The Pre-Production Process

Requirements for a Moving Image Production

Type of Moving Image Production
We worked to produce a short film that lasted only 90 seconds as part of the DepicT
online film making competition. Our result from this was The Cookie Monster, capturing
the moment when a man is scared of a cookie-selling boy scout. Upon completion it was
uploaded to the popular free online video streaming service - YouTube. In order to boost
the number of views and thus feedback, I shared the link to the YouTube video on social
networking sites Facebook and Twitter.
Apart from short films like this there are multiple other types of media products
including feature length films, which range from multi-million dollar Hollywood productions
such as Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End ($300 million)[1] to low budget productions
such as Clerks ($27,500)[2]. Other types of media products include television programmes a
standalone episode, series or serial show as well as music videos, advertisements, web
series and channel idents. These can be distributed by different methods than simply
uploading to YouTube, depending on the nature of why they were created and the budget
of the production:

Television distribution most obviously includes television programmes, but often

channel idents are shown before these programmes. It is also common for feature
length films to be shown on television, particularly around public holidays, and also
music videos on specialist channels.
Cinema releases usually this is limited to feature length films, but also many
advertisements which are shown beforehand. More than 50% of cinema releases
come from one of the 6 main distributors (Warner Bros., Disney, Sony, Paramount,
20th Century Fox & Universal)[3], meaning it is very difficult and so rare for new film
makers to get their products into cinemas.
DVD & Blu-Ray most media products are available in a physical form for
consumers, after release in cinemas or on television.
Public Screenings some organisations such as the BBC setup large screens which
are available for viewing in public locations. They commonly show short films, music
videos or live-streamed television programmes.
Video Streaming Sites media products, in particular short films and music videos,
feature highly on video streaming sites such as YouTube. However, it is commonly
used to advertise feature length films and television programmes.

Finance and Sources of Funding

Creating a media product is not cheap, but funding has to come from somewhere to
finance everything that is required. In the case films by newcomers to the industry, they are
often self-financed, sometimes with contributions from friends and family. The problem
with this is the amount of money is very limited and the budget will not cover much.
Therefore film makers need to look for other sources of financing.

The obvious idea is to get a bank loan or the support of a private investor, although
this can be extremely difficult for newcomers to gain confidence from investors. However,
most large Hollywood films are financed by banks on Wall Street in New York but that is
with support from one or two huge production companies. Hollywood productions can also
be funded using methods of merchandising. Films such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are
supported by companies who produce toys as they will benefit from the films mass
publicity. Finally, large film productions and non-BBC television programmes are frequently
supported by product placement within the media product. Michael Bays Transformers:
Age of Extinction (2014) is largely funded from companies wanting their products on the big
screen, which mainly included Budweiser, Beats and far too many car companies.
Methods for newer filmmakers, other than self-financing and friends and family,
include crowd-sourcing, a great way for newer filmmakers to get money and support for
their project. Websites such as Kickstarter [4] and Patreon [5] allow people to pledge money
towards a project they are in favour of happening, and many films, shorts, even YouTube
videos have been funded in this manner. An example of this is Brett Domino, who produces
music and online television programmes on a weekly basis but needed some funding to
assist the process by paying for his transport and rent [6]. At time of writing, both of these
have been completed, with more than $350 being donated on Patreon per video.
The BFI is another organisation that provides some small amount of funds to
upcoming filmmakers, in addition to the national lottery. Film makers who have the ability
to make one media product themselves could enter it to a competition in the hoping of
winning and gaining some money as a prize to be added to their next project. Another way
of getting help is to apply for the Enterprise Investment Scheme, which can give huge tax
benefits allowing filmmakers to spend more of their own money on their projects [7].
Requirements
The reason so much money is needed to fund these media projects is due to the
large amount of essential requirements for making it. The following is required in order to
shoot the product:

Talent the actors and actresses

Equipment including cameras, lighting & sound
Crew to operate the equipment
Locations rights to use the setting of scenes
Props objects required by the script to be on camera
Make Up & Costume the materials to make talent look good, and people to do it
Accommodation hotels for talent and crew
Transport to move talent, crew, equipment, props and anything else to a location
Special Effects team to set up and set off controlled explosions etc., if required
Catering food for everyone else on set to eat

Even though it feels like most of the process is complete, after the film has been
shot, there are still more required costs to incur:

Editing the process of compiling all the footage in order on expensive software
Music getting copyright licences for existing music and/or composing the score
Visual Effects lighting effect adjustments and/or on-screen graphics
Distribution producing DVDs and selling them and - for feature films - allowing
cinemas around the world to show the film
Advertising with so much money already spent, getting people to see the film is
vital to make the money back

