Unit 1 - A2 - Storyboards

 Stroyboards

Before me and my group started our filming we made stroyboards so we have an idea of what we want to do for each scene, what music and what camera shots we will be using. 

Unit 1 - Roles within a pre production on set

During the pre production process there are many roles that are important because we will need when it's time before and during the movie as they are important. The are many roles that play a vital part in the pre production process such as:

Responsibilities of Actors

These are the people who play characters in films. Their responsibility is to learn their lines, show up on time and take care of the props provided. They also need to be organized as the costumes they wear need to be taken care of.

Without actors we would not have movies and TV shows since there would not be anybody to cast. Actors are important to a pre production process because they need to practice their lines. If an actor were to go on camera without a pre production process they would be a mess and it would be time consuming. Acting may seem like an easy job but it takes time. An actor needs to understand the character they’re playing. For example, in the movie ‘the theory of everything’ an actor called Eddie Redmayne played Stephen Hawking and how he got his disease. This actor had an pre production process to learn how to act crippled.

The history of acting goes back around to ancient Greece. It is believed that one of the first actors was a Greek call Thespis of Icaria. This is dated to 12BC. 

Responsibilities of Writers

Writers are responsible for researching the story, developing the narrative, writing the screenplay, and delivering it, in the required format. Writers therefore have great influence over the creative direction and emotional impact of the screenplay and, arguably, of the finished film. Writers are the ones who come up with ideas and put the script together. Without writers it would be difficult to keep everything organized. Not everyone has the creativity that writers posses to write a script.

Writers are important to the preproduction process because they are the ones who come up with the story idea. They write the characters, where the characters are from, the plot. Without them in pre production process would be a mess without a writers direction to follow.

The history of writing goes back to 1896 when writing wasn’t as important as it  today.  Many scenarios were written in synopsis form and rarely were longer than one paragraph. Scenarios were so short that they included a title and a one-line description of the action to be seen. It wasn't’t until 1901 when films were becoming popular that writing became  series and film scripts were finally made.

Responsibilities of Directors 

Directors are people who direct the making of a film. During the preproduction stage, the director's responsibilities can be divided into four principle tasks: (1) collaborating with the writers on the development of the script

(2) assisting the casting director in hiring appropriate actors, and conducting rehearsals

(3) cooperating with the producers in developing a practical shooting schedule

(4) planning the overall visual look of the film with the production designers and the director of photography.

Directors multitask efficiently, ensuring that all tasks are executed effectively, solving any unforeseen complications that may arise during production are responsible for organizing film.  A film director also controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, and visualizes the script while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision. 

The history of a film director goes back to1866 when  The Duke of Saxe Meiningen is often regarded as the first man to resemble anything even remotely to  a modern Director. He was not even really a theatre person to begin with. He was a patron who invited a touring company to live in his manor. Since he was supporting them, he had the ability to tell them what to do, and stumbled into the role of a Director.

Responsibilities of casting directors

In pre-production, Casting Directors work with both the

Director and producer to assemble the perfect cast for the film. As a result, casting directors must have in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of new and existing acting talent. They are responsible for matching the ideal actor to each role, based on a number of factors, such as the actor's experience, ability, reputation, availability and box office appeal. Casting Directors also work closely with Production Accountants to prepare the casting budget.

The history of casting directors go back to the the late 1950s led by two of the first casting directors Lynn Stalmaster and Marion Doughtery. For his casting work on The Thomas Crown Affair, Stalmaster was the first person to receive the "casting by" credit that became standard in main title credits ever after.

Responsibilities of producer

The many responsibilities of producers are often responsible for coming up with the idea for a production, or selecting a screenplay. Producers secure the rights, choose the screenwriter and story editing team. The independent producer usually initiates the production process by finding the script and starting the process. The producer finds the director and pursues the primary goals, to balance and coordinate business and financial aspects in the service of the creative realization of the playwright's and producer’s vision. 

