Unit 4: Learning Aim A

Unit 4: Learning Aim A 

Introduction 

  • Stages of Media Production 

Pre-Production 

Pre-Production involves planning and preparing the creation of the filmmaking. During this part, schedules are made, the location manager (the person that looks for a location for the film to be recorded) notes down great places for the film to be made. Not only that but the crew for the production is hired to work on certain aspects of the film. For example, before creating the film the director of the film will need to consider multiple things before creating the film. These include the equipment, health & safety, financial considerations, legal and ethical considerations needed to make the film. 

Production 

This is filming all the raw footage of the film for the final product of the film after the process of the pre-preproduction has been thought out and all the health and considerations have been planned out. The production team will then need to think what will need to be done to make the film as best as it could be. 

Post-production  

Post-Production is the work done on the film to enhance the quality of it after it has been recorded. For example, video editing the film to add audio and sound effects to make the film more entertaining to watch. Video Editing involves putting the footage recorded for the film in the right order. 

Chosen Media Sector 

For the media sector, I will be focusing on the film sector which means I will need to plan out the pre-production stage before I make the actual film. This is so that I have an initial idea of how the film will be when it finally comes to be made and organize the necessary materials needed for the film production. In different sectors, the pre-production stage may vary.  

Videogame Pre-Production 

  • Production Team /Core Concept 

Before creating the video game, they will need a team that consists of designers, artists, programmers and finally testers to make sure that everything in the game is working properly. In a video game pre-production, the production team must consider the core concept of the video game. For example, they must question who their target audience for the game is if it will be for children 11-15 years old or 16-18 years old. They also need to think about concepts of the game and the fixed ideas at the beginning of the game.  

  • Team responsibilities 

For this section, you must consider the key positions each person has in the team to focus on making the game. For example, planning their workload so that everyone that is in the team will be constantly productive during the game pre-production stage. This will figure out the responsibilities of each person and how they will interact. 

Timeline 

When making a pre-pre-production for a video game development stage it is important to note the time it will take until a certain aspect of the game is completed by. This allows for a structured time for the production team to finish creating the content by. 

Making the Documentation 

After all the pre-production for the game development is completed, the production team should have the core development game design documentation. This is a massive document which highlights all the aspects of the game design. For example, it has what the game is, what makes it fun to play, what the character/player does in the game, where the game takes place, the challenges the character will have to overcome. This will then make investors interested in the game. 

Music Video Pre-Production 

  • Visualize the Content 

Just like the video game pre-production, the first thing you must do is plan out how your music video will look like, and the considerations needed to make the music video good as it can possibly be. Music Pre-production teams may start by creating it by looking at other music videos that already exists online to get inspiration from them. From that point, they then create a mood board that contains all music videos wardrobe, hair, makeup, colors, locations, word references, and everything that they would like their music video to be like. 

  • Budget/Location 

For a Music video, the budget can range from high to low depending on what the pre-production team is going to buy for the music video. Therefore, it is then important to note what the budget for the film is so that it can help plan the concept of the music video around that budget. The Production crew must think of things like the locations they are going to film, backup dancers they will need to hire, how long it will take in total to film the music video at the locations, how many props and costumes needed for the entire production.  

  • Communication with Video Graper 

A Video Grapher is the most important person on the crew to be talking to be communicating with as they oversee planning the whole concept of the music Video. If they are not communicated commonly, their production might not go smoothly which may affect the quality of the video. 

Why is Pre-Production very important? 

Pre-Production is essential when creating a Film because it helps a crew have a structure of ideas for the film, changing anything if needed and helps the crew know their role and responsibilities for certain aspects of the film. For example, to film raw footage you will need a cameraman to be able to do the role. Pre-production also helps the crew stay very organized and to get things done by certain deadlines. If a production crew did not do pre-production and went straight into creating the project, it would be very complex to know how much money they need to spend on equipment for the project and locations to go to in order to film certain scenes. 

