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.

My social media publicity for

our film.

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:

A typical music video, channel

ident & web series

Television distribution most obviously includes television programmes and

advertisements (except on BBC channels) 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 such as MTV, Kerrang and Bliss.
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. Frozen was the biggest selling DVD of 2014 in the
US, selling over 10 million copies. [link]
Public Screenings some organisations or local councils setup
large screens which are available for viewing in public
locations e.g. shopping centres & market places. They
commonly show news programmes, short films, music videos or live-streamed
television programmes. During the 2014 World Cup, ITV setup a large screen in
Manchester to show a number of football matches from Brazil, calling the event
Fever Pitch.
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 of films made 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 of the requirements. 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 filmmakers as they have no evidence or
experience to show they will be able to make money back from the film. Most large
Hollywood films are financed by banks on Wall Street in New York. Private Investors are
incredibly useful as they can offer large sums of money, but are very difficult to come by.
Beatles band member George Harrison became an individual investor in 1978 after the
bands break up: after financers for Monty Python: Life of Brian dropped out, Harrison put in
3 million of his own money after re-mortgaging his house so that the film could still be
made.
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 television programmes
(with the exception of BBC TV) are frequently supported by
TMNT Action Figures
product placement within the media product. Michael
Bays Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) was funded to an extent by companies wanting
their products to appear on the big screens in the film. Some of the more obvious product
placements involved include Budweiser, Beats, Victorias Secret and, of course, multiple 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, a comedy music producer
and host of an online web series, who asked for some funding to assist the
process of filmmaking by paying for his transport, rent and a new computer [6].
At time of writing, the first two of these goals have been met, with more than
$350 being donated per video.
The British Film Institute (BFI) is another organisation that provides a
small amount of funding to upcoming filmmakers in the UK, on behalf of the
national lottery. The money, which totals approximately 26 million a year
across the selected projects, can be used to make the film as well as
distributing it at major international film festivals. The film Frank (2014) was
partly funded by the BFI, and went on to be awarded with Best Screenplay at
the British Independent Film Awards. [link] [link2]

Brett Domino's
Patreon Goals

Film makers who have the ability to make one media product themselves could
enter it to a competition in the hope of winning and gaining some money as a prize to be
added to their next project. Finally, 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 on set to eat

Infographic from Craft and Tech

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 in post-production:

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 and camera equipment (e.g. tripods) available from AV,
and editing software with visual effect abilities. Given that we were only shooting within
class time, no catering was required either. We used publicly available stock music sourced
online. As it was distributed on YouTube, with advertising on Facebook and Twitter, this was
Our video as it appears
on the ENBTECMEDIA
YouTube channel

all free too.

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, An example of the camera we
costume designers and dressers, set builders, runners, catering and chose to use for filming The
first aiders. In post-production the roles also include editors, visual Cookie Monster
effects, musicians, advertisers and distributors. The size of a typical
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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, cast the actors,
operate the camera and setup the lighting; later they may also edit the film. The actors may
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 buy or bring along their own food.
For a television programme, the size of the production team can vary widely
depending on the type of production, whether it is a one-off episode or series, and most
importantly the budget. Typically, TV documentary programmes such as Panorama are
produced by only a handful of people, with talent being made up of members of the public
and experts on the particular topic. The majority of work goes to researching images and
acquiring the rights to use them. Serial drama 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
fully-functional 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. This is not always the
case though because, as mentioned before, it does strongly
depend on the budget: car-based documentary show Top Gear
took a crew of more than 30 across the world to South America
for the filming of the Patagonia Special in 2014, whereas popular
reality show Gogglebox has little to no personnel during filming

Steph and Dom, the talent of

Gogglebox: a TV show about
people watching TV shows

due to the type of programme.

Hollywood feature films have the largest budget by
comparison. In contrast to low budget shorts there are multiple
people doing all of the required listed roles, and more, to ensure
everything is of top quality. Some films have more than one crew
entirely if it is filmed across separate locations, or at different
times. The process takes a lot longer than TV - the work is usually
spread over several years. Between a third and a quarter of the A Bus advert for Oblivion (2013)
entire budget is spent on advertising to get people to see the film, so the distribution team
can have a large number of personnel here, in contrast with TV programmes. Film
distribution companies often have film posters placed on buses, in tube stations, and before
other films in cinemas so are seen by millions. It is also common for some of a
films cast to go on promotional tours worldwide as part of their contract.
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 by 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
Stanley Kubrick

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.
Vic Armstrong & Harrison Ford on set. Harrison writes: If you learn to talk Im
in deep trouble! in reference to their distinct likeness of appearance.

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
Warrior Fire & Rescue Services on a set location
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 Reuben, compile a schedule of when we
would film it, then after filming edit it, 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.
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 his shots,
alongside his need to film with 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 (13 th
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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 Our two production schedules; The Good Dinosaur film poster
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. When shooting on
location they will sometimes take their own equipment from the studio to the location, or
more likely hire a separate production team which has its own equipment to shoot with.
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.
If we were not fortunate enough to have most of the equipment available to us
already, we could have contacted a local production team to help us with the shooting of
our short film.
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
using the room 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 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
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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 any. 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.
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
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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 v ideo 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
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[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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