Tutors Summary

Well done Beth and thank you for taking part in this years BFI Film Academy. This blog covers a true reflection of what you achieved.  Your art and design skills were truly excellent and the end film really benefited from having your design work. I think during the production week you also felt more confident in animation and I would like to see you develop this area further in the future as you seem to have a natural skill.

You can find a rough copy of the film here:

https://vimeo.com/148244026

(A password for the film has been sent to you via an email)



Please do not share this yet on social media as this is still only a rough cut but feel free to show universities and other organisations or add it to your showreel.



Wishing you great success for the future

Spencer Whalen
MediaActive

1.1 - Outline the Culture of the film industry

What do you know about the working culture of the film industry?

The film industry involves many different components. While everyone has their own specific roles, they do all work together, this means that each job is important and needs to be done properly. If one area of the film industry is held up, then the whole production is reduced. Different areas of the film industry include; Directors, Producers, Actors, Camera Crew, Script Writers, Illustrators, Animators, Foley Artists and Sound Engineers. Each one of these areas are extremely important, without even one of these, the film would not be produced on time or even at all.

When working on commissions and in the film industry, there are always deadlines. This means time needs to be managed effectively. Everyone needs to be committed to the film they are work on, meaning a more than adequate amount of time needs to be put into the production. When the development of the film is planned out it makes the process a lot easier and avoids many obstacles. Since the film industry is so competitive, if your time management is not good, employers are not going to be impressed. Because there are so many different parts to a film crew, strict time limits need to be placed in order for everyone to be able to do their job properly and effectively. Every minute lost = money lost. Good time management also means that stress from the high pressure of the industry is reduced.

Due to the unpredictable nature of the process of film making and the amount of time it takes, the crew often have to work long hours. These hours can also be at unusual times depending on the setting and the lighting needed for the shot. This also means that the crew need to be ready to drop everything at any time. Therefore when working on a film, you never really get a break from working. Time is spent thinking about perfect shots with the perfect lighting with the perfect setting. If the director finds a particular setting that they want in the film, especially if the setting is outside and using natural lighting, the crew need to be there within a matter of minutes as the light changes quickly. When actually filming on location, people need to move around to work and film. Films are rarely just filmed in one place, meaning the crew often have long periods of time away from home. This emphasizes the need to be dedicated to the film you are working on.

When working on a commission, the contracts are generally short term. Meaning that your work is extremely unpredictable. You may have a funded commission one month, but then you may not get any work for the next year. A lot of a film makers time is spent pitching ideas to distributors.  

What qualities do you need to work in the film industry?

Because working in the film industry means working with loads of different people, you need to be able to get along well with individuals. Everyone will be different and often very eccentric, therefore if you don't voice your own ideas and have confidence in your own ability then you won't get anywhere. Whilst you need to have confidence in your ideas, you also need to listen to others. Film making is a collective process. Without listening to everyone else you might miss out on a whole range of good ideas. Using initiative is a key quality in order or you to convey your ideas and get on with the work.

1.2 - Identify Time Management Skills

Why is time management important in the film industry?

When working in the film industry, deadlines are often common, therefore planning when you are going to do things will help you finish commissions on time. Because you are working within a big team it is vital that you finish your part of the film punctually so that other people can get on with theirs. Filming also needs to be finished within the allocated time frame as lighting and weather will change eventually when shooting on location. If time isn't managed properly then the whole film will be held up; if the making of the project goes over time then it can end up creating cost implications. 

Give at least 4 examples of good time management skills

• Preparation and planning - This is needed in order for everyone to know what they need to do and when.
• Schedules and call sheets - This helps to organise when things need to be done.
• Punctuality - Important for keeping the project running smoothly.
• Using lists - Allows for organised thinking and is also clear for others when working in a team.

1.3 - Describe the key aspects of health and safety when working on film productions

What needs to be considered in terms of health and safety when working on a film production?

Before starting filming, risk assessments need to be done. These should be carried out before every major scene to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the filming. Potential hazards and injuries need to be thought out practically, and ways in which to reduce these should also be thought about. Any accidents that do occur need to be reported. 

Filming equipment such as lights and electrics also need to be checked before filming. Lights can become hot and electrics can spark and cause all kinds of accidents. Rigging and de-rigging of sets also needs to be done carefully, There needs to be trained crew who know how to safely put up and take down the set, in order to make sure that accidents are avoided.