Unit 1 - Identifying roles within a pre production

Time management 

Why is it important

Time management is something that is very important when doing a movie. This is because the team that are filming and editing needs to know when and how to do it. Actors/ actresses need to know when to come in as they have other things going on, and it may clash with filming. especially important to do a time schedule with actors so it doesn't interfere with their activities. Another reason why this is important is because if there is no time schedule then people will start to rush. And if you rush then things get out of control and no progress will be made. 

Something that will be emphasising the importance of time management is the example that I found, of a TV that didn't stick to the plan that was initially made in terms of the productions schedule. The film that i found was Alien vs Predator, i found out that the studio that was doing the film, delayed the production because they thought that it was not ready to be realised and that the content was not good enough. Something that was not good for the film makers and everyone that was involved in this project was the fact that the promotions of the film failed.

Personnel 

When it was time for the groups we didn't have a say in who was going to be with who as we had our groups already picked out for us. We worked in a group of three. Two of us were acting while the other filmed. This was an good experience to do as I was in a group with people I do not usually work with. It was interesting to be with people I don't know much about but got to know them. 

When it came to acting we had people who were experience and had done it before which benefitted my group because it meant the short film would be better as people could really get into their role. 

Cost can be affect by the amount of personnel you have in your film for example the more crew members you have increases the cost but also may improve the film so a lot of it a balancing game, do you want more people for maybe a better film but costs more or less people but may decrease how good the film actually is. 

Job roles

Production schedule

Materials 

In film there are various types of materials available to you. Resources done by yourself, archive footage and library materials that can come in many forms eg, sound files, video footage. These are three important materials that should be discussed within a film:

Self-made materials - This is when a something has been made for yourself. For example, clothes , props, sound effects etc. 

Archive materials - This is when something is old and is used in various documentaries. 

Library materials - These are things that you can find the in the library to give you information. For example, going to the library for a book or map. 

Equipment

Before we filmed we had to make sure we had all the equipment needed. For example, camera, tripods and a working computer to do the effects and also USB cable to charge in case of low battery. These were important to consider so we had everything we needed and they all were correctly so when it came to the day of filming there wouldn't be an complications. 

Makeup and props

During our film we used a few props and had two costumes when we were filming. For example, because I played a character who was nurse who checked on her patients my clothing style was professional casual. I would also need glasses as my props and do my hair in a bun so it would look real. I also had a name tag as another prop because we want our audience to believe they are in a mental hospital. My partner Jessica Santos also done her make up in a messy way and had smudged makeup. We also thought it would be a good idea to dress her in black to represent her dark personality. Finally, Josh who featured in the film would be told to wear casual clothes as he would be a friend visiting Jessica. 

Location 

A location is a place you go to when you are going to film. Before we filmed we had looked up our location. In order to film there we had to first ask the hostile for a location recce that allows you to record in area with the permission from the owner. Because we needed a room and elevators and a place that looked a bit like a hospital we used a hostile someone from the group was staying at. Once we got our permission from the people and the others who were living around we got to work. However, there were some limitations when filming. For example, sometimes we had to re do scenes again because people walking past were loud, people who weren't need were in the films. These were some limitations when filming. Below are pictures of where me and my group filmed the scenes to our short film. We used this type of place to film because the genre of our film is horror and we thought this would be the perfect place to shoot a horror genre. We also needed a house with a lift and hallway so this really helped as it added to the scary effect we were trying to show. 

