Pre Production Theory
When creating a short film it is necessary to think about all aspects of the production such as; the script, the story board, a script breakdown containing the cast, crew and equipment, a budget, a risk assessment, clearances (asking actors and locations for permission to use there image in the production) and an outline of legal consideration such as copyright and insurance.
Film Script
The first step to making a film is the script. The purpose of a film script is to tell the story of the film, gives the actors there dialog and tells the setting of the story. The film scrip can also include a screen play which gives the actors direction and shows what is happening on the set. Scripts are usually written on a professional script writing software such as Adobe Story or Final Draft. Before the film even gets into production the script has to be finalised and every detail checked by the script editor who has to ensure that the script is suitable for production.
StoryBoard
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| Professional film script from the film "Wolf of wall street". (http://www.paramountguilds.com/pdf/the_wolf_of_wall_street_screenplay.pdf) |
The Storyboard is the second step to making a film. The story board visualises the story and plots out the frames of the story on paper. The most common and traditional techniques for storyboarding a film is quick pencil drawings, Although the most common techniques in the present day are made by digital software such as Flash and Photoshop and other software dedicated to storyboarding such as Storyboard Pro.
Script Breakdown
A Script breakdown is the analysis of the script where all the screen play and production elements such as Camera positions, Actor movements, Scene length ect are broken down into lists in order to plan and budget the production of a film.
Budget
A budget is a breakdown of all the costs that will be needed during the production of a film, A budget will include cost of equipment such as the cameras and audio equipment, Costumes, Makeup, Cost of Actors, Cost of camera and sound operators. Budgets are usually worked out per day, per unit and for how many days.
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment outlines the possible risks that could become a problem during the shooting of a film, Such as damage to equipment, A location or a Crew member. A Risk Assessment usually contains the Location, Outline of the risk, People involved, The Potential Hazard and a list of the Controls in place to stop the risk from happening.
Clearances
Once your film has been produced and has gone through the post production stage and is ready for distribution and or screening it must have the necessary clearances to allow it to be distributed. A clearance means you must have written permission for everything that appears in your film, This includes the Script, Locations, Brand Names, Logos, Stock Footage, Music and Images. You may also need written permission from the actors to appear in your film. If you do not have the correct clearances for everything in your film then you may be subject to copyright infringement which could result in you been sued. For a script clearance you need to make sure that your script contains only your original ideas and your characters do not resemble a actual person otherwise you would have to obtain a written clearance to allow that idea or character to be used in the production. All the content in your production also has to be cleared to make sure nothing infringes on copyright such as music productions, Logos and images.
An Outline Of Any Legal Considerations
An outline of any legal considerations includes items that may appear in your film that are copyright protected and ensure that you have the correct clearances for the items to be included into your production. Items used in your production that appear in the public domain do not need any legal consideration as they are in the public domain and can be used by anyone who wants to use the item in their production. Items that appear in your production that are protected by the creative commons licence still need legal consideration as they still need written permission from the owner to be used in your production without infringing on the licence. As a film producer you will need to make sure you have the correct insurance that covers anything that could go wrong in your production as outlined in your risk assessment such as damage to the equipment, damage the the wardrobe, damage to one of the actors or crew members. If you do not have the correct insurance to cover these things then that could result in a loss of a lot of money or could put the whole production on hold due to the loss of funds or a result of been sued and unprotected for not having the correct insurance or not been covered at all.
Copyright - is a legal right that is created by the law of a country that gives the creator of original work their own rights to the creations use and distribution, usually for the limited time that the work is licensed for. A creator that uses Copyright will receive compensation for their creation. Copyright will protect you from people who try and steal your work and make money from it.
Public Domain - Public domain can work in two ways, the first way is a creator can just release their work in the public domain for anyone to use. Most of the material that is in the public domain is mainly found footage.
Creative Commons - is a licence in which the product can be shared for creative purposes only. It gives the creator more freedom on how the product can be shared and who with.
Insurance - is an essential part of film making. The basic insurance that filmmakers need has to cover the health and safety of the cast and crew. If you need to hire equipment, you need to know what its worth and get it insured accordingly. Other insurance you may need, For example, Bad weather insurance that covers you if you have to reshoot. But this is beyond most film budgets.
