1. Pre-productionevaluation
Initial planning:
Logistics:
I believethatthe progressof mypre-productionwasverysuccessfulwhenitcame topreparing my
film.The logisticsplanningthatIdidhelpedme planoutthingsthatwere veryimportantformyfilm
such as mycast, locationsandthe healthand safetyregulations.Ineededtoprintoff a handful of
sheetsthatincludedmyequipmentlist,budgetlist,myriskassessment,mylocationscoutingand
release formsandmanymore thingsrequiredformyfilm.Inorderforme to keepmyselforganised
and keepmysheetsinorderandtidy,I had keptthemina folderwithalabel foreach setof sheets,
thismade it quickandeasy andallowedme touse themwheneverIneededthem, keepingmyfilm
incheck.
I filledinmymeetingminutesandmy personnel listswhichallowedme topull togetheracast which
was filledwithpeople whowere willingtoaskin myfilmforme.It helpedme whenI referred back
to themto see whatwas arranged,disagreedon,agreedonandsaidto one another.Itwas also
importantto keepontopof thisbecause itkept me up to date as I loggedeverythingthathad
happenedincase of a mistake.Indoingthis,itallowedme tofilmmore efficientlyasthe cast stayed
intouch withinagroup chat whichwascreatedon social media.Havingthe groupchat helpedus
keepupto date withwhat everybodywasdoing intermsof the film, whetheranyoneneededto
drop out,if anyone waslate or anythingalongthose lines,ithelpedusallow reschedulingtoo. We
discussdatesandtime makingthempinnedinthe chatso that everybodyknowswhoneedstobe
where anddoingwhat,itmakesit easierfor everyone tokeeptrackandunderstandwhat’s
happeningonwhatdays.In additiontothis,the personal containsthe thingsthatallow ustocontact
the cast and crew individually.Itincludesdetailssuchasphone numbersandemail addresses.This
was importantbecause we were able tocontacteachotherin case of an emergencyorshortnotice
situations,whichkeptusall aware of everythinghappening.
Personnel list:https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/02/personnel-list.html
Meetingminutes: https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/02/meeting-minutes.html
My riskassessmentsandsafetyprocedureswerecarriedoutwhencompletingthe pre-production
before goingoutto film.We ensuredthatthere wasnoriskfor an accidentto occur to a verysmall
chance.To ensure this,we made sure that the cast were aware of the closesthospitalsnearbywhen
out filmingandtheywere the SunderlandRoyal Hospital andSouthTynesideHospital andquick
transportwas available tothemif neededandwe alsoran throughthe riskassessmentwiththem
and gave each personacopy of itto keepif theyneedtorun throughitagain.If an incidentwasto
occur duringthe processof creatingour filmitwouldhave animpacton the productionandslow it
downas we wouldstopall importance of the filmtotake car of the accident.Thisisimportantas itis
a situationthatcouldbe quite seriousandthe cast and crew needtobe fullyaware andhave the
rightsto knowthat potential riskscanoccur.It was importantforthese tobe filledintomake sure
that our crewand our cast were 100% sure that theycouldparticipate inthe actionsof the film.
Riskassessments: https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/01/blog-post.html
equipmentandbudgetlistshelpedussee exactlywhichequipmentwe needed,how muchmoney
we wouldneedwhilstwe were outfilmingincludingourtravel costsand foodthatwe needed.We
alsoneededtoinclude the propsneededtocreate the production.In doingthis,we made sure that
we usedas little publictransportaspossible tosave moneyandtime whichmade ourfilming
2. processmore efficientasitallowedustohave more time to filmthe scenesneeded.Inadditionto
this,we managedto come up with a total on how much moneywe neededtospendandneededjust
ingeneral toproceedwiththe filming. We loanedcameras,tripodsandmicrophonesfromcollege
and usednatural lightinginsteadof anyhighor low keylightingwhichsavedusalotof moneyon
our budgetandit meantthat we wouldonlyneedtopayfor transportand food. Because of loaning
the equipmentfromourcollege we wereable tospendmore moneyontravel andessentialssuchas
foodand drinks.Itmade it possible thatif we neededtoreshootascene we had thatextramoneyto
travel back anddo so. Thisisimportantas we tookthingslike thisintodeepconsiderationsoit
meantthat the filmwouldbe the bestqualitypossibleanditshowsthatthingswere thought
throughverythoroughly.