  • Sources of Finance 

Where do production companies get their finances from? 

There are three main ways they receive funding for media productions called private, public and joint funding.  

  •  What is Private Funding  

Private funding is a financial method that is funded by Brands through sponsorship which allows them to gain money and promote the film. It can also be privately funded by the government. 

  • What is Public Funding 

Public funding allows film production makers to receive money from public sources. For example, receiving money from an organization that gives money to beginner filmmakers to help them create an amazing film. 

  • What is Joint Funding  

Joint funding is formed between at least two film production companies to attempt to contribute their financial funds for a project. The film production makers then share their revenues and fees to fund the named project.                                                       

Private 

For private funding, they get private investors that help them get funded, European government money and profit from previous projects they have made.  

  • Grants 

Grants are only given to film makers for specific projects. For example, first time film makers, media storytellers and documentary makers. Grants are available to every stage of the film making process including production grants, post-production grants and distribution grants. 

  • Product Placement  

Public placement is a way that allows film makers to collaborate with film companies to feature their products in their film. An example of this could be allowing the film makers to use expensive equipment or cars.  

Public 

  • Investors  

In public funding Production companies get their money from a mix of investors, tax credits and many other sources. An example of one of the sources is called the BFI Fund. They invest over £26 million lottery funds per year to support filmmakers in the UK. The only thing is that production companies must convince the investors that the film that they are making will be a great film.  

In order to secure these fundings, it is managed by film producers, and sale agents. The companies will then draw funding from these sources to create their project.  

  • Crowd Funding 

For small film makers to be able to crowd fund a film, they will need to publish their pitch trailer which should try to convince them to get the public to help receive donations to the film if they think that the film will be great or spreads awareness of on-going world things. 

Joint Venture 

  • Joint funding is a huge plan to allow producers to invest part in a lottery production award from the film fund. The distributor from the film fund will then allow a 50% share of its net revenues in return for sharing the distributor's risk. 

Sources of Finance 

Media Product Example #1 

Sector: Video Game 

 

GTA V was the most expensive video game to be created back in 2013 costing £170 million at its time. The game has had a variety of ways that they have gotten funded to help create the video game. One funding source they used to gain money is through their previous game called GTA Theft IV, which then helped them to use all the money from the game they created and invest the money into a better-quality game. This overall allowed them to make more profit. Another way GTA V gains funding is through investors like most other popular games. The former rockstar north boss Lesile who was the producer and the former president of the game then manages the money and spends it towards hiring more members for the project. 

Media Product Example #2 

Sector: Film 

 

The Kings Speech is a film that has been funded by National Lottery fund which helps to support original film makers and films. Another funding source that the film used is from the UK distributor Momentum and the London-based postproduction company Molinare. The final funding source that the film got is from the Agis Film Fund which are private financial supporters. 

What are the financial requirements? 

  • Requirements of finance 

It is essential that film producers have financial requirements to help control the amount of money that is going to be used for the final product of the film. The money for the film is spent on pre-production, filming the raw footage for the film. The top priority that filmmakers will spend money on is on equipment they are going to be using for the film.  

Here is Finical priority media productions focus spending the money on: 

1 

Equipment 

Details  

2 

Camera 

 

This is to record the raw footage for the film. 

3 

Costume 

 

These are the things that the actor will be wearing for the film. 

4 

Lighting Equipment 

 

This is used to achieve aesthetic making a scene look more natural or make a scene look like it is being filmed in daylight. 

 

5 

Make-Up 

 

This will be what the character wears on their face to portray their personality. 

6 

Sound 

 

This increases the value of the production and creates emotion throughout the film. 

7 

Rechargeable Battery for camera 

Investing in good quality rechargeable batteries helps to power the camera while filming which leads to a high-quality film. 

8 

Shot Gun Microphone 

This Microphone is used for capturing sound at a distance which can make it perfect for capturing crowd audio. 

