The Pre-Production Process

Requirements for a Moving Image Production

Type of Moving Image Production
We worked to produce a short film that lasted
only 90 seconds as part of the DepicT online film making
competition. Our result from this was The Cookie
Monster, capturing the moment when a man is scared of
a cookie-selling boy scout. Upon completion it was
uploaded to the popular free online video streaming
service - YouTube. In order to boost the number of views
and thus feedback, I shared the link to the YouTube video
on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.
My social media publicity for our film.
Apart from short films like this there are multiple other types of media products
including feature length films, which range from multi-million dollar Hollywood productions
such as Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End ($300 million)[1] to low budget productions
such as Clerks ($27,500)[2]. Other types of media products include television programmes a
standalone episode, series or serial show as well as music videos, advertisements, web
series and channel idents. These can be distributed by different methods than simply
uploading to YouTube, depending on the nature of why they were created and the budget of
the production:

A typical music video, channel

ident & web series

Television distribution most obviously includes television programmes and

advertisements (except on BBC channels) but often channel idents are shown before
these programmes. It is also common for feature length films to be shown on
television, particularly around public holidays, and also music videos on specialist
channels such as MTV, Kerrang and Bliss.
Cinema releases usually this is limited to feature length films, but also many
advertisements which are shown beforehand. More than 50% of cinema releases
come from one of the 6 main distributors (Warner Bros., Disney, Sony, Paramount,
20th Century Fox & Universal)[3], meaning it is very difficult and so rare for new film
makers to get their products into cinemas.

DVD & Blu-Ray most media products are available in a

physical form for consumers, after release in cinemas or on
television. Frozen was the biggest selling DVD of 2014 in the US,
selling over 10 million copies.[4]
Public Screenings some organisations or local councils setup
large screens which are available for viewing in public locations
e.g. shopping centres & market places. They commonly show
news programmes, short films, music videos or live-streamed television programmes.
During the 2014 World Cup, ITV setup a large screen in Manchester to show a number
of football matches from Brazil, calling the event Fever Pitch.[5]
Video Streaming Sites media products, in particular short films, gaming commentary
and music videos, feature highly on video streaming sites such as YouTube. However,
it is commonly used to advertise feature length films and television programmes.

Finance and Sources of Funding

Creating a media product is not cheap, but funding has to come from somewhere to
finance everything that is required. In the case of films made by newcomers to the industry,
they are often self-financed, sometimes with contributions from friends and family. The
problem with this is the amount of money is very limited and the budget will not cover much
of the requirements. Therefore film makers need to look for other sources of financing.
The obvious idea is to get a bank loan or the support of a private investor, although
this can be extremely difficult for newcomers to filmmakers as they have no evidence or
experience to show they will be able to make money back from the film. Most large Hollywood
films are financed by banks on Wall Street in New York. Private Investors are incredibly useful
as they can offer large sums of money, but are very difficult to come by. Beatles band member
George Harrison became an individual investor in 1978 after the bands break up: after
financers for Monty Python: Life of Brian dropped out, Harrison put in 3 million of his own
money after re-mortgaging his house so that the film could still be made.
Hollywood productions can also be funded using
methods of merchandising. Films such as Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles are supported by companies who produce
toys as they will benefit from the films mass publicity.
Finally, large film productions and television programmes
(with the exception of BBC TV) are frequently supported by
TMNT Action Figures
product placement within the media product. Michael Bays
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) was funded to an extent by companies wanting their
products to appear on the big screens in the film. Some of the more obvious product
placements involved include Budweiser, Beats, Victorias Secret and, of course, multiple car
companies.