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| Traditional Sketch storyboard. (http://punktlos.deviantart.com/art/Storyboard-104245929) |
Script Breakdown
A Script breakdown is the analysis of the script where all the screen play and production elements such as Camera positions, Actor movements, Scene length ect are broken down into lists in order to plan and budget the production of a film.
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| Script Break down sheet (http://image.slidesharecdn.com/scriptbreakdownsheet-collageofmiafinal-100304060225-phpapp01/95/script-breakdown-sheet-collage-of-mia-final-1-728.jpg?cb=1267704163) |
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| Script breakdown (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCdRAj2frrQdKGtZtIPf2qpnlek7vKF3wS1R7enR6REmCE7eTL2SablOlmQBEIsC7t_G9VASr2fNY2-muX2HWcD3JO-4gljzcGauqFY4IdPmOD28vkqCgW-JDI8sjADLoFUTsUhkMFieI/s1600/script+breakdown+2.jpg) |
A budget is a breakdown of all the costs that will be needed during the production of a film, A budget will include cost of equipment such as the cameras and audio equipment, Costumes, Makeup, Cost of Actors, Cost of camera and sound operators. Budgets are usually worked out per day, per unit and for how many days.
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| Film budget break down from the film "The Village" (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/71682975-village-movie-budget) |
A risk assessment outlines the possible risks that could become a problem during the shooting of a film, Such as damage to equipment, A location or a Crew member. A Risk Assessment usually contains the Location, Outline of the risk, People involved, The Potential Hazard and a list of the Controls in place to stop the risk from happening.
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| A Risk Assessment outlining the possible dangers and outcomes (http://image.slidesharecdn.com/riskassesment-130926072507-phpapp01/95/film-production-risk-assessment-1-638.jpg?cb=1380198472) |
Once your film has been produced and has gone through the post production stage and is ready for distribution and or screening it must have the necessary clearances to allow it to be distributed. A clearance means you must have written permission for everything that appears in your film, This includes the Script, Locations, Brand Names, Logos, Stock Footage, Music and Images. You may also need written permission from the actors to appear in your film. If you do not have the correct clearances for everything in your film then you may be subject to copyright infringement which could result in you been sued. For a script clearance you need to make sure that your script contains only your original ideas and your characters do not resemble a actual person otherwise you would have to obtain a written clearance to allow that idea or character to be used in the production. All the content in your production also has to be cleared to make sure nothing infringes on copyright such as music productions, Logos and images.
An Outline Of Any Legal Considerations
An outline of any legal considerations includes items that may appear in your film that are copyright protected and ensure that you have the correct clearances for the items to be included into your production. Items used in your production that appear in the public domain do not need any legal consideration as they are in the public domain and can be used by anyone who wants to use the item in their production. Items that appear in your production that are protected by the creative commons licence still need legal consideration as they still need written permission from the owner to be used in your production without infringing on the licence. As a film producer you will need to make sure you have the correct insurance that covers anything that could go wrong in your production as outlined in your risk assessment such as damage to the equipment, damage the the wardrobe, damage to one of the actors or crew members. If you do not have the correct insurance to cover these things then that could result in a loss of a lot of money or could put the whole production on hold due to the loss of funds or a result of been sued and unprotected for not having the correct insurance or not been covered at all.
Copyright - is a legal right that is created by the law of a country that gives the creator of original work their own rights to the creations use and distribution, usually for the limited time that the work is licensed for. A creator that uses Copyright will receive compensation for their creation. Copyright will protect you from people who try and steal your work and make money from it.
Public Domain - Public domain can work in two ways, the first way is a creator can just release their work in the public domain for anyone to use. Most of the material that is in the public domain is mainly found footage.
Creative Commons - is a licence in which the product can be shared for creative purposes only. It gives the creator more freedom on how the product can be shared and who with.
Insurance - is an essential part of film making. The basic insurance that filmmakers need has to cover the health and safety of the cast and crew. If you need to hire equipment, you need to know what its worth and get it insured accordingly. Other insurance you may need, For example, Bad weather insurance that covers you if you have to reshoot. But this is beyond most film budgets.
