The Pre production process
When working in a creative media production, it is vital to
consider all the elements and factors that you will need throughout the course
of the project. It is also very important to evaluate these factors ensuring
that it is clear to the viewer why each element is so vital. The project I am
involved in, requires me to create a video to upload to a website that I will
also create to promote the Bluecoat Academy’s PE department. These elements are
compulsory in order to make any media production a professional and successful
piece. Below is a list of the elements I will be evaluating.
- Finance
- Timescale
- Personnel
- Facilities
- Materials
- Contributors
- Locations
- Codes of practice and regulations
Finance
For my project, I have to create a video to upload to a
website that I will also create to promote the Bluecoat Academy’s PE
department. As I attend this school I will have the advantage
of free access to most equipment and locations, which therefore means I will
not have to consider finance. However if the school hadn't covered the
component of costs and finance, I would have to consider lots of different
factors to ensure my video was at the best standard it could be. I would have to look on websites such as http://www.hireacamera.com/camcorders/index.asp that will allow us to hire all the technical equipment we need for the project at a price. However to get into the schools sports department, I would have to send a formal letter to the school and ask if there was a possibility of us filming your lessons etc. Again this may come at a price and increase the amount we will have to pay out. To make
my video I would have to make sure that the location and the students I will be
filming are appropriate to the subject of my video, which are sports in the
school. This means I will have to create a consent form and hand it out to the
parents of the pupils whom may be involved in my video. This will protect the child
from being filmed inappropriately, in this case if they didn't want to be
filmed in their PE kit. Printing costs to ensure every student has a form will
be costly as there will be a large number of students who could be possibly
filmed in our video. This doesn't apply to my project as we have free printing
in school but if I didn't have that access it would contribute to the rising
cost of the video. The location of our video will have to be in a sports hall
or sports field to guarantee it is appropriate to the theme of sport and
doesn’t go off topic. If I didn’t have access to this already, I would have to
hire out a sports hall, borrow there sporting equipment and ask to film them
during a PE lesson. This would mean I would need transport to get to the school
to film the pupils during the lesson depending on how far away it is. The
school would ask for a high amount of money as it would interrupt the pupil’s
education and due to the fact they would have to consider insurance in case
something happened during our filming. If the project was focused on any school to encourage physical
education, I could have underwent a market research task to find out which
sports hall or leisure centre was the best and which one would be the cheapest.
(Email them or ask miss) The main expense would be the equipment I need,
for example tripod and video camera. This could be hired from the school itself
or bought from a shop. Either way it could be a very high-priced factor to
video making. Instead of spending my
own money, fund raising is commonly used in other projects to get the money
they need to cover the cost of creating the video.
Personnel
Personnel involve the people who are involved in the project
or organization. Every film, video or product will require a director, actors, cameraman and managers of different sectors. Specifically in my project, it will be the pupils and teachers who will star
in the video. I will need an equal number of pupils that are both male and
female, range in ethnicity and also range in ability. This will ensure that the
school is seen as it is in the sense that it accepts everyone regardless of
their potential and ability. We may need to film the pupils in PE lessons and
may need to interview them also. Working with children requires a lot of
issues, as it is vital to get both parents and Child's consent especially when
being filmed doing physical activity. Decency of the children will have to be
considered as it is inappropriate and embarrassing for it to be on the school
website if it was unsuitable. I also feel adding PE teachers and the head of
the school to maybe say something about the department in the video. This is
also what our client in our meeting suggested we should do as he felt it would
show the positives and professionalism of the PE faculty. My partner Dieter has
a stronger knowledge of how to use the equipment so he can teach me. This means
if I am in a lesson and he is absent I will be able to still continue with my
video. However both of us are weak in terms of editing videos so we make ask
friends from our class and also friends who are in other media classes who are
more familiarised in the software etc. A problem by asking our friends will be
that they may be busy with their own work and we wouldn't want to waste their rime. This is considered in larger projects than ours as if they pay actors to be in their video, there time cannot be wasted. This could be solved by asking our
teachers if we become extremely stuck. I am sure that our teacher will go
through this with us at the time of when we need to actually edit our videos.