Methods for newer filmmakers, other than self-financing and friends and
family, include crowd-sourcing, a great way for newer filmmakers to get money
and support for their project. Websites such as Kickstarter [6] and Patreon [7] allow
people to pledge money towards a project they are in favour of happening, and
many films, shorts, even YouTube videos have been funded in this manner. An
example of this is Brett Domino, a comedy music producer and host of an online
web series, who asked for some funding to assist the process of filmmaking by
paying for his transport, rent and a new computer [8]. At time of writing, the first
two of these goals have been met, with more than $350 being donated per video.
The British Film Institute (BFI) is another organisation that provides a
small amount of funding to upcoming filmmakers in the UK, on behalf of the
national lottery. The money, which totals approximately 26 million a year across
the selected projects, can be used to make the film as well as distributing it at
major international film festivals. The film Frank (2014) was partly funded by the
BFI, and went on to be awarded with Best Screenplay at the British Independent
Film Awards. [9] [10]

Brett Domino's
Patreon Goals

Film makers who have the ability to make one media product themselves could enter
it to a competition in the hope of winning and gaining some money as a prize to be added to
their next project. Finally, another way of getting help is to apply for the Enterprise
Investment Scheme, which can give huge tax benefits allowing filmmakers to spend more of
their own money on their projects [11].
Requirements
The reason so much money is needed to fund these media projects is due to the large
amount of essential requirements for making it. The following is required in order to shoot
the product:

Talent the actors and actresses

Equipment including cameras, lighting & sound
Crew to operate the equipment
Locations rights to use the setting of scenes
Props objects required by the script to be on camera
Make Up & Costume the materials to make talent look good, and people to do it
Accommodation hotels for talent and crew
Transport to move talent, crew, equipment, props and anything else to a location
Special Effects team to set up and set off controlled explosions etc., if required
Catering food for everyone on set to eat

Infographic from Craft and Tech

Even though it feels like most of the process is complete, after the film has been shot,
there are still more required costs to incur in post-production:

Editing the process of compiling all the footage in order on expensive software
Music getting copyright licences for existing music and/or composing the score
Visual Effects lighting effect adjustments and/or on-screen graphics
Distribution producing DVDs and selling them and - for feature films - allowing
cinemas around the world to show the film
Advertising with so much money already spent, getting people to see the film is vital
to make the money back

Although there are evidently a lot of requirements for making media products, for our
90 second DepicT short we already had access to a lot of these things in college. For example,
we quickly found a location within college which meant there were no charges to use it and
we did not require transport or accommodation. In addition, for talent we chose one member
of our group (Dan) to star in the film alongside another member of our media class (Reuben)
- so both were free - and the rest of us would make up all aspects of the crew. We also had
access to lighting and camera equipment (e.g. tripods) available from AV, and editing software
with visual effect abilities. Given that we were only shooting within class time, no catering
was required either. We used publicly available stock music sourced online. As it was
distributed on YouTube, with advertising on Facebook and Twitter, this was all free too.
Our video as it appears
on the ENBTECMEDIA
YouTube channel

On the other hand, there were several things we needed to

obtain ourselves. We chose to use a Digital SLR camera belonging to
Ehren - a member of the group - for most of the shots along with my
own SD Card to keep the footage safe. Whilst Dan, our main
character, wore his own clothes on-screen Ehren brought along a
scouts costume for Reuben that he already owned. The only special
effects which we needed consisted of a water spray bottle to give the
impression Dan was sweating. The props required were the only
thing we actually spent money on, as the storyboard called for some
milk and cookies with a total cost of just 3.17.

