Pre-Production Essay
Assignment 1: DEPICT
http://btecmediaen1.blogspot.com/search/label/B.%20Assignment%201%3A%20DEPICT
Introduction
The Pre-Production Process
The Pre-Production process is one of the most vital parts of the whole production, the precise planning and making of a moving image is key to the layout of the planning of production. If no Pre-Production planning is put in place, the un-organization of a production leads too missing equipment, lazy script writing and the missing paperwork needed to lead the production. (E.g. story boards shot lists risk assessments) The Pre-Production process takes time and the management of that time needs to be regulated through time plans and records. Even after the media process is completed, plans are completed, and risks are assessed, that process still needs to be legalised and looked over by authority. The number of files that would need to be processed such as, props, costumes, locations, actors/actresses, legal paperwork, would have to be dealt with in an orderly fashion and even then, the risks and dangers of production would have to be looked over, taking time and money to complete. Pre-Production is all about time management, the organisation is key and its only once this is completed, the actual production can begin filming.
Types of Production
Moving image production (media forms) is the recording of an audio-visual form, using a series of moving images intended for the distribution of films, TV shows, Documentaries, commercials, etc. our produced piece of media is intended for streaming platforms and TV audiences, as it’s a short film. This means that the intentions are for free purposes, the time scale of 90 seconds makes it too short to publish as a feature length film, so the impact of it being a short film allows it to be viewed by the public for free and in a quick time scale. We put our short film up on YouTube, a free streaming platform, and social media. This is to advertise our film to others to help boost views on YouTube without having to pay for independent advertising (as we only had a limited amount of money). YouTube is an ideal place to advertise different media, such as music videos, films and commercials. This is an online streaming platform which means Viewers who subscribe/download the streaming service can watch these titles on internet enabled devices. The videos being uploaded and produced online are the products of the platform, just like Films which are distributed to cinemas and cinema chains. Most cinema releases are studio films, Audiences pay to see the title in a cinema or multiplex. The platforms are essentially the distributors of said product.
With the never ending increasing of social media and online streaming platforms such as YouTube, Hulu and Vimeo the distribution of independent film making is growing into a fast, cheap way of producing content And advertising that to the world. As many areas of media grow, specific platforms form to become a recognisable, clear way to view products. VEVO is well known for its mainstream domination in the music industry, with music videos being released and published under their name. This applies also to Video on demand as Films are made available to audiences via online and subscription TV services such as Sky Store, Customers have access to the endless amounts of products available, with the need for a monthly cost. The Sky Store is a good example of an online provider known for its streaming services of films and TV shows. This can also apply to services such as Netflix, Amazon prime and Now TV.
Independent film companies (Indie films) often struggle to kick start their advertising and production compares to Hollywood studios with big budgets and talented actors/actresses. So independent film makers may have to sell their production to small non-studio disruption companies in order to get released. These independent films can they play in cinemas if they attract a distributor but unlike big block busters, these films will be screened less and played in fewer areas. For example The Blair Witch Project (1999) was a low budget film which successfully made its way to the big screen and managed to produce over 248.6 million dollars. Because the film cost less to produce, the success of it meant the movie generated a greater profit with fewer sales than a Hollywood film would.