Although there are evidently a lot of requirements for making media products, for
our 90 second DepicT short we already had access to a lot of these things in college. For
example, we quickly found a location within college which meant there were no charges to
use it and we did not require transport or accommodation. In addition, for talent we chose
one member of our group (Dan) to star in the film alongside another member of our media
class (Reuben) - so both were free - and the rest of us would make up all aspects of the
crew. We also had access to lighting equipment and editing software with visual effect
abilities. The music was sourced online; it was distributed on YouTube, with advertising on
Facebook and Twitter, all of which are free. For this short film no make-up or catering was
required.
On the other hand, there were several things we needed to obtain ourselves. We
chose to use a Digital SLR camera belonging to Ehren - a member of the group - for most of
the shots along with my own SD Card to keep the footage safe. Whilst Dan, our main
character, wore his own clothes on-screen Ehren brought along a scouts costume for
Reuben that he already owned. The only special effects which we needed consisted of a
water spray bottle to give the impression Dan was sweating. The props required were the
only thing we actually spent money on, as the storyboard called for some milk and cookies
with a total cost of just 3.17.
Personnel
Typical roles that are carried out for a moving image production include actors,
cameramen, lighting and sound operators, the director, writers, producers, casting
managers, extras, stunt-men, makeup artists, costume designers and dressers, set builders,
runners, catering and first aiders. In post-production the roles also include editors, visual
effects, musicians, advertisers and distributors. The size of a typical team on a moving image
production can vary largely depending on the type of production that is being made, and the
allocated budget for it to be produced.
A low budget short such as ours typically results in a small number of people
partaking in multiple roles. For example, the writer might also direct, choose the cast,
operate the camera and setup the lighting; later they may also edit the film. The actors will
be required to dress themselves and do their own makeup. The set will most likely be an
existing location, and the cast and crew are expected to get their own food.
For a television programme, the size of the production team varies on the type of
production, and whether it is a one-off episode or serial drama. Single episode
documentaries for example are usually produced by only a handful of people, with talent
being made up of members of the public and experts on the topic. The majority of work
goes to researching images and acquiring the rights to use them. Larger serial drama
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productions such as Eastenders have a comprehensive dedicated team to cover all aspects
of the production. There is more than one person in each crew member role to allow them
to film two or three scenes at one time. However, costs are saved by having a fullyfunctional existing set and in-house costume and makeup departments. Extras are quite
scarce in TV productions, often on a very small wage and only when necessary.
Hollywood feature films have the largest budget by
comparison. Between a third and a quarter of the entire budget is
spent on advertising to get people to see the film, so the
distribution team is large here. Film distribution companies often
have film posters placed on buses which are seen by millions, such
as Oblivion in 2013 (pictured right). In contrast to low budget shorts
there are multiple people doing all of the above listed roles, and more, to ensure
everything is of top quality. The process takes a lot longer than TV so the work is
regularly spread over several years. However, not even all Hollywood feature films
are made with such a large team. An example of someone who did a large amount
of work on his films himself is Stanley Kubrick, most notable for his films 2001: A
Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining [8]. Kubrick was known as a
perfectionist, so often chose to combine the roles of writing, directing, producing
and editing for his films as he was trained in all areas of film production from a
young age.
Other personnel who contribute on screen to media products include the extras,
members of the public, topic experts and stunt-men. An example of a stunt-man in
Hollywood is Vic Armstrong, who doubled for Harrison Ford in the first three Indiana Jones
films, and James Bond in On Her Majestys Secret Service. Off screen contributors include
the fire crews, first aiders and financial contributors. Warrior Fire & Rescue Services based in
East Anglia have expertise in working with producers and location assistants to provide
cover and protection for a television or film shoot. They offer to supply firefighters, fire
engines and special effects, even providing rain effects to make a set appear wet [9].
For our DepicT entry in class there were only three of us and our budget was an
incredibly low 5, meaning we certainly classified as a low budget short. Dan and Reuben
were our talent, although Dan also contributed to producing location recces and talent
permission sheets of which he had no experience of before. Ehrens key role was as our
cameraman, as he had experience from A2 photography. He also made contributions as a
storyboard artist and in designing Reubens Boy Scout costume. Personally my role was
mainly in directing the camerawork, setting up the lighting and checking for continuity; later
I assisted with distributing the product on social media. As a group we worked together in
shared roles to devise the plot and write a shot list, produce it, cast Dan and - importantly Reuben, then edit it and add the visual effects and music.
Time
The timeframe of our DepicT project was between Monday 29 th September and
Friday 24th October 2014. The first two weeks involved completing all the pre-production
requirements in order to begin filming, consisting of a shot list, storyboard, risk
assessments, contact lists, recces, permission release forms, props list, budgeting forms, and
of course a first production schedule.
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Producing these forms was split between the three members of our group to ensure
we used the amount of time we had been given effectively to our advantage. These forms
were vital in ensuring we all knew what our roles would be in production and what we
needed to bring along to each of the filming sessions in terms of props, costume and
equipment. It was also vital to ensure we had Reuben available for filming too, alongside his
ability to film within his own group.
Ultimately our short film was completed by the given class deadline, although this
was not without a few difficult moments. On the very first day we were due to film (13th
October), there was torrential rain in the area which resulted in another group needing to
use our location as they were unable to film their exterior shots. Negotiating with the other
groups meant we required a second production schedule to be put together for the week of
filming to guarantee all our shots were complete by the end of the week. We experienced
further time-consuming delays on the first day of editing (20 th October) as our footage was
split between two SD cards and we did not have access to one of them. The very next day, I
was the only person available for editing, yet did not have access to any music files so could
not continue the editing process. Although the final product was complete by the Friday of
that week, we fell short of completing some visual effects that we preferably would have
done.
In the professional media industry, delays can be disastrous. If pre-production is not
completed by the given deadline, filming can be postponed. The schedules of the potential
actors need to be in consideration as many will often be busy on other projects, and so
delays could cause them to be unavailable. Furthermore, if the filming process takes longer
than anticipated, or the editing process requires more time then the products release date
would need to be pushed back. Any delays of this kind can reduce the belief investors have
in a production company and potentially cause them to pull their funding from the project
which can possibly result in the film never being made or
released. The Pixar animated film The Good Dinosaur was
originally scheduled to be released in November 2013, but was
instead rescheduled for two years later due to the director of the
project being pulled [10].
Equipment & Facilities
For a proffesional media production, equiment and facilities will usually be provided by a
specific production company that will complete all work assigned to them by the distributor. This will
include the relevant studio space, fitted out with proffesional standard camera, lighting and sound
equipment. Alternatively, they will take their equipment to a location designated for filming.
During the production of our DepicT short film, we had access to most of the relevant
required equipment from the college itself. The equipment we required was a camera, a tripod, an
SD card and a source of lighting all but the first were available from AV. For most of the filming, we
used Ehrens own Digital SLR camera to give us the ability to change focus manually for certain shots,
although for some shots we did also source a camera from AV. We were able to access this
equiment using our student cards to hire the relevant items during certain periods of filming.

