital This is when you gain money from someone else who wants to invest in your project, for example Megan Ellision became very popular on the film scene because of her funding towards films that have become very successful. For example, zero dark thirty.

Fundraising- Fundraising is a free but time consuming way of producing a budget. You can fundraise in many ways from having a bake sale to holding a film night. The BFI fund can also help you by investing money into your project. They invest £23 million each year into the lottery fund.

REQUIREMENTS

·         Actors- there can be 1 to 30 actors or actresses in your film, depending on your budget. The cost of these can be extremely high. In a high budget film you are likely to see a famous actor for example Brad Pitt. On the other hand, in a low budget film you might have to recruit some of your friends of even yourself to star in your project.

·         Equipment- Equipment ranges from camera to carry cases, probably the most expensive requirement but this also depends on the budget you have. If you have a high budget you will be able to use the top of the range equipment but if you have a low budget you have got to use what you have and what you can get your hands on.  

·         Crew - you can have a camera crew and a sound crew. As always, your budget may affect the quality of these crews. With a higher budget, you would be able to afford a more professional camera and/or sound crew. The crew are very helpful when producing a film because they make the producers life a lot easier.

·         Advertising/Distribution – Advertising can make a film extremely successful and can take up most of the budget on a high budget film. On a low budget film you might not have any advertisement. Distribution prices really depend on how many platforms of media you are selling to, a high budget film might have to sell their film on all platforms to make a profit.

·         Transport- transport is needed to move the crew around on set and to keep to the schedule. For example if you were filming in Spain you would need to move all your team and equipment there, this can effect your budget massively so a lower budget film might have to make scarfices and film in a closer area.

·         Location/Facility hire- the location for your film is key, selecting the wrong location could mean the failure of the film. Picking a location takes time and effort and depending on your budget, you may have to travel to film there. For example a high budget film could hire out a London street but a low budget film might have to settle with a road in the nearby area. For example in the film ‘ 28 weeks later’ they were able to use a bridge in London near the Houses of Parliament, seen below. This would cost a lot of money and would only be available for a high budget film.

·         Selling right/ Marketing deals- these are all essential and need to be sorted before you film and make your product accessible to the public. To use copyrighted music you will have to get the permission of the creator, normally this can be a bit pricey and could blow your budget. A high budget film like ‘Tansformers’ would have had to pay large amounts of money to use ‘Linkin Park’s’ music. But when filming a low budget film, you may have to make your own music or use copyright free music.

In our short film the only money we had to spend was on props. But we were able to use equipment from the AV room, we used a DLSR camera, tripod and small barn door light. Because we filmed in W16 there was no charge but we still had to create a document of release for the time we filmed. For actros and crew we used our self and signed conformation for our names and faces to be used and shown to the public.

Personnel

A low budget short- In a low budget short everything is brought down to basics, for talent you are most likely to use a friend or even yourself because you can’t hire and pay for an actor. For the crew you normally have one or two people on each team, the camera crew is likely to be one person and the camera that is used would most likely be one of good quality for example a DLSR. The sound is normally recorded on the camera but could be recorded on a phone and added during the editing stage. For editing, software can cost a lot of money but luckily for us we have it on the Macs, but for anyone out of education they may have to settle with using a downgrade effecting the quality and realism.

A television program-  in television the budget is normally high especially in serials such as ‘Eastenders’. Television programmes normally have a large amount of talent, more so in soaps. The camera crews are also larger than films because they have got to get a view from different angles and so they can easily switch between these cameras. Lighting crews are heavily used because on daytime television, for example the news, they have got to have a 360 degree lighting to exterminate any shadows. Because of this you will need a bigger lighting team to operate the lighting.

Hollywood feature film- Hollywood films always have a high budget because it is at the top of the film industry. Because of this, the price of everything rockets up and the quality of the equipment and crews are the best that they could be. For example, most famous actors are from Hollywood feature films for example, Tom Hanks from ‘Forest Gump’ because of this most actors and actresses are highly priced. This is also the same with the crews because the equipment such as cameras and lighting are the best on the market so they need the right trained crew to use them, ending up with a large budget but the quality at the end will be much better and the reputation of Hollywood will help it become successful.

Our Crew

In our short we were in a group of 3, me, Ehren Harris and James McConnell. Reuben Convery, from another group, helping us as an actor because he fitted the role perfectly. I was tasked with being the main actor in the short. I have had past experience with doing this last year in GCSE film where we made another short. Overall, I feel as an actor I did a good job and from the feedback we got from the class it was presented that they agree. I also completed the recce sheets and permission forms. Ehren was the main cameraman of our production because he has a vast knowledge on the DLSR because of his previous work in A-level photography, Ehren also helped with costume design and editing. James was the main paperwork producer. From sorting out production schedules to the story board, James made sure that the paper work was up to date and at the best level it could be. James also helped film and edit at the end of production. At the end we all came together to edit and we picked music together which we agreed was appropriate for our short.

