This assignment brief outlines tasks for students to complete pre-production work for a short film. It includes: 1) Creating a budget and production plan outlining staffing needs, equipment costs, and spending. 2) Developing pre-production materials for the short film like scripts, storyboards, schedules and meeting notes. 3) Recording a line of dialogue in different environments and analyzing how the acoustics affect the recordings. 4) Editing the recordings with effects and into a sequenced piece demonstrating editing skills. The assignment aims to develop students' organizational, planning, sound recording and editing abilities to prepare for film production. Meeting deadlines and grading criteria are also addressed.

1. Assignment brief
Qualification Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production
Unit 1: Pre Production Techniques for the Creative Media Industries
Unit number and title Unit 17: Audio Production Processes and Techniques (partial)
Unit 24: Writing for Television and Video (partial)
Start date 31/01/2012
Deadline 16/03/2012
Assessor name Iain Goodyear
Assignment title IG2 - Short Film Pre-Production
The purpose of this assignment is to:
Enhance your organisational skills by planning the production of your short film.
Demonstrate the importance of sound in film production, looking specifically at how room acoustics can
change the nature of a recording.
Develop your ability to edit sound bytes using a variety of effects manipulation techniques.
Scenario
Your team has secured funding and received the go-ahead for your short film, based on the theme Going
on a Journey, which will be entered for the Exposures Film Festival.
All media productions need planning. This process is referred to as pre-production. Pre-production is
essential when realising your product and helps media producers to visualise and develop initial ideas. Pre-
production is much more than simply writing a script and storyboarding and requires both a methodical
and creative approach to planning tasks. Communication is essential when planning a production and you
will need to ensure that your production team meets regularly to provide updates on pre-production tasks
that are completed and outstanding. As part of your pre-production evidence, you must keep a record of
meetings that take place and any decisions made and agreed on by your production team.
In the production teams you were placed in for your last assignment, you have already produced individual
proposals, treatments and draft scripts. As a production team you have also decided on which proposal and
script draft you will further develop and plan. Further development of your chosen script will be decided
through regular production team meetings.
For this assignment you must research and assign production roles and produce pre-production
documentation. You will be required to develop your chosen script, producing several draft scripts and a
final draft. Your group must also produce detailed storyboards and production planning documentation in
preparation for the production phase of your short film.
An aspect of film production that is often over looked is sound recording. In preparation for the production
phase of your short film you will explore through demonstration and practical activity the nature of sound
acoustics and how this can affect the quality of your sound recording.
Good luck!
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2. Tasks Grading Criteria Mapping
Task 1 UNIT 1 P1/M1/D1
Produce a report & a budget that outlines the requirements for a specific media production
with supporting research & staff and equipment costs:
What job roles will need staffing (director, camera person, sound recording, etc)?
Equipment needed and daily costs (researched with links and equipment hire
company quotes)
Produce a budget expenditure spread sheet in Excel that outlines a budget of £4000 and
what this will be spent on.
*Your budget and any company quotes & links must be evidenced on your IG2 blog
Task 2 UNIT 1 P2/M2/D2
Produce content specific pre-production planning for your short film. UNIT 1 P3/M3/D3
UNIT 24 P2/M2/D2
This should include a broad selection of the following: UNIT 24 P5/M5/D5
Draft and final scripts
Storyboards
Location reconnaissance reports
Production schedules
Production call sheets
Risk assessments
Evidence of regular production team meetings (these can be uploaded onto your IG2
blog in either a word-processed or audio format
*Your pre-production & planning evidence must be uploaded your IG2 blog
Task 3 UNIT 17 P1/M1/D1
Record a provided line of dialogue in 3 or more different acoustic environments. Produce a UNIT 17 P3/M3/D3
comprehensive comparative analysis of how the acoustics of the environment have changed
the nature of the sound recording. Your analysis should contain terminology relevant to
sound acoustics.
*Evidence must be presented on your IG2 blog as embedded sound clips annotated with word-
processed analysis.
Task 4 UNIT 17 P2/M2/D2
(i) For each recording produced for Task 3, produce two further effects-processed UNIT 17 P4/M4/D4
versions and describe what processes of sound manipulation you have used. This
should be evidenced through annotated print screens.
