Learning aim D: PRE PRODUCTION REPORT

I have completed this task so that other small-scale companies can explore the importance of completing pre-production documents and what effect they made on my production, as well as the effects it had on other productions from various budgets.

The pre-production element of the whole production process is essential for the progress and overall success of my production. These documents and procedures need to be done to an industry standard, as this keeps the documents clear and organized, making it so they’re easy to understand increasing the chances of my production process being smooth and hopefully have very view issues, in hope of it being successful. The higher standard of pre-production is proportional to the level of success of the production itself. In comparison to an unclear, unorganized pre-production portfolio would likely have a massive impact on the level of success for the production. I have been approached by the county council to produce a pre-production report, that will be sent to a community media organization in return for funding for future productions. I’ll be discussing essential parts of pre-production, exploring different necessary legal documents that have already been used in successful productions such as ‘Whiplash’ and ‘World war Z’ 

 

Finance and budget 

To create a successful and organised film, a budget is required. This means it needs a source of finance. Below is an industry standard example of some research of the sources of finance. There are multiple possible sources of finance, with each one having its advantages and disadvantages. While researching the different types of sources of finance with pros and cons of each. In the film industry, it's important that there are multiple choices to finance a film, as all productions are different, and it's necessary to choose the right source which applies for the specific film. 

 

I think due to my production being small-scale, either crowd funding or self-funding are the most suitable options. Crowd funding is when you can receive money from online investors. This can be quite straight forward, however reaching the target budget could be quite hard, and take a long time to get to it. But with my film being small-scale, it wouldn’t be an unrealistic amount of money to ask for and so this option would suit my production. Crowd funding can be used through various websites, for example ‘Kickstarter’, where producers give a brief overview of their film idea. This can be quite competitive, as producers with similar ideas, but better briefings are likely to raise the more money. However again because my film production is small-scale and won’t have any Hollywood-standard competitors, this risk is relatively small. Another benefit of crowdfunding is that the people who donate money don’t require money back, meaning all the money that does get raised goes directly to the film’s already small budget. An example of who used this to create their small-scale production is Penny Woolcock who directed ‘One mile away’ . Over a few years she raised 20,000 for her documentary, and then received further funding from Creative England, Barrow Cadbury Trust, and Channel 4 to add to her budget. I believe that creating a chart like the one above, for small-scale producers, is a very beneficial idea. After doing research about each option, this chart allows producers to have a clear way of weighing up the pros and cons of each finance option. I would also recommend producers to do a little bit of self-funding alongside crowdfunding. This is an easy and relatively safe way to produce a film as we know exactly where the money has come from. Although for some, self-funding can be very difficult and producing a film is expensive- so unfortunately there is a risk of bankruptcy. 

 

Managing a budget 

After securing finance for their production, a budget must be made for the producer to be able to highlight what the budget needs to focus on, and how much to allow to go to each part of production. Without a budget, it’s likely that the financial side of the film production will become very disorganized, for example putting too much money towards an element of the film, and then running out of money for the other elements- leading to an unsuccessful film. Therefore, the budget is a very important document to fill out despite it being small-scale. 

Description	Quantity	Cost	Budget	Estimated cost	Actual cost	Comments
Script and rights	1	£25 per hr		£150	£0	Work 1 day- 6 hrs
Cast and crew
Producer	1	£25 per hr		£600	£0	Works 4 days- 6 hours per day      Estimated cost is total for all of cast.
Director	1	£25 per hr		£600	£0
Cast	7	£10 per hr		£1680	£0
ABOVE THE LINE=£3030
Facilities
Travel	2	£20 per day		£40	£0
Accommodation	4	£0		£0	£0	Filming locally so can go home between shootings.
Catering	40	£20 per day		£800	£0	10 people per day.
Creative
Camera	1	£65 per day		£260	£0	Booked for 4 days in case of reshoots but will be mainly used for 2 days
Lighting	1	£100		£200	£0	Borrow from school
Sound	1	£50		£100	£0	Borrow from school
Locations	2	£0		£0	£0	School and local woods so it’s free.
Art department	1	£10		£10	£0
Editing	1	£0		£0	£0
Still photos	4	£0		£0	£0

 