9 

Microphone Windscreen 

The windscreen protects the microphone from large amounts of air blowing into it.  

10 

Microphone  

This is for doing voice overs off screen when the character is speaking over the scene. 

11 

Green Screen 

Helps film production team to remain in same room saving time and money for looking for different location. 

12 

Tripod For Film 

Makes camera angles and framing more stable for every shot taken. 

 

Here are two examples of a media product from two different sectors: 

Media Product Example #1 

Sector Film - Film (Avengers: Infinity War) (2018)  

 

In total, Avenger Infinity wars budget was a huge 316million which is in the top 5 for the most expensive movies ever made. The first money spent on the budget is on their cast crew.  

Here is a table of how much their cast crew got paid: 

Chris Evans (Captain America) 

$8million 

Chris Hems worth (Thor) 

$31million 

Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) 

$500k 

Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk) 

$5 million  

Scarlett Johansson(Black Widow) 

$20million 

Benedict Cumberbatch(Doctor Strange) 

$5million 

Josh Brolin (Thanos) 

$5 million 

Bradley Cooper( Rocket Raccoon) 

$400k 

Chris Pratt (Star-Lord) 

$5million 

Tom Holland( Spider-Man) 

$3million 

Tom Hiddleston (Loki) 

$8million 

Robert Downey Jr.( Iron Man) 

$50 million 

Vin Diesel( Groot) 

$54 million  

 

Total Cost: $169,900,000 

In total, it costs the production crew that created Avengers infinity wars 169million which is almost half of their budget. This leaves them with 147million left to spend on the rest of the film. The rest of the money was spent on lumber supplies costing them up to 6.7million+ hardware for the film to be filmed then video edited, makeup and props. 

Media Product Example #2 

Sector: TV-Series 

 

 The TV-Series which is the longest series still running today, has cost the production crew $110million. Each episode of Simpsons, which is 23mins, cost them 5 million per episode. Half of the $5 million of the money is spent on animating. The rest is spent on the six main voice actors in the episode.  

Here is a breakdown of how they get paid: 

  • Voice Actors 

Each of the voice actors for the Simpsons gets paid $400k per episode in total which adds up to a ton as there are 728 episodes in total. This means that they have been paid $291 million each in total for every episode that they have done so far. 

Animators  

Matt Groening. 
  • David Silverman. 

  • Gregg Vanzo. 

  • Rich Moore. 

Budget/Cost Break Down 

During film making, the film production crew must make sure to create a budget table to help them keep an eye on the amount of money needed to spend on certain aspects of the film. For example, they will need to know how much money they need to pay each actor that takes part in the film.  

Here is a Budget Breakdown: 

Logistics 

  • Project Managements/Scheduling Across Two Different Sectors 

Managing a Film Production  

For a film production to manage a film they must first, the film’s producer must analyse the script for the film and break it down to categorize all the elements necessary to efficiently arrange for the production process of the film. Early in the pre-production for the film, the producer will need to breakdown the script to prepare it into schedule of locations they need to get filmed on a deadline. For each location, there needs to be permission given to allow access to it. The second thing needed to be done us is managing the shooting schedule which will consists of having a table of each day certain scenes will need to be filmed. This will be managed by the assistant director that will be managing the production schedule. The final thing that will needs to be done is hiring. When hiring a production manager must decide the best actors suitable for the film they are going for. As Well as hiring the accounting team, production assistants, and the rest of the crew. 

Managing a Radio Production 

In order to manage a radio production, there are 3 main people that help with the process. These include the radio programme controller that is responsible for the entire production on-air and how the station will be structured, the radio producer that is responsible for the audio content of broadcasts from the radio. They are involved in the entire process of the Radio production. This goes from creatively thinking of ideas for the production to managing the audience's response after the programme has ended. The radio director oversees the content of the radio production and may decide on the schedules, establishing priorities and campaigns. They are also responsible for hiring radio actors for the production. 

