Production Log - Box Office Battle

Week 1

Rebecca and I have been tasked with creating an episode of Box Office Battle.
We have to incorporate VOX Pops into the episode, and so we have decided to film the VOX Pops of people saying their favourite and least favourite film; and these would determine the film that was talked about on the show.
We decided to use Hamada and Jack as our two reviewers; and decided we did not need a presenter; as we would get Hamada and Jack to open and close the show themselves.
We decided that as Hamada was going to be the one doing the majority of the talking, and Jack would be combatting what he was saying; we would choose a film that Hamada enjoyed and knew about, and when we asked him; He said that he knew the Fast and The Furious; and so we decided to use this as the theme for this episode of Box Office Battle. We also decided to use the series of films as a whole rather than just one of the films.

Week 2 - Week 3

We began the pre-production work; Rather than having a full script; we decided to just script the beginning of the show (The opening) and the ending (The conclusion) and discuss some topics for them to cover through the discussion of the show; and then let it become a free flowing discussion rather than scripting at all, and risking it sounding too forced or fake.
We created a breakdown sheet for the show; and decided we only needed two chairs for the reviewers; and a green screen to display the "Box Office Battle" on.
We created a call sheet so everyone could get in touch when necessary; and we also created release forms and got the actors to sign them.
We created risk assessments for the show to ensure that everything was safe and showed these to the actors and crew involved so that they were aware of any risks.

Week 4

We filmed Box Office Battle today.
We had some issues with sound at the beginning, but after this the shooting ran rather smoothly.
We got all of the footage required aside from the VOX Pops on one day. This was moved a couple of days later and saved to the editing computers.

Week 5

We filmed the VOX Pops today, and moved the footage onto the computers. We each began our own edit of Box Office Battle (Rebecca and I). I got the majority of my editing done.

Week 6

Editing was completed; I exported the video, uploaded it to Vimeo, and submitted my assignment on BlackBoard.

5 Minute Film - Production Log

Production Log

24th March - was issued assignment. Began developing ideas and mind-mapping my ideas for my film.

28th March - Began my research into Film Noir and Neo-Noir films. Watched some short films which make use of film noir concepts and silhouetting. Decided on core concept idea for the script.

30th March - Decided on final details for plot of my film. Began writing the script and making decisions on locations and where and how the film would be shot.

1st April - 4th April - Continued work on script. Script completed at the end of the day on the 4th April.

5th April - Script locked.

9th April - Began storyboards.

13th April - Storyboards completed. Wrote up consent release forms in preparation for filming.

14th April - Asked my desired actors if they would be willing to participate, and informed them I would let them know details when they were decided.

16th April - Drew up floor plans and found the risk assessments for shooting in the studio.

19th April - Wrote up the budget for my film.

25th April - Decided upon my date for filming. Informed the actors and created the call sheets.

2nd May - Double checked all pre-production documents. Created a script breakdown to ensure that any props necessary would be accessible on the day.

10th May - Reminded crew involved of the arrangements for the shoot. Made arrangements to use the studio and it's camera.

13th May - Shot all required scenes for the film. Filming went smoothly with minimal issues, aside from some required cast were not available on the day; and so I improvised and used some existing cast dressed up differently; which should not show up when silhouetted. Another issue that I encountered whilst filming was that some of the shots that I wanted could not be completed without having some of the curtain or floor in the shot; which affects the shot greatly; as I was using the green screen. I got all cast members to sign consent forms for the production. After filming was completed; I imported all footage into a new Premiere Pro project, and cut up all of the footage in preparation for beginning editing.
Was shown how to create the silhouetting effect.

15th May - Began editing. Put all the clips into their correct place within the sequence, cropped some clips to remove the curtain and floor that could be seen in the shot, and cut out additional seconds from each shot that were not necessary. I began to further plan out the photographs, and how I was going to edit them in preparation for putting them into photoshop.

16th May - Photo-shopped images ready to insert into green-screen in PPro.

17th May - Took most of the photographs necessary for the film. Plans for a voice actor fell through as they were unavailable, so as a last resort, I recorded the voice clips myself, using my own headset microphone, and Windows sound recorder. I imported the audio clips into my Premiere Pro project, and cut them short so they were ready to be placed in the sequence. Three audio clips remain needing to be recorded.

