Report
In this report, I am going to advise on the key elements which are essential for pre-production work. Using examples from the media products; World War Z, One Mile Away and Monsters, I will show how to appropriately plan and prepare for a production. Involving the financing of the film, the regulations factors, logistics, and the appropriate documentation, which is needed in order to have a successful pre-production plan. There are three stages in a production; pre-production, production and post-production. Therefore if the pre-production is successfully done then, it creates a platform which can ensure the actual media product will be successful also.
Finance
There can be many options for productions when it comes to financing and therefore it’s best to evaluate which ones best and suited for your specific production. There can be many choices; government Funding, studio model, tax finances, crowd funding, bank loans etc. All these choices are dependent on what best suits the production and what’s most flexible for them.
For example, the production World War Z was funded by the popular studios of Paramount. Funding the film with a budget of $125 million, gave the production a chance to make a high budget, quality film. The advantage of having investments from a big studio is that it’s a very quick process in comparison to Government funding. With Government funding, it’s a longer process as the money is coming from different sources, however Studio investments are most likely the largest as it’s all coming from one source. However, the disadvantage of getting an investment is that the World War Z production was in the agreement that a percentage of their earnings would go to Paramount. Therefore, if the movie wasn’t as successful as they thought, they wouldn’t have been left with a lot of money at the end. Luckily, the film actually made more than $500 million profit worldwide and ended up being very successful. Also, when finding funding for your production you have to be careful it’s the best choice for your production. During the final act of the film, directors decided they didn’t actually like the ending and it needed to be changed. This was due to a failure in their pre-production planning and impacted on their financing. They had to invest a few extra million pounds from Paramount to fund the re-film for the ending. This is why financing is very important for World War Z as if it wasn’t for paramount funding them with more money, the film wouldn’t have been as successful and they could have lost the original $125 million due to failure in pre-production.
In small budget productions other types of financing are available. One Mile Away is a great example of a low budget documentary which used Crowd Funding. As the film didn’t have an actual storyline or script, financing was mostly needed for the film equipment and a film crew. The producers made a pledge to Kickstarter which was a platform for funding movies through charitable donations. The advantage of using Crowd Funding is that the money doesn’t actually need to be payed back, therefore the film production won’t lose any money as it’s charitable. They originally targeted to raise £20,000 but ended up raising £21,033, so this type of funding worked in their favour. Issues which arose with financing was that crew members weren’t very happy with the cost of travelling. It was said to be £50 for a return ticket; to London from Birmingham so members of the production became unhappy. Thankfully due to their financing choice, an extra £1,033 was raised which wasn’t actually needed. This helped the production out as it allowed the production to fund travel for crew members from Birmingham so choosing Crowd Funding worked in their favour. The only disadvantage with this funding choice was that that risked not very much money at all. Crowd funding can be very risky and unpredictable as people may not have wanted to donate a lot or anything at all. The One Mile Away production was very lucky in getting over £20,000 as they could have gotten a lower sum and it may not have been as successful as it was. The money allowed the production to do what they intended in terms of filming, locations etc. So, if they didn’t get the money the documentary may not of been awarded the Edinburgh international.
Another way of financing is through a bank loan like the film production Monsters did. As the film was a independent film, the budget was only £500,000 in comparison to big budget productions like World War Z. A good thing about a bank loan is that if you request a reasonable sum they can give you that amount. Unlike crowd funding where you don’t actually know the amount you’re going to get, or the amount you want. You receive exactly the sum of money the production needs. However, with a bank load you must pay the money back. Not only did the Monsters production have to pay the money back within a certain amount of time but they had to give away 5% of their productions profit also. Without this agreement they may have never been of able to get the loan, and therefore had to agree or the production would have been at risk of not getting funding. The production was nominated for BAFTA award and won the Saturn Award in 2011. Therefore the finance method they choose was the best decision for the film as it was a success, grossing $4.2 million box office.
