Unit 4 Pre Production Learning Aim A Three key pre-production roles and tasks are discussed for scenes from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "The I In Team": ideas generation and writing, location selection and set design, and special effects or visual effects planning. Pre-production for a scene set in Xander's basement involved planning from the writing team and selecting recurring props and costumes. Another scene set in the woods required locating a filming location, procuring permits and equipment, and choreographing a fight sequence. Pre-production ensures scenes are properly planned, permitted, and can be shot to fit the creative vision.

1. Unit 4 Pre Production
Learning Aim A
Looking at pre-production job roles and tasks in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
The ‘I’ In Team’
 Choose three scenes and make sure they have a variety of different content
(int/ext, day/night, dialogue/action, realism/special effects)
 Explain what had to be done in Pre Production for each of your chosen scenes to
reach the screen
Example (you can’t use these ones – the first two scenes)
Scene 1 Int. Night. Xander’s basement. Xander, Anya and Willow are playing poker
Ideas Generation, Writing and Casting
These are core recurring characters. This scene is part of several particular narrative
arcs – Buffy is becoming separated from the group and is going off with other people /
Xander and Anya are becoming a more established couple.
The scene will have been planned out by the writing team with the director (and possibly
the show runner) and then actually written by the key writer for this episode
Location, Set Design and Dressing and Props
This is a recurring set – it's almost certainly a studio set built and regularly reused. It
will have been designed and dressed by the art department to reflect Xander’s
personality. There are a number of specific props required – playing cards and the
boxes of bars that Xander will be selling.
Costume, Hair and Makeup
Recurring characters will have regular wardrobes to choose from and regular plans for
hair and makeup.
Lighting, Cinematography, Sound and Direction
The scene is a standard set up in a recurring set and will have been rehearsed with a
regular lighting plan and sound setup.
Special Effects and Visual Effects
There aren’t any special or visual effects in this scene
Scene 2 – Ext Night the woods – the commandos are stalking Buffy as an exercise
Ideas Generation, Writing and Casting

2. Most of the issues here are as Scene 1. The theme of Buffy moving from her core group
of friends into a different group is developed, along with Buffy’s relationship with Riley.
Buffy is a core recurring character, Riley, Forest and Maggie Walsh are recurring
characters in this season. The rest of the soldiers are minor recurring characters – they
will be the same extras cast in each of the ‘group’ initiative scenes
Location, Set Design and Dressing and Props
This is an occasionally recurring location. The location manager and his/her team used
their local knowledge and found an area of woodland and clearings close to one of the
other locations being used and obtained permits to ‘close’ the area when needed to shoot
there. It may be close enough to other locations to run power lines or they may be
running generators for power. Location managers and the 1st ADwill have arranged
permits and permissions, insurance, parking and transportation (of cast/crew and of
equipment/props/costumes), catering, health and safety risk assessments and security.
There are weapons props and big vehicles with bright lights – the weapons props in
particular will require very specific health and safety testing and a designated ‘armourer’
as part of the crew.
Costume, Hair and Makeup
Buffy as a core recurring character will have a wardrobe to draw from. The initiative
soldiers are dressed as soldiers in combat/camouflage gear.
Lighting, Cinematography, Sound and Direction
This is an external night shot so it will be lit and shot as though it’s a ‘film and tv’
version of night – much brighter than night actually is so we can see all we need to see.
The lighting plan will be more extensive than the internal shots and the practical
arrangement will be more complex because of the need to run power to external lights.
There are particular issues about directing and choreographing a fight sequence, and
this probably features the use of stunt doubles as well as the actual character actors (the
main characters have ‘recurring’ stunt doubles on the cast)
Special Effects and Visual Effects
VFX of the taser shot will be done in post-production but the lighting and acting setups
will be carefully planned so it’s easy toachieve in post.