An example of the camera we

chose to use for filming The
Cookie Monster

Personnel
Typical roles that are carried out for a moving image production include actors,
cameramen, lighting and sound operators, the director, writers, producers, casting managers,
extras, stunt-men, makeup artists, costume designers and dressers, set builders, runners,
catering and first aiders. In post-production the roles also include editors, visual effects,
musicians, advertisers and distributors. The size of a typical team on a moving image
production can vary largely depending on the type of production that is being made, and the
allocated budget for it to be produced.
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A low budget short such as ours typically results in a small number of people partaking
in multiple roles. For example, the writer might also direct, cast the actors, operate the
camera and setup the lighting; later they may also edit the film. The actors may be required
to dress themselves and do their own makeup. The set will most likely be an existing location,
and the cast and crew are expected to buy or bring along their own food.
For a television programme, the size of the production team can vary widely
depending on the type of production, whether it is a one-off episode or series, and most
importantly the budget. Typically, TV documentary programmes such as Panorama are
produced by only a handful of people, with talent being made up of members of the public
and experts on the particular topic. The majority of work goes to researching images and
acquiring the rights to use them. Serial drama productions such as Eastenders have a
comprehensive dedicated team to cover all aspects of the production. There is more than one
person in each crew member role to allow them to film two or
three scenes at one time. However, costs are saved by having a
fully-functional existing set and in-house costume and makeup
departments. Extras are quite scarce in TV productions, often on
a very small wage and only when necessary. This is not always the
case though because, as mentioned before, it does strongly
depend on the budget: car-based documentary show Top Gear
took a crew of more than 30 across the world to South America
Steph and Dom, the talent of
for the filming of the Patagonia Special in 2014, whereas popular
Gogglebox: a TV show about
reality show Gogglebox has little to no personnel during filming
people watching TV shows
due to the type of programme.
Hollywood feature films have the largest budget by
comparison. In contrast to low budget shorts there are multiple
people doing all of the required listed roles, and more, to ensure
everything is of top quality. Some films have more than one crew
entirely if it is filmed across separate locations, or at different
times. The process takes a lot longer than TV - the work is usually
spread over several years. Between a third and a quarter of the
entire budget is spent on advertising to get people to see the film, A Bus advert for Oblivion (2013)
so the distribution team can have a large number of personnel here, in contrast with TV
programmes. Film distribution companies often have film posters placed on buses, in tube
stations, and before other films in cinemas so are seen by millions. It is also common for some
of a films cast to go on promotional tours worldwide as part of their contract.
However, not even all Hollywood feature films are made with such a
large team. An example of someone who did a large amount of work on his
films by himself is Stanley Kubrick, most notable for his films 2001: A Space
Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining [12]. Kubrick was known as a
perfectionist, so often chose to combine the roles of writing, directing,
producing and editing for his films as he was trained in all areas of film
production from a young age.

Stanley Kubrick

Other personnel who contribute on screen to media

products include the extras, members of the public, topic
experts and stunt-men. An example of a stunt-man in
Hollywood is Vic Armstrong, who doubled for Harrison Ford in
the first three Indiana Jones films, and James Bond in On Her
Majestys Secret Service.[13]
Vic Armstrong & Harrison Ford on set. Harrison writes: If you learn to talk Im
in deep trouble! in reference to their distinct likeness of appearance.

Off screen contributors include the fire crews, first

aiders and financial contributors. Warrior Fire & Rescue
Services based in East Anglia have expertise in working with
producers and location assistants to provide cover and
protection for a television or film shoot. They offer to supply
firefighters, fire engines and special effects, even providing
rain effects to make a set appear wet.[14]
Warrior Fire & Rescue Services on a set location

For our DepicT entry in class there were only three of us and our budget was an
incredibly low 5, meaning we certainly classified as a low budget short. Dan and Reuben
were our talent, although Dan also contributed to producing location recces and talent
permission sheets of which he had no experience of before. Ehrens key role was as our
cameraman, as he had experience from A2 photography. He also made contributions as a
storyboard artist and in designing Reubens Boy Scout costume. Personally my role was mainly
in directing the camerawork, setting up the lighting and checking for continuity; later I
assisted with distributing the product on social media. As a group we worked together in
shared roles to devise the plot and write a shot list, produce it, cast Dan and Reuben, compile
a schedule of when we would film it, then after filming edit it, add the visual effects and music.
Time
The timeframe of our DepicT project was between Monday 29th September and Friday
October 2014. The first two weeks involved completing all the pre-production
requirements in order to begin filming, consisting of a shot list, storyboard, risk assessments,
contact lists, recces, permission release forms, props list, budgeting forms, and of course a
first production schedule.
24th

