My promotional was a success due to my constant communication with my client and crew, as showcased through my heavily documented record of meeting and production schedules. I think this allowed for a better promotional video as I was constantly able to see what my crew was doing as we ticked off/completed significant parts of production. However, if I was going to improve my communication for my next production I would hold meetings in person rather than digitally, as despite there convenience of not having to travel I feel I could have better communicated and generated ideas in person by having my crew there with me physically in person.
I think my documentation severely helped with the creative process as I feel I would have quickly become overwhelmed if I had not neatly organised the production between my crew, however, I often would feel restricted by the production schedule as I feel it did not give me a lot of breathing room to complete certain tasks and I think they could have been more fleshed out. Overall I see why planning is such an integral part of media production as without it you could miss out on many different things like legal documentation, which could lead to losing time and money on set if you don't have actors sign consent forms (Possible injury lawsuits, etc).
I think my production accommodated for health and safety concern with my purchase of cable ties to keep cords from becoming tripping hazards and my purchase of high visibility jackets helping my crew feel safe while filming near an active street. But if I was going to film this again I feel I would have invested in shooting signs and hazard cones to better empathize and secure my peer's safety.
I also showed adaptability during filming as we had a confrontation with local bystanders who kept ruining footage for the video by yelling getting into frame and staring into the camera. Our shoot time was coming to an end and we need a few more shots so I had to step up and talk to these individuals and distract them while my grip and camera operator were able to get the footage while I was talking to them. They were able to attain the footage we needed and because of this, we didn't have to spend extra money on reshoots and avoided confrontation with these individuals that could have escalated to getting local authorities involved.
Overall I think my promotional video created the desired narrative for my client that followed the guidelines of the brief that impressed nad was to the satisfaction of the client however, I feel I could have saved my client some money if I had decided not to rent a dinning bus and instead asked one of the local businesses organize a dinner venue for my cast and crew, but I feel I did successfully adapt during shooting by having local volunteers as my extras rather than paid workers saving £200 during the shoot. I also feel I could have stepped in and done the editing myself as I have my own facilities and previous experience doing the split-screen editing method I wanted to achieve in this promotional video, which could have saved having to pay for an editors salary. But in the end, I gave my client what they wanted by following the brief and communicating constantly with them and my crew and without this combination of planning and improvisation I don't think I could have managed to produce anything, and I will be taking this lesson into consideration for my future productions.
Evaluations of My Work During the Production:
Evaluation of Meeting Records
Meeting Records are used to keep track of topics discussed and assignments given during a meeting with the crew and in this case the client. This communication ensures that we keep with the vision of the client and what they wish to achieve with this promotional video.
I would say I successfully kept track of what we discussed and by keeping notes on these discussions we improved our workflow and allowed us to continuously apply our work to the client brief. This made sure we stayed in touch with the client but if I was to improve both the meeting and the meeting records I would have recorded videos of the meeting as visual evidence and would allow us and others who may have missed the meeting to watch them and better understand what we were going through during it. I would also in future productions have these meetings be governed by the crew members in charge of the topic we are discussing/going through as they should the ones asking the questions and leading the conversations not just me as the director.
Overall these meeting records kept me and my crew constantly in line with the wants/needs of the client and without this constant communication with each other, it could have lead to work disorder as we all might have misinterpreted our roles in the production and the work we were expected to complete. To better improve it I will in my future productions allow my expert in my crew to lead the topics on their subjects and have them recorded for future work reference during the production.
Evaluation of Shooting Schedule/Call Sheet
My use of shooting schedules and call sheets allowed my shooting days to run with ease and without worry by accounting for who and what was a need on set for that particular day.
The Shooting Schedule outlined when and where my talent and crew needed to be for individual shooting days and allowed the production to keep on schedule for the allotted time we had rented our various shooting schedules for. Allowed all of my crew to be able to figure out the necessary transportation for each day they were on set, if I was going to improve this I would include public transport that will get them there on time and parking spaces for them to use when they arrive on set.
The Call Sheet allowed me and my crew to get in contact with one another, this was to inform us of any issues such as traffic causing transport delays, etc. Giving us the notice to adapt to these issues on set as well as keeping each other in the loop of where the set is moving during lunch breaks and who will be required when and where during shooting. If I was going to improve the call sheet I would designate a certain time to contact the necessary talent/crew who are needed at exact times on set, such as our lead actor who needs to be in the makeup chair hours before shooting will actually take place.