Finance and sources of funding
Funding comes down as the root of all media production. Many sources of funding exist in order to produce a film, television and other moving image productions. Some examples of this could be crowd funding, product placement, government grants, Investors and even family and friends. Crowdfunding is a prime example of a way to raise funds with slim to no financial risks, while also being able to attract attention and a community of fans while raising funds. Successful crowdfunding comes from a set deadline (normally 6 months before the launch) and the more promotion you create, increases the films fundraising to allow the film to upgrade its media campaign and find investors. A very successful film which demonstrates this tactic is Veronica Mars staring Kristian Bell. Veronica Mars’s summary: Having left behind her private detective days, Veronica is now an aspiring lawyer in New York. But when she returns to her hometown to solve a murder mystery, she finds it hard to leave once again. To this day Veronica Mars still remains the most successful crowdfunded film ever made, raising its $2 million target in less than 10 hours and also breaking records for the highest amount of minimum pledges and highest amount of backers at the time. Another example could be product placement. This is when companies will pay the production to include snippets of their product into the movie. It’s a good way to boost funds through the placement of an item without the need for any unnecessary expenses. A good example is the Reese’s Pieces in E.T. the sweets were used to lure the alien out from the wood and these snacks became a household name with an estimated 70-80$ increase in sales causing not only the franchise to cash in with profit but for the company name to also spread in word. Product placement may also be used as a form of in-kind contributions to the film. This means the production will be given things for free such as cars, computers, and phones (anything for the productions use) while no money is needed or exchanged. The films budget will be lowered by the amount that would have otherwise been spent on such items.
Requirements
Money comes as the most crucial part of any media production and the cost of putting that into production is highlighted through the immense list of equipment. They are the main objectives and organisations to help structure the film. For requirements, it’s important that the main list of points are covered. This will set up the beginning budget for the movie. The cost must be divided and efficiently organised so that you are able to weigh out the correct amount of each item.
• Props
• Costumes
• Equipment
• Camera
• Lighting
• Sets, location, soundstages
• Actors and Actresses
• Editing sweets
• Visual effect production team
By correctly funding each section, you build a foundation for the project and the vision in which you obtain can be executed to point. For our project our costs were near to none. We managed to scramble through boxes and cupboards to find our props and costumes. We used rope and fake body parts to complete our scene. As well as that we hired the green screen room for free via the college. In this we used the lounge chair and lighting equipment already provided in the area to make do of our surrounding products. We booked equipment like video audio and camera products through the colleges booking service manager, Keith. Using these visuals to then shoot and manage our video allowed us a budget of nothing, only costing us limited time in shooting. It was handy that within our group we already had volunteers wanting to act on screen, no cost or management was needed to scout for potential suiters. Within our schedule, everything was planned out and booked through Keith, allowing us to focus on other essential areas like pre-production paperwork or setups.
Personnel
Low budget short
With a low budget movie, the whole cost is limited, meaning the hunt for actors and camera crew must come from a local source and willing to risk the finance of shooting. Especially for short film crew, the list of members must or at least try to include: Assistant Director, Director of Photography/Cinematographer, 1st Assistant Camera operator, Gaffer, Grip, Sound Recordist, and Production Assistant.
The role of an assistant director is for overlooking the overall scene and managing the wellbeing and progress of the film. They must track daily progress and order the comments passed between craw and staff to outside organisations to ensure that the film is on track. They don’t have complete authority over the films movement but are able to make decisions and change points to fit their criteria if need be. The AD is essentially the pillar of production, or the starting foundation to help hold and secure the rest of production to make sure it doesn’t all collapse.
A director of photography/Cinematographer is probably one of the most important parts due to the big part of filming the production. Their role is to make artistic and technical decisions. Their job revolves around how the frame is shot and how actors are placed within shot so within a low budget production, that role might double as the camera operator as well as the cinematographer.
Linking in with a cinematographer, the 1st assistant camera operator is reasonable for controlling and movement of the camera. If the low budget film is able to, a camera operator/operators will follow the cinematographers lead to film and capture the actor’s movements. A camera operator is extremely important as the impact of the whole movies performance can come down to the movement and scene in which the camera has captured.
A Gaffer is someone in charge of lighting, these people are also one of the main judgements which come down to weather a film will be successful or not. A Gaffer will take charge in any area of lighting, they will determine the best lighting for shooting and then providing the set with the correct lighting to fit that scene. These requests for equipment can come through the assistant director as making judgments on equipment needed is heavily focused towards the director. The need for a Gaffer is important for a low budget movie, even having simple lighting equipment can make or break a films box office revenue.
