Unit 1: Core Module. Pre-production Techniques for the Creative Media Industries
1.What is Pre-production?
Pre-production is the process of filmmaking prior to the shooting of the film. Pre-production includes tasks such as hiring actors for your film, budgeting for the film and hiring/renting equipment. Other key areas in pre-production include planning and scheduling the days of filming, taking into account potential difficulties.
How can you finance your film?
There are many ways of getting your film financed both in the UK and further afield. Locally, in Cumbria there is the Northern Film Network, also around the UK there is the UK film council, who have £15 million per year to invest in script development, film production, and film distribution.
Here is the link to the UK film fund:
Another way of financing films in this country is through the National Lottery, who fund amongst others, the UK film fund. Another UK funder is Channel 4 film, who invests in low budget British films. Outside the UK there are other ways of getting finance across both pieces of water; independent investors are an option, as well as getting government grants. You can also apply for Tax deductions were the filmmaker could write off the cost of production if it costs less than £15m a year.
Where can you find a cast?
Within Cumbria, there are a couple of casting agencies, the most notable being Lakeside Castings. They have a wide range of actors in a large age range. There contact details are:
Mobile: 07850597689
Tel/Fax: 01228 401093Lakeside Castings
Here is the link to the Lakeside website:
There are hundreds of other casting agencies countrywide, mostly in London and Manchester, in London there is CastNet UK and All The Arts casting agency amongst others.
Where can you find a crew?
There are many places countrywide where you can hire a film crew. Locally I couldn’t find many organisations, the only two main ones I could find in Cumbria were:
Cumbria Camera Crew:
And wrightwalker.co.uk:
Countrywide there are many in the main UK cities, in London there is www.BlueFinTV.com who are approved by the BBC, also there is www.ukscreen.com who have listings of crew countrywide.
Where can you hire production equipment?
Many small businesses around Carlisle and the country give you the chance to rent out equipment, many without a website such as Eden Films Cumbria whose contact details are:
17 Eden Place
Stanwix
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA3 9JQ
Tel: 01228 526043
Here is a list of equipment hire companies in Cumbria:
When looking for Equipment hire throughout the UK I found few companies actually listed a daily charge rate on there equipment, the only way to find out the charge by some companies are to contact them directly. Although there were a few companies who listed a daily charge, one being www.vmi.tv who own a large array of Camera’s, Lenses, lights, Sound equipment, Grips and accessories available for rental. The price of camera’s on show range from £50 to £650 per day. You can get a good HD camcorder for under £100 a day.
Where can you get costumes?
You can get costumes from fancy dress shops countrywide, however you may not be able to hire from these shops. www.escapade.co.uk offers a large variety of costumes from Soldier uniforms to Fairy tale costumes, both for hire and for sale. Most costumes on show are around £50 hire for 3 days and if you want to buy the costumes the majority of the costumes are varyingly priced under £100 with the exception of some Star Wars costumes.
Locally this is a list of Fancy Dress shops in Carlisle:
What does the production process involve?
The production process involves development, pre-production, production and post-production. Development involves the script writing, choosing the director, discussing the stars and the overall blueprint for the production process.
Pre-production involves casting the actors, set design and the budgeting of the film. It also involves the risk assessments, planning the schedule for the production of the film and storyboarding. Also the recruiting of the crew is done during pre production.
Production is the shooting of the film; it can also be a time when more crew are recruited, such as the editor.
Post-production involves editing the film into a rough cut to get an idea of what the film will look like; however it is not the final product. After the rough cut the editor will select the cleaner shots and then put them into a 2-hour film. Also at this stage, special effects are added and the sound effects, such as the actor’s voices, music/soundtrack and any sound effects like explosions or gunfire are added by the sound mixer.
What does a Post-Production facilities house do?
A post-production house is where all the elements of post-productions, mainly editing takes place. There are many post production house throughout the UK, mostly in London and Manchester.
In London:
In Manchester:
Stock footage, what is it and where can you get it?
Stock footage is video footage that is not used for specific films or TV programmes. Stock footage can be free and is a cheaper alternative to shooting new material. Stock footage can be clips of storms/lightning, City skylines and landmarks and shots of environments like cities and deserts.
This video shows examples of stock footage (Pyromaniac style):
If video doesn't work here is the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lebLwNRjqRM&feature=related
Music and Sound effects, where can you get it?
You can download music and sound effects from the Internet via many different websites, many being free of charge. Most of the sound effects on show are simple like a Witches laugh, a crowd cheer and the sound of an engine. You can also download copyright free music, of many genres like jazz, orchestral, rock and horror.
A couple of good website's that have free sound effects are:
A good website which has free music is:
Why is copyright and issue?