20th May - Final 3 Photographs to be put in place of green screen taken, and 2 found online (these photographs were public domain). Audio was added in in Premiere Pro; having issues with maintaining correct colours. Decided to cut out one of the smaller 5 second scenes. Only editing left to do is to match the audio up to where it is meant to be in correlation with the video, and to add in the opening and closing credits. Due to work commitments, assignment will be past deadline.

22nd May - Corrected colour in Premiere Pro, after photo-shopping the required photographs and putting them into the green screen. Added in the opening credits.

23rd May - Final three audio clips recorded. Imported these into my PPro project and cut them down ready to put into the sequence.

24th May - Sold the laptop I have been editing on at home today; saved files to backup and went to begin editing on the computer at home; cannot get computer to work; will continue editing in college.

11th June - Moved audio clips into necessary places within my project. Double checked the look of the whole film, and ensured that everything had the correct look. Made some minor changes to some of the images in Photoshop, and added the closing credits. I then exported the completed project, uploaded it to Vimeo, and then handed it in as a completed assignment. Handed in all Pre-Production documents as part of a paper folder.
-Project Completed-


Evaluation

I believe that overall, I was well prepared for the project; however I did encounter a few problems; The voice actor I had ready for the voice-over for my film was unavailable for when we had arranged, and so I had to do the voice over myself as a contingency plan. This was a decision I was not completely happy with, but was the only remaining option at such short notice; so I believe if I was to create a film like this again in future, I would arrange things with a little more time to spare, just in case something like that happened again. I also could not complete the editing on time due to circumstances beyond my control; and although I gave myself time for editing; I believe I should have gave myself more time; just in case there was a problem like this that I had not planned for, that I could not create a suitable contingency plan for. However, as far as the actually editing went, I believe it went very well, and the look of the film itself worked well. The silhouetting I feel worked very well, and the green screen photographs I believe did not look too fake, as I had feared. I feel overall, the production had room for improvement, but I believe it still went well; and the only part of the film that suffered as a result, was the sound - (the voice over), and not being able to be submitted on the deadline.

Production Log - Men are from Mars

Task 1 - Production Diary Log

For this project, as a whole group, our access to media class are tasked with recording various cast members from Middlesbrough College's production of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" talking about their show, and the concepts behind the show, etc. We were tasked to put these clips into a powerpoint presentation; with one slide for each student from our group, and the clip that we had recorded with our performing arts student's interview.
These are the developmental ideas in the form of a mindmap that I came up with.

I began to think about different approaches that I could take to the brief; I decided that the framing when filming would be very important; and I decided that simple shots could be very effective; and so I decided that simple long shots, with mid-shots of the actors at different intervals could work very well for this brief; as it would still give the effect of being a play rather than being shot like a film; which it could appear to be if close-ups were used. I decided that occasional shots of the audience could be very effective too; and that it would be a good idea to use shots like that; as obviously the show would be set on a stage with a live audience. Some backstage shots also could be used to add to the effect of being there; and it seeming more real, and live.


Firstly, the group as a whole decided on some questions to ask Nicola about the task. Kevin then emailed these questions to Nicola; and Nicola then replied with her answers, which Kevin then relayed the answers to us as a group. Please see Appendice 1.

We created the powerpoint presentation; and everyone in the group was responsible for a small part of making the powerpoint. My role was to create hyperlinks to everyone's relevant slide. Mayimona created the powerpoint template and Karl ensured that the desired video files would work in their format in the presentation. We started thinking about how we could add our own creativity to the powerpoint presentation; we decided to add themes into the powerpoint to make it more visually appealling; and for each member of our class to have their own slide with the footage that they filmed themselves; so that each member of the group's contribution the the brief could be shown.

We received some feedback from Nicola - Please see Appendice 2.
As this was positive feedback, we did not need to act upon this feedback and so no further action was necessary.

