Music Video Pre-Production Log and Schedule

Pre-Production Log

The following is a chronological sequence of events that corresponds to the pre-production of my music video. 

Date	Action taken
10th of April	I selected my artist and music and started brainstorming ideas with my crew as we researched other music videos conventions and genre. To figure out what I can best achieve with our small budget and resources that will fit the tone of the song.
11th of April	After choosing my music "Lust of a Vampyre" by I Monster. I began to organise a questionnaire to see what an audience would expect from a music video of this song. After forming the questions I contacted a small sample size and then created a final questionnaire with an increased sample size. Which I gathered using a random selection system via selecting random volunteers from emails I sent out and received.
13th of April	Contacted my crew and had a meeting where we formed a production schedule that can be accessed by me and my crew that was constructed to fit with their work schedules and time scale of the production. With my crew, I construct a draft storyboard. I finalised it with a 3D digital model along with the shot list for the music video, based on the ideas and inspiration gathered from the questionnaire.
16th of April	Due to time and covid restrictions I decided to do filming within my own residence. As we only needed a simple bedroom set and a room with room for my lighting Riggs and easy access for me and my crew. I gave my permission for filming and conducted with the help of my team a full location recee complete with a risk assessment on my locations health and safety risks. I evaluated the requirements to make it as safe as possible. We concluded our inspection by marking optimal camera placements for the day of shooting and collecting test footage.
17th of April	Created an equipment list from test footage (including props and costumes) and finalised responsibilities for the shoot date between my crew by making a call sheet.
19th of April	Went through legal with my crew and had them confirm their contracts for the work within the schedule and health and safety sign-offs.
22nd of April	Planned out a contingency plan in case of problems while shooting if I couldn't get the necessary footage to complete it I will create more of a location/environmental genre video, as I have enough available footage from a past project filmed in a graveyard/church and the local woodlands to create something that fits the gothic feel of the music.
23rd of April	Final meeting with my cast and crew before the shoot. We went through responsibilities for each person on set. What they need to bring with them (props, cameras, etc.) and when they are required on set via the online call sheets we created during this meeting.
26th of April	After renting the needed equipment for the shoot we began our day of shooting we filmed all of the elements requiring my actor and the main bulk of the crew, which took about 6 hours. Due to us filming on my own property I kept a small amount of our equipment and shot the remained of our footage which didn't require a large crew, such as the drawn text for the narrative and the box opening scene. Before gathering it all together for the first edit.
27th of April	Crafted the first draft edit for the focus groups, I simply ordered the scenes together and gave the beginning examples of the final editing effects for the finished product.
30th of April	Focus group feedback was gathered and we commenced reshoot to best apply to their feedback.
7th of May	Completed final edit that used the feedback from the focus groups, by adding in the reshoot footage and final visual effects.

 

Gantt Chart/Production Schedule

Title: Lust for a Vampyre Music Video

Director: Rory Robinson 

Producer: Billy Moss (Client)

13th of April

I created this Gantt Chart/Production Schedule for me and my crew to keep a steady and productive work flow during the project as it was editable by all of them (as we used Teams online software) to mark the completion of each work element, as we went through each stage of production this became a vital resource for checking the requirements we were set to complete during the weeks leading to the shoot.

Evaluation of Pre-Production Log/Schedule and Gantt Chart

Documentation and organisation are vital parts of the production process, my creation of the pre-production log and schedule/Gantt chart allowed me and my team to keep on track with the projects deadline that best fit with my limited budget/time frame.

My open pre-production log allowed for a more detailed summary of the completion of certain tasks in the project, this allowed me and my team to look back and see tasks that I set during these dates and what had already been completed. This was also to show evidence to my client what their money for our budget was being spent on. The log also allows me to look back on future projects to see what I have done in the past as they are detailed accounts of my work that could be useful in future job applications.

However, if I was to improve I would have all of my crew add to this Log other than myself as it would give a more detailed look at everyone's overall impact on the project giving them the same benefits of transparency to the client and evidence for future employers that I received form this document.

The Production Schedule combined with the Gantt Chart was a vital resource for me and my team as we used it to maintain time management and stay on schedule for the project, as it allowed me and my crew to keep each other updated with the completion of each element of work through each part of the production stages (Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production) as we updated the percentage of its completion. Keeping on this schedule and following the chart as we updated it regularly kept us prepared and sticking to these set in stone deadlines meant we wouldn't waste time and budget on extra shooting days by having everything ready for the shoot beforehand and giving us enough time to follow a pre-planned contingency if anything went wrong.

The main improvement I would make for my next production would be having a better system for communicating progress on the completion of the work as we decided on a percentage scale which while understandable in most cases felt untranslatable for certain tasks, like how do you say you are halfway done with legal issues? Perhaps next time I will use a message board system where I or a production manager can regularly at a certain time in the day ask for work to be posted into the chat, so I and my team can see what each of us has completed and ask for the progress on other works completion if not ready to be posted to the group message board. I also think I should have given colours to each member of my crew to use when marking completed work on the Gantt chart just to see the progress of individuals in the team and who may need help or is falling behind.

Overall, the use of these planning documents helped me and my crew keep a consistent and productive workflow. That kept us on track with the deadline and is vital in most productions including this one to make sure you use your budget and time wisely. Without it, I fear the production could have become too disorganised as we were unable to communicate the progress of the production. In future productions, I will continue to use these documents to make sure my projects run smoothly and effectively.