When a film contains stunts, a risk assessment needs to be carried out in order to evaluate the situation for the actor. If the risks are too high, then a professional stunt actor should be brought in to take their place. However, often stunts can be achieved using safety equipment.

Other hazards that need to be considered when working on a film production are trip hazards, fatigue and long hours, and lifting heavy equipment.


What can be put in place to ensure health and safety risks are minimized?

To avoid health and safety risks before hand, risk assessments are important, however if accidents do happen then accident reports should be followed through. This helps with the legal side of things if the accident is extremely serious and also means that people can learn from what has happened and make sure that it doesn't happen again. 

In order to avoid any accidents due to fatigue, regular breaks need to be issued to ensure that the team stay alert. Schedules also help with this, as it means that everyone is working the required hours and are still getting regular breaks. First Aiders need to be on site at all times just in case and they need to be equipped for any injuries. Safety equipment should be used when doing stunts or when rigging or de-rigging the set. There also needs to be allocated crew that perform regular equipment checks to ensure the safety of the rest of the team.

Upload an example of a risk assessment that would have been used in the production week.

1.4 - Explain how regulations may affect the use of copyright materials

How do regulations affect the use of copyright materials?

When wanting to use secondary sources in any part of a film, you need to be aware of the copyright legislation. This is due to the Copyright and Patents Act brought in in 1988. This means that when using any source that you yourself have not made, whether that be music or a particular shot, you must ask for permission before hand. Often others allow their work to be used, but they must be referenced to, however sometimes there will be a fee. The Copyright and Patents Act allows creators of many types of material to control the ways their work is used and who uses it. It also means they get the credit they deserve.

https://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law

1.5 - Identify materials that may be subject to copyright

What materials may be subject to copyright?

• Sound recordings
• Musical - Recordings and scores
• Dramatic - Plays, Dances
• Artistic - Paintings, technical drawings, architecture, maps, logos
• Published Editions - Magazines, articles
• Films - Broadcasts, programmes
• Literary - Lyrics, manuscripts, documents, newsletters, articles

How has copyright regulation affected your film production?

It didn't affect our film production that much as we filmed everything and used primary sources as reference images. We also recorded our own Foley sound which we could incorporate into our own film. If we had needed to gather sound and missing clips we could have used a website and paid for a clip that we wanted/needed to include. Also if we had used content that was copyright free then we would  have only needed to reference them.
       We were also using stories and folk tales that are over 70 years old, as these have been passed on and changed over many years, it is nearly impossible to know who originally created the content.

2.1 – 2.2 - Identify Key job roles and responsibilities in the film industry and describe the structure and interrelationship of the production department

Outline the key job roles on a film production

Pre production

• Script Writers - outline the whole film, with directions and what the characters are going to say.
• Story Boarders - works with director to come up with a shot by shot storyboard of action to be filmed.
• Production Design/Concept Artists - in charge of creating the style of the set.
• Costume Design - designs, purchases and manages costumes. Often helpful to get this done before production begins.
• Location Manager - in charge of finding and securing locations for filming.

Production

• Director of Photography - in charge of how the film is lit and shot.
• Gaffer - chief lighting technician
• 1st Assistant Director - runs the set according to the needs a instructions of the director.
• Sound/Foley artist - in charge of everything to do with recording sound.
• Production manager - organises everyone and everything on set. 
• Focus Puller - in charge of focusing camera 
• Clapper Loader - loads the camera, takes care of the stock and records each take.
• Grip - looks after all the equipment for supporting and moving the camera whilst shooting.
• Script Supervisor - makes sure everything seen on camera is consistent from shot to shot.
• Boom Operator - holds the boom.
• Sparks - lighting technicians.
• Hair/Makeup artist - designs and executes makeup and hair.

Post Production

• Editor - cuts the film together.
• Stills Photographer - takes photos for publicity reasons.

Main Roles - Key throughout the whole process

• Director - has creative control throughout the whole process.
• Producer - organisation of money, team and rights.
• Heads of Departments - makes organisation a lot easier.
• Line Producer - ensures that the film comes in on time and on budget

Create a flowchart or mind map of how these roles interrelate

How have the different roles interrelated during your production?

During our production we had three different groups, Scriptwriters, Production Design and Live Action. The Scriptwriters ultimately came up with the ideas and story line, they then passed it onto the Production Design team where we got together reference images, colour schemes, character designs, key shots and props. These were then given to the Live Action group where they went and filmed both live action and animation scenes. Finally, the last thing to do was editing and cutting all the shots together.