P1: Create pre-production for an original tv programme or short film in a certain genre
Project Brief:
For this project we were set three separate briefs to choose from, all of which being audio visual based with varying genres and themes.
For the sake of experimenting with a different kind of project, I chose the short film brief. Summed up, this brief is to create a short film of 5 minutes (max.) within the Thriller genre. The only guidance is to revolve the plot around a group of friends, and to create the film in accordance with BBFC guidelines to stay within the 15 rating.
For this project we were set three separate briefs to choose from, all of which being audio visual based with varying genres and themes.
For the sake of experimenting with a different kind of project, I chose the short film brief. Summed up, this brief is to create a short film of 5 minutes (max.) within the Thriller genre. The only guidance is to revolve the plot around a group of friends, and to create the film in accordance with BBFC guidelines to stay within the 15 rating.
I have created a simple five finger pitch outlining my idea to present to my classmates in order to gain feedback on my idea:
Proposal:
After considering the brief, and using materials to generate ideas I have created an outline for my project. Here I will outline my ideas within a proposal:
Working Title
The working Title for my project is "Flesh." It is a dark thriller plot about a young girl who is being stalked on her walk home from a date. Her group of friends text her asking details about the date while she is seemingly oblivious to the looming danger. When she returns home the stalking escalates when she receives strange messages from the stalker containing threats and live pictures of the outside of her house. The film heads towards a tense climax with the eerie stalker as her date returns to attempt to save her from his wrongdoing.
Setting and Locations
The main setting for this plot will be the protagonists house, with other sections such as the opening taking place on her walk back to her house. I will be filming all of these shots on location as this will be the most effective way to get a realistic setting. Indoor shots could be filmed in a studio setting but this will look less authentic than filming on location. For the outdoor shot's I will use a nearby area in Cherry Hinton next to st. Andrews Church. This area is local, fitting the briefs request to display a local area. It also fits with the theme and genre of the show, as it takes place in/next to a graveyard.
Needed Equipment
For this Film I will require a few key pieces of equipment. Firstly I will need a video camera that is high quality and effective for recording out on location. For this purpose I will be borrowing the DSLR camera from the media department, as is small and portable for use on location, and is of a high enough quality to make a visually appealing end product. I will also need a piece of equipment to help keep shots stable and steady , despite also being dynamic. For this purpose, I could utilise a simple tripod. I can source a tripod for free from the Oakes media department. This would be adequate, however it is not particularly effective for steadying motion shots, which will feature prominently within my film. For this purpose I will require a shoulder rig, which I can also source for free from the Oakes media department.
Job Roles
There are many job roles involved in the production of a film like this. A few examples of job roles required are a Director, Camera Operators, Editors, SPFX Coordinator, Runners, Costume Designers, Makeup Artists, VFX artists etc. As this is a small independent student production with minimal budget, I will be filling the majority of these roles, although I may ask assistance from friends to help with roles that I struggle to fill all at once on set. If this were a full production with a larger budget then I would likely hire one of each of these job roles.
Budget
As this is an independent student project, I will be producing this film without a budget. I can achieve this by sourcing equipment from college for free, using non-professional actors who volunteer to act for free, and shooting at public locations. This doesn't matter too much to this project, as it is intended to be quite amateur feeling to fit with the atmosphere of the film. If this were a professional production outside the scope of this course then I would have be required to have a budget to cover these things as well as paying cast and crew, paying for food and transportation, paying for facilities such as on location toilets, etc.
Target Audience
To fit with the brief, I will be making the end product in accordance with BBFC guidelines so that it is suitable for audiences of 15 and above. Due to the nature of the thriller genre and dark themes of this film, I place the target audience at 15-25 years of age. From my research I found that thrillers and horrors are most popular with older teens and young adults. This age bracket covers this audience well while still considering the BBFC rating
Legal and ethical issues
Due to the BBFC rating being 15, and the subject matter of my film being quite dark, I think the main ethical issue that I might encounter would be producing something that isn't suitable for this audience, and subsequently frightening this young audience. This could lead to complaints and public backlash surrounding the film. This could lead to the film earning a higher BBFC rating. To avoid this I will have to carefully consider the BBFC guidelines and ensure I am safely within the '15' rating bracket.