Production Schedule Breakdown Analysis 


Locations 

  • Finding Locations for Production & Considerations 

When looking for a location, a production team must hire a location scouter to help them find a place to film their movie. A location scouter will help find a location that fits well with the scene that they want to create. There are 6 considerations that need to be considered when looking for a location. 

  • Aesthetic- Does the location have the vision of how the way that the scene is going to look like? And does it look like the storyboard of the film. 

  • Permission- Who owns the property, and will they allow you to film in the location that you would like to make your film at?  

  • Cost- Considering the budget for the film and how much each location is going to cost the film. 

  • Logistics- Must consider what time will be suitable to film the movie and consider paring, electrical sources, bathrooms, and mobile phone reception. 

  • Environment- 

  • Access- Is the location too far away to access from the main studio and if so, how will your crew get there. 

Breakdown of Location Reece 




Sourcing Personnel and Equipment


 


Places Film-Production Companies use:

  • Studios
  • Special Equipment
  • House full of props
  • Post Production places( To edit final part of the film Video Editing, Sound effects, music and etc.)

Materials  

 Before a pre-production can begin, a production crew must make documents that contain a list of equipment needed to make the actual film, shot-lists for the type of camera angles going to be used in the film, cast-crew (the people) taking part in the film) which will help to prepare for making the scenes when it is time to do so. 

Legal Obligations 

It is essential that film producers consider the legal and ethical considerations to avoid any trouble and difficulties when the film is released into the public. 

  • Legal Considerations 

 Copyright 

Copyright allows the owner of a project to protect their work so that no one can copy their work. It protects their work from being stolen by others and automatic is free to use. If someone copy's the original owners work, they have the right to copy right claim it which means they are allowed to get the film taken down. Film makers can prevent this copyright claim by making sure they are using their own sound effects, music and footage. Film makers can be allowed to use other footage if they ask for permission to use it. This helps to prevent anything happening during the pre-production and makes everything go smoothly. 

Watershed 

Watershed is when a tv program is not suitable for children at a certain time. It starts at 9am which means that content that shows violence, graphic imagery, swearing and other things inappropriate for children to view. Watershed ensures that children are protected from unsuitable content by reminding script writers or film makers to make their material suitable for young audiences. 

Libel 

Libel is when something is published to ruin or damage a person's reputation in a negative way. This can get you sued or even in serious trouble. 

Blasphemy 

Blasphemy is when you insult and offend God. This gets the thing that the person that made banned in certain countries. 

Obscenity Law 

This is when a material can inspire threatening behavior and makes it forbidden to be released to the public. It mainly depends on the country. 

  • Ethical Considerations 

 Censorship 

For Censorship in the Uk, it is managed by British Board of Film Classification. They are responsible for managing what film can be shown to an audience. When this happens, they give a certificate which allows them to release the finished film. If the film is offensive and very violent, they will not give a certificate. This means that the film company need to change some of the scenes of the film. 

Offensive Content 

This when content offends the viewer that is watching the film. This is because of the extreme violence and other things it may have included in it. 

Decency 

Decency is when you show something which maybe indecent often linked to sexual acts. This offends some of the viewers that are watching it. 

Health and Safety requirements 

 During the pre-production stage, it is important that film production makers ensure that the crew is safe to avoid injury and damage to equipment which will affect the budget of the film. When a film production is looking for a location for a film, they need to consider the hazards that the location may have. For example, if a film production was filming in their studio using lots of camera and lighting equipment, they must make sure that the wires from the equipment do not get in the way to avoid tripping over them. 