Producing these forms was split between the three members of our group to ensure
we used the amount of time we had been given effectively to our advantage. These forms
were vital in ensuring we all knew what our roles would be in production and what we needed
to bring along to each of the filming sessions in terms of props, costume and equipment. It
was also vital to ensure we had Reuben available for filming his shots, alongside his need to
film with his own group.
Ultimately our short film was completed by the given class deadline, although this was
not without a few difficult moments. On the very first day we were due to film (13th October),
there was torrential rain in the area which resulted in another group needing to use our
location as they were unable to film their exterior shots. Negotiating with the other groups
6

meant we required a second production schedule to be put together for the week of filming
to guarantee all our shots were complete by the end of the week. We experienced further
time-consuming delays on the first day of editing (20th October) as our footage was split
between two SD cards and we did not have access to one of them. The very next day, I was
the only person available for editing, yet did not have access to any music files so could not
continue the editing process. Although the final product was complete by the Friday of that
week, we fell short of completing some visual effects that we preferably would have done.
In the professional media
industry, delays can be disastrous. If
pre-production is not completed by
the given deadline, filming can be
postponed. The schedules of the
potential actors need to be in
consideration as many will often be
busy on other projects, and so delays
could cause them to be unavailable.
Furthermore, if the filming process
takes longer than anticipated, or the
editing process requires more time
then the products release date would
need to be pushed back. Any delays of
Our two production schedules; The Good Dinosaur film poster
this kind can reduce the belief investors
have in a production company and potentially cause them to pull
their funding from the project which can possibly result in the film
never being made or released. An example of this is the Pixar
animated film The Good Dinosaur which was originally scheduled
to be released in November 2013, but was rescheduled for two
years later due to the director of the project being pulled [15].
Equipment & Facilities
For a proffesional media production, equiment and facilities will usually be provided
by a specific production company that will complete all work assigned to them by the
distributor. This will include the relevant studio space, fitted out with proffesional standard
camera, lighting and sound equipment. When shooting on location they will sometimes take
their own equipment from the studio to the location, or more likely hire a separate production
team which has its own equipment to shoot with.
During the production of our DepicT short film, we had access to most of the relevant
required equipment from the college itself. The equipment we required was a camera, a
tripod, an SD card and a source of lighting all but the first were available from AV. For most
of the filming, we used Ehrens own Digital SLR camera to give us the ability to change focus
manually for certain shots, although for some shots we did also source a camera from AV. We
were able to access this equiment using our student cards to hire the relevant items during
certain periods of filming.

If we were not fortunate enough to have most of the equipment available to us already, we
could have contacted a local production team to help us with the shooting of our short film.
In Norwich, there are several production companies who offer equipment and expertise for
making short films. These include Spindle, Lambda Films, and Eye Film & TV who are all based
in Norwich, but produce films on a national and occasionally international scale. Worthy of
note, Eye Film & TV was established over 40 years ago and has produced documentaries and
(more relevant to us) drama programmes for the BBC, ITV,
Channel 5, UK TV and Animal Planet. Moreover, they provide
training courses at their base in Norwich which would ensure
we did not damage their equipment during filming, and
ultimately make the project look great.[16]
Locations
Our filming location for our DepicT project was within the college, which made
permissions easy to get and quick to travel to. When considering our production schedule,
we had to discuss with other groups that required use of the location to determine when we
were able to use it. We carried out a number of trips to the location to ensure it was suitable
by producing a recce sheet. Completing this sheet ensured the suitability of the location by
what it looks like and what facilities it has. This involved taking a few pictures of what the
shots what look like, and checking the number of plug sockets in the room for our lighting and
camera equipment. We then had to get a location release form signed so that using the room
was legal and safe.
We picked this location for a number of
reasons, the most obvious being it was easily
accessible for multiple days of filming so we would not
take up too much time or money from the budget in
moving to and from the location. More importantly,
the description given of the room in our storyboard
was The Dark Room, and in this room we had the
ability to make it pitch black so we could have full
control over the lighting we wanted. This would have
been impossible nearly anywhere else. It also had
multiple plug sockets around the walls to allow us to
power our lighting and camera equipment where
required.
As previously mentioned, we did have some logistical issues when it came to filming
due to the torrential rain on Monday 13th October. This resulted in another group needing to
use our location as they were unable to film their exterior shots. We overcame these issues
by working closely with the other group to negotiate when we could use the room instead,
and from this producing a second production schedule.