25/03 - Kevin and ourselves organised a time to go and speak with the performing arts class and their coordinator in order to arrange a time and date to shoot their piece, on a friday.
We spoke to the class and their teacher, and spoke about how we were going to film it; and if they needed to make any planning in preparation for the piece, etc.We determined that a friday was the best possible day when everyone would be in, in order to film. We left the exact time and date to be arranged another time, through email.
We learned that now, rather than filming the full performance; the client now wanted us to film various different interviews with the performers; for them to speak about their play, and about the core concept of the play, and some of the quotes from the performance.
We did not particurlarly need to negotiate with the client about these changes; or in general throughout the process; there were no disagreements with the client; only the above changes; which we agreed upon and adapted to very quickly.

This was a change to our and the client's original idea, and I feel that as a group we handled this change well and came to a group decision as to how to do this quickly and efficiently: The plans that we decided upon to accommodate these changes were as follows:

We discussed as a group how we should go about filming the interviews, and we decided that it would be best if each member of our group filmed two students each, and asked them one question each. We decided on simply using a small camcorder with an integrated mic to take these interviews, as it would be the easiest, quickest, and most efficient method of doing things. We decided that we were going to use the television studio; and so we booked this out in preparation. We booked out the camcorder in preparation also.

16/03 - We then arranged as a group to all film at the same time; rather than arranging separate interviews with each person. We filmed this today. We used a small camcorder, with an integrated mic. We each recorded one of the performing arts students each; and we asked each student two questions; Which were, "Why are men from mars?" and "Why are women from Venus?".  Everything ran smoothly, and was very time efficient.We filmed this in the televison studio. There were some students that were not available on the day, and so we improvised, and only shot one student per member of our group.

23/05 - We also received some more feedback from Nicola: Please see Appendice 3.

From this feedback, I feel that no changes need to be made to the product. As far as the feedback and the client is concerned, We as a group could not have done anything better.

08/06 - Everyone is editing their videos separately - I have decided to edit my recording on the 13th June - It should not take long, as it is only a short video, and I will insert the video clip into the powerpoint presentation we have created on the same day. I have accessed the video footage on Blackboard and saved it to my personal drive already in preparation for everything. A few of the other members of the group have completed their edits of the video and put them into the presentation ready.

13/06 - I have edited my interview video clips and inserted them into the powerpoint; which I will now submit along with this production diary.


Task 2 - My Evaluation

We had one issue with managing time on this project; The change in what the client wanted filming was as a result of a time issue; It was difficult trying to find a time of which both our group and the performing arts group would be available; and so with Kevin's help; we negotiated the new changes with Nicola; so that we would film the interviews instead, as the time of the performance had already passed. Aside from this issue, I believe we managed our time well; By keeping good communication with the client, and with Kevin's help, we found that Fridays were the most suitable; as both our group and the performance group were available then; and we had an hour and a half free gap, for which we could use to carry out the shooting.
I believe that my own personal time management could have been improved upon within this project; as I passed the deadline on editing and including my own video interviews; and so if I was carrying out this project again, or a similiar project, working to a client brief, I would work my best to improve and work upon this skill so it would not be an issue in future projects. This would definitely be the thing that I would change; and do differently the next time that I am working with a client.

I feel that as a group, our relationship with the client was a very good, positive relationship. We received multiple pieces of positive feedback throughout the process; we kept the client informed of what was going on throughout the production process; as well as making sure that we provided the client with what they desire from the product; or as close as we can possibly get the product to that.

I believe that we produced a very effective response to the client's brief; and have acheived all of the criteria that the client asked for within their product. I believe we fully met the requirements of the brief; we produced a professional looking powerpoint; with hyperlinks to the various different slides in the powerpoint; we included all video interview clips necessary; and these were edited appropriately. The finished product matched the changes that the client requested for the brief; and the client gave us positive feedback; letting us know that they were pleased with the result.

Through this project, I have learnt that my strengths lie within editing, and I believed I did quite well within the interview process; and got my interview completed and filmed quickly and efficiently; got good information for the answers given by the performance students, and got good footage; and did not need to do any retakes, or waste any of the performing art student that I was interviewing's time.
I believe that overall, this project went very well, and the client's requirements were met.

