Production Diary

Pre Production Diary

I made a mind map, in which i came up with various ideas for my 1 minute film





19/11/2014
I asked Cameron and Chris to review my script and make notes while I also did the same for theirs. They highlighted the faults in my script that i can now improve upon as I know where these faults lie. The comments made on my script were that I should write it in a more script-like format, as it appeared that i wrote it in a more book like fashion. I was also not clear on where the film was located and it seemed as if the location changed several times throughout


21/11/2014
I have made the necessary improvements to my script and completed my storyboard.

22/11/2014
I have found the actress for my film and asked if she was avaliable to act in my film. I will get her to sign a n actors contract.

25/11/2014
I have booked out the necessary equipment for the shoot and have finished my budget and script breakdown, I now have all the necessary preparations for when I begin shooting the film.

10/11/2014
The film was shot today, I also had the actress sign the contract.

11/11/2014
I have begun editing today, I have started by piecing together the footage for continuity pruposes and then I will focus on more specialised editing such as fast or slow cuts and colour corrections.

12/11/2014
I have finished editing and uploaded my film to vimeo.

Preparing And Editing Moving Image: 1 Minute, 1 Actor, 1 Location

I made a film to enter in the Cinefesat film festival for the category of 1 minute, 1 actor, 1 location. The requirements of this competition were as stated in the title. The film had to be a length of 1 minute and only feature 1 actor and 1 location.

I began the process of editing my film by adding my footage that was captured to the project in premiere pro. I made a new sequence and moved all the footage into this sequence so that I could place the footage where I wanted in this sequence at will.

I have begun to move the clips together to make the actual film. I used the keyboard shorcuts I and O to set the input and output of the clip, this helps to select only the part of the clip which is useful as it saves much more time than having to cut out each aprt of the clip that is not wanted.

I moved the rest of my clips together too, this is the complete sequence of clips for my one minute film. I have changed the inputs and outputs to efficiently use the time given and to pace the film correctly when necessary.

I have added the sound into the film, sound is important as it sets the ton eof the film and adds an atmosphere, sound is vital to films as without additional sound or music the film becomes boring and often unbearable to watch. I aslo added fades to the background music so that it does not stop abruptly and start over.

I have added the credits at the end of the film. To do this I made a new text clip and just put the participants names on the text and added a scrolling effect. I was able to add the credits on the end as having read the conditions of the competition I discovered that the tiem for the credits is not added to the overall time of the film itself.

I have finished piecing the film otogether and am happy with the pacing, order etc. I have changed the audio levels and faded the audio in and out at specific times.

Now that I have pieced together the footage I have selected one of the clips and began to colour correct it. I did this by gradually changing the colours of the clip until I found the one that suited the theme the most. I then copied this effect and added it to the rest of the clips.

I have uploaded my finished film onto vimeo and gave it a title.

Pre-Production theory assignment

Pre Production Theory Assignment

A professional production for a film includes many components, such as a script, storyboard, script breakdown, budget, risk assessment, clearances and any legal considerations such as insurance and the acquisition of pre-existing sound effects or footage from creative commons or public domain. This stage of film-making is known as pre-production, all of this takes place before the actual production of the film. Pre-production is important to making a successful film as it includes important documents without which a film could not be made such as a script and budget.

Films Scripts

Film scripts are essential to film-making. Film scripts are written by a screenwriter and then sent into a production company who review it and decide whether or not they will invest the money into filming it. Screenwriters use scripts to give an overview of a films overall plot and character interactions. Scripts usually come in several drafts, this is because changes to scripts occur often at various stages. If a production company decides to invest the money into making the script into a film they then take the opportunity to make changes to the script, sometimes big or sometimes small depending on the quality of the content and the possible budget issues that may arise. A script must be formatted professionally and to industry standard for a production company to even consider funding a film. Proper formatting includes having characters names in capitals all the way through the scripts, all text formatted to size 11 in the correct font.

Below is a script written at professional standard for a professional production.

Storyboards

Storyboards are vital in the production process. Storyboards are used to show how each shot in a scene will take place. This means that the director and cameramen have a clear idea of what is needed for each shot. Storyboards also help to show the actors where they are meant to be positioned and what they're supposed to be doing. Storyboards also include shot information such as the shot type and duration. 

Below is a professional storyboard from a successful film production.

Script Breakdown

A script breakdown is an list of things included in the script that a director would have o obtain. The list of assets included in a script breakdown are, props, actors, cameramen, locations etc. Script breakdowns are used in all professional film productions, they're very useful for film-makers as they give an entire summary of all the things needed for the filming to occur.

Below is an example of a professional script breakdown.

Budget

Film budgets are created in order to give an approximate cost for all of the equipment cast, crew, locations etc. The budget will also include the cost of screenplay, producers, director, cast, production costs, VFX and music. As a rule producers are generally to allowed to exceed the budget.

Below is an example of a professional film budget sheet.

Risk Assessment

Risk assessments are forms which are given to the cast and crew of a film production. They detail all things that could possibly go wrong on the film set and the severity of the incident. These are given to the cast and crew to lessen the chances of such an incident occurring. Risk assessments are given out on all films productions as it is standard film practice to avoid accidents.

Below is an example of a film risk assessment.

Clearances

Clearances are forms handed out to all actors on the film, they are used to show that the actor has given their permission for their image to used in the film. Clearances are also used for locations in the film and other things tat appear in the film that would require permission.

Below is an example of a clearance used for filming.

Legal Considerations:

During film productions there are various legal considerations to take into account such as copyright (music, sounds etc). Sounds for a film should either be taken from creative commons, public domain or an original artist can be paid for the rights to use a song or sound in the film. Alternatively original sounds or music can be composed for the film, this is common in professional film production, mosts films will have their own foley artists and music composers. Insurance must also be taken out on equipment rented in case an accident occurs. Since filming equipment is expensive if an accident occurs and no insurance is on the equipment the company will be charged for the cost of the equipment. When making a film copyright must be taken into account. Copyright is the law that any persons creation is from the moment of its creation their property copyright prevent other people using this property without permission from the author. Using an authors property without permission is known as plagiarism which goes against copyright law. Plagiarising someones work can result in a fine or anything up to a prison sentence as under copyright law using someones creation without their expressed consent is theft.