Materials
In addition to the equipment, cast and crew required for a moving image production,
there are a number of essential materials. These include make up, props, food, costumes, and
copies of the script. For low budget shorts like ours these are not as essential as often actors
can provide their own make up, food, and sometimes costumes too providing they are not
specific to the storyline (e.g. costumes in historical dramas such as ITVs Downton Abbey are
researched intently so cast will not be expected to provide them). In large budget productions
all are necessary and sourced and provided by the production company: make up and
costume departments are provided in house along with equipment; catering companies are
brought in to be on locations where necessary to provide food; props are either found or
made; the script is printed many times over and sent to everyone it needs to be in advance.
One material company that is frequently associated
with film and TV projects is Abadia Catering who as the name
suggests provide food, on the sets of productions for cast and
crew. They are based in London but have provided on set
catering in Poland, Ireland, Spain, Sweden & Morocco to name
a few, additionally on sets in Wales and London for the BBCs
Sherlock Series 2&3. [17] [18]
It is important to consider finance for materials because unlike equipment which tend
to be large and expensive items, these are multiple small items which may not cost a lot
individually but will very quickly add up. For example, constructing an individuals costume
can mean purchasing many items of clothing and accessories separately, historical costumes
in particular can be very costly and time consuming to locate for use, and ensure they are
accurate to the era of the film. Props can vary widely in price, depending on what they are;
they may be something simple such as Harry Potters glasses, or maybe a modified car such
as the Delorean from Back to the Future.
Another factor to sometimes consider for props is the brand it belongs to, if any. If a
brand is used without the owner of it being asked for permission the production company can
end up in trouble. On the other hand, the production company may choose to use a particular
brand if they are being paid to do so as part of product placement. Product placement is often
seen in film franchises such as Transformers and Back to the Future. Product Placement on TV
is more complicated in the UK: Ofcom also regulates other TV channels to prevent product
placement appearing on news, current affairs, childrens, religious and consumer advice
programmes. Products such as tobacco, alcohol and prescription medicines cannot be used
and when any product is used in a programme the special P logo must feature at the
beginning and end of it. Additionally, the BBC does not show any product placement because
The taking of product placement for licence fee funded services is prohibited. [19] [20]
Some well-known materials used
in films, Harry Potters glasses &
the Delorean, besides the
Product Placement logo.