Locations
Our filming location for our DepicT project was within the college, which made
permissions easy to get and quick to travel to. When considering our production schedule,
we had to discuss with other groups that required use of the location to determine when we
were able to use it. We carried out a number of trips to the location to ensure it was
suitable by producing a recce sheet. Completing this sheet ensured the suitability of the
location by what it looks like and what facilities it has. This involved taking a few pictures of
what the shots what look like, and checking the number of plug sockets in the room for our
lighting and camera equipment. We then had to get a location release form signed so that
everything was legal and safe.
We picked this location for a number of reasons, the most obvious being it was easily
accessible for multiple days of filming so we would not end take up too much time or money
from the budget in moving to and from the location. More importantly, the description
given of the room in our storyboard was The Dark Room, and in this room we had the
ability to make it pitch black so we could have full control over the lighting we wanted. This
would have been impossible nearly anywhere else. It also had multiple plug sockets around
the walls to allow us to power our lighting and camera equipment where required.
As previously mentioned, we did have some logistical issues when it came to filming
due to the torrential rain on Monday 13th October. This resulted in another group needing
to use our location as they were unable to film their exterior shots. We overcame these
issues by working closely with the other group to negotiate when we could use the room
instead, and from this producing a second production schedule.
Materials
In addition to the equipment, cast and crew required for a moving image production,
there are a number of essential materials. These include make up, props, food, costumes,
and copies of the script. For low budget shorts like ours these are not as essential as often
actors can provide their own make up, food, and sometimes costumes too providing they
are not specific to the storyline (e.g. not a historical drama piece). However, in large budget
productions all are necessary and sourced and provided by the production company: make
up and costume departments are usually provided in house along with equipment; catering
companies are brought in to be on locations where necessary to provide food; props are
either found or made; the script is printed many times over and sent to everyone it needs to
be in advance.
It is important to consider finance for materials, because unlike equipment these are
multiple small items which may not cost a lot individually but will very quickly add up. For
example, constructing an individuals costume can mean purchasing many items of clothing
and accessories separately, historical costumes in particular can be very costly and time
consuming to ensure they are accurate to the era of the film. Props can vary widely in price,
depending on what they are, they may be something simple such as Harry Potters glasses,
or maybe a car such as the Delorean from Back to the Future.