Budgetlists:https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/02/online-budget.html
Anotherimportantpiece of paperworkinwhichwe neededtofill inwere permissions.Thisincl udes
copyrightclaims,locationscoutingandreleasesheetsandcontributorrelease forms. We made sure
to fill these sheetsincorrectlyandbydoingthiswe got themsigned,itmeantthatwe coulduse
footage andmusicfrom otheradminssothat it wasappropriate andfitintoour filmbutwe gave the
creditof these thingstotheircreators.By doingthisit meantthat itwouldpreventcopyright
reportsfor usingmusic,ideas,orlocationsthatotherpeople own. we couldhave receivedmany
complaintsas we filmedpeople withouttheirpermissionandcouncil ownedpropertywhichisinthe
rightsof the owner. We made sure to fill outcontributorsheetstootomake sure we had full access
to filmthe cast chosenforour film. Asa resultof notfillinginor incorrectlyfillinginthe forms,there
isa possibilityof usfacingseriousissues - forexample fines,chargesetc.
Copyrightclearance: https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/02/copyright-clearence.html
Locationscouting: https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/02/location-scouting.html
Locationrelease: https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/02/location-release.html
Contributorsrelease: https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/01/we-done-this-to-make-sure-
we-had-our.html
By completingall of the logisticsplanning,Ibelieve thatithasmade our filmbetterof qualityasit
allowedustobe veryorganisedwithhavingawell structuredandeasytounderstandportfolioof
material whichresultedinthe paperworkandfilmtobe verystructured.If we didn’tcomplete the
logisticsasshown,Ithinkthat we wouldn'thave beenable togetfarin filmingaswe wouldhave to
reshootmanyscenesoreitherhave scenesmissingfromthe filmwhichhasamajor impactwhen
editingandwill create achallenge asitwon’tfollow the storyboardasplanned.
Finance
for the finance aspectsof the production,we hadtoconsiderwhetherwe wouldneedtobuyprops,
costumes,lights,cameras,mics,etc.luckily,we were abletoborrow cameraequipmentsuchas
tripods,cameras,mics,etcfrom ourcollege whichsavedusa lotof moneyforour budgetand meant
that we onlyneedtobuyour USB’s and SD cards whichwe had alreadyowneddue topreviouswork.
Due to thiswe were able to save a lotof moneyforessentialsinourproduction,we hadaccessto
everythingthankstoourcollege andwe hadall of the props,rooms,locationsandequipment
neededtocreate ourfilm.We usednormal clothingtomake our filmmore realisticsowe didn’t
spendextramoneyoncostumesoranythingalongthose lines.Inthe production,we needed topay
for travel costs(busfares) andlunchesaswe were out the whole dayfilmingandfilmedintwo
differentlocations.Whenpayingforthese,itwasn’ttooexpensive whichresultedinushavinga
3. small total cost of the production.All of thiswas showninourbudgetlistwhichisinthe link
mentionedafewparagraphsup.
Creative Processes:
I decidedtocollaborate withmyfriendonthe pre-productionandfilmproductiontomake the
processesquicker,easierandmore effective.Togetherwe bothplannedourinitialideasandthen
came to an agreementonwhichideawillbe ourfilmideathatwouldcreate astrong message and
bringrealisationtoteenagersandchildrenaboutbullying. Together,we bothplannedonwhat
locationswe will filmat,whenwe will be filming,whatwe will be filmingandwhowith.We chose
the locationscarefullyasitwouldneedtofitthe narrative of the filmaswell asthe genre.
