Unit 1: Pre-production LO1

Comprehensively explain and present to a quality that reflects near-professional standards

fully detailed requirements and sources of requirements for a specific media production
TASK
From all the pre-production you have carried out over the past year you need to pick one
and complete the following task.
You will need to show an excellent understanding of the requirements for the proposed
production and will be able to explain fully why each element is required.
You will give detailed explanations of how these requirements will be sourced and give full
consideration to codes of practice and regulatory issues.
From the table below you need to explain why each element was important to your chosen
production and detail how you would source them.
For example

Type
Finance:
Sources of finance

Equipment
Transport
Talent
Crew
Materials
Facility hire

Importance

Sourcing

Importance
It is important to have finances in place before production starts, as every
producer needs to pay for Equipment used such as Cameras, tripods, green
screen, lighting and sound. For an Advert production for example, a producer
may also need materials such correct costumes, items for correct mise-en-scene
and talent in order to fulfil the desired effect. Crew will also be needed such as
cameraman, soundman lighting engineer researchers editors and runners in order
to produce a professional looking advert.
Once all is complete facilities such as editing suits and postproduction equipment
will be needed and these cost a lot of money.
Sourcing

Crew
Facility
Materials
Transport

Crew can be sourced trough websites such as Creative England

http://www.creativeengland.co.uk/index.php/portfolio/locationproduction-support/
Editing suits such as Dynamic post Production
http://www.dynamicpost.co.uk/index.php/final-cut-pro-suites/ can
be hired for 350 per day. This will include the editor and sound
engineer.
Materials can be sourced from high street shops, retail outlets or
studio Props departments
Transport can be sourced via Transport for London
http://www.tfl.gov.uk, National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk,
hertz car hire etc..
A days travel card in London will cost the producer 12 per
person.

List of all items that need detailing

You can either create your own table or upload this one to Weebly and
complete. Either ay, a table like the one below needs to be used.
Finance:
Sources of
finance

Importance

Equipment
Transport
Talent
Crew
Materials
Facility hire

It is important for finances to be in place before a production can

go ahead, as the producer will have to pay for the equipment, such
as a camera, tripods, green screens, lighting and audio. As well as
recording and set equipment the producer will need to pay for and
props or costumes needed in the production. This also includes any
editing hardware and software needed, such as a suitable
computer and editing program. They will also need to find and pay
for any talent to fit the role and give the right effect for the
production this can be done through auditions or through previous
work that the actor/actress has done. Also the crew is very
important for creating the wanted effect for the production. The
producer will want the crew to be experienced and confident in the
style of production they are creating, be it an advert or a
blockbuster film. Depending on this style of production can depend
on how large and how expensive the crew will be, this will have to
be taken into account by the producer. A crew can also be selected
by its past projects, as if a producer likes the style that the certain
production crew has and feel it will suit their production well then
they may hire them for the production. The crew may consist of
people such as camera men, sound men, lighting engineers,
runners etc. Transport is also important as a producer will have to
take into account how much equipment there is and how large that
equipment may be. Also he will have to take into account the crew
and how many people need to be transported to the location. A
producer will also have to think about facility hire, places such as
studios, locations, editing studios etc. as well as accommodation
for cast and crew. Plus parking for any transport. The producer will
also have to think about the costs of materials such as Original,
archive and library, photo, sound, internet, audio, script, interviews
and costume.

Sourcing

Equipment:
http://decodeuk.com
Depending on quality equipment can start at around 300 and if
the producer wants better quality it can amount up to far much
more 1000+
Transport:
http://www.minibus-van-hire-car.co.uk
Depending on the size of the crew and the amount of equipment
transport hire can start at 40 per day for small transport where
much larger transport can amount closer to 100 per day
Talent:
Auditions for actors. Reviews on crew hire websites. Also may
depend on past projects
Crew:
http://www.bluefintv.com/broadcast-camera-crew-hire/?
gclid=CjwKEAjwzdGxBRC3rPWZq83FzyUSJAB9IC5i0P6R3FoCqrTmt
Hq8wv7sDG8OUpBjy77X3t6b455N3RoCSWPw_wcB
A 2 man crew with a lower quality camera may star at around
900. Higher end cameras can cost more around the 1500 mark
Materials: materials can be dependent on the location of the
facility e.g. internet could cost more depending on the location of
the facility
Facility hire:
http://www.haven-banks.co.uk/index.php/adults/facility-hire

Time:

Importance

Deadlines
Availability of equipment
Availability of personnel (size
of team; roles)

A producer will have to take into account the deadline for the
production and when they will want it to air, as what they may be
promoting could be seasonal and the producer will want to have
the deadline set for that specific time period. Also a producer will
need to be strict with their deadlines as if they are using a third
party company, editing for example, if the footage hasnt been
filmed in time then they may get a penalty from the third party or
the third party may have another job lined up and cant do your
production as they have to keep with their schedule. Also with just
filming, a film crew could cost up to hundreds of thousands of
pounds so a couple of days of over shooting could cost millions of
pounds which could ruin a budget for a production. An example of
a film going over budget is Disneys John Carter. With an initial
budget of $250 million and going well over $300 million the
production was a flop. This could have been caused by missing
deadlines and rushing editing. A producer will also need to think
about the availability of equipment and personnel, as if they are
not available for a suitable time before the time period the
producer will have to find a different crew or miss the deadline and
have to reschedule.

