Learning Outcome 2: Be able to plan and develop pre-production materials for an original media product to a client brief.
Equipment Recce
For my software, I plan to use iMovie, this is because no visual effects or difficult editing will be needed.
Imovie is simple to use, and it is accessible to me at all times. The camera I will be using for taking footage
of locations and interviews will be a camcorder (Sony hdr-pj620), I will also be needing a tripod to ensure
the footage does not appear shaky and I will also carry with me a lavalier microphone
(Rode Sma to record the interviewees' voice with high quality)
Imovie is simple to use, and it is accessible to me at all times. The camera I will be using for taking footage
of locations and interviews will be a camcorder (Sony hdr-pj620), I will also be needing a tripod to ensure
the footage does not appear shaky and I will also carry with me a lavalier microphone
(Rode Sma to record the interviewees' voice with high quality)
M2: Legal and ethical issues are identified and resolved
for the planned production
According to the BBFC “All feature films, short films and trailers that are to be shown theatrically must be submitted to the BBFC, unless permission has been granted by the local authority in the area that the work is being shown”, therefore the promotional video will need a BBFC rating if it will be published on media websites and in the theatre when the competition is due. To prevent any problems the promotional video will need to be sent to the BBFC for evaluation to see which age rating it is best suited for. Although video on video demand services does not need BBFC ratings, it is best to use as it gives a warning to the viewers if they are suitable to watch the content they are about to watch. A technique that many video on demand services follow for example Netflix, the user is required to create their own user account which will take their details including their age. This would result in the website automatically restricting age-inappropriate content from the user. I will be sending my video to the BBFC as it is both legal requirements and the clients at Cambridge City council have asked me to do this in the brief.
I believe that I would most likely get a U rating for universal for the promotional video, this is because I show locations and give information on how Cambridge is a very cultural location in the UK. My film would not need a higher rating because there is no discrimination, drugs, inappropriate language, nudity, sex, threats or violence which are the reason for many other films have higher ratings, although the BBFC states there is no way to tell what can upset people or children so you can never be sure.
When filming in a location the filmmaker must have the rights and permission from the legal owner or rights holder to film. If the filmmaker does not have the right to film in that specific location there could be legal implications such as the filmmaker being sued by the owner. During my scouting for locations, I asked permission from the Fitzwilliam Museum to film in their location. I was later denied because of the policy of paying £200 for a production. I then looked for other locations that would be for free to use such as Market Square and the city centre. Another concern from filming in the location would be recording people who have not signed a release form. As I will be filming in a very crowded area, it is very likely to have people walking by the shots I am taking. If the shot I am taking is specifically focused on one individual, that could quite uncomfortable for that person and could further spark ethical implications as there is no law saying you cannot film someone else in public. To avoid any implications with the public I will be keeping my shots steady and zoomed out to focus solely on the locations’ sights.
During production, workers within the company follow a contract this would also include voice actors which if signed the voice actor will have to follow the rules of the contract such as completing the audio production on time. If the voice actor or the person who supplied the contract break the rules there can be legal implications.
As I am going to want to advertise my video on different platforms, I will be needing to consider the guidelines that are in place for advertising companies to follow. If the guidelines provided haven’t been followed the ASA will have authority to take down the advert or prevent it from being seen by the public. As my product is intended to be distributed through the internet using social media, websites, and video streaming services such as Youtube, my product would fall in the category of Non-broadcast advertising as it is not appearing on tv or radio, below are the guidelines I would need to be following. ASA guidelines from their main website (https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/advertising-codes/non-broadcast-code.html)
In order for a production team to use the soundtrack for their film or media content, it is necessary for the production company to hold the legal rights to add the soundtrack to the film before it is produced and distributed. This is because most soundtracks are under copyright which is held by the copyright artist or the record company. If the soundtrack is used without permission the copyright holder has the right to sue the content creator and prevents the media content from being published and if published they hold the right to take it down from any media outlets that have been used. What I will be doing for my production is playing non-copyrighted background music as I will not be requiring anyone’s permission.
As I have permission from a voice actor, location and copyright holder I have no difficulty following on with the production. For my software, I plan to use iMovie, this is because no visual effects or difficult editing will be needed for this production.
I believe that I would most likely get a U rating for universal for the promotional video, this is because I show locations and give information on how Cambridge is a very cultural location in the UK. My film would not need a higher rating because there is no discrimination, drugs, inappropriate language, nudity, sex, threats or violence which are the reason for many other films have higher ratings, although the BBFC states there is no way to tell what can upset people or children so you can never be sure.
When filming in a location the filmmaker must have the rights and permission from the legal owner or rights holder to film. If the filmmaker does not have the right to film in that specific location there could be legal implications such as the filmmaker being sued by the owner. During my scouting for locations, I asked permission from the Fitzwilliam Museum to film in their location. I was later denied because of the policy of paying £200 for a production. I then looked for other locations that would be for free to use such as Market Square and the city centre. Another concern from filming in the location would be recording people who have not signed a release form. As I will be filming in a very crowded area, it is very likely to have people walking by the shots I am taking. If the shot I am taking is specifically focused on one individual, that could quite uncomfortable for that person and could further spark ethical implications as there is no law saying you cannot film someone else in public. To avoid any implications with the public I will be keeping my shots steady and zoomed out to focus solely on the locations’ sights.
During production, workers within the company follow a contract this would also include voice actors which if signed the voice actor will have to follow the rules of the contract such as completing the audio production on time. If the voice actor or the person who supplied the contract break the rules there can be legal implications.
As I am going to want to advertise my video on different platforms, I will be needing to consider the guidelines that are in place for advertising companies to follow. If the guidelines provided haven’t been followed the ASA will have authority to take down the advert or prevent it from being seen by the public. As my product is intended to be distributed through the internet using social media, websites, and video streaming services such as Youtube, my product would fall in the category of Non-broadcast advertising as it is not appearing on tv or radio, below are the guidelines I would need to be following. ASA guidelines from their main website (https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/advertising-codes/non-broadcast-code.html)
In order for a production team to use the soundtrack for their film or media content, it is necessary for the production company to hold the legal rights to add the soundtrack to the film before it is produced and distributed. This is because most soundtracks are under copyright which is held by the copyright artist or the record company. If the soundtrack is used without permission the copyright holder has the right to sue the content creator and prevents the media content from being published and if published they hold the right to take it down from any media outlets that have been used. What I will be doing for my production is playing non-copyrighted background music as I will not be requiring anyone’s permission.
As I have permission from a voice actor, location and copyright holder I have no difficulty following on with the production. For my software, I plan to use iMovie, this is because no visual effects or difficult editing will be needed for this production.