Unit 1 - Type of production

I have been assigned to create a short film for the short film festival. The film must be 2-4 minutes and must be shot with a single camera. It would also need to be suitable 12 - 18 year olds. The film also had to be original and could not contain images or sounds which would be subjected to copyright. When done we would have to upload it on Youtube/Viemo when done. We are allowed to
either do this alone or in a group but I had decided to make a group.  In my group of three we thought it would be best to pick a genre we thought we wanted to do best. After some discussion we finally came up with a sub genre for a horror. My own individual idea I had come up with was a sub genre which was a horror and mystery. It was about these two girls who bullied a girl in their year. But we never showed the face of the girl. The movie would've had flashbacks so the audience weren't too confused and knew what was happening. I also thought it would be good to do it from the stalkers point of view as they watch the two bullies. During this time the girls get sent notes and in the end one of the girls get badly hurt and they see who the stalker is but the audience doesn't. I wanted to do this type of short film because I thought it would be interesting to the audience so they have many questions throughout the short film so they carry on watching want to know more. I also wanted it to be a horror so I can scare them as well by making them jump in fright.

During the pre production process of our short film we had to think about the requirements we would need. When in the media business you have to spend your money wisely so you can buy things you will need when filming. We thought about the important things we would need for our short film. For example, equipment. We would need tripods, a camera and lighting etc so we have everything we need for certain scenes in the films.

Another requirement needed is location. Even though my short film was recorded in a house we still needed permission to get into a building. This would apply to most locations. Some properties are private and you would need to call the company and ask fro permission from them before you can record. This will be good during the pre production process because sometimes others would book before you or say no so you would have enough time to find another place.

 Clearances and copyright is an important requirement needed. You don't want anyone reporting you or worse for using something of theirs. For example, even though we aren't allowed to use music we could use music from people on Youtube. Before using this we would need to email the person singing and ask for their permission if we could use it.


Props and costumes are another requirement needed. This is because we would need to see what props and costumes we will be using during our film. We would need to see if we need to go out and buy costumes and props or if we have any at our homes we could that can be part of the film.

Unit 1 - Funding

In the media industry there are many ways to get your film funded. If you chose the right way that could get your film a lot of attention then the more customers will know of your film and go see it when it releases in cinema. In the pre production process advertising your film before it is out is very important as your building your customers and making them aware. 

Sponsors and product placement is a great way to get valid and effective way to fund your film as there are many different ways you can get them to fund your film. You can use food brands, clothes, music. It will help both companies as they are both getting people coming to pay for both of their product, which will boost their sales and make the film popular when it time for the movie to come out.

A good example of funding is teaming up with a companies that can help you gain attention. For example, when star wars the force awakens was coming out in cinemas they teamed up with subway. Not only did they make more people aware of their film but they also helped more people to go subway and buy their food because of the movie promotion they done with subway.


Another way to get your film funded is crowd sourcing. This is a common method that has become very popular. It lets people come together and pay for a music video or film they would like to watch. It works by watching what this other person has watched and if you like it you can put money towards this person music video or film. This is good for people because rather then paying for something and not liking it, they are actually paying for something they like to watch and would want to see more of. Another benefit of crowd sourcing is, the price is anything they want it to be. They don't have to put a specific amount down. Crowdsourcing has many options for a person can fund for. For example, video games, art, food, dance etc. But I will be focusing on films for this blog.

 There are many ways for people to contribute as there are many websites such as, kickstart.com, foldit,chipin and buzzbnk. These are all websites that let people get recognition for their work.

To the left is the website to kickstart.com. As you can see its a very useful website. You gain all these advantages from this website as it helps with peoples career in something they are passionate about. It also helps to boost peoples confidence as this is strangers funding your film and if they like it then the person feels successful that people are liking what they do.

As you can see crowd sourcing is very popular and is worth it. People make a lot of money from their projects which will benefit them and will help to get their project noticed by more people. This website really helps people to get money to do something they love if they don't have the money to do it themselves.


Finally another way a person can fund their film is the most common and popular funding. Its advertisement. When your watching a film or show on a channel and it goes to advert we see a range of brands advertising their products. This is a popular for filmmakers to promote their films as many people will see this advertisement and will become aware. We see trailers for a second movie of our favourite movie or see a trailer for a film we would like to see. For example, if your watching a film on film 4 a company would pay them to allow them to show their trailer. This is because because this is a popular channel so more people would become aware of the film.