Production management

Ideas:

One huge Star Wars fan who doesn’t have a lot of time on his hands has armed himself with drinks and sweets and sets out to watch the entire collection in the day, non-stop.

     

A young man takes his day to write a short story like he’s always wanted to and get his creativity on paper however when the day comes he suffers a bad case of writers block.

Two teenagers take the extra day to get out and be active. They enjoy different aspects of being out and display their friendship.

This is an example of an inspirational video. Our task is to create a video which is positive and uplifting and this does that well. 

This video is not inspirational however it is low budget and still effective which shows that mine can still get a message across with not many resources.

Synopsis

Star Wars idea

For this idea, I could get away with using only one actor. Other actors could be used and may improve the storyline however they are not necessary. I could also only use the one location which would be a house. It is probably better to just use the one location as I don’t want to make it complex as it is only 1 minute long. The props I would need are fairly simple. I can just use the items that are already in the house for my set and the only thing that is vital to the project is to have the star wars films. I would probably need some decent artificial lights because there will be no natural light inside the house. I would also need one camera to film and some simple audio equipment if the camera does not have an on-board mic.

Writer idea

For this idea I could again use only one actor. I think however I could make a better storyline if I use two characters. I will probably have to include multiple locations. Potential locations include a basic high street, a home office and somewhere with a good view. There will only be some basic props needed like a pen and notebook as he is a writer. For equipment I will need a camera that handles well outdoors. I will need some good audio equipment as I don’t want to pick up to much wind noise in the backing.

Active idea

For this idea I could use one actor. I would only need one actor because I could make it a first person video. This means that the other character in the video would be behind the character and the actor would address the camera when talking. My location would be a park. I am going to use a park because it is a good place to go to be active. Stewarts Park has plenty of space for sports and also different areas used for different exercises. The props I will need would include things like a football and a back pack. These would be needed so I could show my characters playing football and the back pack would be used to show they have prepared themselves by packing up ready for the park. The equipment I would need would include a camera which comes with a filter. This is because I will be shooting outdoors and I don’t want the sun to affect the outcome. The black magic has a filter that would be used to good effect for this shoot. I would not need any audio equipment as I will be putting music over the video.

Title: Star Wars Marathon

I thought of this idea because I think it adds a comedy effect to my short film. This is because the idea is silly and light hearted. The skills I have which will help with this idea include my experience with using film equipment as well as audio equipment. I will be able to take on any role when filming my project as I have past experience in all departments. The purpose of this film is to provide entertainment to the audience through comedy. I would need a camera that handles well in dark rooms because my film would be showing the different times of the day that the character watches the films. For that reason I would have to film when it is dark.  For my budget, I will not have to pay for any equipment as I can borrow some from the college. I will however have to buy the full Star Wars collection which will cost a lot. The cheapest I can get it for will be around £50. I may also have to buy some Star Wars merchandise such as a T-shirt. This is used to add to the storyline. The cheapest I can get this for is around £10. To add it up I am looking at a budget of around £60 which is a lot more than I am willing to spend.

To manage my production I am going to give myself the jobs of buying the needed items, finding actors and locations. When it comes to filming I will be directing and working on a camera. I am going to be taking on two roles because then it eliminates the need to find even more people. I will have to find someone else to do the audio for me.  

Title: Writers Block

This is an idea because it has a romantic narrative and I think this is definitely something that can make people feel positive. It can also be simple to pull off because I do not require too many complex props or locations. This differs from the reunion idea because whereas this was uplifting, I would struggle to get the correct actors involved and the locations needed.

The skills and experience I have that can be applied to the assignment include being able to operate camera. This eliminates the need of finding another camera man which might not be easy. I can also operate the audio equipment needed. I have had some experience with directing which means I can control my shoot and make sure everything is done how it is expected.

The purpose of my film is to inspire people and encourage them to get out and do things.

The equipment I will need for this will include a C100 and a boom mic. I may not be able to get a C100 closer to the date so if this is the case then I will use a black magic.

I won’t need a budget because I will hopefully already have everything I need however if I do need to buy any props I shouldn’t have to spend much more than £10.

To manage the production properly I will have to assign roles to different people who can help me on my production. This will include a camera man and a sound operator. If I can’t find two people to do these then I can take one of these roles myself. I will also need to arrange actors to be in my production. There are plenty of people who study performing arts who will be willing to be in my production. I will also have to find good useful locations however there are plenty of public places that are good. To make sure I can get this all done on time I will have to work to a schedule. I am going to plan out what needs doing, how long it takes to do and when I can do it and then hopefully I will not hit any bumps when producing this.

Title: Reunited

This is one of my ideas because not only do I think it is uplifting but it also gets a good message across that people should go outside and be active. My skills that can help with this idea include my ability to use the equipment. I also feel that I am able to get a good location and actor to star in this short film. I have been too this park with my friends many a time and therefore by filming in first person it makes it seem more realistic. I want my film to inspire the viewers to get outside and enjoy the summer with people they’re close too. I am aiming to show that there are things out there that they can do to enjoy themselves. I will need a black magic camera with a lens filter. This is a small camera that will be easy for me to carry around and get the first person feel. The filter is important as it means my image will not be over exposed. I may also need a steady cam to keep the camera from being shaky when I film. I could just put the video to music, it does not necessarily have to have speech meaning I won’t need as much audio equipment.

Pre Production

The video I am using I have already filmed. This means that a lot of the pre production isn't necessary as I am only editing. The pre production documents below are those that were used from the original shoot and not from the new edit.