Another source of finance the productions could have used would be UK Tax Financing. This is where small business are invited to contribute to the finance donated. The advantage of this is that there isn’t a maximum amount of money that can be receive, therefore a production has no limit to how much money they could receive from this type of financing. This type of financing would also be great for a middle budget film production – like Monsters as they could receive a large sum of money and not have to pay it back. However there are risks with this type of financing as there could be the risk that not many people have donated. This could result in the film production not getting as money as they need in order for their film to be successful. Another example is UK Government Funding. Government funding allows film production to lend money from the government and most likely not have to pay it back. There are forces and regulations you have to follow when lending the money. The rules may restrict your production from doing certain things with the money. Therefore you may not be able to expand your film by doing certain things because the money opposes you from doing so.
Financing is extremely important when it comes to pre-production as it allows the film to be aware of their budget and what financing methods are best available for their production. Planning what financing methods is best suited is important based on the flexibility, time-scale and amount funded.
Logistics
In pre-production logistics is an important element in terms of creating a successful film. Gaining permission is vital when it comes to accessing locations, people in the film, and what equipment you can use. Therefore, it’s important for the producers to get permission for these things as if they don’t it could result in prosecution of the film production.
The documentary One Mile Away production had some difficult decisions in terms with logistics. Most of the gang members involved agreed to be in the film and gave their permission to the production that their name and Ages could be disclosed. However, a certain member of the gang Simon Moore – known as Zimbo refused to be in the film for over a year. This hit the film production with issues as Zimbo was one of the main gang members, therefore, his appearance in the film was quite significant. Therefore, in order for him to be in the film, director ‘Penny Woolcock’ had to agree on his terms. He would only feature if his music was put into the documentary. Although this could have affected the documentary badly, surprisingly his music went along with the theme of the film well and it actually allowed the film to save money (as they wouldn’t have to pay established artists). The permission of all members in documentary showed to be very important in One Mile Away as without getting the consent of a specific gang member, the documentary may not have been as successful as it was. The documentary was awarded the Michael Powell award at Edinburgh international, therefore the appearance of several gang members, the film may not have been as successful. Another factor which they needed to consider was what they was going to do about location. As they were filming real events, a lot of the recording took place in people’s homes, featuring people’s homes in the background or land. Therefore, the production team would have to ensure that they had the consent of home and land owners that they could film on their property.
World Zar Z was also very similar in the fact they had to ask for permission of people who featured in the film, however this involved extras. Some filming took place on the streets of Glasgow and so pedestrians would mistakably come in and out of shot quite frequently. Due to this, the production team has to ensure all people in shot gave their permission and consent to feature in the film. So, although they should have cornered the street off properly to prevent this from happening, it worked in their favour as the people added to the film in terms of ciaos and at no extra expense. During some shoots, production had over 2,000 extra’s as pedastrains, dead people and zombies. Therefore, without the production team getting permission of every extra featured, there would have been risk of not been able to use some footage.
However in the film Monsters, unlike other productions, didn’t get permission for some of the locations. As the film was a low budget film, all their funding went into film making and the effects part rather than paying for high budget, quality backdrops and locations. The filming took place in five different countries and various of those locations were never permitted to them or given any approval to film on the land. The production team found paying for these locations could be costly but also time consuming. Like any film production they had a time scale, and waiting for permission to use locations would slow the rate of filming down. So, by not getting the permission for the locations it allowed them to have no set times of filming; when they did or did not want to film that decision was up to them. This method helped the production as they didn’t have to stick to a timesheet and they saved a lot of money on permission. However the risks of this was that the locations weren’t rightfully theirs to film on, so they had no right to block it off from the public. So, pedestrians could come into shot at any time and potentially ruin the shot. However, this actually worked in their favour. It gave the film as realistic approach while still creating the sense a monster is among us. They didn’t have to pay the extras, so they also saved money.
Logistics is a very important element when it comes to pre-production planning. Outlining who you need to get permission off and why allows the production to run smoothly and legally. Permission off things like location, cast, equipment etc. is vital in situations where you could be at risk of getting sued or prosecution.
Codes of Practice/ Regulations
Its important media productions follow certain regulations in order for it to be successful and lawful. Things like permission for music, risk assessments, locations are vital when it comes to getting permission legally. Ensuring the payment of the cast is also very important. The actors have to be in a union called Equity which stats exactly how much they should be paid. Crew also have a similar type of union called Broadcasting, entertainment, cinematograph and thereafter union (BECTU), which gives the rates of pay for each task/job. If producers fail to follow these regulations it then may have to be legally handled and be at risk of getting sued and the whole production being shut down.