With equipment comes heavy work, in order to connect all the dots for assembling each product, a specific person could be required. A Grip is someone hired to help move equipment, settings and allow the other members of the crew to relax a bit while someone manages the heavy side. Grips are especially useful if you manage to hire equipment or have to move from place to place quickly, the Grips are there to help you in the process. Their own strength comes as an important part to the construction of props, costumes and equipment.
The sound recordist also comes as the other important layer in film. A sound recordist will hear everything overlooked in production. Their job is to contribute to the three vital aspects lighting, camera and sound. They will capture everything and the crucial part of adding sound into your film must be controlled by a professional. They help reduce any background noise and irrelevant disruptions that may intervene with the film.
Finally a production assistant, who can be on any set, no matter the scale or value. The production assistant is there to cover all the parts of the post production that may be to timey for the other staff to take control over. They are able to help keep things in order and clean up, manage the sets and crew. They are important for key time management with the extra hands and useful input, allows the production to flow at a steady pace without worrying about taking lead of unnecessary jobs.
A television programme
A television programmes budget is significantly more than a low budget movie so the process of hiring crew members can come at a greater selection. The crew in a television programme usually include the casting director, costume designer, director, location manager, make-up artist, researcher, screenwriter, set designer, and television producer.
The casting director’s job is for choosing specific people, actors, singers, dancers for that specific role to play in the script for the programme. They read the scripts produced by the screenwriters, to identify the certain ideal for that role, then hunt down the requirements needed. Linking with a casting director, the impact of the screenwriter is vital. They produce the final copy and brainstorm the ideas for the scripts used by the actors. They create dialogue and come up with characters and a storyline for the production.
A costume designer is responsible for designing and planning the costumes for a film or TV programme. They create the characters wardrobe and focus into the mind of that character to put that into a tailored costume dedicated purely for that scene, place, and character. Their main goal is to put a characters' outfit/costume into an evenly balanced scene with texture and colour playing a key factor in the final outcome. Alongside the costume designer, the set designer can also go hand in hand with this specific department. The set designer is responsible for the creativity behind the backgrounds of production. They work with the directors, costume designers, actors and producers to help place scenes in their desired places.
The director controls the films artistic approach and help visualise the film to its full potential. They guide actors and crew to make sure they stay in their correct spaces while also taking charge on set with the key role in choosing crew and staff in the first place to also manage production design and the overall outcome of the film in post-production. With the director in control the researcher’s job is also there to overlook those decisions in a creative and structured format. The make sure that what is being produced is true to the story. Fact-checking everything shown is crucial to the performance of the film so to make sure that it is accurate comes in the hands of the researcher.
A Television producer is also key for production to help supervise all aspects of a production. This can be anything from the creative to the directing of production. Producers also make the financial decisions and handle contracts, talent and bargaining agreements.
The location manager is the member of the filming crew reasonable for scouting certain scenes needed for production, they find and secure location through contacts and authority they have access to. They are also responsible for obtaining all fire, police and other governmental permits, and coordinating the setting for the production to complete its work. After everything is set and finalized, on the set makeup artists come at a major part. For any film requirements are needed, this could range from applying makeup to prosthetics on others for the use of media production.
Hollywood feature film
When it comes to Hollywood, the standards for film production are significantly raised. The crew and staff are near enough the same for all other areas of media production but with the aspect for higher standards. They have the standard, casting director, costume designer, director, location manager, and make-up artist, and researcher, screenwriter, set designer, television producer, Assistant Director, Director of Photography/Cinematographer, 1st Assistant Camera operator, Gaffer, Grip, Sound Recordist, and Production Assistant. But these areas are all highlighted with the effort and commitment projected. The budget is also significantly raised so the bar in which a movie reaches, drastically reaches well past the standard efforts.
