1. Pre-production report how process and documentation contributes to a film.
1 BUDGET
you need to determine the amount of money you have to work with before making
decisions on a movie production. you must propose a number to work with this is your
budget and you will need to budget out, you cannot make a free movie unless you own all
the equipment and have reliable volunteers, everything like cameras, props, ETC will require
funds
films will only be publically funded by agencies if they have potential in the eyes of the
agencies funding them, this funding comes from the lottery, grants and charities. Some
organizations provide public funding, examples of this includes Film 4 and BFI. Most people
can make a pitch and if approved it will provide funds if they are being fairly distributed.
Films will be privately funded by investors looking to make a financial gain from these films
So they can get a healthy share of the profits. The investors can be anyone funding a film
with the intention of financial gain, from large corporations to small businesses.
Crowdfunding can also source an income, this involves a lot of members of the public
investing a small amount of money in a pitch they want to see on screen, the creators
incentivise this by earning perks by pledging a small amount of money (for example getting
behind the scenes on the development)
Public films are more artistic and are an expression of the creator and their area it’s been
funded in a film about poverty in England will be more likely to be funded by public funders
than a new action flick. Films with public funding will be shown at festivals, and have
opportunities to receive awards.
Private films are funded on how much profit they are estimated to make, and will be aimed
at a wide general consumer base, because of this films that are easily accessible are there to
thrill a wide audience rather than to be considered as art.
TIME
you need to organise the number of hours you will be working on the film and plan your
time effectively and ensure all members can show up and work on the film when needed
and not have other plans you need to plan how long you will have rented equipment and
safely work between this time this could be affected by reshoots and editing time needed,
budget could over run and cast and crew may not be available.
Facilities
These will be required as sets, storage and editing rooms. The equipment will include
cameras, microphones, computers and more.
You must ensure all equipment you need is ready to put on set. If additional equipment is
needed you will have to wait for the arrival of this delaying the film overall.
If this needed equipment has not arrived on time the film will not be completed by its ETA
this may leave you unable to shoot the film at all.
2. LOCATIONS
you should carry out location scouting during this pre-production as if you do not have the
right locations you may struggle to shoot the filmproperly if certain scenes require a
specific environment. Doing this in pre-production will avoid running over budget and taking
longer to film. Certain places may only be able to be used with permission from the owner
and at a certain time slot, these times must be managed so that the schedule is accurate for
everyone.
People
Having a list of necessary cast and crew is essential to the pre-production of any film.
You must cast the entire film and ensure all cast are correct for the role, but you also must
consider the crew such as cameramen, costume designers, music composers, visual effects
etc. and other helpers such as advisers to give insight on the setting of the film you must
consider who has the skills required for these roles.
Materials
Such as stock or pre-existing footage that may be required to fill in time or demonstrate that
the film is in a certain location or based around a certain thing. Sound effects and music
needed to show he aesthetic of a filmand immersing the viewers.
Scrips and storyboards are needed for a film to be produced efficiently. A screenplay is
dialog, settings, actions and the general direction the filmis headed artistically. You must
follow standard screenplay format, master scene script, when writing your screenplay. This
is especially true if you are pitching to an extremely professional company who will just
throw away the script if you do not follow the master scene script format and using this
format shows you are knowledgeable about screenplays and have studied examples.
Storyboards speed up the process of the movie on set, as you will have an idea on the shot
you will take as framing is already planned however storyboards are not 100% reliable as
the actual shooting location may make some shots undoable so the story board will not
always be followed.
Having a shooting schedule will ensure actors know when they are needed and for how
long,
This negates confusion on what scene is being shot.
HEALTH AND SAFETY AND CODES OF PRACTICE REGULATIONS
Health and safety laws must be followed on set, and you must ensure safety of cast and the
equipment. If somebody is injured on set or equipment is damaged the studio will be held
liable for any injuries and legal action may be taken, slowing production time and costing
the studio. To prevent this, carry out risk assessments, regularly you should also implement
a health and safety plan that is specific and strictly adhere to it.
If you used copyrighted material you must ensure you have paid a royalty to the claim
holder and that they have received this or that they are okay with their property being used
in the film. You may follow rules of the fair use exception in order to bypass copyright law,
3. this can be by transforming the material you have used in some way, such as parody or
adding creative value. However some rights holders may still carry on with a lawsuit if they
believe the fair use claimis false therefore you are always taking a risk in doing this.
Trade unions may be involved in a film to negotiate cast and crew wages and contracts, and
will be there to give advice to them and organise training accordingly. A trade union on a
large scale production could boost the efficiency for individual roles, most professional cast
and crew are a part of a union so as an organisation you must communicate with them
when needed.
Procedures must be followed in order to ensure any unnecessary delays and costs and all
cast and crew must be treated with respect at all times.
PRE PRODUCTION FORMATS
The logline is used to describe the film plot in around 30 seconds. It should include and
explanation of the concept and outline the structure and make it interesting.