Furthermore the locationswe chose,we hadtomake sure that theywere suitable tofilmin,there
were nopossible risksandwaseasyto access.We chose our close friendstobe characters inour
filmaswe were aware of whattheywere like andwe were able torelyonthem.To planwhento
film,we hada meetingtosee whowasfree andwhen.Afterwardswe createdagroupchat to
arrange timesandkeepeveryone uptodate withwhatwas happeningwhichwill keepeverything
runningsmoothly.
For the pre-production,we hadtofill invariouspaperworkinordertofilminthe locationswe chose
(location releaseandscoutingforms),use scenesfromotherfilms(copyrightclearance) andothers
but mainlypermissionformsandriskassessmentswhichwere completedwhichneededtobe signed
alsootherwise we were unable touse the locationtofilmatand use the membersof cast. However
we neededtocomplete the soundsheetaftereditingthe filmaswe were unaware of whatmusicto
use inthe filmandwhatsoundswe wouldinclude soinordertocomplete the formcorrectly
withoutanythingmissing.Itisimportanttogetpaperworkcompleted,signedandauthorisedaswell
as usingthe correct paperworkbecause itisvital tothe pre-productionof creatingafilmasit
containspermissionswhichwill allowyoutouse certainthingsinyourfilmwhichwill prevent
copyrightstrikesetc.Creatingabudgetlistisalsoimportantas itallowsyouto see whatequipment
and itemsyouwill needinordertofilmandfurthermore if youneedalargerquantitythanexpected.
In our filmandpre-productionwe are consideringmicroandmacro featurestohelpusplanand film.
Whenfilmingwe workedoncinematographycarefullyasourgenre is thriller.Incompletingthe
needsof the genre,we made sure to filmusingdifferenttypesof camerashotsbutmainlylongshots
(wide) and extremeclose upstoadddifferentviewsonthe filmandadddifferenttypesof suspense
throughthe differentangledshots.Inadditiontothe camerawork,we neededtoconsiderthe shot
movements - whethertheywouldbe quickorslow.Forthe chosengenre we decidedtodoa lotof
slowshotsand shotsthat weren'ttooquicksothat the audience wasable tosee andtake everything
inof whatwas happeninginthe shot/scene.Furthermore,aswell asfilminginthe college,we hadto
take intoconsiderationotherlocationswhichseemed
eeryandcreepy.We filmedinapark whichwas surroundedbyalotof greeneryandseemeddarkon
the camera but to make itmore almostscarier,we editedthe scenesandbroughtdownthe
brightness.
For costumes,we justusednormal clothingtherefore we didn’tneedtobuyextrathingsandfor
propswe usedemptyalcohol bottles,ascrewdriver,plasticweapons,aphotoalbum, metal keysand
a black featherandrose whichwere providedbythe college.We thoughtthatthe blackfeatherand
rose wouldforeshadowthe endingof the filmasblackconnotesdeath.
4. To editthe film,we usedPremierProtomix the clipstogetherwhichwasaddedontothe Mac
throughthe SD card, add the soundsand change the brightnessonsome of the clipsand addspecial
effectstoaddfurthersuspense andmeetthe typical codesandconventionsof the thrillergenre.
Whencompletingthe paperworketc,Ifeel asthoughIcompletedthemtothe bestof my abilityso
that I wasable to planand prepare formy film inan efficientwaytomake sure that I wasable to
produce the best product.
Project management:
Personnel management
In orderto organise ourcast and crewmembers,we filledinalotof paperworkwhichincludenames
of ourcast andcrew members,whatpartstheywill playinthe production andtheircontactdetails.
