Assignment 2- Task 1

Understand requirements for a specific media production 

Finance
When directors are creating a feature film, the main requirement they need to think about is the finance for the production. As feature films are more privileged with different companies financing them, it is easier to create the feature film than any other film type. However this does not relate to short films, short films are never funded by funding companies only in some occasions if your short film it has to have a strong and compelling idea, in depth research and a clear plan on what you will achieve from your short film.

One of the main funding companies for the UK is the British Film Institute (BFI), this company is a well known company across the UK which is used my many directors to help them fund for the film, the money given from the BFI is the lottery investment which is given to each director to start the production of their film. Each production is given £18,000,000 per year to invest in the makings of the production. An example of a feature film the BFI funded was 'Wallace and Gromit the curse of the were-rabbit' which came out in 2005.

With short films, as they are not provided with any type of financial help from a filming company it is usually harder to create as the director of the short film as to go out their own way to create the money they need for the short film. This is not an easy task as you would have to work harder than usual in order to create the short films or even gather the money. 

Kickstarter which is a funding platform into creative project 'Kickstarter' is a great way of funding for your short film, the reason for this is it is a way of raising funds for different creative projects. Kickstarter lets you have the responsibility and the control over your short film. The way the funding works is the creator of the project has to set a goal and a deadline for their film, in order to reach their goals they have to make sure the film is worth receiving any money.  Here is an example of a short films on Kickstarter;

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dianachao/the-restoration

Creative England 

Sizzle reel 

Work on a high end market to generate private funds.  This can help you earn the money quicker by maybe selling home goods or different types of foods etc.  Alternatively, you could privately source money from friends and family

Apply for a public and private grant for short films as there might be some companies that can provide you with a grant in order to help you. 

Some of these methods can be used to start creating short films. 

Time

Timing is another major production to think about whilst in the process of creating the short film. Deadlines are needed during this process, for example a deadline that is required in kickstarter is only allowed be on the site for 3 months, after that the funds and donations for the film is stopped and is taken down.
Another reason why films have deadlines is so everything can be completed within the filming deadline then given to the editor to be edited in time for the actual release date they arranged it would be at. This also occurs with different equipment's, props and location that is needed for the film, an example of this is if most props and equipment was hired from others, that equipment would have to be given back within the certain date as they also might need it. Some of the consequences by not giving it back at that certain day could mean jeopardizing your chance in using the equipment again. This also relate to the location as maybe certain timings could effect everyone for example if they was to film out on rush hour, this can effect people by making them wait longer. In addition the staff working with the film would be paid by the hour which means they would have to pay the staff more money for the more hours they do, as film makers are on a budget they need to keep the film as cheap as possible and save money as much as they can just in case. 

Personnel
In order to create the project you need a big team with very skilled and experienced staff. As there are a range of roles needed in the production a great deal of staff are needed in order to help out with the set, equipment and costume etc. The different roles consist of the cast which is needed to play out the different parts that was set to them from the script, costume designer which is creating and designing different costumes for the cast, this also consist of creating specific costumes designs for different types of the characters within the film, a location manager which sets up the lighting and setting for the set of the film. The location manager has to make sure everything is in place such as props, lighting etc.  before the director decides to start shooting the film. Make up artist are also needed within a filming set, this is so the make up artist can make up the actor according to their character as well as air brush the actors to create a better picture of them on the camera, the director's are the most crucial people that is needed on a filming set, as they are the ones directing the film and creating the film they want they are the main people on the set, they direct the actors by telling them what and where they need to go and what to do when on the set. A producer is needed on the set as they help create the script whilst the film is being taken, and lastly the casting director helps choose the actors that will be suitable for the characters in the film.

The experience the staff is always depending the area they specialize in throughout the production, as the experience of having a particular job can vary between a member of staff working with years and years of experience to some staff having little knowledge and experience it can effect the production in a range of ways however depending on there learning skills as well as understanding there role within the business, this can result in a good production. In addition to this some new graduates coming from film university's etc have less of a chance in actually gaining a stable and good job on a film set to someone who has had years of experience.

The size of the crew always depends on what kind of movie it is going to be also the financial issues of the producer, if they have enough money to hire each and every different type of crew member that is needed in the production. This relates to funding, before the director and producer decide to start filming there production, they need to think further into the process, to see if there own financial issues would cover there needs to carry on with the production as well as other necessitates needed. 