Within our group, the 4 of us had to manage all these rolls and divide them between us. We originally had Millie (me) in charge of camera work and cinematography, Sophie was acting and also working on assistant management with keeping everything under control. Meg was on lighting and location scouting while Chanel was on sound and providing recordings to match up with Sophie’s acting role. This was our plan and what we needed for our shoot, with our low budget film, the possibilities of a big crew simply wouldn’t be necessary, the roles fitted perfectly to each person. We did have a slight hiccup when Sophie was off for two weeks due to a Covid case, so we had to merge her roles amongst us who remained. Millie took over back up acting until Sophie came back and we all had to overlook everything we did as a team rather than assigning management between three people. Luckily Sophie returned just in time and we managed to re-film the necessary parts to complete production. Overall our group did have little experience. Millie (me) had knowledge of the camera and movement/positions of the actor parallel to the lens, hence why I took control in that area, but the overs had little experience. Everyone soon adjusted to their roles and picked up the techniques quickly resulting in a well shot, professionally presented pile of footage.
Other people involved behind the scenes can also come as separate from the crew. One the film is shot it’s important to have that footage looked over and edited by a professional behind the scenes. Editors are what join the production together, they organize the footage and arrange individual shots into one continuous sequence. They have to look through hundreds of different shots to assemble them into chronological order, it’s their job to choose shots and place them in the correct order so the overall appearance is heavily down to them. As well as being behind the scenes, people are needed to be in scenes. Actors are responsible for portraying a specific character and embodying that role. They work closely beside the cinematographer and director in order to act exactly how they picture. As an actor, the job is to be broadcasted to the world so the duty they hold towards a film is greatly demonstrated through the skill and commitment of being in front of the camera rather than behind it.
Time
Time is crucial in the film industry. It does not stop just for your production so the management and key planning must be done effectively and kept consistent. If you manage to overrun with filming or have to re-shoot films again due to an inconsistent flow of shots, the potential of the film to have major overdraft is likely. Time is money in the media industry so missed deadlines can be costly. The production may have to pay extra to keep sets and crew members working, if located in a popular place. There is also the risk of losing the property all together. Other productions could have already booked that slot so the current overdrawn production could be kicked out completely, resulting in the downfall and possible cancellation of media production. Even actors and filming crew could be booked for other films, so the possibility of losing all the cast and crew is extremely likely, resulting in missing people vital for the performance of the film.
It’s important to plan ahead. This is to make sure that your shot lists and time deadlines are possible, to avoid any risks and mistakes while filming. It’s important to plan everything from locations, actors, risk assessments, shot lists, story boards, in order to keep the management and flow of production under control, this will allow production to not have to spend excessive amounts trying to correct their easily avoidable mistakes.
Our own deadlines were tricky to meet. In our crew, Sophie was unfortunately off due to a Covid case invading her bubble so the whole production was put into a mess of time management. We managed to film without her and get the backup shots filmed but even then we were unsure if that was really up to our standard. When she came back we decided to re-shoot. This put our whole plan out of control. We had two lessons to complete the final version of our film and this was shown through our one lesson filming Sophie and the other finishing editing the rest of the shots. Once we filmed her scenes everything managed to fall back into place but the stress we were under because of the quick turnaround left us almost over run for time. Luckily we got everything finished and up to our standards.
Equipment/Facilities
When shooting a film, the need for professionalism is crucial. Obtaining the correct equipment can make or break the final outcome of your film. As a checklist, the least you need is a mirrorless camera, DSLR or camcorder, microphones, headphones and maybe an audio recorder. A tripod, lights or reflectors and a computer with a good editing app (premier pro). These can all be purchased from various film shops and online stores which provide second hand or brand new equipment. This also applies for borrowing equipment, various stores online offer different ‘experiences’ the need for mixing through different places to find your perfect equipment is probably necessary. The style of your shoot depends on what equipment you may need, it will vary as you probably wouldn’t need a whole production studio and equipment for a month’s period just to shoot a music video compared to shooting a Hollywood block buster film. This also depends on the size of the production. For a small independent film, hiring equipment from local sources may be more cost effective rather than buying an excessive amount of equipment, as the budget is tight and need for saving money is crucial. But compared to a Hollywood film, their access to equipment will come from sponsors, already owned and studio accessed equipment, their variety of choice will be larger and the risk of buying expensive equipment will be profited back from box office opening day.