Cast/other contributors

There are many other contributors that are behind the scene and on camera, for example stunt men are highly used in action films such as ‘Spiderman’ as you can see below in the photo. You also need experts on the event you are trying to recreate, if you are trying to make a film based on a true story. ‘We were soldiers’ used veterans that were involved in the battles of Vietnam to make sure that the film is produced to really show what happened in the Vietnam war and to keep it genuine and authentic. First aiders are always needed and play a vital role in health and safety on the set and could save someone’s life if anything was to happen. Investors also play a role from product placement to just investing money. If the film is successful this can really pay off, for example people like Megan Ellison who I mentioned earlier.

Time

In our pre production we created a production schedule. We had 8 lessons to film and 8 lessons to edit our footage down to 90 seconds, but there was a problem with another group and they couldn't film outside because of the weather so they used W16 (filming room) on one of our filming days, as you can see below we changed the production schedule and because of this we finished editing later than planned.

If you do not meet the deadlines in the professional media industry it can lead to many problems. If you do not meet a deadline, funding will need to carry on and you will have to keep spending more money and you may even go over your budget. This is a film killer, you may lose contracts with sponsors and employees.   

Overall we met our deadlines but it was close, this was because of some absences and not being able to film because of different groups using the filming room. But at the end of it all we were able to finish editing and filming on the deadlines.

Equipment

For professionals there are many different ways for obtaining equipment and facilities. If you have a large budget you are able to get the top of the range equipment and rent it out for the duration of your filming. If you dont have a large budget you can go to a facility house where all the equipment and gear is there for you to use and you only have to pay a lump sum at the end. For a high budget film you will need the best equipment possible and this may not be found in a facility house.

You can also get equipment from a rental company, this can really pay off because you dont have to buy the equipment you have just got to return it. Here is an example, http://www.filmscapemedia.com/


We a lucky enough to have an AV room on the college and we were able to get all of our filing equipment from there. It consisted of a DLSR and tripod and also a barn door light.

Locations 

Location recces are a key part of finding the perfect place to film your production. When you do a location recce you are looking around the area and seeing if it fits the description on your storyboard, you have also got to look at the practicality of it too, just simple things like how many plug sockets are in reach or what the lighting is like at a certain point of day. The location recce is there for you to go back to your group and show them what you've found and to be able to pick the best location. In our recces we took pictures so we could have a group conversation on the matter and to agree it's the right place. 

Once you find your chosen location you need to get is released. This can be simple and difficult depending on the location, for example if you wanted to film on the college premises you can get it signed by your teacher and you're free to use it in the time slots you have been provided with, but if it's a forest you would have to get the release from the ground owner for example National Forest, this could take weeks or months. You may even have to get permission from the police if you are performing something that might look strange or threatening to the public.

Logistical issues/ risks 

For our production we created a risk assessment sheet, this is the best way of finding the risks in the place of filming. Ehren was in charge of completing the health and safety sheet, he filled it in on the computer and assessed before each filming to make sure that no more risks had become apparent. 

We had to deal with some issues with props being left out by other productions. This was time consuming and took up precious filming time, but on the second day of film I tidied up the props while James got the equipment and placed it in position ready to film. Also as I mentioned above we had problems with weather meaning other groups were filming in our room when we should have been.

Materials 

You may need some additional materials besides equipment, crew and cast. These are;

Interviews- you can use interviews to gain more knowledge on the subject your production is based on. You can interview eye witnesses if based on a true story. For example as I mentioned earlier how We were soldiers interviewed veterans from the conflict of Vietnam to really capture what happened.

Scripts- if your production has a script you will need someone to write and create this. To create a script you could do it yourself or you could have a team to write it out, this is depending on your budget and the amount of dialogue.

Costumes- costumes can range from your own clothes to thousands of pounds worth of clothing, again depending on your budget. You can also rent costumes in some rental shops. For example  

http://studiofacilities.warnerbros.com/production-rentals-and-services/costume-department/

Sound libraries/audio- audio is a key part in a production and can make a film. There are many ways to obtain audio, for example you simply download copyright free music from the internet and you are done, but if you want to use a famous song you have it to have the permission of the owners and this could cost millions and contracts would need to be drawn up. For example transformers used linkin parks music in their film and this was possible because they had a large budget. But if you have a low budget you can use somthing like free sounds. Org (https://www.freesound.org/)  where the sounds are all copyright free.

