Unit 4D: Preproduction Review

 Preproduction Review

HOW DID YOU START TO PLAN THE PROJECT? WHERE DID YOU START?

To start planning my project I started to look for inspiration and clips that interested me. To do this I looked on YouTube at short horror films, I looked at aspects of horror that I wanted to recreate in my project. I went on to YouTube very open minded with my idea so I could look into all genres of horror. I then narrowed down some of my favourite short horror films id found and identified what I liked about them, themes, lighting, plot etc. 

One short horror film that caught my eye was 'Speechless'. This was about a man in a laundrette where he comes face to face with a long, black haired bone snapping girl. The concept of the film is very simple but effective, no dialogue or complicated characters. I wanted to recreate this atmosphere in my short horror film which is how may idea came about. 

I also analysed many title sequences and highlighted the elements that took my fancy and stood out to me, these of which I wanted to use in my short horror film. 

HOW DID YOUR ORGANISE YOUR PROJECT?

I started by creating a folder called 'PRODUCTION' on my Mac to ensure that all my work was in one safe place and easily accessible. Most of my work was drafted first, my synopsis, shot list and script. It was then written up onto my blog in the pre production planning section, this helped me to evaluate what I needed to improve and complete. The main benefit for me was my production log, this told me exactly what I had done and when id done it, allowing me to keep track of dates and work submitted. With my work all being online and in work documents it means that loose paper won't be going missing or being destroyed as well as the fact that it is readable to whoever wants to read it. Online word documents helps me to keep my work looking neat and professional. 

One of the main cautions that I put in place when planning my project was a risk assessment. With this I analysed every possible hazard and planned ways to prevent these happening or pushing us back when filming etc. This document was online and accessible to anyone who wanted to see it, ensuring everyone knew the procedures when it comes to risks and health and safety. 

HOW DID YOU ENSURE YOUR PROJECT RAN SMOOTHLY?

The main way that my project ran smoothly was through my production log as everyone involved always knew what was to be done and what had already been completed, this ensured that everyone knew exactly what to do. This stopped any chance of losing filming time due to people being confused or behind. The project as a whole was a very frequent thing, planning weekly and often with everyone ensured that no one lost interest or that the days of filming were too long. 

There were a number of unexpected changes which hit the nation as a whole. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, it postponed dates when we could meet and film. Remotely we continued to plan with quality of documents and legal things. The filming was pushed back until the new year which put us under an extremely tight schedule. 

Above is my mini production log which was created before any filming or preparation too place, these we're set dates that I wanted to get things done by, this helped me to stick to a schedule before even starting. The schedule was very 'flexible' but I had things to be achieved. 

DID YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES ORGANISING PEOPLE/ LOCATIONS/ RESOURCES? HOW DID YOU OVER COME THEM?

With my location I had no issues with it as it is a private airfield being used, I have permission to film as of when I need to at any times. This means i have flexible times to be filming inside of one the hangars. As the location is outside we could still film during COVID-19 times as long as the social distancing is kept and the government allows groups of 6 to meet outside. Furthermore with the airfield being shut to the public, I didn't have to worry about filming other people or the problem of noise. With regards to people, I have no problem with them either, my characters are people I work with at the airfield, therefore we all have a legal reason to be there and we can create a work bubble if need be. There will be me and 2 other characters, the 2 other people live in the same household too. 

DID YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH PAPERWORK OR KEEPING ON TOP OF IT? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THIS PROBLEM? DID IT AFFECT YOUR FINAL PROJECT?

Consent forms were produced from templates for the case in order to highlight any risk possible and opportunities that come about when filming. this was ethical to make sure that individuals personal information was disclosed as confidentially is key and protection from harm is necessary. this helps to increase the success of the production, therefore the cast and other individuals felt secure on set and participated in production. 

Due to the small scale of my production, legal paperworks and documents weren't needed, but in larger more professional productions the legal documents would be necessary. 

WERE THERE ANY HEALTH AND SAFTEY ISSUES? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

I produced an in detail risk assessment which enabled me to keep on top of any potential hazards that faced me and my crew. The risk assessment also meant everyone knew how to avoid them risks and if they did come able, what to do to help. As we would be filming stunts which involved danger/ weapons we read up on the met.police.uk website to see what guidelines to follow: all film crew wearing high-vis clothing so its obvious that filming is taking place, make sure the area is sign posted well and that it tells public the nature of the filming. Another precaution we took was to notify everyone at the airfield that filming would be taking place so that they were forewarned of the filming.