(ii) Edit ALL recordings (original plus effects-processed versions) into a sequenced
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3. piece of audio that clearly demonstrates your awareness and application of
editing techniques.
*All sound recordings and annotated print screens must be evidenced/embedded on your IG2 blog
Sources of information
This brief has been verified as being fit for purpose
Iain Goodyear
Date 03/01/2012
Harry Arnold
Date 18/01/12
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4. Unit 1 Pre-Production Techniques for the Creative Media Industries (Level 3)
P1: outline requirements and sources M1: explain in some detail D1: comprehensively explain and
of requirements for a specific media and competently present present to a quality that reflects
production [IE] requirements and sources of near-professional standards fully
requirements for a specific media detailed requirements and sources of
production requirements for a specific media
production
P2: generate outline preproduction M2: generate competent, carefully D2: generate thorough and
documentation for a specific media presented and detailed pre- comprehensively detailed pre
production with some assistance production documentation for a production documentation for a
specific media production with only specific media production, working
occasional assistance independently to professional
expectations
P3: apply pre-production M3: apply pre-production planning to D3: apply pre-production planning to
planning to a specific media a specific media production a specific media production to a
production working with some competently with only occasional quality that reflects near-professional
assistance. [TW, SM] assistance. standards, working independently to
professional expectations.
Unit 17 Audio Production Processes and Techniques (Level 3)
P1: describe characteristics M1: explain characteristics of D1: comprehensively explain
of different acoustic environments in different acoustic environments in characteristics of different acoustic
relation to recording sound with relation to recording sound with environments in relation to recording
some appropriate use of subject reference to detailed illustrative sound, with elucidated examples
terminology [IE] examples and with generally correct and consistently using subject
use of subject terminology terminology correctly
P2: describe conventions in audio M2: explain conventions in audio D2: comprehensively explain
production and post-production with production and postproduction conventions in audio production and
some appropriate use of subject with reference to detailed illustrative postproduction with elucidated
terminology [SM] examples and with generally correct examples and consistently using
use of subject terminology subject terminology correctly
P3: produce recorded sound M3: produce recorded sound from a D3: produce recorded sound from a
from a variety of sources with some variety of sources to a good technical variety of sources to near-professional
assistance [CT] standard with only occasional standards working independently to
assistance professional expectations
P4: produce mixed and edited M4: produce mixed and edited D4: produce mixed and edited
sound tracks working within sound tracks to a good technical sound tracks to near professional
appropriate conventions and with standard, showing some imagination standards, showing creativity and flair
some assistance. [CT] and with only occasional assistance. and working independently to
professional expectations.
Unit 24 Writing for Television and Video (Level 3)
P1: describe the writer’s role M1: explain the writer’s role in the D1: comprehensively explain
in the commissioning commissioning process with reference the writer’s role in the
process using some subject to detailed illustrative examples and commissioning process with
terminology appropriately [IE] with generally correct use of subject elucidated examples and
terminology consistently using subject
terminology correctly
P2: collect and prepare suitable M2: collect and prepare good D2: collect and prepare excellent
background materials for a background material for background material for a
scriptwriting project with some a scriptwriting project scriptwriting project to near-
assistance [CT] competently and with only professional standards working
occasional assistance independently to professional
expectations
P3: produce script proposals M3: produce script proposals for D3: produce script proposals for
for specific purposes specific purposes showing some specific purposes showing creativity
working within appropriate imagination and with only occasional and flair and working independently
conventions and with some assistance to professional expectations
assistance [CT]
P4: pitch a prepared proposal M4: pitch a prepared proposal D4: pitch a prepared proposal to a
effectively near-professional standard
P5: produce a script for a specific M5: produce a script for a specific D5: produce a script for a specific
purpose working within appropriate purpose competently showing some purpose to near-professional
conventions and with some imagination and with only occasional standards and working independently
assistance. [CT, assistance to professional expectations
SM]
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5. :PLTS: This summary references where applicable, in the square brackets, the elements of the personal,
learning and thinking skills applicable in the pass criteria. It identifies opportunities for learners to demonstrate
effective application of the referenced elements of the skills.
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