Copyright is a law granting exclusive rights to the copyright holder of the work to distribute and adapt the work. The copyright law bans anyone but the copyright holder to use the work, whether it be music, a symbol, rights to a film franchise or even a name. The only way you can use the work is by getting permission to use it from the copyright holder. Copyright is a major issue to filmmakers, TV producers, marketers or anyone who wants to use a certain piece of work that has already been copyrighted. If found guilty of breaking copyright laws and infringement, by which you could produce pirated films, use a logo of a company without permission or use a piece of music without permission then you can be punished severely. In the UK the maximum amount of time you can be incarcerated in prison can be 10 years. You can also be taken to court and fined for theft or damages. One big suing case earlier this year Viacom attempted to sue Google’s video sharing site YouTube for $1 billion (£622.2 million) over copyright infringement of Viacom’s movies, TV shows and music.
What are MCPS and PRS?
The MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) are an organisation founded in 1911 who pays the composers and musical labels of music royalties when there music has been put into a film, games, downloaded or put onto a CD. Most music producers and publishers register their work with the MCPS. The MCPS are now under the name PRS (Performing Rights Society). When someone wants to sell a CD that is owned and written by a composer then you need to have a licence with the MCPS. When you have licensed with the MCPS, the MCPS then calculate how much the royalties should be when awarded to the composer, taking into account how many CD’s are being produced, predicted sales, price of the CD and how much music is on the disc from composers registered with the MCPS.
The PRS (Performing Rights Society) was formed in 1914 and ensures that when a piece of music is registered with them, that composers will receive money every time it is used, whether on a Radio station, Film, TV or in a shop. The PRS are made aware of the usage of registered music in the forms of Playlists, Computer files and Logs. Each business needs to obtain a permit to play music, or they will be taken to court. In 1997 the PRS and MCPS were merged into the MCPS-PRS Alliance, combining each organisations duties and put under the name PRS for Music in 2009.
What Does the Director do?
The Director is the person in charge and responsible for shooting the film. Directors are responsible for overseeing creative aspects of a film under the producer of the film. They develop the vision for the film and carry it out, deciding how the film should look. Film directors are responsible for deciding what camera angle to use, lighting, and set design, and will often take part in hiring some of the film crew. They’re also in charge of were the actor’s move and also may be involved in the writing and editing.
Many Directors often work with the same actors in all there films, Adam McKay for example often casts Will Ferrell in many of his films like Anchorman, Step Brothers and The Other Guys, Christopher Nolan also works with Michael Caine on regular occasions in the Batman franchise and Inception.
What Does a Producer do?
The Producers role in the filmmaking process is to get everyone together and oversee Pre-production, Production and Post-production. The Producer is responsible for the initial idea for the film project, and may also be involved in the marketing of the film and the distribution of the film. The Producer is required to report directly to the client, in the case of filmmaking, the studio.
Producers work closely with the director and the other production staff. Many Producers have directing skills themselves, as it is possible that the Producer will also be the director and take care of all project operations. George Lucas is a perfect example of a famous Producer who has directed such films as Star Wars – A New Hope, and also written films, edited and even acted in some films. Producers can also arrange the funding for each film and are responsible for keeping the production within budget.
What does setting up a real production company involve?
Setting up your own production company is surprisingly easy. First of all you have to think of a name and a logo so you become known. This can be difficult because of copyright laws against certain words or images. You then could produce business cards. Once you’ve done this you’ll need to register your company officially at Companies House UK and you will also have to inform the Inland Revenue. You’ll have to pay corporation tax based on income or profits.
Why is it helpful to have your own logo, company name etc?
It is helpful to have your own logo and company name because it makes your company instantably recognisable to any other companies. Many company’s logos are well known like 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks because they’re unlike any others and most people could immediately associate their logos with their company.
Here is my logo:
What issues may you come across regarding locations?
There are many problems you could come across regarding location choices. Firstly for certain locations you should ask permission from the landowner or police and ask them in advance if you can use that location. They could help you regarding closing off a road or offering to look over you in case of something bad happening. Also you should visit the location before you start filming in case you can’t shoot there for whatever reason like noise interruption or being next to a busy shopping centre for example.
What are the different shooting formats?
There are several different formats to shoot films on:
35mm – The advantages for 35mm are that it is cheap to produce and use, it is small and light meaning it’s easier to use and it’s available for a wide range of camera’s, such as SLR Point & Shoot and Rangefinder. However it doesn’t blow up to a very big size and can be very delicate. 35mm is very good for amateurs and independent filmmakers, as well as pros.
Digital – Digital filming is the process of capturing motion pictures as digital images. Many new films are shot on digital format now, including the highest grossing film of all time (excl. inflation), avatar. Digital format can be cheap and produce high quality images, as well as being reliable and robust.
HD – HD formatting produces the best images in 720p or full 1080p, however it can be very expensive to use and can be difficult adding special effects over it and editing it.