Facilities:
All feature film need any type of facilities in order for them to go about there film. However this always comes at a cost for example in order to get a better picture or clear, sharp sound in the film to help have better end results and a clearer finish. High end equipment doesn't come cheap, this should also be another thing that needs to be thought about before any time of production, as this links to finance. You need to know if you can afford the type of equipment that will be needed in order to create the film. Some movie genres would have to be thought in more depth for example any sci-fi films would cost a large amount of money as there would be a huge amount of equipment that might be needed for that production in order to create a good film. Another thing that might need to be taken into consideration is the equipment needed for post production, in order to finish the film there would be a large amount of editing going on to make the film easier for the audience to watch. 
However making a short film, it would be harder to accomplish certain things as there might not be the facilities as they will be expensive. This can be resolved by using outsourcing which allows you to hire out equipment that might be needed in order to shoot there production in the best way they can with just the equipment they have.There are a range of outsourcing companies within the UK, a well known company in the UK is 'Accenture' which provides help to film makers that are in need of any facilities which would help them with there production. 

Materials:
As there are a range of materials that are needed in when producing a short film for example soundtracks, costumes and make up are some type of material aspects that need to thought through in order to gain the perfect film in which in some conditions the audience can relate to. 

In this example of 'fast and furious 6' the materials that are used such as the soundtrack which most of it was licensed to use some soundtracks they wanted to include in the film, in addition to this some celebrities also made there own soundtrack for the movie, this means the songs they have created can be used within the film which will make it professional. The atmosphere the song provides for the film is a very upbeat song which makes you build your adrenalin for the ending which is always going to be a surprise and big. As the main theme about this film is the cars, whilst you watch the film you can see that every one in the film have there own car as an accessory to show of in the film.







Contributors:
Contributors usually play a big  part for short film productions, as short film directors are low on any type of funding, the more contributors they involve the more funding they can gain for example advertising the short film, being more noticeable to the public etc. This will help the films finance grow into getting them noticed more to bigger companies which can help then become even more popular by helping the directors sell there film to more cinemas rather than a few. Ways in which the film can become popular is by using kickstart which would help them advertise the film also to gain more money by funding the film, another way the film would be gaining publicity is people across the world can have access to kickstart which means they can view the short film as well as fund it. 

Locations:
There are always advantages and disadvantages when looking for the  location or setting for your short film, for example to film in an exotic country you would first need to fly to another country which can always be expensive depending on where you go and where you want to film also this links to financial issues, if you are financially well to go and shoot your film in another country. Another disadvantage is not always having permission to shoot a specific place for example if you wanted to film a old fashioned house which might relate to your film and you don't have permission as the people who own the property would not let. As short film makers don't have much money they can't pay for the places they would want to shoot there film. However a plus side of this would be contacting people within different companies to help you get the permission to film in a certain area etc. Things like this needs to come into consideration before wanting to film as you don't have any issues when you are ready to film. In addition to this continuity is key within any film, if the continuity of the weather does not flow then the film would not work, for example making sure the weather is the same and the way you have planned it as you would have to keep going back and making changes. As this is a short film there would be no use of artificial materials which means they would have to be very precise with the continuity throughout the short film. 

Codes of practice and regulations
Within the codes and regulations of a film there are many things that need to be considered and looked into for example using a soundtrack that has been created by another celebrity and using the soundtrack on the film without there permission is known to be copyright which means the film makers can be taken to prison as it is against the law, by using the soundtrack the film maker would have to give some sort of payment to the creator of the soundtrack in order for them to allow you to use it. An example of this is to gain permission from a celebrity such as drake to use any of his songs in the film. Another code and regulation would be filming somewhere without any permission or access, things like this can jeopardize there carer in filming as if you don't listen to any of the regulations and decide to abuse the terms it can maybe effect your future in filming. Lastly another main point that needs to be thought through throughout filming is health and safety. Making sure your cast and crew are in a safe environment to film as if anything happens it will always fall down on the director and the producer of any film, it also means they can get compensation. Before filming is started there always needs to be regular checks on the locations anyone is working in, if they see it is not a safe environment to work in then they can be fined.