Achieve material- you can use achieve footage in your production as long as you have permission or ownership of it. If you do not have the permission to show the people in the footage you can cut out their faces.

Financial considerations 

Copyright is an important aspect to your production, with it no one can use your footage and claim it as their own, but on the other hand, you need to be certain that you have permission to use copyrighted material. Making sure you have all the the right requirements of copyright can save you millions of pounds because if you use copyrighted material without the permission of the owner they can begin a legal battle and you could lose millions in court fees and your film could go bust.

Insurances 

Insurances are needed in the work place of filming, for example if a stunt man was to break his back falling from a ledge he is able to claim the insurance and is less likely to sue you. You may also need insurances on the equipment you are using just in case anything was to happen, it could save you thousands from your budget. 

Cost to make materials

If you want an interview done with an eyewitness this is going to cost you money, you may have to pay the witness for their time. You may need many more people to make or collect the materials listed above and this will cost money from your budget.

Legal considerations 

When looking into the legal side of your production you need to look at a few things, one of them being audio/soundtrack. You need to make sure that you have the right to use the music as your soundtrack and doing this you would need to make a legal contract with the owner, this can be done by solicitors and will cost money but you will be able to use the product in your production.

How did copyright effect my Depict 

As a group we had to make sure that the audio that we used were not copyrighted. To do this we went on a copyright free music website and downloaded them legally. We also had to make sure that no branding was shown in are film so we took off the label on the milk bottle and I made sure that my clothing did not have any logos on them.

Clearance

If you get clearance on something it means you get permission to use it, for example if you got clearance of some audio you have permission to use it your your production and the owner has agreed that you can use it and no legal batlle could be produced.

Public liability insurance

This covers up to a certain amount of money, so if anyone needs to claim for something, like a small injury, they can use this.

Completion guarantee/insurance

This is basically a promise to the sponsors and investors that you will finish. For example guaranteeing to your loan holder that you will finish your production in time and you will pay of the loan in time.

Regulation

Ofcom is a communications regulator in the UK. They regulate the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, plus the airwaves where wireless devices operate.

Principles of Ofcom

Here is a few principles of Ofcom;

"Religion

To ensure that broadcasters exercise the proper degree of responsibility with respect to the content of programmes which are religious programmes."

"Privacy 

To ensure that broadcasters avoid any unwarranted infringement of privacy in programmes and in connection with obtaining material included in programmes."

I gained this information from http://www.ofcom.org.uk/about/what-is-ofcom/statutory-duties-and-regulatory-principles/ 

The BBC

The Board of Governors of the BBC was once the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. In their time they regulated the BBC and it's interests and views of the public. It started from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust on 1 January 2007. Ofcom also regulate the BBC. Ofcom have certain powers to regulate the BBC's licence fee funded television and radio services in the UK, but not they can't relegate the World Service which is grant-in-aid funded. Ofcom's Broadcasting Code applies in some of the following, protection of under-18s, harm and offence and avoidance of inciting crime or disorder.

The British Board of Film Classification "(BBFC) is an independent, non-governmental body. They classify films to ages and they have classified cinema films since 1912, videos/DVDs and some video games since 1984."

There are two key principles, laid out in the Guidelines, under which they operate:

"To protect children and vulnerable adults from potentially harmful or otherwise unsuitable content

To empower consumers, particularly parents and those with responsibility for children, to make informed viewing decisions."

I gained this information from www.bbfc.co.uk

In our Depict we had to see how the internet regulations would effect it. We made sure that there has no swearing or nude images. We made sure the footage would not effect minors or adults and made it child safe.

Trade union 

The trade union is an organisation whose membership consists of workers and union leaders, united to protect and promote their common interests. They are important because they help workers on films to make sure that they get everything they are entitled to.

PACT

"Pact is the trade association representing the commercial interests of UK independent television, film, digital, children’s and animation media companies. Pact helps to make the best possible regulatory and legislative environment for the independent production sector to grow and internationally – the association has a strong record of success in campaigning for producers’ rights."
I gained this information from http://www.pact.co.uk/home/

BECTU is the UK's media and entertainment trade union. Their sectors cover broadcasting, film, independent production, theatre and the arts, leisure and digital media. BECTU provides a large range of services. For example, negotiating pay, conditions and contracts with employers, personal advice and representation for individual members.

A trade assocition

A trade association can be known as many other things, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in an industry. For example BIMA has a large amount of organisations and individual members from all parts of the market, BIMA provides a way to keep up with developments in a fast-moving sector. BIMA gives access to market data and intelligence through links with government departments, professional groups and holds regular talks and conferences on key industry issues.