Sourcing

Forbes.com

Facilities:

Importance

Production equipment
Post-production equipment
facility houses

A producer will have to take into account the production

equipment and what they need for the production to wok e.g.
camera, microphones, lighting etc. A lot of this equipment is
expensive and can be fragile. Other equipment ae things such as
props and costumes. The producer will need to make sure that all
of these things are available for the production and they are all at
a sufficient quality for the production. The producer will also need
to make sure to have post production equipment facilities available
and at a good working condition for the production.

Sourcing

Production equipment:
http://decodeuk.com
Post production:
https://www.productionhub.com/directory/profiles/post-productionfacilities-houses-film

Materials:

Importance

Original materials,
Archive and library materials
Photo-library materials
Sound library materials,
Internet
Audio
Script (upload an example)
Interviews
Costumes

A producer will need to make sure that original material is used at

a minimum and to make sure there are copies of identical quality.
The original material should be used as a master. A producer will
need to archive materials so that they dont get lost in production.
If any material is lost and there is no copy this could push back the
deadline for the production and will have to be re-filmed or reedited which can cost a lot of money. Internet is an important
material and a producer will need to make sure it is available as it
is used for important things such as communications and research
and if it is not available it could disrupt the production and cost a
lot of money. Audio is an important material as if it is not correct
then it could severely hurt the production if the audio is no linked
with the picture. A script is very important and the produce will
have to make sure he has multiple copies of it, as if there is only
one original copy and it gets lost then it could stop the production
altogether and a new script will have to be re-written. The
producer will need to take into account interviews of the cast and
crew to give good publicity for their production. Costumes re
important in a production and a producer will need to make sure
they are correct or the production, as if they are not it may give
the wrong impression that the producer wants to create for the
production or they will have to wait for a new costume and reshoot.

Script example: http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Star-Wars-The-ForceAwakens.html

Sourcing

Original material is filmed by the director but archive footage for

productions can be found at.
http://film.britishcouncil.org/resources/libraries-and-archives

Locations:

Importance

Recces (Upload an example)

Limitations and risks:
Distance, access, cost,
weather

A location recce is a document which captures the location in

which the production will take place. The location recce will include
nearby public transport (train stations, bus stops etc.)
Limitations and risks of the production the production could hinder
whether or not the producer can go through with it. The producer
will need the location checked by an official to ensure the location
is safe, if not then the production will have to re-locate. When a
location has been chosen hen there may have to be emergency
personnel on sight in case of any stunts in the production which
could injure cast or crew. The produce will have to take into
account the distance of the location and whether it is easily
accessible to all cast and crew. They will also have to check the
distance from the location to any transport routes, hospitals etc.
The producer will also have to think about the cost of the location
and whether it is in budget or not as it could be very expensive for
the producer or wont give the right image for the production. The
producer will also need to research the weather at the time of
filming at the location as if the weather is not correct then it could
potentially ruin the production.
Sourcing

Google maps
Local weather forecast

Codes of
practice and
regulation:

Importance

Location permissions
Clearances
Copyright
Health and safety
Insurance

A producer will have to know whether or not they have permission

to go ahead with the production at the desired location, as if they
dont they could get into legal trouble with the land owner and
may have to pay a large fee. The producer will also need clearance
from local authority as if they are filming a scene involving any
type of weapon for example then they may be wrongly accused of
something and this could disrupt the production schedule. The
producer will also have to be sure that everything that is
copyrighted in the film has been approved by the owner of the
material as this could create even more legal problems for the
producer, which could cost more money and time. The producer
will also have to be sure that everything has been health and
safety checked, from all the equipment, to the locations and
studios being used. If they have not been checked and cast or crew
are injured due to something that would not be compatible with
health and safety could cause legal issues between any cast or
crew and the producers, this could lead to people leaving the
project or having the project delayed. The producer will also need
to make sure everything is insured so that If anything is damaged
or if someone is injured then they will get compensation from it
and it wont cause any real legal backlash.

Sourcing

The below only requires you to discuss the importance

(Choose the one that relate to your production only)
Regulatory
bodies:

Importance

Ofcom
Press Complaints Commission
(PCC) Advertising Standards
Authority (ASA)
Pan European Game
Information (PEGI)
Entertainment Software Rating
Board (ESRB)
British Board of Film
Classification (BBFC)

As my production is an advert, ASA would be the relevant

regulatory board. ASA enforce that all adverts follow a certain
criteria
The ASA is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising
industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory
organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation.
Below is a list of companies/ individuals who have amended the
complaints against them to do with advertising in an informal
investigation.

As shown the ASA deal with problems that arise from complaints
from consumers to do with misleading or offensive adverts.

Trade
unions:

Importance

Producers Alliance for Cinema

and Television (PACT),
National Union of Journalists
(NUJ)
Broadcasting Entertainment
Cinematograph and Theatre
Union (BECTU)

PACT is an organization created to help independent producers,

helping with legal affairs and business solutions. They also help
with the producers campaigns.

PACT is important as they help to get small independent producers

make their productions a reality, helping out financially as shown
above and other production requirements.

Trade
associations:

Entertainment and Leisure

Software Publishers
Association (ELSPA)
British Interactive Media
Association (BIMA)

Importance
The ELSPA is a video game content rating system which is
responsible for giving the age rating to video games in the UK
based on their content. This company is important as if they
werent enforcing these ratings the younger generation to which
the content may not be suitable will be viewing it.