Appendices

Appendice 1:

1.       What format would you like to see the finished work (DVD, web etc)?

THE VIDEOS WILL BE PART OF A SLIDE SHOW ON A POWER POINT FOR THE PERFORMANCE.

2.       How would you like it editing?

I WOULD LIKE ABOUT 6 SECTIONS LASTING BETWEEN 15 AND 30 SECONDS

3.       Would like this shot on single camera or multi camera?

I WOULD LIKE IT TO LOOK LIKE TALKING HEADS, IT COULD BE SINGLE SHOT OR MULTI (GET CREATIVE)

4.       How many students are involved?

APPROX 35

5.       How many students need to be interviewed?

THERE WILL BE ABOUT 10 WHO WILL BE PREPARED FPR FILMING, I WILL ASK THEM QUESTIONS AND I JUST WANT THEIR ANSWERS USED ON THE VIDEO.

6.       What are the different roles of the students?

IT IS A SHOWCASE OF WORK BASED AROUND A THEME,(MEN ARE FROM MARS WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS)

7.       Can we view a performance or rehearsal prior to opening night?

YES YOU CAN ATTEND TECH REHEARSALS. WE ARE IN OVER EASTER TO DO RUNS

8.       Can we have contact details for everyone involved?

n.scott-hughes@mbro.ac.uk

01642 333737 (NICOLA SCOTT-HUGHES)

9.       Can we view the scripts?

THER ARE NO SCRIPTS, YOU CAN HEVE A COPY OF THE QUESTIONS

10.   Where would you want the interviews to take place?

I WOULD LIKE IT TO BE SOMEWHERE DARK WITH JUST THE ACTORS LIT.

11.   Can the Access crew decide on which shots to use?

YES. AS LONG AS YOU STICK TO THE 6 SECTIONS BETWEEN 15 AND 30 SECONDS

12.   Will the interviewees be asked specific questions?

YES, WE WILL DISCUSS AND FORWARD THEN TO YOU BEFORE FILMING

13.   What is the theme of the show?

(MEN ARE FROM MARS WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS)

14.   How long is the performance?

THE PERFORMANCE SHOULD BE 45 MIN TO 1 HOUR ACT 1 (APPROX) AND 45 MIN ACT 2 (APPROX)

15.   What is the deadline for the finished work?

21^ST APRIL. WE WILL LEAVE SPACES IN THE SLIDE SHOW AND ADD THEM IN ON COMLPETION

16.   What are the dates and times of the performance?

Thursday 24^TH APRIL 7:00PM FRIDAY 25^TH APRIL 26^TH 7:00PM

TECH  REHEARSAL TUESDAY 22^ND APRIL +23^RD APRIL

DRESS REHEARSAL THURSDAY 24^TH APRIL 1:00PM

Appendice 2:

We will be in 1.032 although most of them will be doing work as they have finished their project and are aiming to have completed all their work before they go on the trip to Italy. 

I could have a meeting with your group if you would like. I am available at that time at could meet them anywhere! 

I like the PowerPoint ideas, will the sections of footage be dropped into that when it is done?

Appendice 3:

Thanks very much for the Powerpoint. I was impressed by both the quality of the presentation and by the detail of each of the videos. The presentation works well and the students will be pleased to see the finished result.

I was also impressed by how well students organised the actual recording of the video interviews.

Well done!

Evaluation - Live Music Performance

I believe that my production management skills were effective throughout this production; I believe I created an in-depth and appropriate proposal for this project; as well as organising different arrangements with Kevin when transport for the nights of the performances became an issue; and began planning and organising my time for the editing process effectively. Because I was put into the editing team, I had to work with Cavan; and although Cavan was not available, I separated the work equally; I notified Cavan of the work that he has to carry out, and I carried out my individual edits in good time; ready for the required deadline; however in future I would have preferred to have given myself more time so I could edit over two days rather than in one day; and to ensure that ALL of the editing; including Cavan's, was completed, however this was not possible.