In the production of Monsters the production team followed regulations by producing a risk assessment. The film included many stunts performed by cast which could have resulted in accidents. So legally they had to of had a risk assessment in order to prevent the safety of cast and crew lawfully. By following regulations, the production was prepared if any accidents were to take place due to their risk assessment. If the risk assessment was not carried out, cast and crew wouldn’t aware of the risks, and therefore someone could have been seriously injured and the film production could also face a large amount of backlash. Although the film production followed health and safety regulations, they didn’t follow other regulations in terms of location. As the film was a budget film ($500,000) they couldn’t possibly pay for all the locations they wanted to film on. Therefore they filmed on some properties without permission. The advantage of this is that the team saved a lot of money on locations and they used public areas. However the only disadvantage was that pedestrians could come into shot and ruin the whole scene. Luckily, pedestrians coming into shot wasn’t a bad thing as they just looked as though they were productions extra’s. Saving them money on employing professional extras.
World War Z had numerous of extras in the background of the film – which were either zombies or pedestrians. Each person received a release form where they had to agree and give their permission to be featured in the film. If the producer never gained the permission of cat members to be in the film, it could have serious implications on the production and the film. They wouldn’t have been allowed to release the footage with them in and if they did they could risk being sued or receive serious backlash. Therefore following these regulations allowed the production to run smoothly and have no setbacks with re-filming or cast issues.
Gaining location releases can be very beneficial for the cast but also for legal benefits. While filming One Mile Away the police tried to seize the footage and any knowledge they could from the production to use as evidence of criminal activities. The producer was taken to court and won as she had the right forms but also had permission to film in the areas she did. Therefore, the footage the production collected was theirs rightfully. If they didn’t have the right forms they could have risked the production to be shut down and the film being unsuccessful. Therefore, following regulations for legal factors like this, without the production could have risked being shut down. All the crew followed safety regulations as well in terms of a stabbing or a shot. Through filming, each crew member were insisted on wearing a bullet proof vest, insuring their safety while being in bad areas where accidents could take place. Risks assessments were also made in case any accidents or injuries happened. If the production didn’t follow safety regulations like this, they could have faced being sued and the film could have been cancelled from filming.
Therefore, following the key elements of production is beneficial as prevents the production team being put at risk or sued. As mentioned gaining the permission of locations can be beneficial in terms of lawful access and allows the production to have organised times of filming. Without the permission, filming can happen whenever as it’s a public lot, but can put the production as risk of being sued and extra’s entering the shot. Permission of cast members is also important as it shows all cast members in the film are allowed to be featured in the film.Therefore following production guidelines prevents being sued and being at risk of getting shut down.
Therefore it’s important to follow regulations in case of accidents occurring on set. Risking productions being sued, facing serious backlash or being cancelled all together.
Pre-production Documentation
Documentation is very important in film productions as it allows the production to be prepared if any legal matters rise. Having the right paperwork and documentation proves the production is doing everything legally while staying organised. Producers need to fill in or oversee the completion of documents such as Shot lists, call sheets, location recces, risks assessments etc. in order to ensure the production runs smoothly.
Risks assessments are a very important piece of documentation to keep safe when performing stunts. The production can go over all the risks with cast and crew and let them know how to prevent them. Like the production, World War Z, had many stunts that were performed daily on set and therefore many accidents could take place. Therefore having risk assessments handy and available allows the cast and crew to be aware of those risks and also how to prevent them. Also, if any accidents do take place, everyone who’s present knows what to do because of the risk assessment made.
For the film it’s also very important to have a clear understanding of the outcome of the film; which the producers of World War Z did not. A clear storyboard should have been created so they had an idea of what the ending of the film would look like. The production had to end up reshooting footage for the end of the film because both directors couldn’t agree on the end of the film. They wasted 30 minutes of footage and cost the production an extra £65,000,000 on reshooting and re-scripting. Therefore, if the production had created a storyboard beforehand, showing them how the film would have ended, they would have had more of an idea and of prepared if they didn’t to do any altercations. As they didn’t, they had no clue what the outcome of the last scene filming would go like and had spent millions on filming again.
As well as this, a call sheet is very important when it comes to a production as it allows everyone to know where they need to be and when. A call sheet is responsible for most of the organisation in a production as it tells everyone where to be. In Monsters, the film was very low budget, so there wasn’t a lot of staff or cast. Therefore it was important everyone was together when they needed to be and call sheet allowed everyone to be aware. When going to shoots they would ‘all fit into one van that fitted seven people’, so the team needed to know where they was getting picked up, to what location and when – which a call sheet which would tell them.
Scripts can also be an important piece of documentation when it comes to planning how the story will end up. The producers of One Mile Away didn’t have any scripts due to the fact it was a documentary. Documentaries aren’t usually scripted as it’s based on true events which aren’t planned. However World war Z did have a script which allowed the film to run more smoothly and effectively than One Mile Away. They were way more prepared as they knew what was going to happen. Unlike, One Mile Away unexpected events could take place and they may not of been prepared for it. However a way the production would have been prepared would have been through a contingency plan. A contingency plan allows the members of the production (cast and crew) to be aware of any problems which could happen and how to prevent them. Including bad weather, props not turning up, actors being sick etc. All cast and crew members will have been informed of the contingency plan and made aware of how to prevent incidents like these from happening. As One Mile Away is a documentary, it was crucial the gang members were present as it was based on their lives. If a problem arose – a member was sick or unwell, the production team would look how to undertake that issue, like having a backup or understudy. It gives the production order and an understanding of how to fix possible problems.
Keeping documentation is vital for any media production; big or small. Allowing the film production to be prepared if any legal natters rise and keeping them for organisational purposes. Documentation like permission slips allow the production to give evidence cast members gave agreed to be featured in the film. Whereas documentation like storyboards and script’s help with the development and organisational side of the film. Therefore, if for any legal reasons the production is asked for documentation they should have it for proof.
Pre-production Process
Media producers should follow a schedule in a certain order. Steps including research, proposal, treatment, pitch/seek funding etc. all which gives the production structure and order reading to film.
A preproduction schedule allows the team to know what they need to focus on next. For example, World War Z would have had a pre-production schedule to outline to all cast members what they are going to do and when. For example, storyboards would be at the top of the schedule as it’s the foundation to the film. Director Marc Foster would have needed to come up with an initial idea to make the story. Then would come a script. A script allows the director to next play the story through actors. Other examples to next come would be locations, finance, casting and so forth. Therefore a pre-production helps with first setting the foundation for the film and then developing it into a real thing. Without a production schedule the production would be so unorganised they wouldn’t have known how to plan or what to focus on next. This could have wasted the crew money and time.
World War Z should have made a more in depth pre-production schedule as they had difficulties by the end of the film. They had to re-shoot the ending of the film and the directors couldn’t agree on it. With a schedule at hand, the production team would have been more prepared as what the ending was going to turn out like.
Another example of key process productions have to take is research. One Mile Away director, Penny Woolcock had to do lots of research when it came to the gang members and the area. The research allowed her to gain further knowledge on what she was expected to document and gain information on the topic of gang members. It also allowed her to do research on city Birmingham, and know what the area was like. Without the research, Penny wouldn’t of known what to expect and might not of being able to deal with the conditions they filmed in (high knife and gun crime areas). Research was also important when it came to the filming Monsters.
As they were on a low budget, they will have had to do various research for ways to make this film in the cheapest yet efficient way possible. For example, finding the cheapest locations and equipment for the film. With a small budget of £15,000, research was very important as it allowed them to find ways to stay in budget. Without thorough research for the production, they wouldn’t of been able to find ways to stay in budget and not going over their £21,033.
Having a process in which areas are to focus on and when can be beneficial for pre-production. Allowing them to be organised but only time affiant. Like a pre-production schedule, all members of the production are aware when to focus on the script, cast, equipment etc. and know what they should be doing.
In conclusion I believe it’s very important pre-production it taken seriously by productions as without the preparation, it may not be as successful. Taking a lot of time to plan before the initial filming gives the production lots of time to consider choices fit for the film. For example, if the media product One Mile Away didn’t plan for pre-production the
For example, from the media products I have evaluated, if the budget is not decided or outline by production, they could risk going over the limit and cause the film to be in debt. All media products need to be prepared in the categories of finance, logistics, locations, cast and crew in order to create a successful film.
