Depict Evaluation

The Pre-Production Process

Types of moving image production

·         The type of media product that we used was a 90 second short film which we decided to distribute using YouTube, this is because our film was a minor production and it was easy to do for us to publicize.

·         Examples of other types of moving image media would be music videos, these are normally distributed on the artists YouTube Vevo channel but other ways these are seen would be on TV music channels and an example of this would be the songs that are seen in the charts. Another type would be TV shows, these are distributed on TV channels or on online catch-up services, an example of a TV show would be The Walking Dead which is one of the biggest current shows available. The final type of moving image media would be films, these can be distributed different ways dependent on the popularity of the film, for the large films such as ones released by Marvel Studios which get distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. There are other large distributors like this that publish big films, however, smaller films or short films will be distributed by video sharing sites such as YouTube or Vimeo and they could be put on to social media sites but this would depend on the funding that the type of moving image has.

Finance and sources of funding

·         Our film didn’t require any funding, this is because we already had anything we needed provided to us and our only props were easy to get items such as the boxes.

·         There a few different ways in which moving image media can be funded. The first way would be self-funding, this requires you to gather all the money that you would need for production by yourself, it would all come from your personal funds. Another way of funding would be crowd funding, this is gathering the money you need by asking people to contribute towards your projects, this one would be harder if you have a small project that people haven’t heard of because they can’t tell if their investment would be worth it. Another way would be to go to a bank and get a loan, however, if it turns out that your production wasn’t successful you will owe all the money back to the bank and this can be hard to pay off. A more trustworthy way to loan would be to ask friends and family if they can give you the money to fund the project, this way makes it much easier and more flexible on the way you pay them back.

 Requirements

·          When making a film there are a variety of things that you have to spend money on up until it is released, a few things to spend it on are:

o   Cameras

o   Training

o   Props

o   Talent

o   Production crew

·         We required very little during our production, we needed to learn how to edit to create an effective production and also we needed we needed our boxes which was our props. When it comes to big budget productions they will have similar requirements, however, they do it on a much larger budget and scale than what we did, this is because they must create great quality films for a big audience and they also have access to much better and complicated equipment

Personnel

·         Our production was only a short film with a low budget which means that we didn’t need much people on the team, overall there was five of us involved, four of us had parts in acting and one cameraman with each of us having an input at the editing stage, this was also new as the group didn’t have much experience in their roles.

·         Teams around the same size would be expected for a large majority of low budget shorts. TV programs would require a larger team as it is a similar process but with a larger budget, this means that they could have more talent and then people like makeup artists and costume designers, they would spend more as they have to reach a standard. A film in Hollywood would have similarities to a TV show but the scale of it would be bigger as the budget would be huge, they would have multiple of each role within the production and even people such as stunt doubles, prop makers and casting crews.

Time

·         We had a short set time frame for our production, overall the whole film took four weeks from start to finish. We were ahead of time all the way through which allowed us to have spare time just in case we had an obstacle that meant we had to spend longer doing certain parts.

·         Hollywood films are also given a deadline in which they have to completely finish, this is much longer than what we were given, normally films are eight months and upwards. They also have consequences for not finishing on time, this means that they will go over their budget and won’t be able to afford to pay for it to be completed and often this will result in the film getting cancelled or delayed which can cause an audience to lose interest and are unlikely to want to watch it.

Equipment/Facilities

·         In the production of a professional moving media production equipment will be needed. Facility houses are used to obtain equipment like camera and props that are needed.

·         For our Depict short we used college equipment obtained from the AV room. This included HD cameras and tripods. The editing software (premier pro) and computers were also provided by the college.

Locations

·         Our film was done at two different locations but both of them were in the college, we done a location recce for both of the rooms, we picked the reception because this was the most open area we could find for our longer shots and we also chose a room that would be suitable for an interview. All of the filming was also done during college time as we were all unable to do it out of hours.

·         We were also not causing any trouble by recording when the areas were empty rather than when they were busy

Materials

·         Many other every day and unexpected thing are needed in the production of a moving image text. For example, these may include petrol, transport, mains electric, makeup, props, lighting, SD card, consumables, permissions and other documentation like visa's. These all come into consideration when making a production. All of these will cost money, petrol for example is very expensive as is the rental of cars that are required. Electric bills and paying for permission/copyrights will all substantially affect the cost of a production.

Legal Issues

·         There are many legal considerations to take into account before beginning production on for example a film. Copyrights, permissions, insurances and if filming in a different country visa's will all have to be organised and completed before production can begin. Our short for example required the location releases and talent release forms that gave us the right to include locations and people in our short legally, these would be examples of permissions.

Regulation

·         Ofcom (The Office of Communications) is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. They make sure people are protected from scams and provide the best connection out of communication providers.

·         The BBC regulate themselves with the BBC trust

·         BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is a non-governmental organization, founded by the film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works released on physical media within the United Kingdom.

Trade unions and associations

·         A trade union is an organized association of workers in a trade, group of trades, or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. They make sure that everything is done peacefully without sparking conflict.

·         A PACT is a formal agreement between individuals whereas BECTU (The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph, and Theatre Union) is a trade union in the UK that represent staff, contract and freelance workers with the aim of protecting jobs, improving pay and the conditions of service.

·         A trade association is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. Its main focus is collaboration between companies.