Another factor to sometimes consider for props is the brand it belongs to. If a brand
is used without the owner of it being asked for permission the production company can end
up in trouble. On the other hand, the production company may choose to use a particular
brand if they are being paid to do as part of product placement. For example, in our DepicT
production we used Smarties trademarked cookies. We could potentially have contacted the
company and they may have given us funding to promote their product.
Legal Issues
In the film making process there are many factors to consider to make sure the
product is legal. These factors most importantly include licences for copyright of any music
or images that appear in the product, as well as the location releases, and health insurance
for the talent and crew.
In the UK, copyright automatically protects any original products such as works of
literature, drama, music, art, and photography. This of course therefore covers the sound
and music recordings that may get used, in addition to the film or television recording or
broadcast. Copyright prevents anyone from copying, distributing or performing your work
for between 25 and 70 years [11]. Before this time frame ends, it is up to the owner of the
copyright to decide who the work can be used by and how they can use it, often resulting in
large payments to the owner by the user.
Clearance is the ability to use other peoples work by following the terms provided
by the copyright owner. In some cases, everybody is allowed clearance for a work that is
declared to be royalty free, such as music by Kevin MacLeod [12]. Public Liability Insurance,
whilst not a legal requirement, can prevent you from being sued to a certain amount.
Finally, a completion guarantee is often set up with production companies to ensure the
work required is completed to a certain standard by a given deadline. In our DepicT
production, we luckily did not have to consider any of these factors, as we were doing the
work ourselves, and not dealing with any members of the public. All of the music and sound
effects were sourced royalty free online, so there was no copyright infringement.
Regulation
A regulatory body in the media industry is an organisation with the task of
reviewing and investigating media products on behalf of the general public. Their aim is
to ensure that media products are suitable for their audiences and do not breach
government guidelines. An example of this is OFCOM, whose function is to monitor and
regulate TV programmes and the adverts between them. Their focus areas are in
licensing, and dealing with complaints from the general public. However, the BBC is
regulated independently by the BBC Trust because it is a government funded
organisation. The organisations differ because the BBC Trust supervises decisions within
the BBC before they happen, with insight to the financial cost of these decisions on the
licence fee payer [13] [14].
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has the function
of reviewing and rating films for a relevant target audience between a
U and R18.

Media products that are distributed on the internet are more difficult to
regulate than TV and film because anyone, anywhere, can upload a video to the
internet. Whilst on-demand television services are regulated by the Association for
Television on Demand, there is no official board to regulate online videos like there is
Ofcom for TV, it up to the video streaming sites themselves. According to the Ofcom
and BBFC websites there are a number of regulations that could affect videos online;
however none of these appear to affect our DepicT project.
Trade Unions & Trade Associations
Trade Unions are organisations of workers within a particular career that work
to protect and expand upon their rights and interests. They are important to prevent
employers from taking advantage of their workers by paying them low wages or
treating them unfairly. Trade Associations are groups of companies who all provide
similar services to people within a particular career path with the intention of
representing the interests of the people and lobbying on their behalf.
The Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT) is a trade association
that works to represent the commercial interests of UK independent television and film
companies. They offer legal advice to their members where necessary to help the
independent sector of filmmaking expand [15]. The Broadcasting, Entertainment,
Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) is an example of a Trade Union in the media
industry. They formed in 1991 from a number of smaller, previously existing trade unions.
Their members receive support in the workplace, as well as legal services and low cost
insurance [16].
Sources
[1] Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_films
[2] Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerks
[3] The Numbers: www.the-numbers.com/market/distributors
[4] Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com
[5] Patreon: www.patreon.com
[6] Patreon: www.patreon.com/brettdomino
[7] What Investment: http://www.whatinvestment.co.uk/investment-decisions/isas-and-taxplanning/2381293/eis-and-seis-tax-breaks-explained.thtml
[8] Imdb: www.imdb.com/name/nm0000040/
[9] Warrior Fire: warriorfire.co.uk/tv-film
[10] The LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-pixardirector-20130831-story.html
[11] Government: www.gov.uk/copyright/how-long-copyright-lasts
[12] Incompetech: http://incompetech.com/
[13] Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofcom
[14] BBC Trust: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/our_work
[15] PACT: http://www.pact.co.uk/about-us/
[16] BECTU: https://www.bectu.org.uk/benefits-services
Images sourced from Google Images Search Engine
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