For a small-scale production, this is a good example of a way of organizing the budget- for other small-scale film producers, this template can be adapted to the different items, the different costs and quantities. The template can be modified to fit the needs of other films. Budgets for small-scale productions, for example ‘One mile away’ are very different from big budget films- such as paramount’s ‘World war Z’ which had a budget of $269 million, which meant they filmed in various locations around the world and could use expensive special effects for example. They also had around 1500 people on set daily- meaning they had a lot of people to accommodate and cater for- small scale producers wouldn’t even think about things like this. My advice for small-scale producers would be to choose a location close to them- this reduces costs for transport and accommodation. I would also advise highlighting parts of the whole budget plan which can be minimized or can potentially be changed to benefit the film. Petty cash is also advisable, as its money for things that may come unexpectedly, for example a tripod breaking- the petty cash can be used to buy a new one- without the petty cash, if this were to happen it could delay the shooting and have a domino effect on the overall production. By using this clear, user-friendly layout, managing the budget is made easier, increasing the chances of successful production. 

 

Logistics 

When making a production, particularly small-scale, the logistical side of pre-production can be often overlooked. Looking at logistics is essential for the success of the production as well as the wellbeing of the cast and crew. Logistics come in the form of action plans, call sheets, pitch, production log, production schedule, shot lists, treatment, contingency plans and location recce. These documents when done to an industry standard again help with organisation. Logistics is thinking about and considering the small details to make the production as successful as it can be. This can even go down to the cast and crew best fit for the film/characters, the seasons/times that best fit parts of the film, and the location most appropriate. 

 

Contingency plan 

This is an important document to have as a part of pre-production.  It creates a backup plan for events that likely will happen during the production stage, such as a cast or crew member dropping out for any reason. To make this document industry standard, it needs to be thorough, so it isn’t such an issue if an event were to happen, and this means that production company is well prepared for the potential risks and know exactly how to deal with them, as they have a document telling them exactly what to do. Below is a template for a contingency plan, I find this layout to be clear and user friendly, and it can be adapted to other productions. 

RISK	PROBABILITY	PREPERATION AND RESPONSE
Reliability of cast and crew	High	Have backup cast, change roles
Technical issues/ difficulties (broken equipment, equipment not available, access)	Medium	Spare equipment (batteries, SD card)
Transport	Low	Self-reliant
Location permission	Low	Back up locations
Budget	Low	Allow some budget in case of contingency issues
Weather	High	Plan to film on more than one day, leave plenty of time to film
Time constraints	Medium	Allow plenty of time for filming

 

 

 

 

Cast and crew 

The cast and crew are what make a film production. Without a solid cast and crew, a film cannot be successful. Having a solid cast and crew means they’re highly organised- meaning the producer needs to make stuff clear to them. Disorganisation of cast and crew will have a knock-on effect for the rest of the production. Cast and crew must know their start times and where they should be, as well as deadlines for things like scripts, or certain scenes. This allows the production to run smoothly. An example of when these logistics were not acted upon properly, is during the production of ‘World war z’ when they had hired 3 scriptwriters, due to the first 2 not meeting their script deadlines. Finally, after the 3rd writer had finished the script, and after pushing the release date back twice, the film was released over a year later than originally planned- showing how much having a disorganised part of the crew affected the whole production. This could have also meant that the film wasn’t produced to the best standard, as it may have been quite rushed and panicked, but seeing as it’s a big company who produced it, the script will have been checked over and over- unfortunately, for a small-scale film producer, the script will not be as finely checked over, and it would not be as easy to find a replacement like Hollywood can, so completing things like deadlines are very important. 

 

Locations and weather 

In film production, location and setting are very important for setting the tone for the film. As certain weather, time of day and location have different connotations for the audience- for example rain connotates gloominess and coldness- and is often seen in horror/thriller/drama whereas films filmed in summer are often viewed as happy, easy-going and seen in comedy films. This means that getting the locations and weather right during the shooting process is vital. Reflecting the character of the film with the location/weather creates a sense of realism for the audience, which overall creates are better and more enjoyable film to watch- meaning it will be more successful. For a small-scale producer, I’d recommend considering where and when to shoot, which best suits the theme/part of the film, but also how realistic it is with the facilities available within budget- some seasons and times are much easier to shoot in and a lot more practical. 