Overall these documents accurately indicate who and what is need during each day of filming as well as multiple ways to contact each other to ensure everyone arrives ready on set. However, if I was to do this production again I would include certain text in these documents to give specific time slots for crew and talent who need time to set up before shooting.
Evaluation of Pre-Production Log/Schedule and Gantt Chart
My use of documentation in organizing and breaking down how my production was created through the weeks of pre-production, production and post-production and how these documents help me and my crew keep on schedule for my client's deadline.
My Pre-Production Log allowed me to go through each week of the production in extreme detail and how this can be looked back on by my client and crew and the progress we have made each week. Showing how we are on track for the deadline, however, if I was going to improve this I would include links to the documents and pieces of work from each of theses weeks so they can be easily found.
The Production Schedule went through the order me and my crew planned to create the promotional video from pre-production to post-production as it established the time frame around the production and allowed it to be updated with each completed body of work, keeping us on track for the deadline keeping us on track with the client and under budget with sticking to are assigned shooting days and times. If I wanted to make this better I would combine it with a Gantt Chart for visual aid and better time management from my crew.
Gantt Chart was an online document that could be edited by my crew when they completed tasks and informed the of important dates/deadlines for a piece of work vital to the production, without we could have possibly lost track of when certain tasks needed to be done. I would in future production have the Gantt Chart sorted into each day of the week so its a more accurate depiction of work completion and assign certain colours to my crew to better highlight there completed work.
Overall my use of these documentations helped my production keep on schedule and without it, the whole production could have descended into chaos by losing the order of the timelines for the client, it could be better improved via moe specific and accurate changes to highlight peoples workflow however during the course of this production it kept me and my peers on track.
Evaluation of Budget/Shooting Requirements
I think my breakdown of budget and my list of shooting requirements allowed me and my crew to better prepare and accurately budget our budget for our client, as we knew what we needed and how much that would cost.
Crew List allowed me to figure out who was necessary on set and how I could combine riles to save on budget, it also helped my client understand who was involved with what aspects of the shoot so if they wanted to make any changes they knew who to contact, however, if I was to do this project again I would have included this on an online document with everyone's contact information so my crew and my client cold better communicate with one another.
Equipment List was used to crafting a list of what was required for the production, this allowed me to know what equipment I need to purchase for the production to create a more accurate budget outline. I think I should have made it more detailed and specific to my production like a dolly that fits the size of my camera. If I was to improve this for a future production I would include this detail and where they will be required on the Shot List, to better sequence during the production.
Budget Outline allowed me to create an estimate for the money requirements for the production and after updating it in post-production it allowed me to showcase how I saved cost for my client. I think it was vital to the production as without it I would not have had any idea when I was going over budget or wasting money for the production but I think if I was going to improve it I would have linked the sources of my budget within the document (cost on equipment renting services, etc.) to provide evidence to my client on where their money was going.
Equipment Booking Form, in order to showcase which of my staff rented the equipment for the shooting day, this was taken from teh online website we used and if I was going to improve this aspect of responsibility for our equipment I would have created a log booking form which kept constant track of who had each piece of equipment throughout the day ensuring it was safe from theft and damages.
Overall my use of a budget outline and equipment list made the production effective as we knew where and what our budget was being spent on and allowed us to plan around it every day of production. However, I think further documentation could have better ensured the safety of my client's money and our equipment each day of shooting with the use of a logbook by my crew.
Evaluation of Legal and Ethical Methods for my Promotional Video
My documentation and methods to ensure legal and ethical protections for me and my client, my consideration fro the regulations of advertisers on televisions like Ofcom allowed me to understand what I could and could not include in the video to allow it to air on television as my client intended. By breaking down these rules it allowed me to alter my ideas during the brainstorming process and my pitch to make them suitable for various platforms. However, if I was going to do this breakdown of regulations again I would include the regulations for certain social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to allow my video to be easily showcased on their respective platforms without issue.