Once everyone agreedtobe a part of the production,theyfilledinourcontributorreleaseforms
whichwere the contractsfor theirpermissiontofilmthem, soeverybodysignedthese.We made
sure that these formswere filledintomake sure we have everyone noteddownsowe don’tmiss
anyone outand to have theirpermissionsinordertofilmandinclude theminourproduction.By
doingthis,itallowedustomake a betterproductwithbetter qualityaswe hadthe people whowe
neededtherefore didn’tneedtorusharoundlast minute andfindpeopletoact for us.If thiswere
the case the filmwouldhave beenanabsolute messandnothingwouldhave beenorganisedmaking
it a biggerchallenge thanwhatitwas,we wouldhave spentlesstime oncreatingthe productiondue
to organisingit. Whenfillingoutthe personnel listsandcontributorreleaseforms,we hadaproblem
as there wasa fewpeople absentduringthe time whenwe weregettingthem signed.Thismeant
we had to waita little bitlongerbefore we startedfilming. Topreventthisfromhappeningnext
time,Iwill printoutthe sheetsandgetthemfilledinwheneveryonewhoisneededisinsotheyare
signedstraightaway.
Resource Management
To manage the resourceswhichwe needed(hardware,software,props,etc) we createdresources
listsandbudgetliststonote downall of the equipmentwe will needandhow muchitwill be then
addedthe neededresourcesupandhada total price at the end. It wasimportantdoingthisas it
allowedustosee exactlywhatwe neededandhow muchwe neededall togetherwhichallowedus
to see if we had enoughmoneyforthe total budget.Bydoingthis,itwas
successful asitkeptus well organisedandup todate withwhat we neededwhenoutfilmingaswe
were takingequipmenttothe locationsandbykeepingthe resourceslist,itallowedustosee if we
had everythinganddidn’tleave anyequipmentbehind.Havingourresource listallowedustodecide
on whatsoftware we were goingtouse to editthe clipswhenfinishedfilming.Once we haddecided
we noteddownpremiere prosothat we wouldn’tforgetanduse adifferenteditingsoftware.
Resourceslist:https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/05/resources-list.html
Time Management
To ensure thatwe were workingtodeadlinesandplanningeffectively,we updatedourselves
regularlyonwhatwe had completedandwhatwe neededtoworkon.I orderto do this, we hada
sheetof the listof namesof everythingwe neededinthe orderthattheyneededtobe uploadedto
blogger.Eachtime a sheetwascompletedinthatorderwe would uploaditto our blogsandtickedit
off of the sheettokeepourselvesincheckandinorder.By doingthisit helpedusevaluatewhatwe
had done andwhat neededtobe done. Toworkeffectivelywe werealsogoingouttofilmwhilst
5. completingthe pre-productiontaskssothatwe hadextratime inthe productionstage if we needed
to refilmanyscenesorextras.Thisisimportantas we had backupsincase anythingwentwrongand
we had extratime if we neededitsothatwe were able toworkup to our deadlineeffectivelyand
take our time so thatnothingwasrushed.
Professional practice
To make sure that everythingwaskeptprofessional andneatwe usedthe sheetsprovidedbythe
college thatwe hadour cast and crew signandwe keptin perfectconditionand orderassaidabove.
By makingsure itdid lookprofessional we hadeverythingsignedoff byall of the rightpeople.Once
we had completedthis,IandBethhad our lecturercheckthroughthe sheetsandsignsome himself
to make sure everythingwascorrectandin order.Once everythingwascheckedandsignedwe put
themintoindividualplasticwalletsinafile,theywere individualsoyoucouldpickthe walletyou
neededandgoinsteadof havingittake everythingoutof a walletandputitall backin and wasting
time.Aswell asthembeinginthe file intheirownindividual wallets,we orderedthemsothatthey
were inthe orderof that neededcompletingfirstanduploadingfirst. Inadditiontothiswe usedthe
website thatisverypopularforscripwritingandhelpedusa lot,‘CeltX’.Thishelpedusgetthe
correct formatfor the scriptand the correct order keepingeverythingthe waywe wantedit,
professional.Itisimportant tokeepeverythingprofessionalandcoherentasitwill show thatyour
pre-productionwaswellthoughtoutandplannedwellwhichwill leadtoasuccessful outcome in
your productionof yourfilm.