On Monday 31st March and Tuesday the 1st April, our access group recorded the performances; because of problems with transport, Kevin and myself made arrangements so that instead of recording the performances themselves, I would be put into the editing team instead, and also, Cavan and Phil were unable to make it to recording the performance on the second night. There were also other schedule changes on the nights; We were originally told that there would be four bands performing on each night, for twenty minutes each; but instead there were six performances on the first night and five performances on the second night; each performance ranging between ten minutes and a little over twenty minutes. Also, we were originally told that the show would finish at half nine; and instead the show finished at half eight; another change to the production schedule.

Because I was not present on the nights of the performances, the bulk of my work was performed on the editing and post-production process; which I worked on with Cavan; and because there was only the two of us editing, there was not necessarily much "Team-Leading"; or the need to manage the team; the only things that had be co-ordinated was the times and dates for when to meet up and edit, or times when certain pieces of editing should be completed by; However although I contacted Cavan, he was unavailable for reply, and so I had to compromise and make decisions on the editing which worked best for the team, and hit the deadline, Being unable to contact Cavan was a serious issue, which I feel I resolved to the best of my ability, after consulting with Kevin for guidance on how to proceed..


I believe I displayed my strength in editing throughout the post-production process; and critical thinking and problem solving throughout the process when I was creating my Proposal; as I had to think through contingency plans for the night in case of a problem with recording equipment, or in case people could not get in for the night; and so preparing for a worst-case scenario; which I believe also displayed strength in my organisational skills; as I believe the proposal was well thought out and put together well. I believe I also showed strength in my teamwork skills; as I was working with Cavan on the editing process to produce the completed product; and as Cavan was unavailable, I notified him of the work he needed to do, and carried out the rest of the work myself, ensuring that neither one of us was given an unfair amount of work to do.

Next time, I would ensure that I give myself more time to complete the editing process; and make arrangements with my team in order to ensure that all of the work, not just my portion of the work; is done in time in order to ensure that the work carried out appears professional.

I believe that overall, the product was successful; as I feel that it met the requirements of the brief that we were given; was completed within good time, as well as including interviews, as we were asked for, and putting them together in the way that the client desired. The client gave a rough overview of what they wanted the finished product to look like; They stated that they wanted the finished product to look like a sort of awards ceremony; to include interviews with the band members, and the band members' family members in the audience, as well as shooting them backstage, and coming onstage and setting up; to make it include everything and give it the look and feel of performances being carried out before some awards are handed out. I was not in charge of carrying out the final edit; but responsible for preparing the footage for it's final edit, and I believe that I did this effectively; while adding my own creative input and I believe I contributed greatly to the process.

We received the feedback from Michael Ollier, head of the Middlesbrough College music department. He stated that the footage was clear and served it's purpose. He also said everyone acted professionally on the night. However the only piece of feedback which related to me, and that I could act upon, was when he stated that there were good establishing shots within the footage that could be used in the final edit.


Following the feedback that I was given from Michael Ollier; I believe that I did use the establishing shots well within the final edit, (As this feedback was given before the edit was distributed). So I believe no changes are necessary as a result of the feedback.

I believe that I worked creatively on the production of this final product; My task was to edit the footage so that it would be ready for the final edit. I believe I added some of my own creative vision to the edit, and left enough room for the editor carrying out the final edit to add their own artistic vision to the video. I cut out unusable footage, and I added my own creative input via my use of cutting; the placements of the cuts in time with the transitions to the next shot; and the inclusion of the bands setting up and putting away in preparation for an event. I believe this gave it a feel of an awards ceremony; as the client desired.

Production Log - Live Music Performance

On Monday 31st March and Tuesday 1st April, We were meant to record the live musical performances; however a week prior to these performances, I spoke to Kevin regarding transport arrangements for the night, and was told that this would be discussed by the Media team and I would be informed when a decision was made on my arrangements for the performances.

I was then informed by Kevin that, as an alternative, as paying for transport was not an option, I could instead not attend the performances, and instead be on the editing team; and so edit the product rather than actually be there filming it; which I decided was the best option.
As Cavan could also not attend the performance on the second night, he is a part of the editing team, and so Cavan and I will be working together on producing a finished edit of the product for the client.
We now have the raw footage, and so editing will begin on our first day back after the holidays; and should be completed within two days; to be handed in at the end of the week to Kevin to give to the client.
I will update this log once the editing process has begun.