Legal Issues
In the film making process there are many factors to consider to make sure the
product is legal. These factors most importantly include licences for copyright of any music or
images that appear in the product, as well as the location releases, and health insurance for
the talent and crew.
In the UK, copyright automatically protects any original products such as works of
literature, drama, music, art, and photography. This of course therefore covers the sound and
music recordings that may get used, in addition to the film or television recording or
broadcast. Copyright prevents anyone from copying, distributing or performing your work for
between 25 and 70 years.[21] Before this time frame ends, it is up to the owner of the copyright
to decide who the work can be used by and how they can use it, often resulting in large
payments to the owner by the user. This can be up to 9,000 per track for a worldwide
distributed film trailer, or 700 per 30 seconds used.[22] This means that, on some occasions,
it is cheaper for production companies to hire a composer to score their film rather than pay
multiple individual artists.
Clearance is the ability to use other peoples work by following the terms provided by
the copyright owner. In some cases, everybody is allowed clearance for a work that is declared
to be royalty free, such as music by Kevin MacLeod on incompetech.com [23]. Public Liability
Insurance, whilst not a legal requirement, can prevent you from being sued to a certain
amount. Finally, a completion guarantee is often set up with production companies to ensure
the work required is completed to a certain standard by a given deadline. In our DepicT
production, we luckily did not have to consider any of these factors, as we were doing the
work ourselves, and not dealing with any members of the public. All of the music and sound
effects were sourced royalty free online,
so there was no copyright infringement.
Regulation
A regulatory body in the media industry is an organisation with the task of
reviewing and investigating media products on behalf of the general public. Their aim is
to ensure that media products are suitable for their audiences and do not breach
government guidelines. An example of this is Ofcom, whose function is to monitor and
regulate TV programmes and the adverts between them. Their focus areas are in
licensing, and dealing with complaints from the general public. However, the BBC is
regulated independently by the BBC Trust because it is a government funded
organisation. The organisations differ because the BBC Trust supervises decisions within
the BBC before they happen, with insight to the financial cost of these decisions on the
licence fee payer [24] [25].
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has the
function of reviewing and rating films released in the UK for a
relevant target audience between U and R18. This is mainly done to
prevent young children from witnessing particular scenes of
violence and hearing bad language. Obviously, the ratings of 12, 15
and 18 relate to the age an audience member should be to watch
the film, whilst PG suggests guidance from parents and U is suitable for everyone. [26]
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Media products that are distributed on the internet are more difficult to regulate
than TV and film because anyone, anywhere, can upload a video to the internet. Whilst
on-demand television services are regulated by the Association for Television on
Demand, there is no official board to regulate online videos like there is Ofcom for TV, so
it is up to the video streaming sites themselves. According to the Ofcom and BBFC
websites there are a number of regulations that could affect videos online; however none
of these appear to affect our DepicT short film project. If it were to be released in
cinemas or on DVD, Cookie Monster is most likely to be rated as a U despite the implied
threatening situation, because the BBFC state: A U film may include brief fight scenes or
moments where characters are placed in danger. However, moments of emotional stress or
threat will be quickly resolved and the outcome will be reassuring.[27]
Trade Unions & Trade Associations
Trade Unions are organisations of workers within a particular career that work to
protect and expand upon their rights and interests. They are important to prevent
employers from taking advantage of their workers by paying them low wages or treating
them unfairly. The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU)
is an example of a Trade Union in the media industry. They formed in 1991 from a number of
smaller, previously existing trade unions. Their members receive support in the workplace, as
well as legal services and low cost insurance [28].
Trade Associations are groups of companies who all provide similar services to
people within a particular career path with the intention of representing and promoting
the interests of the people and lobbying on their behalf. The Producers Alliance for
Cinema and Television (PACT) is a trade association, funded by the BBC and Channel 4
amongst others, that works to represent the commercial interests of UK independent
television and film companies. They offer legal advice to their members where necessary
to help the independent sector of filmmaking expand [29]. Their work is focused on the
four key areas of policy, diversity, legal and business affairs and international
exploitation.

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Sources
[1] Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_films
[2] Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerks
[3] The Numbers: www.the-numbers.com/market/distributors
[4] The Numbers: http://www.the-numbers.com/home-market/dvd-sales/2014
[5] ITV: http://www.itv.com/worldcup/feverpitch
[6] Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com
[7] Patreon: www.patreon.com
[8] Patreon: www.patreon.com/brettdomino
[9] BIFA: http://www.bifa.org.uk/winners/2014
[10] BFI: http://www.bfi.org.uk/supporting-uk-film/funding-filmmakers
[11] What Investment: http://www.whatinvestment.co.uk/investment-decisions/isas-and-taxplanning/2381293/eis-and-seis-tax-breaks-explained.thtml
[12] Imdb: www.imdb.com/name/nm0000040/
[13] Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Armstrong
[14] Warrior Fire: warriorfire.co.uk/tv-film
[15] The LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-pixardirector-20130831-story.html
[16] Eye Film & TV: http://www.eyefilmandtv.co.uk/
[17] Abadia: http://www.abadia.co.uk/
[18] Hartswood Films: http://www.hartswoodfilms.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Sherlock-S3-CrewList.pdf
[19] http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/page/guidelines-editorial-integrity-productplacement/
[20] http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio/television/product-placement-on-tv/
[21] Government: www.gov.uk/copyright/how-long-copyright-lasts
[22] PRS for Music: http://www.prsformusic.com/users/productionmusic/films/Pages/default.aspx
[23] Incompetech: http://incompetech.com/
[24] Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofcom
[25] BBC Trust: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/our_work
[26] BBFC: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/how-does-classification-work
[27] BBFC: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/u
[28] BECTU: https://www.bectu.org.uk/benefits-services
[29] PACT: http://www.pact.co.uk/about-us/

Images sourced from Google Images Search Engine or screen-grabs of sites listed above.

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