Deadlines

 Deadlines

Deadlines are the timeframes that must be met to complete an action successfully. In film, there could be deadlines for things such as a calendar, casting, assembling of crew, script breakdowns etc. In pre production, the calendar deadline must be met before filming even begins. This is due to the fact that it puts a distinct plan in place and will also lead to the creation of call sheets which will tell everyone where to be and when. The production and actual filming of a film cannot take place until pre-production has been successfully carried out and completed. Another key deadline, is the planning and assembling of meetings.

Communication between crew members is vital to the pre-production of a film as if there is more communication, things will not be carried out as effectively, and deadlines may not be met. This therefore will have a negative effect on the overall production on the film.  Not meeting deadlines will put everyone out of the loop and not in sync with one another. This could mean that people may not be on set when needed, and therefore a scene cannot be shot that day. Furthermore, if the shooting schedule is not made or produced in time, the whole film will be behind. If location deadlines are not met and secured, then pivotal scenes may have to be filmed somewhere else in a place that may not have as much meaning as the original. If Deadlines are met, then the film will be successful. 

Logistics

LOGISTICS

Three levels for equipping for a production

Little to no money

• Low/middle ranged Dslr camera that can shoot 1080p
• Digital storage (multiple SD cards) or a portable hard drive
• Prime lenses, similar to the human eye and therefore gives a more relatable look
• Tripod, essential for getting better angles and steadying the camera
• Bounce board or DIY light board, therefore meaning not just natural light is relied on.
• Directional microphone greatly improves sound quality
• Makeshift dolly, for example attaching a camera to a skateboard, gives a larger variety of shots as well tracking movement easier
• Director/cameraman, due to a restricted budget, multiple roles must be completed by the same person. Not only does this save money, but also only allows one artistic vision meaning that there are no clashes when filming
• Producer, helps with organisation and therefore lets the director focus more on making and shooting the film.
• General handyman, can fill in all the other jobs that are needed, e.g sound, lighting etc
• Actors, very few needed due to costs, may not even be paid.

Medium budget

• High range Dslr or low range film camera, far better quality 
• Monitor, linked to the camera allows an easier viewing of shots
• Prime lens, extremely versatile
• Tripod, increased stability
• Shoulder rig, easier for shooting on the move
• Shotgun mic with all extension cables adaptors and booms
• Actors can be mic-ed up
• Small but professional track and dolly kit ensuring smooth filming
• Director/DoP now only has to focus on directing actors and the camera operator
• Producer needed for organisation
• Camera operator, gives a more professional look, as well as giving ideas on set
• Sound technician will improve soundtrack quality
• Handyman/runner helps with all the odd jobs
• Actors will now begin to be paid

High Budget

• Multiple cameras, can provide multiple angles at once
• 2 external hard drives for storage for each camera
• Full set of lenses gives a greater variety
• Tripods and a professional dolly can now be fully utilised
• Handheld systems which allows angles that cannot be used when on a dolly
• Professional lighting kit 
• Multiple shotgun mics for increased coverage
• Ambient mic to pick up essential background noise
• Body mics used when the shot is too wide for a boom to be used
• Director, now purely responsible for shooting
• Assistant director, in charge of everyone on set
• Producer, responsible for the organisation and scheduling of locations crew and equipment.
• Camera operator/DoP, brings knowledge and experience
• Sound engineer, responsible for providing the highest quality of sound
• Lighting technician, 
• Runners, helping out with all the odd jobs and carrying kit
• Actors, more can be used
• Storage, e.g a van
• Ready supply of electricity

Evaluation

Both the Raindance team and learn about film both give equipment needed for a low budget film. Both mention how a Dslr able to shoot hd footage is vital, however learn about film also mentions that an iphone can be used in order to see multiple angles. Both mention that prime lenses are vital due to their versatility. Tripods are also both mentioned as a necessity in both articles due to their improvements in stabilisation. Lavalier microphones are mentioned in the laf article due to their cheapness as well as also having a long lead. On camera microphones are also needed if shooting singlehanded. The laf article focuses more generally unlike the raindance article which solely focuses on film. Headphones are also mentioned as needed due to the fact that they can therefore hear what is going on better firsthand.