The Hall is an example of a post-production facility house, which is a commercial company offering a range of TV and/or film facilities for hire. Usually editing and other production facilities for hire to production companies (definition of facility house from EDUSITES MEDIA). This company is based in London and gives access to all post-production facility’s from online & offline editing, voiceover recordings, graphics and much more. They offer a range of equipment and a comfortable environment to work on production. They offer editing suits, audio, graphics and animation software, a professional recording studio, additional crew members, drone filming, automated QC, Harding FPA (Flash and Pattern Analyser), Machine Rooms and plenty of meeting space. Overall the facility they provide is convenient and luxurious, with the need for everything all covered. They have worked alongside a variety of entertainment areas, for example they hired the facility for the audio recording for the stop-motion movie, THE BOXTROLLS. Hiring a facility house can range from anything depending on what you are filming but the average costs are:
£550 - Full Day (9am to 6pm)
£400 - Half Day (4 hours - am or pm)
This can range depending on venue but the average cost of hire roughly revolves around these prices for hire.
Depending on what equipment you need, the website: https://www.multichannelstudios.com/rates gives you a range of equipment prices in order to hire from their studio. This is important especially for low budget productions as the importance of saving as much money as possible is one to monitor. Below are the prices of what is available:
[Source, https://www.multichannelstudios.com/rates]
For our own Depict project, we hired equipment from the reception, in charge of all filming and photography equipment. This equipment has already been purchased and stored from the schools account so the need for us to spend money hiring out equipment from local facilities was unnecessary. For our own production we had access to a camera, Battery, SD card, Tripod and a portable sound recorder which we all hired from the front reception. We hired sound equipment from the classroom where all sound is kept, we hired a boom, microphone, headphones and a Tascam. This was overlooked by Carl (Teacher) who assessed and recorded our availability within each product we took out. Finally we used the lighting equipment in the green screen room to finish off our list. We accessed the key for the equipment lockers from Ellie (Teacher) which gave us the choice of many different lightings. We chose the regular tripod style lighting which stood at either end of our shoot. Overall for our production we had access to everything the school offered so we didn’t have to spend any money unnecessarily buying one time equipment which saved us not only money but a lot of time.
Locations
The importance of finding a location which matches the prediction of the movie is important for not only atmosphere but storyline. You want somewhere which matches the whole aesthetic of what you are trying to portray. You wouldn’t see the Avatar kingdom set in a big city would you? The importance of sticking to your visuals and themes is so important with matching the scenes of shooting with the locations. In order to find and secure your ideal location, you must send out a location scout. These people will have contacts and locations bookmarked suitable for possible shooting productions and know where to go and hunt for specific locations. They know places, cities, landmarks and regions in order to help you find the perfect location to film. Scouts work alongside the film and play a huge role in securing locations no matter how early or late the films production may be.
As the scout hunts for specific locations, they go through the process of visiting a place to determine its suitability for shooting with the Location Reece. This form is used to secure permission and agree on the availability of using a location before you start filming. This means that once you have found a place to film which suits all your needs, you are able to confirm that place to film with no one else interfering. The form will secure these details:
• The production title.
• Production company name.
• The proposed dates to film including the start and end date.
• The name and address of the location you want to use.
• The distance from your unit base to the location.
(Normally beforehand, the need to visit the location prior to the film date is crucial. You need to know how the equipment will fit, look and you need to look at set design, logistics and possible extra props needed. This is to reduce the risk of over flooding with equipment in a space which isn’t big enough to hold everything)
A location release is also brought to the scene, this is a binding contract between the photographer or camera operator and the owner of the property which is chosen for shooting. This contract grants written permission to shoot a moving image production under the acceptance of the property owner. This contract allows the owners’ rights to sue for specific types of claims and documented evidence that this film has been allowed to take place. This is extremely important when filming. Permission is the key factor of a production because once signed you are legally allowed to use that location and you won’t be fined for using private property without permission of the landowner.