01/05/2014 - I have taken the raw footage on one of the computer hard-drives in the media suite and began editing them. As I am working with Cavan on the project, I have edited the first video, and left the second video as Cavan's contribution to the editing project. I have notified Cavan of what he has to do.

02/05 - I have completed my evaluation and exported and saved the edit of the music videos. I have emailed this information to Kevin.

Production - from start to finish

Single Camera Technique is, essentially, filming a TV show, short film, feature-length film, etc, with only one camera at a time, as opposed to multiple cameras; as is most commonly used in Blockbuster Feature Films. Single Camera Technique belongs almost exclusively in Sitcoms (with the exception of Independents and Short Films). Of all of the reasons that sources gave as their reasons for their preference to Single Camera over Multi-Camera; the main reason given tended to be that the feeling of actually being there, watching what is happening on screen as if you were next to them, is present more with Single Camera than it is with Multi-Camera; one reason for this being that smaller sets can be used, where multiple cameras and equipment could not fit, but one camera could, creating a more realistic setting. Another reason is that there is a lot more flexibility in terms of camera placement, There is more room to get inbetween characters, to experiment more with camera angles, and create a vision of the characters that you would not normally see from multiple cameras. Some sources also said that as a result of having only one camera, less lighting is required in the smaller sets; and so makes the lighting look more realistic and subtle.
Single Camera Technique is mainly used for Sitcoms because obviously filming action scenes or fast-paced scenes would be extremely difficult to film with only one camera; and so with Sitcoms Single Camera Technique can be used to create a more real effect; some people say that it makes the actors act more naturally when it comes to comedic timing; as a retake will have to be shot each time, and so the reactions will be different each time, and so the director has a higher chance of finding a better take than with multiple cameras.

Development
The development process revolves almost completely around the script; the idea for the script, the script writing itself; sending the script to script-readers, and receiving notes for the script.
The process of screen-writing itself can be done by an independent writer; and then pitched to a production company; or sometimes, when a production company have an idea for a movie, they can hire a screen-writer to write the script for them.

Structure is the way that the plot flows through the story. One page of screenplay, edited in film format, equals one minute of film. A Feature Film Script must be between 85 and 117 pages long; unless it is a screen-writer who has made a name for themselves and producers know that they can pull it off; or if the screen-writer is requested to make the script a different length by the producers/director.
There are various different structural methods used in script-writing, and the main two methods are as follows:

Syd Field's Theory of 3-Act Structure states that every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. This is the main method of structure.
The beginning is "Act 1". Act 1 runs up until around 27-30 minutes into the film. Ten minutes into the film, and no later, should be the "Inciting Incident"; the moment in the film where something happens that sends the hero onto their adventure. The first ten minutes into the film are the "Ordinary world".; the Protagonist's ordinary life before the inciting incident. At the end of Act 1, there will be the "1st Act Break"; which is the "1st Reversal"; which is where there is a change in the story, and the story changes direction. After this, the "2nd Act" begins.At roughly the middle of the film, there will be the midpoint; which can be quite often in a story based in the hero's journey when the mentor dies. More bad things will keep happening to the antagonist up until the "2nd Act Break", which will happen at around 75 minutes in; which is where there tends to be the "big fight/conflict/etc), This then goes into the final act, "Act 3" where the film begins to pick up, and there is the resolution of the problem up until the end, and the ending is the "3rd Act Break".

Another popular structure that screen-writers follow is the 4-Act Structure.
Pages 1-10 in the script are the ordinary world. Page 10 is the inciting incident. The 1st Act is "The Loner"; its is about isolating the protagonist; which takes up 1-25 pages, of which the protagonist is unsure of what is going on, and it is the beginning of the adventure, etc. The 2nd Act from pages 25-50 is "The Wanderer"; which is when the protagonist is searching for answers; the protagonist tends to meet the mentor then. At the midpoint, around 50 pages in, a major incident happens, which tends to be the death of the mentor. The 3rd Act is "The Warrior"; which is around pages 50-75, when the protagonist has discovered who the enemy is, and is beginning the fight, or is trying to resolve the problem, etc.
The 4th and Final Act; Also known as the "Denouement"; is called "The Martyr"; which is when the protagonist makes some sort of self-sacrifice, or has a moral choice/dilemma; and then it ends with the conflict/problem being resolved.