 

Established Industry Formats 

Film Sector (Example one)- Flight Plan 

 

  • How the script is Laid out and use of communication  

Flight plan script uses the courier font which is used to estimate the length of a film based on the length of the script. This tells the editor how long the scenes will be. The layout for this script includes a subheading to show if the action of a film will take place inside or outside. For example, the script uses the word INT to show that the action is taking place inside the place and EXT to show the action is outside. This is effective because it tells the director of the film what they will need to do to make the film as best as possible. The script also includes character names on what the actors of the film are going to be acting as. Additionally, it includes action lines which give 

 guidance to actors on specifically how the character should feel at that given time. The first action line ‘who sits, numb...’ creates the feeling of hopelessness to the audience making the audience feel empathy to the character. 

  •  Narrative of Story and Appeal to audiences 

Some of the character names have extensions next to them to illustrate how the dialogue on the characters is heard to the audience. An example shown from the Flight Plan Script shows the character David with (O.S) which means off screen beside the name. It is used to communicate to the editor that the character is speaking to other characters that the audience cannot see. Additionally, the use of the off-screen extension next to the character on the script creates curiosity to the audience. This is designed to make the result of the story of the film more interesting to watch as, which might appeal to young adults or friends. 

  • Effectiveness of the Flight Plan Script 

Overall, this script is effective because it has the use instructions needed to guide the director, actor and more. An example of this is the use of a transitions to communicate to the editor on how they want the opening for the film to begin. This further added to the content in the film. In addition, the action lines for the script made the opening for the scene have a cold atmosphere to it. 

 

Storyboard 

Film Sector- West Side Story 

  

Purpose of the storyboard for West Side Story 

The West Side Story storyboard's purpose was to symbolize and summaries all the scenes for the film before it came to being animated which helps the producer and the director of the film have a rough idea of how the film is going to look like. The storyboard was also created too creatively to come up with an idea for the background color and design. This helped to create the mood of the film. 

  • Layout/Content 

The layout for the storyboard includes a total of eight drawings with two people running away and the guy with a dark red jumper trying to stop them. The second drawing shows just the two of them running. This suggests that they are either in danger or in trouble. 

  • Design 

The storyboard for West Side Story has a crayon sketch on all eight of the drawings. The background of the drawings has a different color. It sets the mood for all the drawings in the scenes. It expresses emotions depending mostly on the color and what the color means to the audience. 

  • Camera Angle/ Shot 

In the West Side story Storyboard, the wide camera shot was used to capture a wide angle of the people running. The sixth shot also has a wide shot capturing everything in the background and a group of people in the whole shot. The last drawing has a zoom in on what they are doing. 

Functions of Pre-Production Processes 

Revising ideas 

Revising ideas is when you go over the script of a film to generate even more ideas for the film. It helps to analyze to see if anything in the film needs changing to make it as best as possible. 
  • Visualizing Content 
  • Visualizing content is imaging how the scenes for a film will look like when it goes to be actually made which helps to creatively come up with more ideas for the film. 
  • Establishing feasibility 

 This is determining if there project or idea should go forward, thinking if the project will be successful. 

Purpose of Pre-Production  

Pre-production helps allows filmmakers to organize everything you will need for the production before the raw footage of the film is recorded. This process is essential as it allows you to figure out what and how you can make your film to be the best quality it can be. When a film uses Pre-Production, it helps the production crew figure out how much they are going to spend on the film, who they are going to hire, equipment needed for the film to be made, health and safety considerations and legal obligations that will also need to be considered before making the film.  

  • Overall Effectiveness of Pre-Production  

In conclusion, pre-production is very effective as it allows the film production company to find the right crew for certain aspects of the film which helps make the film higher quality. 

Another reason pre-production is so effective is because it allows for the production crew to prepare Props, special effects and wardrobe clothes for certain characters in the film in a table. This keeps the crew very organized and saves time. 

A final reason why pre-production is effective is because it allows to rehearse the entire film if needed which will help to figure out which scenes need changing and could be replaced with better quality ones. It shows if there is a mistake in one of the scenes overall making the film engaging to watch and entertaining after it has final been made. 

 Creating an effective pre-production will save time and money which is crucial if a film maker wants their film released on time. It can also help to keep on schedule for the film when shooting your project. 

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