Our own locations where the Green screen room W16 which were used for all scenes. This room was booked through the reception by Keith. We decided on this room purely because of the convenience, it had two main walls suitable to film. The brick wall which was used for Sophie’s scene and then the black curtains which were used for Megs murder scenes. We first of all had to scout this location and fill out a location release form in order to get permission to film in there. This was signed by Carl who has ownership over the room and filled out his details onto the form. We then filled out the location recces which stated why, when and where we were going to use that room.
• Why = To film our Depict task
• When = Friday at 9:30-11:30
• Where = W16 Green screen room
This was then overlooked by Carl who gave us permission to carry on and film in that location. At first we experienced trouble trying to film in rooms we had previously suggested. Our plan was to film in W4 which was the drama studio, but that quickly became a problem due to the room being a classroom and interfering with our schedule. This became annoying since as our previous plan to film there had to then be changed as we wouldn’t have enough time to get it all shot and edited. We had to stick with the Green screen room for both scenes. This became more convenient for us in the long run and overall we overcame this issue and stuck with what we had access to.
Materials
Materials such as special effects, scripts and overall locations come as needs for production. The importance of securing a location is heavily influenced by the specific effects which you may need to use. Securing a location which also applies to your needs is one to think of before hand and the necessary complications to setting up effects must be overlooked by the owner. For example, the producers of stranger things needed to think about the certain altercations needed in order to suit the atmosphere of their scenes. The priority of hiring out locations which had access to quick change and the props and equipment needed to suit their 80s theme was what came as top on the list of importance. They needed to hire somewhere capable of suiting that aesthetic so the additional need for special effects would have been obtained in order to convert the location into their ideal image. So for the set of stranger things, the mall would have had to have 80s relevant stores and historically correct designs of lights, outfits, atmosphere, and layout. Even for certain sets, the sudden need for rain or snow must be agreed and accessible throughout the whole set. The quick change and fake weather is all suited that that specific location rather than not used at all or without permission due to the incorrect atmosphere of the location. The special effects in film is heavily based on location. Everything in the world of film has a purpose and the need of specifically altering that location turn it into something magical and factually correct all comes down to the additional materials. When using such materials such as special effects, the financial side to it can be costly. The need to use such effects e.g. fake snow, can come at a huge cost, especially if you are shooting on a bigger location which may provide more land in order to correctly shoot your scenes. It costs to reshoot, if scenes have been shot and moments haven’t been captured, the process of clearing the set and reshooting the whole scene will take time and more money from the effects side of it. In order to precisely get the perfect shots, the one take is crucial. Spending money on having to replace broken windows or re building sets from action scenes will take your production schedule down alongside your financial profit. It’s important to consider how much of the effect might take place or be used and to allow enough time to film that shot so that financially you aren’t stuck.
Legal issues
Film making can be a lengthy project. It takes time and lots of preparation to get right, as well as the legal aspects you have to consider. You have to ensure that you get permissions whenever it may be needed to avoid the illegal issues around copyright. The aim to stick to as much individuality as possible avoids the risk of possible legal actions having to take place, but sometimes the use of needing to use someone else’s ideas or products is vital. However, using someone else’s visuals can lead to complications if not executed correctly as you would need legal acceptance if it’s anything that has been created or is owned by someone else. These are a few considerations that anyone may want to take into account when creating certain materials in a media production:
• The script, the use of using someone else’s script costs money and a lot of legal documents. As its someone else’s ideas the credibility and ownership all belongs to the creator, so adapting their ideas into your own production takes the permissions and legal obligations of the creator to then pass that onto the current production wanting to use that material.
• Certain images and film clips, if you want an image or clip from another film to feature within your production you will need to seek permission from the copyright holder as well as anyone else who may hold status to the product. You can find free photos and videos through stock but the chances of wanting to obtain a more well-known feature would have to be legalised.