Materials
In our meeting we went through one of the materials we may
need in this project. This was a soundtrack and he said that that was all down
to us to decide as long as it was appropriate. We will make a list of ideas and
of songs that will be appropriate for all ages and be sure to make them humours
as well as professional. For example adding the chariots of fire song could add
both humour and show the strength of some the PE lessons in the school.
Depending on the track we may need to consider copyright and ensure we are
certainly allowed to use it on our video.
We may also need Props such as sports equipment to record, for example
throwing basketballs into hoops. This will be free for my partner and me as we
attend this school but if we didn’t we may have to buy our own or hire them. If
this was the case we could get this from any sports shops such as decathlon or
sports direct. Further more, materials such as PE kit will also need to be
thought about as it will represent the school and if the pupil isn’t wearing
it, they may not be able to be recorded. To ensure this we will add this onto
the consent form asking them to bring full PE kit so that we can reduce the
chance of not having this prop.
Facilities
The facilities we will need consist of more technical
equipment such as video cameras and tripods. We will need to arrange a fair
schedule on what days we can have the equipment in order for it to fit in with
the rest of the class. This can be done by creating a table with the rest of
the class to ensure we have equal opportunity and also get all our work done
before deadlines. However, if one group is behind they may need the equipment
more and other groups may miss out. Of course the school facilities such as the
recording in the sports hall and venues around school. This again means we will
have to contact the PE teachers in order to book a time when we can go in and
record a PE lesson. This again needs to be fully consented by each child and
their guardian. Further more again this will be free as we attend the school,
but if we didn't a fee would be involved to hire the room and record the
students. The places around the school are most likely to be the school field,
the changing rooms, the fitness suite and the sports hall. We could also add
photos from the school of sporting events that partook in the past outside of
school or go along to ones that are up coming in order to have up to date
content on the video. This will again require us to meet up with the teacher
and arrange to partake and use the facilities they offer during the day, such
as there sport equipment like footballs and halls. Transport may also be an
issue as It will be costly for the school to get the pupils and me and my
partner to the place where we could get footage for our video.
Contributors
Our main contributors will be the pupils and teachers who
will allow us access and help us get the best footage we can to show the school
at its best in the PE department. However to add touch of professionalism and
maturity to the video, both us and Mr Hutchinson feel it is best to have a
quote/speech from Mrs Hampton who is the head of the school about the greatness
of the department. The best way to organise this will be through email as Mrs Hampton
will be busy and it again is a more formal method that can be recorded as
evidence. There have been many professional athletes who have helped run clubs
through the school and we could also get in contact with them and ask for their
permission to take video footage of them during their time at Bluecoat, or even
ask them to be interviewed saying their experience at the school during that
time.
Locations
For the locations we wish to use, a risk assessment must be
carried out to ensure its is safe for us to film as well as ensuring the safety
of the pupils. These are places such as the changing rooms, the fitness suite,
the field, the tennis court and also the sports hall. With these places being
personal to the children, especially the changing rooms, consent forms will be
created and handed out to ensure that there will be no inappropriate footage of
any pupil. Further questions we must ask ourselves are…
- Will there be good sound quality in the videos if there is echoing in the sports hall?
- Will the pupils be present in the location in order to film?
- Will the teachers want to be seen in the location this footage?
- Will the lighting in the location be bright enough to see a clear shot?
- Will the weather be appropriate to record outside
And many more. These questions are a few of what will need
to be considered when filming in certain locations. If we didn’t attend the
school, we would have to pay to hire out each of these locations and will
increase our overall finance. When filming in outside locations such as the
field or on the tennis court, it has to be appropriate weather in case the
equipment gets damaged as well as the safety of the pupils. For example, if it
is icy conditions it could be dangerous for the pupils to participate on and
also the equipment can be dropped or broken. This will further create finance
for us, as we would have to pay to repair all the equipment. Further more a
risk assessment has to be undergone for the outside location where we will
record. Indoor locations such as the fitness suite and the sports hall also
have to undergo safety measures. Questions such as is the floor wet, is there
any hazards such as wires hanging out, is there a first aid box at hand, is the
flooring stable to hold sports equipment like trampolines, is the any problems
with the equipment like the rowing machines that can cause harm to the pupil,
is there a place where we can record where it will be safe to film and not have
the risk of the equipment being damaged. These questions will be analysed in a
word document that we can show to the client along with the risk assessment to
ensure everything is safe and established. However, if in the situation we may
have to record a teacher speaking in a different location such as the
playground, there may be footage of pupils in the background who may have not
given consent. This further means that we will have to record in a teacher’s
office so that it is secure and it is appropriate for the other pupils who
attend the school. If I didn’t have permission to use the school locations, I
would have to research into insurance policies such as the Public liability
insurance that requires you to have before you begin to film. This insurance
protects business because it will pay out in the event that a mistake is made
which causes an injury to a member of the public or customer, or which damages
their property. For example if a pupil or I have an accident and injure us this
insurance will protect the school and our client from being sued. This and
other insurance polices would have to be considered and evaluated if the school
didn’t cover this for us. The link below shows this information and more.
