Over the unit, it is important for myself and Drey to select specific roles that we will undertake throughout the project. Focusing on our specific roles we will then put them into practice allowing us to focus and specialise on the topic areas that a person in those roles has to carry out.
I have chosen to be the producer for this project as well as the director. I have chosen to do these roles with key reason. Firstly I feel that both roles go hand in hand with eachother allowing myself to oversee the key stages of pre production building from the ground up like a producer would. They have key responisibillites of many elements that a Director would oversee in the pre production process. I also have produced in previous projects successfully and feel with my nature of being focused and organised, I can contribute well in this area of the project.
As for Director, this is the part of every previous project that I have enjoyed the most. I have directed in a lot of units over the past 2 years and feel I have a good understanding of what a director does and how they work to create and elevate a project. With this in mind, I felt it was a natural and important choice to be the director in order to test my skills once again as well as specialise deeper into the role.
As I am the Producer/ Director for this unit, Drey has choosen to be the Director Of Photography and the Editor as her key focus roles. As we put all four of our roles together I feel they work well and compliment eachother as well as developing a strong spine for the project.
Producer
A producer is defined in its name. This is someone who helps to produce a Film/ TV Show overseeing through all production stages of a project. They are responsible for planning and organising key elements that will keep a production on track and are responsible for the success of completing a finished product on time and to budget.
In the pre- production stages, A producer has a lot of responsibility in many aspects of a film. They must be able to find an idea that will work, pull together a creative team and execute areas efficiently in terms of financing, developing scripts, planning & scheduling, ensuring permits and health and safety is in order, selecting the right cast & crew and controlling a strict budget. All of these areas are down to the producer in ensuring that a project is on track and will be completed on time and efficiently.
Financing
A producer must ensure that they can secure financing for a production. In a high end enviroment, a producer would be responsible for applying to companies and investors who will put money forward for the film to be made. A producer must seek these people out and raise enough money for the film to be made and ensure that it profits. For a lower end production, a producer can still seek finance but it would likely be on a lower scale. They may also fund the project themselves for a low budget indie project.
Planning & Scheduling
A Producer has a the important task of effectively plannning and scheduling a production. In its generic form they must be able to ensure all departments are working to a degree that the production is being made on time. They set deadlines, create schedules, hold regular meetings and make sure all paperwork is up to date and throughly produced to be clear and effective. They are responsible for carrying out these methods all the way through a production to keep everything in order.
Permits
An important task of work in the pre production and production stage is ensuring the project has particular permits. This includes many factors in regards to location to ensure they have filed all the right paperwork to shoot on a particular property or land. They must also ensure they obtain permits for anything that could interfere with laws including fake weponary, pyrotechnics, vehicle use and working in public spaces
Heath & Safety
Linking with permits, producers must ensure they have carried out all health and safety mesures to ensure a permit is even granted. They must carry out risk assesments which look at many aspects of what could be dangerous on a shoot. This looks at the location they are filming at, the equipment they are using, the use of pyrotechnics, driving vehcles, wearing high visabillity clothing, prop use and any other factors that could pottential cause harm or risk to the crew or cast.
Cast & Crew
A producer has an important role when it comes to their involvement with casting. They will be a key part in going through applications and working closely with the director to ensure they are choosing the people that would fit the role they are looking for. Producers will almost certainly be involved in the audtion process after they have gone through applicants with a team including the director to ensure the right people are finally selected to be in the production. In terms of crew, producers need to ensure they have the right team on board with the project to ensure that they can produce to the best quality they can. This includes hiring accross all departments.
Budgeting
This is one of the most important aspects and utilises key skills from a producer. Once they have the money together for a production, they must write up a detailed budget sheet to break down where all the money is going to be funded into. This includes locations, costume, props, travel and food expenses, equipment hire and many other factors that can go into a production. Planning this efficiently is key to making sure a production is running to the budget that they can afford and organising where costs are going to be spent. A budget is vital to a production process.
Director
Unlike a Producer who is responsible for planning and coordinating a production, a Director has the overall role of the visionary aspects. He or she must visulise a script and bring it to life by guiding the crew and actors seemlessly together. They read over scripts, create shot lists, give cast a clear understanding of character, block the actors and relay scenery and lighting ideas to name a few. They must be involved with all departments like lighting, scoring, location scouting, casting, costume and scripting to make sure their vision is coming to life and their ideas marry together all the way through pre production and continue to run smoothly through production and post production.
Scripting
With most Films and Television, A writer usually writes a script formed from an idea or a particular adaptation of a text. The Director has to take the script and envision it thoroughly from the characters and what they look like to where the story is being told and the scenery that emulates the script. Through this they may make ammendments to the script and ensure the vision matches up and that the film will work well progressing forward.
Shot Lists & Storyboarding
Once a director envisions the story its important to have a clear idea in physical form. The director will work with an artist or by himself to create a story board for each scene to capture the imagination onto paper. Once this is drawn up they will then create a shot list detailing each scene shot for shot to see how all of the cuts will tie into eachother.
Working With Departments
A director must ensure they are fluid in working with all different departments. With the lighting department, its key that they ensure how they want each scene to look so that the crew can have a clear understanding of how to light a set or location. In terms of sound, the director must ensure that they are choosing the right music or hireing the right composer to score the film so that it emulates a story with the right feel and emotion. With producers, its important Directors work closely with them to ensure they are planning and hiring the the right aspects to match the ideas of that they have and that they factor into the budget. Costume must be discussed to make sure the characters look right and are giving of the right feel that the director/ writer wants to give off. When working with actors, they must communicate with them to make sure their performances are enhanced and they are getting the character to the best of their abillity. There are so many departments that the director has an involvement in.
Blocking
This is key to nail down in pre production to make sure it runs smoothly when it comes to the production side of the project. The director must ensure he knows the set and the scene very well and makes sure he or she maps out where the actors will be standing or moving to. From this, the director can make camera plans so that they know where the camera/ cameras are going to be placed to get the right shots. They can then take this forward into a film shoot with detailed knowledge of the creative process for a scene.
I have mentioned some of the most important factors that both roles have to carry out in order to make sure a shoot is successful and I will apply these when working through a pre production package and eventually into production.