Furthermore, with the global pandemic going on, health and safety was at the front of our minds, ensuring everyone was safe and well to be filming. This meant that everyone involved was tested 2x a week and had to have records of negative results to be present. Hand sanitising stations were set up so it was available to everyone and face masks to be worn by all the crew, only exception was when filming was taking place, actors could take the masks off for their scene only. The location which filming was taking place had a one way system put in place so social distancing could be kept in place. 

WERE THERE ANY LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

The main legal issue we had was the restrictions placed by th government which were law. These dictated the amount of people present we could have, but providing we all kept to social distancing and had high personal hygiene standards then we could continue 'as normal'.

With the location, I made sure I had permission by the airfield and land owner to be filming on his land, I wrote in writing what my intentions were and how many days I would be filming, I then got his signature in writing and kept that with my other paperwork. 

To avoid any legal issues with my actors, I got them to fill out a consent form, this stated all the information about the film, what we would be doing and even what the future of the short film entailed. All crew and actors had the right to withdraw from the project if they felt they wanted to. 

DID YOU RISK ASSESS THE PROJECT PROPERLY? ANY RISKS YOU DIDN'T EXPECT? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THIS?

During the planning of my film, I went to my set location and did a full risk assessment of just the location. This included taking recee shots of any parts of the location I would be using and would be in shot. The risk assessment included any potential hazards with the location itself and any other hazards. Another thing I included was a probability chart, including the calculation of risk and the severity of each individual hazard. It included HIGH, MEDIUM and LOW. This impacted how action would be taken and what crew had to do. This helped to keep even the risk assessment very organised and simple to understand for all. 

DID YOU MANAGE TO STICK TO THE SCHEDULE YOU PLANNED?

This below helped us as a cast and crew to stick to a routine and timeline, this gave us a few months after to ensure we were always ahead of time even with push backs. We also always allowed time before and after filming or editing incase we went over, this was so we never clashed filming days or events. Allocating adequate time was extremely important and effective to help things run smoothly.

HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS YOUR PREPRODUCTION? DID YOU MANAGE TO CHANGE PLANS DURING FILMING?

The key parts of my pre production such as shot list, synopsis and character profiles were easy to follow and made it so straightforward to get on with filming with the crew. Each crew had a copy of the synopsis and shot list therefore they knew exactly what needed to be done and where to be when. With the pre production elements it meant that my story line could be perfectly represented and it flowed really easily. I also created a small script which highlighted when certain emotions needed to be emphasised throughout my short film. 

HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS YOUR FINAL FILM? WHAT LINK IS THERE BETWEEN PREPRODUCTION WORK AND FILMING?

My final product was extremely successful as it really showed the true storyline I was intending to, the pre production made this possible as i could properly plan and think about each and every part of it. without the pre production I would've felt that my short film was unprepared and rushed. The pre production really helped to organise everything and help me feel on top of it all, leaving me more time to alter and change anything with the final filming that I wasn't happy with. As well as this, I received very positive feedback from my peers and family who watched the short film.

HOW IMPORTANT IS PREPRODUCTION MATERIAL IN YOUR OPINION?

Pre production material is extremely important as everyone knows exactly what they're doing and it helps to plan everything. It also helps me to keep to tight schedules through my production log, this helps me keep on top of filming and make sure that as a crew we don't get behind with the filming. Another aspect is budgeting, pre production helped me keep to budgeting and ensure I was spending money on the correct things rather than wasting money. The production log allows you to see the progress already made, this is massively important as you can see how far you've come already and how far there is to go. Moreover, the preproduction helped me to clearly see where things didn't work, or didn't flow as well as did like them too. 

WHAT COULD YOU HAVE DONE BETTER IF YOU WERE TO DO IT ALL AGAIN?

if I had to do it all over again I would make sure to include a more in-depth script and a larger scaled production, due to COVID I had to reduce my production right down to fit with government guidelines and the restrictions. COVID meant that I couldn't have the people I wanted in my production due to different households mixing and I also had to make use of the outdoor space when I wanted to use indoor spaces. I could also use a lot more expensive and high tech equipment to enhance my quality of film and sound. I would also make sure that I'm even more organised and keep on top of everything.