• Music, this is one of the biggest factors when it comes down to considerations. You must get permission to include any source of music it in your film, no matter how well known it is or how short of a time scale it’s playing for, you must get permission. If you choose to let it slide and hope for the best, it can result in legal battles, films being scrapped for good, and all sorts of insane situations within film industry.
• Products and logos, if you find yourself using a prominent product or logo which can clearly be recognised and seen, you need permission from the brand owner. This can slide if the item is unclear, if the item is in the background and not recognisable to the naked eye. If this is the case, the likely-hood of needed permission isn’t required. It is also a legal factor that you are not allowed to trademark or use a logo that presents a company in a negative way. The company could sue due to a bad name being associated with that brand. For example, in many action films the replacement of an apple product in a villains grasp may have to be switched or altered to protect the brand from a negative light.
• Designs and fonts, this will be for famous landmarks and fonts which would be under the copyright act. For example you would need permission to film at the LAS VAGAS sign in America due to its rules around copyright.
• Private property, you would need to get permission from the landowner or private property owner before you film on that site. This is to prevent unnecessary filming in locations which may not be suitable to film on/in.
• People or works, this can include pedestrians, references to a famous person, a well-known phrase or saying or even a famous piece of art. You require permission from people if you want to feature them in the film with consent and this especially applies to children under 18 who would need an adult’s permission. As well as pieces of art or references, legal documents are required to fill out if that piece is featured intentionally.
Other aspects to consider
• Obscenity, its important Avoid content that may be harmful to views without a legalised age rating for that film. Keeping to the U, PG, 12A, 12, 15, 18 is extremely important in order not to expose or corrupt viewers.
• Blasphemy, don’t include material that insults religious feeling. This could be harmful stereotypes or an insensitive approach to a topic.
• Defamation, it’s important not to make fake accusations against a living person that may result in them being hated against. This may also apply to characters that are based on real people if the person, even if not named, is recognisable.
• Illegality. Encouraging criminal behaviour, or anything that is against the law, is forbidden as the legal actions against authority are questioned. You cannot tell viewers that criminality is the right approach and normally this applies to documentary works.
• True Stories, it’s important to refer to the movie as ‘based on a true story’ if this is the case instead of facing a possible sue for altering the story or using information without credit.
Copyright
Copyright is the legal permission of a person, place or thing to have its full protection against anyone else’s use. It stops people from using that certain thing for themselves without permission. You get copyright protection automatically when you create a piece of media, you don’t have to apply or pay a fee. So this means that you automatically get copyright protection when you create:
• Original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic work, including illustration and photography
• Original non-literary written work, such as software, web content and databases
• Sound and music recordings
• Film and television recordings
• Broadcasts
• The layout of published editions of written, dramatic and musical works
And it prevents people from
• Copying your work
• Distributing copies of it, whether free of charge or for sale
• Renting or lending copies of your work
• Performing, showing or playing your work in public
• Making an adaptation of your work
• Putting it on the internet
The copyright symbol (©) is used to then protect your creation, so when you see this symbol next to something, it is under the copyright legal protection. You can also mark your work with your name and the year of creation as this then is owned by you and identifies your ownership rather. Whether you mark the work or not doesn’t affect the level of protection you have, the work you create is automatically given protection. This also applies to overseas. Your work could be protected by copyright in other countries through international agreements, which means that in most countries, your copyright lasts a minimum of life plus 50 years for most types of written, dramatic and artistic works, and at least 25 years for photographs. The age of work varies depending on the creation but the legal aspect protects your work from any form of plagiarism.
[Source, https://www.gov.uk/copyright]
In our own production, copyright didn’t really affect us. Our ideas and scripts weren’t something we needed to put into practice. No paperwork or legal issues affected us as the music was royalty free and ideas free of use. Everything we created was off our own back so the worry of a possible legal issue wouldn’t have been necessary in this scenario.
Definitions
Clearance = this is the process of obtaining permission in order to use certain sets, actors/extras, music, art, products/brands, books, photographs, etc.
Public liability insurance = this is insurance which covers any costs or claims made by members of the public for incidents that may occur due to your chosen activity. It covers the costs of possible damages towards a certain person or thing, like personal injuries, Loss of or damage to property, Death.
Completion guarantee = this is a guaranty granted by a sponsor or a contractor to ensure a facility or project will achieve final completion. It is to make sure that a project will go ahead right until it’s completely finished and published. This obligation is usually secured by performance bonds or liquidated damages.
Trade unions and trade associations
A trade union is an organisation (membership based) which is made up of working members who aim to protect and advance the interests of members in the workplace. They help create fairness by securing improvements in pau, benefits, working conditions or social and political status through collective bargaining. They aim to help those in the work place and provide a safer, more efficient way of working. They are important to the wellbeing of workers, they want to provide them with the greatest support network and give back to those who need it most.
• PACT is a trade association which represents the commercial interests of UK independent media. ‘PACT helps to shape the best possible regulatory and legislative environment for the independent production sector to grow domestically and internationally – the association has a strong record of success in campaigning for producers’ rights. Pact was highly influential in shaping the current production business environment and the Communications Act 2003, giving independent UK producers their intellectual property rights. In just over a decade, the sector has grown from a cottage industry to a world-beating multi-billion pound business. Pact is socially responsible and seeks to influence the wider industry to commit to diversity on and off the screen. Pact works closely with broadcasters and producers' groups to create training opportunities and promote fair access for all’ [Source, https://www.pact.co.uk/about-us.html]
• BECTU is a company which strides to help their members through issues surrounding their work. This can be anything from non-performance roles in broadcasting; film and cinema; digital media; independent production; leisure; IT and telecoms, and theatre and the arts.
The company will support members when something goes wrong at work and will stand up for their rights and protect their jobs. As change occurs within a member’s life, the company will be there to ensure workers can thrive through the change instead of being left behind.
A trade association is an organisation or group that is purely funded and founded by businesses and in particular the industry. The association sets laws and provides a large amount of knowledge about the profession of work to companies within the industry. Many associations are non-profit organisations governed by regulations and directed by officers who are also members. Trade associations are established to allow business within the same industry to connect to and benefit from one another. An example of a trade association would be the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) which is a UK based organisation which is a membership organisation made up of digital agencies in the focus of representing the digital industry.
Regulation
OFCOM (The Office of Communications) is a company which regulated the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services and airwaves over which wireless devices operate. Their aim is to make sure that people in the UK get the best from their communications service and are protected against scammers and possible threats over technological devices. Compared to OFCOM, The BBC is a statutory corporation (state created corporation) which is independent from direct government intervention, with its world services now regulated/overlooked by OFCOM, but still being responsible for setting its overall strategic direction, decisions, the budget and guarding its editorial independence for World Service purposes.
The BBFC is a licencing requirement company which enforces age rating within the cinema. They take into account a films purpose and level of view towards views and rate that film with either U, PG, 12A, 15 or 18. This is to depict the censorship of a film towards the viewers, giving it the correct classification in order to enjoy through the cinema. They have the power to reject or even cut work if not to the standard they hope for. They look for behaviour such as discrimination, drugs, horror, dangerous behaviour, language, nudity, sex and violence. The BBFC rates a film depending on these outcomes and usually is responsible for the synopsis of the film in general. The process of classification decided for films/other forms of visuals, allows families and children to choose what is right for them and what they should be avoiding. The process of this is overlooked by the compliance officers which are based on the BBFC’s published guidelines. They communicate with people across the UK and have an excessive amount of research along with the BBFC’s 100 years of experience in order to decide the regulations of a film, ready for distribution.
What I can take from this is the guidance one has to follow for uploading to the internet. For our own depict project, the importance of keeping it under the limit was important. We had to put an age rating due to the disturbing side of it, but nothing of which would violate against community guidelines. It’s important in the industry to follow the laws in order to prevent you film or production to possibly be sued and completely scrapped. Age ratings are there to be used so labelling them correctly only helps in the long run to successfully pitch your film into the industry.
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