Pre-Production Paperwork and Preparation
Pre-Production Paperwork and Preparation
I began the pre-production process by liaising with the general manager of the company; we discussed our individual visions and figured out a way to incorporate the vision of the company and the fresh perspective I brought the commission about the product. Once we came to an agreement with what the intended video aimed to encompass, I began brainstorming ideas and researching into this field of marketing. This research included watching numerous YouTube and marketing videos to gain inspiration for the commission as well as a mood board which i presented to the company to help visualise the project. After completing my research, I created a sizzle reel; this is a video which is used to help producers sell their projects to investors and clients (Matt, 2021). Within the reel, I created a mock commission which outlined the pace, aesthetic and tone of the video using footage found in other promotional videos. I then returned to the client, screened the reel and pitch my ideas further. I then received their thoughts and feedback on how the project had progressed. I found this to be a very helpful and successful part of the pre-production process, as by creating a visualisation of the desired end product it helped me to ensure I had understood the desires of the client and they too could begin to understand my vision. This ensured there was no miscommunication between me and the client; it also provided the opportunity to highlight any miscommunication before I had shot and edited the final commission.
As part of the sizzle reel, I also made a soundtrack, this was compiled of royalty free music which could be used for marketing purposes. This was important as the video would be shared online therefore, I had to ensure the company had the correct rights and licencing to use these sounds for marketing purposes. This was fast paced to help market the product in the way I intended. I also found this beneficial to make, not only to help sell the sizzle reel to the client, but also to help plan the final product. By creating the soundtrack prior to filming I am able to plan the montage to the pace of the music using soviet montage theory. For this commission I decided to use a metric montage approach, which is inspired by the pacing of a musical score. This is used to create a visual pace within a film scene by cutting to the next shot after a finite number of frames no matter what is happening on screen (Sengstaken, 2022).
Both the sizzle reel and the soundtrack helped me to plan and make the story boards and shot list; as it helped me to condense my ideas, plan what shots I wanted and in what order, the types of camera movements/angles I liked and the type of coverage I needed. It is vital the shot list details all the shots you aim to get as planning a shoot requires lots of planning and I can be difficult to arrange a second shoot date. Therefore, I made sure I was well prepared to try and ensure I didn’t make any silly mistakes on the day. The pre-made soundtrack helped me to decipher how long each shot needed to be to fit into the metric montage approach I was attempting. The story boards and shot lists proved very beneficial on the day for the reasons listed above but also helped the shoot remain organised and progressive which informing the camera operator on the shots needed.
I also completed a location recce so I could see both the location and the car. This was very beneficial as I could speak to the client and discuss with them where the best place would be for me to have the car and the amount of space I would need around it. It was also beneficial to establish where the windows would be in relation to the car. Shooting cars is challenging as they are essentially big mirrors so it was important I could get as far away from windows reflecting onto the car as possible. This also made me better prepared for the shoot as I was familiar with the space and the car; I was also able to take photos to show the DOP so they too could know a bit more about the car. This prevented an element of surprise on the day for example, if the car was not what was expected. It gave an opportunity for me to go home and sit with the images of the car in my head and think of more shots. It is always better to know what you are facing before the day of the shoot.
It was also important for me to know the intended audience of the commission before I started planning the projects as this is a major influencing factor of the style and aesthetic. In order to ensure I was creating something for the correct audience I decided to do some research into the audience of MG cars.
MG targets predominantly males aged between 18-35 (Bidstack, 2020). In recent years, MG relaunched the British MG brand to target European motorists who are critical and conscious. According to MG they “desire a practical car with solid quality and a high level of safety, but with a fair price … [they] want to go ‘green’ as well, but certainly without any range anxiety” (MG Motors, 2021). This clearly identifies MG’s intended audience as young at heart motorists, who are carbon conscious and aware of their impact on the environment. These factors were all considered within the planning of the projects. For example, I aimed to feature any emblems which show the car’s electric features e.g., the electric plug-in point. I also aimed to create the ‘quality’ aspect of the car for the male audience by incorporating fast-paced footage and cuts with upbeat music. My intention behind this was to subvert the common ideology that electric cars cannot be fast, by using the fast pace it shows the car in an energetic way signifying the speed that comes with it; which is stereotypically important to a young male audience.
Once the client and I agreed on the idea after discussing the sizzle reel I was then tasked with finding the right crew to help achieve this. I was important I hired someone with the correct skill set who would bring exciting attributes to the commission. I also had to create contributor consent forms and location release forms for the clients to ensure I officially has permission to use the location and company in the project. It was also vital that I made a risk assessment for the location as the safety of the crew is paramount, especially when shooting in a location with moving vehicles. Risk assessments are very beneficial as they allow you to assess all the risks prior to shooting so you can minimise the chances of injury and/or damage to equipment however, it also makes you more vigilant to other safety concerns that arise on location that you should be cautious of. Other organisational essential to complete during the pre-production stage are the schedule and call sheets. Once crew has been hired and there is confirmation on a shoot date from the clients it is important to create correct call sheets, so the crew know what time they need to be on set. The schedule is also important as it helps keep the shoot on track with dedicated time for certain aspects. By planning correctly, you set up for a successful production.
Links to Pre-production
References
Matt (2021). How To Sell a TV Show Idea With a Sizzle Reel • Filmmaking Lifestyle. [online] Filmmaking Lifestyle. Available at: https://filmlifestyle.com/sizzle-reel/ [Accessed 25 Nov. 2022].
MG Motors (2021). MG DNA explained: who is the MG customer? [online] MG Motor Europe. Available at: https://news.mgmotor.eu/mg-dna-explained-who-is-the-mg-customer/ [Accessed 16 Nov. 2022].
Sengstaken, K. (2022). Editing Workshop. [Face-to-face].
Bidstack (2020). MG. [online] Bidstack | The In-Game Advertising Platform. Available at: https://www.bidstack.com/case-studies/mg/ [Accessed 15 Nov. 2022].
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