Codes of practice
These codes are all relevant to making videos and all the
aspects that have to be considered. Many of these may come at a cost if the
school hadn’t fully funded for this project as they are very important
insurances on people and elements involving videos.
The first is the Mechanical copyright protection society
performing rights society alliance. This code of practice involves music and
sound tracks, insuring that the artists of songs who are used collect royalties
when their song is played. For example on the radio or online video sites such
as you tube, the songs are controlled by this code and ensure they are not
copyrighted. They will further make an agreement with the client on order for
them to use it in there video. This is something we have to consider if we are
to use any type of song or soundtrack into our videos. Below is a link to the
website that shows all this information and more.
http://www.thesolution.co.uk/pdf/PTP5196QuantumMCPS-PRSCSUK.pdf
Another is broadcasting entertainment, cinematography and
the theatre union. These are an alliance that give advice on health and safety,
personal subjects and represent individual members they consult pays and
contracts with clients. This is what we have to consider in the location of our
filming and also involving children in our footage. If a child was to fall or
slip of wet floor for example whilst we are recording, this code of practice
will support and help them through what options they have. Below is a link to
the website that shows all this information and more.
A third code of practices is the advertising standards
authority that works for the public by supporting them when marketing
communications get out of hand. For example if the client doesn’t stick to their
side of the project then this alliance will help the person and support them
through this. They are funded by advertisers through a charge in advertising
spending. I will not need to consider this in my project as the school have set
it up and are reliable in order to complete the project However if this wasn’t
the case I would have to research further into this and raise money to get this
association. Below is a link to the website that shows all this information and
more.
The British Board of film and classification is a code that
puts films, DVD’s, videos and films showing in cinemas into categories of
suitability. For example the film harry potter is a 12 which entails that
people under 12 cannot see that film as it has inappropriate content. This
further is governed by higher authorities that can change these categories to
be more suitable to society. Specifically in videos, an act in 1984 named the
Video Recordings Act Parliament was passed. It stated that video recordings
offered for sale or hire commercially in the UK must be classified by an
authority elected by the Secretary of State. At this point the Board’s title
was changed to the British Board of Film Classification to reflect that
classification plays a far larger part in the BBFC’s work than censorship. In
relation to my own work, I will need to make sure that my video is appropriate
for all ages, but mainly target the ages of 11 to 17 as they will be the people
in the school who will be more likely to see it when applying to the school. It
has to maintain a mature and fun nature whilst ensuring that the content has
decency and respects the pupils. For example in PE lessons, if a girls PE skirt
blows up, this will be highly incorrect and will be not appropriate to show to
anyone in this age category as its embarrassing and unethical.
Time
scale
We have
been ensured to create tables, Gantt charts and word documents to remember deadlines
and have a constant update of our progress through the course of the work. A Gantt chart is a form of spread sheet that allows you to set deadlines, timings and schedules The biggest advantage of using them will be when a particular project is at a large scale and requires lots of dates to be recorded and remembered. However the system itself if you are not already familiarised by it, can be very hard to work it. I
have made a Gantt chart for each teacher that shows each milestone deadline so
I am aware and can recall what I have to do. This shows organisation and is
evidence of that. The consequences of not hitting deadlines will leave me
behind and could possibly affect my chances of gaining a good grade in the
project. If I wasn't working in this project alongside the school, I could
possibly be sacked by the client for not keeping up to date with the work. We are scheduled to finish our production stage by the 25th of January and finish the post production by the 12th of February 2012. It is vital i keep up to date with all my work or i could run the risk of loosing marks, and getting a lower grade than i am targeting for.
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