In terms of legal issues, the only issue that I can see applying to this film would be running into legal trouble due to use of copyrighted material. This might happen as I want to use music and sound effects for this film that I will source online. To avoid this I will ensure that any music and sound effects that I use will be either produced by myself or royalty free. If I do use copyrighted material I will ensure that I have written permission to use this material.
Working Title
The working Title for my project is "Flesh." It is a dark thriller plot about a young girl who is being stalked on her walk home from a date. Her group of friends text her asking details about the date while she is seemingly oblivious to the looming danger. When she returns home the stalking escalates when she receives strange messages from the stalker containing threats and live pictures of the outside of her house. The film heads towards a tense climax with the eerie stalker as her date returns to attempt to save her from his wrongdoing.
Setting and Locations
The main setting for this plot will be the protagonists house, with other sections such as the opening taking place on her walk back to her house. I will be filming all of these shots on location as this will be the most effective way to get a realistic setting. Indoor shots could be filmed in a studio setting but this will look less authentic than filming on location. For the outdoor shot's I will use a nearby area in Cherry Hinton next to st. Andrews Church. This area is local, fitting the briefs request to display a local area. It also fits with the theme and genre of the show, as it takes place in/next to a graveyard.
Needed Equipment
For this Film I will require a few key pieces of equipment. Firstly I will need a video camera that is high quality and effective for recording out on location. For this purpose I will be borrowing the DSLR camera from the media department, as is small and portable for use on location, and is of a high enough quality to make a visually appealing end product. I will also need a piece of equipment to help keep shots stable and steady , despite also being dynamic. For this purpose, I could utilise a simple tripod. I can source a tripod for free from the Oakes media department. This would be adequate, however it is not particularly effective for steadying motion shots, which will feature prominently within my film. For this purpose I will require a shoulder rig, which I can also source for free from the Oakes media department.
Job Roles
There are many job roles involved in the production of a film like this. A few examples of job roles required are a Director, Camera Operators, Editors, SPFX Coordinator, Runners, Costume Designers, Makeup Artists, VFX artists etc. As this is a small independent student production with minimal budget, I will be filling the majority of these roles, although I may ask assistance from friends to help with roles that I struggle to fill all at once on set. If this were a full production with a larger budget then I would likely hire one of each of these job roles.
Budget
As this is an independent student project, I will be producing this film without a budget. I can achieve this by sourcing equipment from college for free, using non-professional actors who volunteer to act for free, and shooting at public locations. This doesn't matter too much to this project, as it is intended to be quite amateur feeling to fit with the atmosphere of the film. If this were a professional production outside the scope of this course then I would have be required to have a budget to cover these things as well as paying cast and crew, paying for food and transportation, paying for facilities such as on location toilets, etc.
Target Audience
To fit with the brief, I will be making the end product in accordance with BBFC guidelines so that it is suitable for audiences of 15 and above. Due to the nature of the thriller genre and dark themes of this film, I place the target audience at 15-25 years of age. From my research I found that thrillers and horrors are most popular with older teens and young adults. This age bracket covers this audience well while still considering the BBFC rating
Legal and ethical issues
Due to the BBFC rating being 15, and the subject matter of my film being quite dark, I think the main ethical issue that I might encounter would be producing something that isn't suitable for this audience, and subsequently frightening this young audience. This could lead to complaints and public backlash surrounding the film. This could lead to the film earning a higher BBFC rating. To avoid this I will have to carefully consider the BBFC guidelines and ensure I am safely within the '15' rating bracket.
In terms of legal issues, the only issue that I can see applying to this film would be running into legal trouble due to use of copyrighted material. This might happen as I want to use music and sound effects for this film that I will source online. To avoid this I will ensure that any music and sound effects that I use will be either produced by myself or royalty free. If I do use copyrighted material I will ensure that I have written permission to use this material.
Risk assessment
Here I have produced a risk assessment in order to ensure that all risks are acknowledged and minimised:
Risk Assessment Unit 5 Outdoor by Beau Beaumont on Scribd
Risk assessment unit 5 indoors by Beau Beaumont on Scribd
Storyboard
Here I have produced a storyboard in order to guide the production: