This document outlines the research and planning for a documentary about visual effects in film. It discusses feedback from focus groups indicating the documentary should focus on specific visual effects types and include music from featured films. Research found the target audience prefers CGI to practical effects. Interviews were conducted, shaping topics to include visual effects houses and commercials. The budget, distribution, and marketing are presented, planned for BBC 4, YouTube, and film reviewers on Twitter. An outline provides the documentary structure from introduction to interviews to a concluding question for the audience.
3. Primary and secondary Research
From my Focus Group I found out that people
would like my documentary to only focus on
specific types of visual effects as to not over fill
the documentary with information and make the
documentary unfocussed. Another thing that
people seem to want is the music in the
documentary to be connected to the
films/franchises I will be talking about.
And in my target audience profile I determined
that my Primary target audience are both males
and females between the ages of 15 and 23 who
are looking to be a visual effects artist, and are
therefore interested in visual effects and the
affect that it has on other industries.
4. Existing Output
I researched 3 other documentaries that had
similarities to mine one was about the
creation and career of ILM a large visual
effects company, the other was about Pixar
and the career of its founding members and
the last was about how the filmmakers that
made 2008 Iron Man created the visual
effects of Iron Man. The main difference
between these documentaries and mine are
that mine both praises and criticizes the
contempory use of Visual effects in films,
where as the 3 that I have looked at only
discusses visual effects in a positive way.
5. How my Research has Shaped my
Idea
How has my research shaped my idea?
My research has shaped my idea in that from my Survey Monkey survey I found out that most of my audience prefer computer animation
to practical effects so in my documentary there will be more of a focus on CGI than practical effects I also found out that my audience is
knowledgeable enough about visual effects production companies, therefore I will not need to explain what companies like ILM are too
much as the majority of my audience already knows. However from my survey I have found out that the majority of my audience do not
necessarily want to pursue a career in visual effects therefore I will remove a planned segment were some members of the industry will
explain the steps of how to enter the VFX industry.
Another way my research has shaped my idea is in that from the printed out questionnaire 12 people filled out I found out that the
majority of my audience still believes that visual effects are still a very positive thing and can exponentially affects the quality of a film
in a positive way, and they still believe that visual effects can still be fresh and interesting, this has shaped my idea in that I now want to
really challenge them and find a considerable amount of people with differing opinions to my audience and I want them to express those
differing opinions in my documentary and start a conversation or make the audience think about the subject from the perspective of the
individuals with differing opinions, as originally I wanted to focus more on the positive as I thought people would be more pessimistic.
My idea has been shaped by my focus group in that I have found out that my audience would prefer that this documentary be 5-15
minutes long as they believe I need this amount of time to fit in discussions concerning various visual effects methods, I have also found
out that my audience would like this documentary to convey information through both dialogue and visuals equally, I have also
discovered that my audience would like the background music to be scores from films, another thing I have found out is that this
documentary should be participant led by someone in the industry as to make the information conveyed more trustworthy, and to make
the audience feel like they are in capable hands who know what they are talking about. Finally I have discovered that I should only focus
on select areas of visual effects as to not clutter and un focus the documentary.
From interviewing a participant in postproduction Visual Effects (an art director for Hasbro commercials in the 90’s and early 2000’s) I
have decided to include a discussion concerning people’s experiences and interactions with visual effects houses and the employees as
visual effects houses, I may also now include a small segment were visual effects in commercials and how they have affected them, may
be discussed.
6. Budgeting and Funds
I will need a-
Crew-
Producer- £320 a day- £6,720
Writer- £240 a day- £5,040
Director- £320 a day- £6,720
Consultants- £160 a day- £3,360
Director of photography- £280 a day-£5,880
Sound Recordist- £280 a day- £5,880 + gear = £1,575 added together = £7,455
Boom Person-£280 a day- £5,880
Production Manager- £280 a day- £5,880
Editor- £280 a day- £3,920
Narrator- £280 a day- £1,400
Final costs= £48,895
Equipment-
DVCAM or Mini-DV camcorder package w/ tripod: £120-£201 a day- £5,460
Final Cut Pro- £1,047 a day- £2,094
Final costs= £7,554
Additional Costs-
Legal- paid £805 a day
All together final costs= £57,254
7. Distribution and Marketing
My documentary can be aired on BBC 4 as
they heavily focus on programs that
revolve around “The Arts” and my
documentary does as it focuses on film
and the film industry.
I can advertise on YouTube videos on channels
that focus on film e.g. Red Letter Media and
screen Junkies, as their audience are people
that are interested in film and the film
industry.
I can promote my documentary by sending
exclusive clips to be tweeted or re
tweeted to Twitter accounts that belong to
people who have something to do with
film e.g. Mark Kermode a famous film
reviewer
9. Facts Figures and Content Research
History
The first ever visual effects in film was in Thomas Edison’s 1895 Film
“The Execution of Mary Queen of Scotts”, were they pulled of a
decapitation scene of having an actor kneel down onto the executioners
block and then it jump cut to a shot of a dummy kneeling down on the
block and then the executioner cut the head on the dummy off
Articles-
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160218144928.htm
This article discusses how general audiences are gradually finding it harder
and harder to distinguish between Visual effects and things that are in
camera e.g. actors, this ties into my documentary as I will also interview
and interact with general audiences in my documentary.
10. Treatment
I have completed a Treatment for my documentary and it
is located on my WIX page
http://jackbrothwell.wixsite.com/jack
11. Documentary Outline
Opening-Introduction to what visual effects are and their history
Introduction to how visual effects affect the film industry
Introduction to the people I will be interviewing
The interviews with images and footage accompanying them
Neutral Conclusion and question to the audience, “So after all that, how do you think modern visual effects
affect the film industry”