Joseph Campbell's idea is that all stories are set out with the same structure and that they all follow the "Hero's Journey", or the "Monomyth", and that this is the fundamental structure which has stemmed from Greek Mythological times, and has been repeated through history throughout various myths, etc.
This structure contains twelve stages, which are as follows;

1- The Ordinary World - The Hero's ordinary life at the beginning of the story, before the adventure begins.
2- Call To Adventure - When the Hero receives a call to adventure; such as a family member being in danger, etc.
3- Refusal of the Call - The Hero has fears that need to be overcome about starting the adventure.
4- Meeting the Mentor - The Hero meets their mentor figure, to help them overcome their fears; the mentor usually gives them something they need; such as a weapon, or knowledge, etc.
5- Crossing the Threshold - The Hero is now ready to set off on their adventure, and truly begin their quest.
6- Tests, Allies, Enemies - The Hero is confronted by a series of tests; Obstacles are put in the Hero's path; and they discover who their allies are, and meet their enemies.
7- Approach to the Inmost Cave - The Inmost Cave can represent many things in a Hero's Journey; such as an actual dangerous location, or an inner conflict, which up until now the Hero has not had to face. The Hero must make final preparations before facing their Inmost Cave.
8- Ordeal - The Supreme Ordeal may be a dangerous physical test, or a deep inner crisis, that the Hero must face in order to survive, or for the world in which the Hero lives in to continue to exist.
9- Reward - After defeating the enemy, surviving death, and overcoming their greatest personal challenge, The Hero is transformed into a new state, emerging from battle as a stronger person and often with a prize.
10- The Road Back - The Hero must return home with their reward, but there may still yet be obstacles the Hero must face to return to their Ordinary World.
11- Resurrection - This is the climax in which the Hero must have their final and most dangerous encounter with death.
12- Return with the Elixir - This is the final stage in which the Hero returns back to the Ordinary World a changed person.They will have grown as a person, learned new things, faced terrible dangers and even death but now is starting a new life.

Whether or not a screenplay follows these rules depends on the genre of film; although the theory is that all films follow this structure, this is obviously disputed; as there are various films which can differ in plot structure; as typically this act structure is based on adventure film; but is theorised to apply to all genres of film; however obviously this cannot apply to some genres of film; (see below).

Depending on the genre of the story; the story would be written in a different way. For example; if you are tasked by a production company with writing a musical, or a rom-com, or a horror/slasher film, etc; then the Hero's Journey would not necessarily apply; and so you would not write it as such; it would not be written with the Hero's Journey in mind, or the 4-Act Structure; these genres films, as well as a few others, have their own rules to apply when writing their scripts, and obviously cannot follow these rules; and so do not require a mentor.
Also, the genre of the film affects the screenplay in a more direct way - the characters that will appear in the film; the setting of the story; the core concept and plot of the script; if a production company approach a writer to write a romantic comedy; then you would not include science-fiction elements; and would not necessarily be written to convey a deep meaning.
When a script is written, and then sent to producers, to attempt to get the company to accept the script, then this is called a "Spec-Script"; and in this case; obviously genre can be whatever the writer wants it to be; however the writer should have the genre in mind when selecting a production company to produce their screenplay. For example; certain production companies such as HBO only produce TV shows; so they would not produce films; and also, certain film production companies only produce certain genres of film; for example, Warner Bros would not necessarily produce and 18-Rated Horror movie; and so it would not be logical to approach them witha  gory horror screenplay; and certain production companies may take a screenplay for a film genre that they would not usually produce; but demand alterations before they begin the production; for example; to remove some foul language, or change some action scenes, or even to alter the characters slightly to make them more appropriate for their target audience, etc.