Audit

Equipment i already own or have access to:

Camera- Canon Powershot SX410

SD Card- 32GB

Tripod (from school)

Makeshift dolly (skateboard)

I do not own any microphones so would have to buy one. An entry level shotgun mic would cost around £20 and vastly improve sound quality. I do not own a light board or bounce board so would have to create my own or buy one. I would try to get some of my mates to help me and fill in the roles as this would keep costs to a minimum. They could fill in the roles of producer, cameraman and handyman. Furthermore i could get actors from the drama department at school, which in turn would keep costs to a minimum.

A better camera would vastly improve film quality, however would be very expensive. In addition i already have an entry level camera and it would probably be wiser to spend the money on a good quality microphone as I do not currently own one. 

Finance Pre production

FINANCE

The public sector is places/ companies that are run by the government. It uses tax services for funding.The government decides what tax money should be spent on in the public sector. The public sector is therefore focussed on general purpose and providing service to citizens. Due to this service can often be poor and at a higher cost when public, compared to good service and lower cost in the private sector. Politics can have a huge impact on the public sector due to the fact that the government are the ones who decide what to do with the tax money.

The private sector is made up of businesses or corporations owned by people. Businesses compete with one another and will often put things on sale due to the fact that it needs to win competition for every dollar in order to stay open. This sector is mainly focussed on making a profit.

Funding bodies

The wellcome trust, as well as the ctbf are both charitable funding bodies who support uk filmmaking. The national lottery and BFI both also fund filmmaking in the Uk. Creative Scotland and Channel 4 are both publicly funded film production companies. Channel 4 is also commercially funded. The BFI and creative england  is responsible for feature length film production in the UK. Ifeatures helps low budget films be produced. Indiegogo and kickstarter are 2 of the most widely recognised crowdfunding pages.

The BFI is a film and charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking in the uk. The BFI’s 3 sources of income are public money, lottery funding and commercial activity. The BFI want to reflect the public in the films they support. They want to support actors, crews and filmmakers through this, using national lottery funding. The BFI’s 5 key priorities are ; talent development and progression, impact of the film on society, taking risks where the commercial sector cannot, different perspective, and being Uk wide films. The BFI Network  exists to support, develop and champion new filmmakers looking to kick-start their career. The BFI Network provides access to short film funding. Short films such as none of the above, close to the bone and ambition have all been funded by the BFI.

iFeatures is the UK’s leading development lab for debut feature filmmakers run by Creative England with support from BFI, BBC Films and ScreenSkills. iFeatures is targeted at emerging writers, directors and writer/directors from across the UK who have yet to make a funded feature film, and at producers who are still at an emerging stage of their career. In addition to receiving development funding, up to 12 selected teams take part in an intensive, exploratory 10-month programme which includes residential Lab events, dedicated support and access to industry and networks. Multi-award winning and acclaimed films developed through the lab have included iFeatures productions Apostasy, Lady Macbeth, The Levelling, and The Goob, as well as further films such as God’s Own Country, Adult Life Skills and Pin Cushion.

 Creative England is funded by both public and private investment. It has developed partnerships and collaborations with companies including Google and Facebook.

As 

Ingenious media is one of the largest independent investors in the UK’s creative sector.

They partner with companies and individuals in the film, television and live entertainment sectors to bring great ideas to life. They have invested over £8 billion into the creative sector. Ingenious have been involved in the creation of Life of Pi, Avatar and dawn of the planet of the apes among others.

Goldcrest Films is an independent British distribution, production, post production, and finance company. 

Goldcrest provides innovative financial solutions across the media sector, from independent producers to the major studios and has funded films ranging in budget from $3 million to $98 million.Notable credits include Twilight ($400 million worldwide box office), multiple Academy Award nominee Revolutionary Road ($76 million worldwide box office) and multiple Academy Award winner The Iron Lady ($114 million worldwide box office).

We need to talk about Kevin

The UK Film Council awarded £18,510 to the production from its development fund. 

Wuthering heights

Supported by arts council England.