Be sure to explain key characters and their personalities
A treatment includes an easy to understand, detailed outline of the plot. This can be used
with a synopsis to give a better description of the entire films plan. You can also include a
target audience. What groups will be the main people to see and enjoy your movie and
show that you have pandered to that audience. A unique selling point will be more
appealing to financers.
The purpose of a proposal is to encourage investors to get an idea of what the final filmwill
be like.
MASTER SCENE SCRIPT
Master scene script is the standard formatting for a screenplay. It should be easy to read
and is understood by studios and investors. It is comprised of dialogue with stage directions
of what the actors will do.
The structure of master scene scripts are:
The standard structure of scripts written in this format are as follows:
Sluglines- describe the location, time of day (day/night, etc), whether the scene is set in an
interior or an exterior, sometimes the locale of the scene (the city for example), and
sometimes additional details about the setting of the scene.
Narrative description - describes the story and its direction. This includes characters,
settings and actions. The narrative description should be short, but detailed enough to be
able to be read and understood fully.
Dialogue blocks - describe what the characters will say, and sometimes the way they will say
it. It should be clear who is saying what, and whether this takes place on or off screen
(marked by O.S for “off screen” and V.O for “voiceover”)
4. The standard codes and conventions of the master scene script have to be followed at all
times when writing a film. Down to the font, size and margins. So that it is the traditional
script type.
Characters are in uppercase and dialogue in lowercase for the script to be clear and easy to
read.
The format is standard as it is to the point and so it allows studios and investors you are
pitching to gain the plot quickly by reading a script that is easy to understand.
SHOOTING SCRIPT
Shooting scripts are used by cast and crew. And contain more information like outlining
editing techniques camera placement and scene numbers these are used by the director
while they are on set and not for studios or investors as they probably won’t understand it.
Shooting Schedule
A shooting schedule is a comprehensive list of what will be shot when. Shooting schedules
typically center around the hours and number of shots required, but can also include the
date, notes on how the shot will be taken, and information on the location and background
of the scene. These schedules are an important part of pre-production, and ensure that the
filming process will go exactly as planned, and not be subject to overrunning (which
negatively impacts budget and time on set). The list must be well thought out and detailed,
ensuring that the order will be efficient to shoot.
Other paperwork
Other forms of paperwork used for pre-production include
Location scouting templates - used to report information on various potential shooting
locations
Risk Assessments - used for assessing the health and safety risks of areas and items to
prevent accidents happening on set
Copyright Clearances - ensuring that all copyright holders will allow for certain copyrighted
materials to be used
Sound templates - showing where sound is used in different areas
Location release forms- the necessary permissions for shooting on privately owned
locations.
PRE PRODUCTION PURPOSE
Well organized pre-production is needed for a film to be made properly. If not then the film
will suffer from many different problems, such as incidents of health and safety or copyright
infringement due to negligence. Problems like these are easily solved but require a lot of
time and money and so the budget of the filmwill be increased and time taken to make the
film will also increase and the filmcould even be cancelled, this is also why it is important to
treat your staff with respect. they may be getting paid but they need to be incentivised to
work so that any issues can be avoided if possible. gaining permission to shoot a film is
required for example you will need to contact your councillor the landowner for permission
before you go ahead and film on their property or permission from actors ensuring they
have signed any necessary paperwork, this should be done during pre production to avoid
5. setbacks in filming, lawsuits or arrests could happen if you have not got any necessary
permissions.
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) are an organisation that censor and classify
films. These ratings make it so that a person under the specified age cannot see the filmin
cinemas or buy a physical copy of it within a store. The age rating of the film should be
considered with the target age demographic, as if your filmhas too high a rating for its
intended demographic, it has less of a chance of being seen by its target audience, and as a
result, it will not take in as much at the box office. Within pre production a target rating
should be established and the guidelines of what makes a film that rating should be
followed in order for the filmto be classified as such.The BBFC (British Board of Film
Classification) are an organisation that censor and classify films. These ratings make it so
that a person under the specified age cannot see the film in cinemas or buy a physical copy
of it within a store. The age rating of the film should be considered with the target age
demographic, as if your film has too high a rating for its intended demographic, it has less of
a chance of being seen by its target audience, and as a result, it will not take in as much at
the box office. Within pre production a target rating should be established and the
guidelines of what makes a film that rating should be followed in order for the filmto be
classified as such.The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) are an organisation that
censor and classify films. These ratings make it so that a person under the specified age
cannot see the filmin cinemas or buy a physical copy of it within a store. The age rating of
the film should be considered with the target age demographic, as if your filmhas too high a
rating for its intended demographic, it has less of a chance of being seen by its target
audience, and as a result, it will not take in as much at the box office. Within pre production
a target rating should be established and the guidelines of what makes a film that rating
should be followed in order for the film to be classified as such.
When you have effectively carried out your pre production you will be able to make your
film the best it could be provided you have the skills too pull it off.