My legal request for location, my openness with my locations managers/owners allowed me to better fit into there wants needs from my crew during production and the limitations of what we could do, without learning the conditions that our shooting locations were under I could have done something that could have made me and my client liable for a lawsuit. If I was going to do this production again I would also send a list of requirements to all of my considered shooting locations that they could fill out before shooting allowing me to save tie asking them the particular conditions and permissions we needed to shoot on there site.
My use of copyright-free/royalty-free music through stock adobe kept me and my client fro violating copyright law for the music we were using in the production but also saved us on a budget for purchasing music from an established artist, however, I should have included a pre-written permission form to send to an artist in case my client had a particular song in mind, if I was to do this project again I would have sent out a request to use music from non-lyrical artists songs/music like "I Monster".
Cast and Crew Contracts gave me and my client clear protection from legal action from my cast and crew, if I was going to improve them I would have included specific sections that included there allotted payment and liability for equipment damages. This would have been to ensure my and the client liability to equipment broke by my crew and if I included equipment insurance I could have better protected us from the unforeseen cost of teh shoot (if accidents were to occur).
My use of the site Peropleperhour allowed me to vet and search for my desired talent without needing to hire a physical audition space, also due to the sites built-in system which told us the cost per hour of work for the talent we could accurately get talent for costs under our budget. However, due to it being through a site they also take a cut of the payment as introduction tax, if I was to do this production again I would include this clause and account for it during the hiring of my talent to ensure they are paid an ethical wage for the work.
Overall I think I have accounted for the ethical and legal considerations of my production and by creating these pieces of documentation I have ensured the legal safety of me and my client, if I was to improve and build on this paperwork I would do research on local unions and how hiring through them would change my requirements for employees on set.
Health and Safety Evaluation
My health and safety documentation successful created a shooting environment for my talent and crew to be safe during the filming of this production, as I created a Risk Assessment that evaluated and broke down the risk and potential hazards on set and how they can be avoided, allowing us to plan around them to film as effectively and safely with our shooting as humanly possible. If I was going to improve the risk assessment I would in the future I would list who onset is in charge of preventing these hazards, for example, I would have had my camera operator Jack Flanner be in charge of tieing up the cords/cable required for his camera setup as it is his equipment that will be causing the hazard.
Contracts, my contracts for staff and crew to give me and my client deniability to damages to persons during the shoot prevented both of us from being subjected to lawsuits due to unforeseen accidents or injuries on set during filming. To better improve this I would have signed in-person consent rather than the digital worksheet that I used as it is more liable in court as an individuals signature, as well as include clauses about the damage my crew/talent, might cause to my equipment by purchasing equipment insurance and including tin there, contracts that they are responsible for the treatment of equipment they ay damage unintentionally on set.
Safet Equipment List allowed me to know what we needed during the shooting day to keep me and my staff safe from harm and allowed us to feel safe on set by having these extra pieces of equipment for protection, however, it can be argued that this does waste resources on teh production but the safety of all those on the set comes first. If I was going to do this project again I would make a list of those responsible for these pieces of equipment to better ensure there use effectively but also I would have gotten more general safety equipment like fire extinguishers, etc. To better protect my workers and would have another member of staff trained in health and safety in case my only trained staff member Aarna Fonner was injured during filming. Only having one person in my crew trained could mean disaster if that person is the one who has suffered an unforeseen accident.
Overall I think my health and safety precautions insured the safety and wellbeing of my talent and crew and without these pieces of equipment and documentation, I fear what could have occurred due to ignoring the hazards these methods exposed onset. Making it an integral part of any production.
Evaluation of Location Recce
By doing a Location Recce it allowed me to evaluate the risks and requirements for my shooting locations, which lets me know what I need to bring to set and book in advance for the shoot. This includes safety precautions and how they will affect talent and camera equipment. The benefit to me and my crew was significant as by surveying the locations I knew what we were going to be dealing with each day of shooting, leading to minimal surprises we weren't expecting (foot traffic, etc.). However, I could have prevented doing this by shooting in a studio where I would have had full control of the setting for interior scenes and could have a lot for the cost of shooting by not needing to pay the owners outside the studio owners and could have had premade sets to have it all filmed and ready to go in a single shooting day. If I was going to shoot this production again I would have definitely used a studio for the interior shots as I could have had it made with my equipment in mind and would have allowed a better setup for me and my crew.