The location I used was a public area. There was no private owner and therefore I was able to film there without a release form. I would need permission off anyone who was going to be in the film however I only had the one actor and was not planning on filming any strangers. The location I filmed at was Stewart's park as seen below. In this park there was a playground exercise equipment and plenty of open space for sports.

This is an actors contract that had to be signed by the actor, Joseph Garrens. He played the only character in the short film and this contract is allowing me to record and use the footage of him. By signing this contract I am also granted permission to re-use the footage I recorded which is what I am doing with this short film. 

Below is the risk assessment for filming. In it I have highlighted multiple risks that were possible when shooting. These were: animals and insects, public crowds and proximity to water. It was very likely that there would be animals and insects as well as crowds because we were filming in a public park. These were not big hazards because it was unlikely that they would get in our shoot and if they did it is even more unlikely that they would put the actor and crew in danger. The biggest risk was the big lake in the park. It is an open lake and there is no fences around it to prevent people falling in. I had not planned to shoot by the lake so it was unlikely that it would put us in danger however it had to be noted down so everyone was aware of it being there.

This booking form shows what I needed to shoot the project. I required a black magic, a tripod and a zoom mic. Although I did not need sound, I still took the zoom mic in case I needed ambient sounds.

Production and Post

As I already had all the production done on a previous date, all that was left was for me to re-edit my film. I had the original files ready to edit.

This screenshot shows all the clips I had previously recorded. I am going to take the clips from this that I feel support my new brief the best. For example, to fit the brief I am saying you should be more active and therefore the clips I have of the character playing football would be useful here. There are also some clips used of the character using different exercise utilities that will help to show them being active and also adds multiple outlooks to what you can do to be more active.

The clips that are shown above were filmed using a black magic camera and therefore require a lot of work colour correcting. By colour correcting I am making the images look brighter and more realistic.



This screenshot above shows one clip after I colour corrected it. There is a massive difference in the picture and it is suitable to show to the target audience.

I am going to use the clips I have to make a new sequence which fits the brief. A big difference between the old sequence and the new one will be the duration. I will have to remove a lot of footage to make the new video one minute long. Also, a lot of the old footage does not look particularly positive so it would seem out of place in my new video. My main change I have to make is the audio. The audio in the back of the old video is a song. The song lasted for around 3 minutes and therefore I could either edit the audio to shorten it or find new audio. I have attempted to shorten the original audio however it does not run smoothly and therefore I feel it is best to find some new music.

I have decided that the best place to get suitable audio is from the site, freemusicarchive.org. On this site there are millions of tracks that are free to download and use. I have searched for 'happy' music to use in my video as I feel anything with a positive beat will go well with the sequence I have created.

This screenshot shows the results I received on the site. The song highlighted in orange is the track that I am going to use in my video. It is a pleasant and upbeat tune which gives my video a positive vibe which I am aiming for.


After editing my video and adding the audio, all that is left is to upload it to YouTube. To do so I need to export it from premiere pro. When exported I can show the video to clients to ensure that it hits the brief.

This image shows the video in the editing screen after I have uploaded it to YouTube. My task now it is complete is to hold a focus group that will I can use to gain constructive feedback on my project. I can use this focus group to find out whether my video is good enough to suit the brief that I was given and what I can improve on.

Focus group
The video below shows my recorded focus group. In the focus group I ask if the video hits the brief what they like about it, what could be improved and if they would share or recommend it to anyone.

Overall, I am satisfied with the feedback I was given. The first question I asked was if it fit the brief and all participants agreed that it was what was asked and suitable to submit.

 Something that came up which was a positive was what the footage featured. The group seemed to think that the activities the character took part in where fitting to the brief and interesting to watch. I am glad that this turned out well as it means that I do not have to record any more footage to replace what I have.

Something multiple people said could be improved was the audio I used. It seemed to be a bit repetitive and as the video went on they found it irritating. This is something that can easily be changed and I will take in to consideration to change.

The final question asked was if they would share the video. This is important as if no one would show the video to others then the video would be irrelevant. The main response I got from this was that it would be shared to people who have similar personas to the character in the short film. I am happy with this feedback as it is still an audience and the fact the majority agreed on this audience shows that it is likely to be shared.

Evaluation
I am fairly happy with my production. I am particularly happy with the edit I produced. I feel that the clips I chose to use were appropriate for the brief and got a good message through. I think it did help to inspire those who watch to be more active and do more with the days they have. I believe that the footage I recorded is unique compared to others that were submitted. This is because it is in first person. This way it gives the audience the thought of being in the video and I think that would persuade them to go out and do more.

The main way I can improve my project would be to change the audio. This is something that came up multiple times in the focus group and after watching my video back a few times I can see the problem. It does seem to be repetitive and can annoy the viewer. It is not a major problem as it is only a minute long and I don't think it would cause the viewer to lose interest however it is a problem none the less. Not every clip appears to cut to the beat of the music and I think if I cut it more carefully it would look more professional in the end.

To manage the process more effectively I think I could have simply given myself more time. I was not able to film new footage as I could not organise a shoot in the time I had allocated myself. With more time I could have filmed something new that I believe would have been more motivational. If I had filmed my own footage and organised a proper shoot I think the overall end product would have been more professional. I also think I could have eliminated the problems I found if I had more time to edit. I am still satisfied with my production but if I were to do it again then I think I would definitely have to improve my time management.