Depict ! Essay
Type of Production
We produced a short 90 second film for a short film contest which included us filming each scene from the plan we wrote during the lessons beforehand. The short film is a black and white silent film giving it a vintage and timeless aesthetic similar to the works of Charli Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy, it is uploaded onto YouTube.
Other types of media are...
- Feature films
-Television
-Radio
-Video Games
-Advertisements
-etc.
You can distribute your media products through many different mean such as using intertextuality to reach a wider audience, other ways are through...
- Paid partnerships
- Trailers
-Film festivals
-Advertisements
-etc.
Finances and sources of funding
An example of funding for media products such as films is taking loans from either large film companies or just bank loans. This is a risky choice due to the fact your film may not be financially successful which can put you in a state of bankruptcy and financial turmoil.
Self Funding is always a reliable option since all the money is your own, this is more common in low budget films, fan films and other passion projects.
There are also crowd funding sites such as 'GoFundMe' , 'Indiegogo' and 'Kickstarter' , more commonly classed as 'e-begging' it consists of asking the public for funding in exchange for a tier list of rewards if you fail to meet your goal you're required to refund everyone who donated money.
You can also get funding from the 'BFI' , 'The British Film Institute is a film and charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI utilises lottery funds to encourage film production, distribution, and education. It is sponsored by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.' - Wikipedia
Requirements
What will money be spent on?
- Actors
-Advertising
-Sets
-Equipment costs
-Marketing
-Reshoots
-Special effects
-Hiring staff such as cameramen, make up artists , costume designers, animators etc
- Catering , by the end of filming on big budget films catering costs can amount to $45 million USD
We had to obtain an actress for the only role in our short film, we also needed a camera and tri pod, our short film is silent so we don't require a mic which simplified filming greatly.
We also needed two different costumes, firstly we needed a mime costume which involved covering an actors face with white face paint however due to time management we had to simplify the costume which led to us changing it to a clown with a costume consisting of a bright purple wig and red circus jumpsuit.
Low budget short:
- Director of photography- Having a DP is arguably the most important member of the team , having a DP that understands the vision of the filmmaker lets the director focus on other things such as directing your actors instead of worrying about lighting and sets
- Make-up / hair - Having people focus on your actors make-up and hair helps create a better continuity between shoots and also adds a more professional aspect to your film by making your actors presentable for the camera
- Production Assistant - a PA with a good attitude helps simplify production by assuring that everything is running smoothly
- Director of photography- Having a DP is arguably the most important member of the team , having a DP that understands the vision of the filmmaker lets the director focus on other things such as directing your actors instead of worrying about lighting and sets
- Make-up / hair - Having people focus on your actors make-up and hair helps create a better continuity between shoots and also adds a more professional aspect to your film by making your actors presentable for the camera
- Production Assistant - a PA with a good attitude helps simplify production by assuring that everything is running smoothly
-Producer - essentially the team leader who is responsible for managing the production
- Director - Primarily responsible for overseeing the shooting and assembly of a film
-Screenwriter- shapes the sequence of events that will unfold throughout the show
Other roles:
-Production Designer
-Art Director
-Costume designer
-Cinematographer
-Editor
-Actors
-Music Supervisor
Hollywood Feature Film :
-Executive Producer- Provide funding
-Director
-Producers
-Production Assistant
-Line Producer- Manages film budget
- Assistant Directors
-Editors
Allocations
I worked on editing and in the conceptual phase.
Channy was the lead actor.
Nathan and Jody worked as cameraman.
I have had experience with using editing software such as Premiere Pro due to me taking the editing class in my double media course which I have now dropped however, I don't know if any of the others has had any other past experiences.
Time Management and Deadlines
We were given a time frame of 2 weeks to finish principal photography and any necessary re shoots. We managed to finish our short film by the deadline however, we didn't reach the 90 sec requirement with our feature only reaching 60 secs exactly. Deadlines in my group as a whole have all been met , unfortunately I have struggled reaching personal deadlines due to lack of effort and unavailability to complete online work from home due to a lack of having no suitable devices.
If you do not reach deadlines in the professional media industry events and release dates get delayed , creating conflicts with your production team and higher ups, you also run the risk of losing your job which has a high chance.
However these deadlines may not be met due to being placed under high pressure or other reasons.
Equipment
We obtained our equipment through lending it from the college, we only needed a camera and tripod since our short was a silent film therefore making the audio useless.
The easiest way to obtain film making equipment is through amazon which has a wide array of devices for sale at varying prices. Most products are also sold with a safety guarantee and are shipped out and can be delivered the very next day.
Websites such as 'Learn about Film' provides information on what equipment you may need
Locations:
Location recces are used in the UK , Europe, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Malaysia it refers to a pre-filming visit to a location to determine its suitability for filming ,which is usually carried out by the Director of Photography.
The location we picked for our Depict! short was simply a box shaped corridor with windows behind it, we chose this because it captures the feeling of captivity which is so close to freedom almost like a zoo.
Issues we faced while filming here were weather condition due to the window in the background.
We also faced a problem where the canteen staff was restocking the vending machines which was directly in front of our shot.
Materials:
For materials we needed two sets of costumes, we originally had a mime costume which included a white shirt ,black trousers a beret with white face paint and a plastic rose. We had to scrap the original costume due to time constraints because the application and removal of the face paint took far too long.
Our second and final costume was a clown jumpsuit and purplewig which took less than a few min to put on.
We obtained our materials through lending them from the college.
There are many financial consideration to observe and work around concerning materials. Such as budgeting , many films run the risk and sometime even go over budget this is due to many things such as reshoots , rehirings and simply overspending. You can overcome this hurdle by using cheaper materials such as props and costumes.
Legal Issues:
Legal issues that can arise in a media production can be such as....
- Health and safety requirements
- Copyright infringement
- Discrimination
- Laws such as the official secrets act 1911 and the prevention on terrorism act
- Employers Liability
-Trademarks
- Equal Opportunities
- Confidentiality
- Exclusivity
Copyright didn't particularity affect our production other than that we were unable to use licenced music without permission from either the artists or record label. If you are given permission this usually comes at a price, depending on the relevance and popularity of the song or artist this cost may vary.
Clearance : the action or process of clearing or of being dispersed
Public Liability Insurance: Public liability insurance is designed for professionals who interact with customers or members of the public. It protects against claims of personal injury or property damage that a third party suffers (or claims to have suffered) as a result of your business activities.
Completion Guarantee/ insurance: In a guaranty of completion, a creditworthy principal or affiliate of the borrower guarantees that construction of the project being financed by the construction lender will be completed
Regulation:
OFCOM is the UK governments approved regulatory authority of broadcasting , telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom
The BBFC is the British board of film classification and it regulates film in the United Kingdoms giving them the usually correct age rating
The federal communications commissions has regulated mass media outlets since the 1920s which they continue to do today including online platforms such as YouTube
Trade Unions and Trade Associations :
Trade Union- an organised association of workers in a trade, group of trades, or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests.
Trade unions are important because they insure safety and fairness for those who are vulnerable to mistreatment
PACT - Patient aligned care team, cares for patients
BECTU- Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre union
A trade association is a non profit organisation of a collecction of companies or individuals with common beliefs and ideas in the same industry , their purposes are to set laws and provide extensive to companies within an industry. For example in the UK we have screen skills which focuses on the creative industries
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