Overall by performing a location Recce and making detailed notes on my shooting locations help me and my crew easily start shooting by pre-planning around problems and issues before arriving on the set. But I could have better controlled my setting and not required this for interior scenes by hooting in a studio for the indoor scenes.
Evaluation of Brainstorming/Contingency
By doing research into the conventions of promotional videos and coming up with multiple ideas for my client allowed me to give them many different options for them to pick from during my pitch allowing me to most accurately achieve my clients vision. However, if I had created a mindmap of these conventions to more easily decide what to include in my own promotional video I could have had a more polished vision for the pitch that better reflected the wants from my client brief. I also think by not making multiple ideas I could have focused on a singular idea and polished it with the time I took to create and breakdown/estimate the cost and needs of my other ideas.
I created my contingency plan in order to have a plan B in case of issues occurring during the shoot and gives both me and a client something to use, by crafting this plan means the money from the budget won't go to wast. And by having my contingency plan as a marketing campaign that can also be achieved if my client wanted to pursue more work with me, I also secure myself future employment. If I was to do this project again I would change my contingency plan to fit the wants of the beef for my client by having a backup idea for the promotional video, possible creating a shorter story that can still be shot on my chosen shooting locations using my talent/crew. Despite my contingency is a great idea to get the brand/product out there through a marketing campaign, at the end of the day my client wants a promotional video and I should do my best to achieve that.
Overall I think brainstorming ideas about my promotional video and crafting a contingency plan in case things went wrong during filming was a vital part of my promotional video production and gave me a great outline for what I wanted to achieve with my video, as well as what to do in case of unseen problems during the shoot.
Evaluation of Brainstorming/Contingency
By doing research into the conventions of promotional videos and coming up with multiple ideas for my client allowed me to give them many different options for them to pick from during my pitch allowing me to most accurately achieve my clients vision. However, if I had created a mindmap of these conventions to more easily decide what to include in my own promotional video I could have had a more polished vision for the pitch that better reflected the wants from my client brief. I also think by not making multiple ideas I could have focused on a singular idea and polished it with the time I took to create and breakdown/estimate the cost and needs of my other ideas.
I created my contingency plan in order to have a plan B in case of issues occurring during the shoot and gives both me and a client something to use, by crafting this plan means the money from the budget won't go to wast. And by having my contingency plan as a marketing campaign that can also be achieved if my client wanted to pursue more work with me, I also secure myself future employment. If I was to do this project again I would change my contingency plan to fit the wants of the beef for my client by having a backup idea for the promotional video, possible creating a shorter story that can still be shot on my chosen shooting locations using my talent/crew. Despite my contingency is a great idea to get the brand/product out there through a marketing campaign, at the end of the day my client wants a promotional video and I should do my best to achieve that.
Overall I think brainstorming ideas about my promotional video and crafting a contingency plan in case things went wrong during filming was a vital part of my promotional video production and gave me a great outline for what I wanted to achieve with my video, as well as what to do in case of unseen problems during the shoot.
Evaluation of Storyboard/Shot List
The Storyboard and Shot List are used to create a visual blueprint for the production as they showcase how a piece of visual media will be shot and what will be required for specific uses of cinematography.
The storyboard was used to create a blueprint for my promotional video by showcasing how I want the final video to look and what camera movements I would like to include, it effectively provided a visual representation of how my promotional video would look. If I was going to improve it I would use a software called Storyboarder to make a story online allowing it to be more clear and to be better shared with my crew online.
Shot List gave me and my cinematographer Jack a better understating of how long these shots were going to take in the promotional video and certain equipment required to achieve it. Allowing us to get them in before filming begins and better plan ahead, but in the future, I would go more in-depth and combine it with the shot list to create a more detailed and useful document.
Test Footage allows me and my cinematographer to see how the set looks before arriving allowing us to select certain equipment for it, light deflectors for outdoor shoots, etc. If I was going to improve it I would have used myself as a model to showcase how space will light talent on location allowing them to understand teh natural lighting setting even better, to decrease setup time on the day of shooting.
Overall these stages of pre-production allow me and my crew to visually see how the final product will look and allow us to plan in advance in case of certain equipment requirements, etc. However, I think I could have made these documents more clear and precise to further ensure we are prepared for shooting with a clear vision.
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