 

Production schedule 

Above is an example of an industry standard production schedule. Production schedules first allow us to organize clearly when we will be doing certain parts of the production, which informs cast and crew, but also gives us something to refer to ensure cast and crew are on schedule and that nothing gets caught behind to hinder the production. This example spreads over 12 weeks (about 3 months), with each element listed having its own colour to make it clear to cast and crew how many weeks each element has. Without this document being completed, there’s a risk of a part of production to be missed, or deadlines to be missed. This document can be used as a checklist to make it easy to follow. 

Codes of practice and regulation 

For a media production, no matter the size, it is vital that all documents and legal requirements are completed to ensure everything is done safely-not only for the safety of cast and crew, but it also avoids having lawsuits- which for a small-scale producer, could be detrimental. Before shooting, my advice to a small-scale producer would be to investigate the risks and make a document for a risk assessment, as well as look into location permissions, and make consent forms for the cast and crew. Any dangerous items used for production like weapons being imported need to be made known to authorities, though with it being a small-scale production this probably won’t have to even be considered.  

 

Location permission and consent forms 

To use and shoot at a location that isn’t owned by you, it’s a legal requirement to have been granted permission. This could be by the council or a landowner. Without permission you could be sued or fined, and with this being a small-scale production, we wouldn’t have the money to pay. For example, while filming ‘Monsters’ a lot of locations were used without permission. This creates major risk to lawsuits and could have been detrimental- This method of finding locations is not advisable. It can also delay production due to having to find different locations and waiting for permissions. The best way to get around this is for small-scale producers to find a location close to that will be simple to get permission for, reducing costs, time and risks. When using a public location, it’s likely that people from the public (i.e., not the cast and crew) could be filmed; this means the producer needs to alert them that they have been filmed and they need to be given consent so that their faces can be shown. With ‘One Mile Away’ being filmed in a city, members of the public were often filmed, but to avoid having to get their consent, the crew edited it to blur their faces, so they didn’t need to take the time to get their consent. This will have saved time. I think this is a great, simple and efficient method. Although, depending on some genre’s, blurring of faces may look out of place, so producers need to decide whether this method is appropriate or not for their production. 

 

 Risk assessment 

Hazard	People who may be harmed	Property which may be damaged	Risk controls already in place	Risk assessment LOW MODERATE HIGH EXTREME	Further action required to control risk
Filing next to main road/school drive	Cast & Crew	Cars/equipment	Film during quieter times	LOW	Briefing which warns cast and crew about risks
Lots of cables around to trip over	Cast & Crew	Equipment	Use Gaffe tape to stick cables down	MODERATE	Briefing which warns cast and crew about risks
Actors knocking into things which could fall over	Cast & Crew	Equipment	Make enough space around the items so people don’t knock them over	LOW	Briefing which warns cast and crew about risks
Injuries from heavy lifting equipment	Cast & Crew	Equipment (If dropped)	Take more time to lift equipment	LOW	Briefing which warns cast and crew about risks
Running/chase scenes which could lead to falling over	Cast & Crew	Equipment	Make sure enough space around	MODERATE	Briefing which warns cast and crew about risks

Production title	House of fun
Date of risk assessment	25.9.23
Date of production	25.1.24

 

 

 

A risk assessment is a required document a production must acquire. This document must be thorough for the safety of the cast, crew and equipment. The purpose of a risk assessment is to highlight the risks while filming, as shown in the example above, to minimize the risk/avoid these dangers happening. One of the examples is the fact that I will be filming on a drive next to a main road. This could cause dangers to the cast and crew without proper precautions- such as briefings about being vigilant when filming here. If these regulations are ignored, it not only affects the safety of the cast and crew, but if they do get injured, production could be delayed, and it may be that a different location must be found. The safety of the cast, crew and equipment is extremely important. 

 

Pre-production documentation and process 

Completing all the documents before the making of the production is essentially legal, and for the success of the film. It smooths the process as the crew can understand the production and what they’re expected to do. The following documents need to be completed: action plan, call sheet, pitch, production log, shot lists, a contingency plan, location recess and treatments, the creative elements such as scripts and storyboards need to be completed too.  There is an order these documents need to go in, as some go hand in hand, for example the location recce and location permission- then the risk assessment must be done once the location is settled. Without this certain order, it will very quickly become very unorganized, so especially for a small-scale production which has a limited crew, getting this right is important. The documents should be kept for production and postproduction, too, as something to look back on if any problems occur during these stages.