Kill list

Funded between: Warp X, the UK Film Council, Film4 

‘71

Screen Yorkshire, Film4, the British Film Institute, Creative Scotland and Aver media

Lilting

Funded by Film London or BBC’s microwave scheme.

I Daniel Blake

Funded by the BFI and BBC.

American honey

Funded by Film 4

Lady Macbeth

Ifeatures as well as Creative England funded Lady Macbeth

Peterloo

Supported by the national lottery

In Fabric

Co-funded by the BFI, BBC films and head gear films

Funding loving vincent started through the online crowdfunder kickstarter.

Support from a public source could be the best way for a new or emerging filmmaker to get recognition. They could use crowdfunding sites such as kickstarter, in order to gain this funding. This is usually far more successful than private investors as public funding can come from a variety of different sources. Furthermore, this can also go over the target and can therefore increase the budget. More people will also find out about the film through publicity and word of mouth. Although they may not provide as big of a budget as private funding, it will gain them far more exposure and will lead the, on to better things to come.

Type of production task

A1 Type of Production Task                                     By Ivan Newsome

A short film is considered to be a film that is under 40 minutes in running time, and is therefore not a feature length film.  Independent filmmakers who have a very limited budget usually make these films.

A feature film is a film that is considered to be the sole film to fill a program. It must be over 40 minutes running time and is usually between 75 and 120 minutes.

SHORT FILM	FEATURE FILM
Normally independently made	Usually requires a big crew and budget
Under 40 minutes	Over 40 minutes
Small/limited budget	Big Budget
Normally gets directors noticed to lead them onto bigger and better things	Seen as the pinnacle of filmmaking due to the audience it draws in
Natural lighting is used in order to keep costs at a low	Greenscreens can be used as well as shooting inside and create own forms of lighting
Audio is usually built into a camera and therefore background noise can be heard	Lav mics are used as they reduce background noise
Hardly any extra takes are used	Many takes can be used to get a perfect shot
Most short films end up on youtube/vimeo	Normally is featured in cinemas
Shorter scripts usually 30-40 pages	Far longer scripts that are usually between 80-130 pages
Less time to get to know and understand characters	Far more time to be able to build a relationship with characters
Normally only follows one story/viewpoint	Can follow many stories simultaneously
Focuses on getting to the core of the character and theme	Many different themes and structures used
Has to focus on one part of the three act structure	Can use the three act structure in full

                                                                       

Many people creating short films	Not as many creating feature films due to the cost
Digital cinema has had an affect on popularity of short films	Digital cinema has not had as much of an affect
Short films can be used to visualize bigger and better films for the future
Easier to watch due to the shorter time
Seen as the first step of a career	Seen as an aspiration
Critical success	Commercial success

A short film is seen primarily as the first step on a director’s journey, almost like setting the foundations of their portfolio. In direct contrast every director wants the chance to direct a feature film in order to break through onto the filmmaking scene. However the best way for this breakthrough is seen through producing short films. These films are almost always independently made and have an extremely low or limited budget, which is a direct contrast to the blockbuster style feature films that feature many crew members. A short film is classified as a film that has a running time of under 40 minutes. Due to the short running time, the three act structure cannot be utilised and therefore only one part is focussed on. Furthermore the shorter time also means that relationships with characters and themes cannot be as easily built. This therefore means that they must focus on the core of the character and themes very quickly to give the audience a better understanding. Feature films do not have this problem as they have as long as they want to develop the relationship between audience and character. A short film will also only follow one characters viewpoint due to the time restrictions whilst a feature can follow multiple. Due to such a low budget takes are almost always done once, something that feature films will hardly ever do in order to get the perfect shot. A reason why not many short film directors make the big time is due to the fact that there are so many other people in their position and just wanting to get noticed, hence why directors must think outside the box in order to get their breakthrough. A key difference between short and feature length films is the success that directors look for. Short film directors look for critical success in order to gain feedback as well as interest from backers and companies in order to help them on their journey. On the other hand feature film directors look for commercial success due to how much money a good feature films can bring in. In conclusion, short films are very useful for filmmakers to get noticed and build up to bigger and better things. They are essential for making the step into feature films and the commercial success that they bring.