MonitoringProcess
To ensure thatwe kepton track and documentedthe developmentof ourproduction,we createda
productiondiary, astripboardand filledinminutesof meetingforms.We didthistotake note of
exactlywhere we are inthe productionunitsothat everythingwasinchronological orderandwell
organised.Thiswasimportanttodo as we made sure we didn’tmissanything outwhichcould’ve
beenimportantandimpactthe productionhugely.Asaresultof keepingtrackof the production,it
allowedthe productionitself tobe successful asitwaswell structuredandkeepingeverything
organisedmeantthateverythingwasupto date and there were nochallengeswhenfilming.
The stripboardallowedme towrite downthe differentscenesinthe film, the locationstheywere
filmedat,whentheywere filmed(timeof day) andhow longit tookto setequipmentupandfilm
the scenesall together.Thisisimportanttohave whenyouare filmingincase anunexpected
incidenthappensinwhichyouneedproof of whatyouare doingor the locationandwhere youwere
on a certainday.When creatingthe stripboard,Ineededtouse MicrosoftExcel asit had the
template onalreadybutI founditchallengingtouse anddidn’treallyunderstanditsotoresolve this
problem,Icreateda table onGoogle Docs and filleditinmyself tomake itmore clearerand easier
to understandasit wasstraight forwardwithno complications.If givenanotherchance tocreate
eitherastripboardor thingslike astripboard,Iwouldcreate myown table insteadof using
templatesasIam thenaware of what I am doingandif I have missedanythingout.
Productiondiary:Here are some of the productionpicturesIhadtakenof beth:
https://bethpotter458.blogspot.com/2020/02/short-film-preparations.html
whichare listedonherblogger,andhere are some frommine:
https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/02/production-diary.html
stripboard:https://annalisejohnston.blogspot.com/2020/02/stripboard.html
Risk Management
6. Whilstoutfilming,we were incomplete control of keepingourcast andcrew safe butwe had to
prepare beforehand.Whilstcompletingthe pre-productionof the film, we hadtofill outrisk
assessmentforms,locationscoutingandreleaseformsandhave frequentmeetings.Indoingthis,
we were able toidentifyanyrisksthatwere availableandsee if ourchosenlocationswere suitable
to filmat.Moreover,havingfrequentmeetingswiththe castandcrew membersmeantthatthey
were able toupdate us onany changesintheirhealthif neededsothatwe wouldhave totake this
intoconsiderationandpossiblychange anylocationswhichmayhave animpacton them.Itis
importantto carry out all safetyprocedurestopreventanydangerswhilstoutfilmingandand
preventthe castand crew membersfromanyinjurieswhetherthatbeingveryseriousorjustmild.
CrisisManagement
Whenplanningandfilming,the onlyissueswe hadwasthat one of our cast memberswasn'tinon
some of the dayswe were filmingsowe hadto postpone filmingandfilmanotherdaywhenthey
were in.Thisinterruptedour plannedshootingschedulesowe hadto workaround completing
paperworkandfilmingonthe same dayswhichslowedprocessesdowninthe pre-productionunit.
Anotherproblemwe facedwasone of the locationsof the scenes.The NextGenroomwasoccupied
witha lessoneachtime we wenttofilmthere sowe had to take time
out of otherlessonstogo and filminthe roomwhilstitwasfree and getthe sceneswe needed
before anotherclasscame in.
General Thoughts
I thinkthat inthe nextunitwe have like this one,Iwill eitherspendtime onlookingathelp(Youtube
tutorials/online helpsheets)regardingprogramssuchasExcel andPremiere Protouse the
templatesetcprovided.Onthe otherhand,I thinkthatcreatingthe stripboardforthe shooting
schedule waseffectiveasitwasstraight forward,clear,easytomake and savedtime fromlearning
howto use Excel.Asa resultof the projectmanagement,there weren'tmanyproblemsandthe
problemsthatwere identifiedwere resolvedquicklyandeffectivelyleavingnostressonthe
productionside of the unit.