3D – 3D filmmaking has surprisingly been around since the 1950’s and is by far the most expensive style to use in filmmaking, it can also be difficult to add special effects on to it after production. However it does offer a viewing experience the others can’t.
Lighting equipment and 3 point lighting.
Lighting is one of the key components of filmmaking, it can make the difference between a scene that is meant to be scary and another designed not to be.
Three Point Lighting is a standard method used in video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a simple but versatile system, which forms the basis of most lighting.
The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light.
What codes of practice and regulations must you adhere to?
When filmmaking you must adhere to many regulations, ranging from copyright to general health and safety.
As discussed above, breaching copyright laws can land you in big trouble, ranging from a fine to 6 years in prison. If working on a slightly larger scale production, insurance for various things such as equipment and even people is important, otherwise you could end up paying for replacing damaged goods or you could be sued. Risk Assessment forms are very important because it shows you have taken precautions toward potential problems.
Who are the BBFC, PACT, BECTU, Equity, The Arts Council, Shooting People, Vision and Media, Signal Films, WrightWalker Productions?
BBFC - The BBFC are the British Board of Film Classification and decide which UK age rating a film should get. The UK age ratings are: U-Universal, 12A – Anyone under 12 should be accompanied by an adult, 15 – Only people 15 and over may see the film and 18 – Only people aged 18 or over may see the film.
PACT – PACT (Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television) are a trade organisation representing commercial interests of Independent film, television and media organisations. PACT works on behalf of the client when negotiating with Governments and Broadcasters who want to buy the clients products.
BECTU – BECTU (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematographer and Theatre Union) is the independent trade union for those working in broadcasting, entertainment and theatre. BECTU works on behalf of its members when negotiating pay, conditions and contracts with their employers and offer advice and representation on health and safety.
Equity – Equity is a trade union which represents UK artists. The main aims of Equity are to negotiate terms and conditions of its members with their employers. Equity also negotiates agreements with new and emerging technologies, which affect performers like digital television and new media. Equity also lobbies governments on important issues to their members.
The Arts Council – The Arts Council support a wide range of arts such as music and photography. They invest and fund artistic activities throughtout England which engage people.
Shooting People – Shooting People are a London based organisation founded in 1998 for independent film makers. Shooting people help independent filmmakers to share resources, knowledge and experience and to help them find an audience for their work. Shooting people has 38,410 members, the largest independent film network. Shooting people ensure that their members receive pay for each movie they appear in, including independent features.
Vision & Media – Vision & Media are a Northwest company set up to help grow the creative industry in the Northwest. Vision & Media deliver projects to help companies big or small and to help individuals in film, TV, radio, games and music.
Signal Films – Signal Films are a Cumbrian company based in Barrow-in-Furness which produces films for cinema, broadcast and the commercial sector as well as providing digital media training. Signal Films provide an opportunity to young and aspiring filmmakers, writers and artists across Cumbria.
WrightWalker Productions – WrightWalker Productions focus in digital filmmaking. They also have crew hire available, camera hire and editing services for film projects. In addition they also provide other media services including producing web video content, graphic design and voice-over work.
Professional examples of Storyboards, Scripts, Schedules, Crew Releases, Cast Releases, Risk Assessments, Call Sheets, Budgets, and Location Scouts
Storyboard:
Script:
Schedule:
Crew Release form:
Cast Release Form:
Risk Assessment:
Call Sheet:
Budget:
Location Scout:
Who are Raindance, The End of the Pier Film Festival and The Keswick Film Festival, and why are they of benefit to you?
Raindance – Since Raindance was founded in 1992, they have been offering advice and support for independent and aspiring filmmakers. The Raindance Film Festival started in 1993 and showcases both the best independent films from the UK and from around the world. In 2007 Raindance launched Raindance TV, an Internet service that showcases the best independent films.
The End of the Pier Film Festival - The festival is a short and feature film competition for independent, low-budget, and new filmmakers. The festival showcases the best UK independent films and independent films from around the world.
Keswick Film Festival – The Keswick film festival is an annual festival held in Keswick. The festival is the only film festival in Cumbria so is of great importance to us.
What is Withoutabox and why is it of use to you?
Withoutabox is a company founded in 2000, which creates technology to allow independent filmmakers to self-distribute their films. In 2008 Withoutabox was brought by IMDB. Withoutabox allows filmmakers to search through thousands of film festivals such as Sundance and Toronto and enter them online rather send their film via postage. This can be of great interest to amateur filmmakers like us because its an easy way of entering film festivals and finding which one is suitable for our film.
Why is entering film festivals important?
Entering film festivals are important not just for aspiring filmmakers but established filmmakers as well. By entering film festivals you have the opportunity to win awards, both cash and awards, and gain recognition.