There are various things which affect whether the outcome of a screenplay is good or bad; the screenplay is, in my opinion; the most important aspect of any production; it is extremely difficult to make a good film or television show with a bad script; however obviously, you can still make a bad film or television show with a bad script. In my opinion; what makes a screenplay good; is when it has the creative touch of the writer; by either the story itself being different from other stories of a similar genre; or by having characters that also differ from characters in other films of the same genre. Another way that I see a screenplay as being a success, is when there is space for the Auteur of the director to be displayed easily; without ruining the creative influence that the writer has put across; and this seems to typically be when there are action scenes; or the book is set in very unique setting; and so the director can express his directorial style via the cinematography of the film, and through how the action scenes are displayed; without completely eliminating the creative influence of the writer. However, what I have said here I feel mainly applies to adventure and action films; within other genres there are a variety of ways in which the writer can create a beautiful screenplay; but the point that I am putting across here, is that I feel the way that a screenplay can be best made is when it can incorporate multiple creative influences into itself without losing something in the process.

The main thing preventing an independent writer's script from reaching a production company is the script-reader; someone who is hired by the production company to read the scripts to see if any of the scripts are what the production company is looking for. If a script-reader doesn't like the script that they have been given, then the script goes no further and the production company will not receive it.
If the script-reader does like the script; they will pass it on to the production company; who will then read the script and make the final decision on whether or not they want to go ahead with the script or not. This is why selecting a production company in accordance with genre is very important; as the script-readers will filter through and ensure that only films that the production company have specified that they want will get through to the producers; and usually producers will specify that they only want to see screenplays of a specified genre; and so screenplays of other genres will not get through to them.

Pre-Production

It is difficult to say when Development ends and Pre-Production begins; but some people define it as in that Pre-Production begins and Development ends when the script has been locked; meaning any changes to the script will have been carried out by now and there should be no more changes to it.
Pre-Production documents are prepared for various reasons; for safety precautions; so that the director can concentrate on the direction of the production and nothing else, and also to save time on set; as every hour spent filming is costing the Production Company money; and so to stay within budget, it is vital to save time when you are paying for equipment and cast and crew, and having well-prepared Pre-Production documents is the easiest way to save time and money when filming on set,
There are some directorial decisions that cross over between Pre-Production and Production, but the following Pre-Production documents are necessary far before Production begins, and are as follows:

The Budget - Arguably the most important preparative document; the budget covers all necessary costs for the equipment, the cast, the crew, the editing suite and software, the advertising campaign, and the costs of distribution. It is important for the budget to be calculated correctly in order to avoid exceeding the budget, and ruining all possible profit margins upon release of the film.
Shooting Schedule - Deciding on dates to begin filming; calculating how long the film will take to shoot; and ensuring that all cast and crew are available on each of the days, and ensuring that equipment is booked out ready for each of these shoots if necessary; Planning out timing for the shoots like this is extremely important in order to ensure that this does not result in exceeding the budget; as additional costs can be huge in hiring the equipment out for an extra day that was not planned, or in paying an actor for an extra day, also.
Equipment Booking Sheet/Form - Ensuring that all equipment is booked well in advance for the appropriate timescale; as mistakes in equipment booking can result in a huge loss of money; as cast and crew would have to be paid for a day in which no shooting can be carried out.
Call Sheet - A Call Sheet is similiar to a Shooting Schedule; except this is more for the cast and crew; it lets all the cast and crew know where they will need to be, at what time; to ensure no lost time on the day. The Call Sheet also includes the names and contact details of all cast and crew so that they can be easily contacted in case of any changes in scheduling.
Risk Assessments - Risk Assessments need to be performed in order to ensure that ALL people involved in the production; Cast, Crew, Production team, etc, are aware of the risks involved on set, and how to be safe; as well as so that the environment being risk assessed can be checked to see if it can be made any safer to further reduce risks. This also serves as a safeguard to the production team in case of a potential lawsuit.
Floor Plan - A Floor Plan is essentially a diagram of where everything is placed on the set; props, filming equipment, etc. This is so that the crew responsible for getting the set ready can place everything correctly on set and get everything in place as smoothly and quickly as possible in order to save time.
Script Breakdown - A Script Breakdown is literally breaking down the script and seeing which props are necessary for the film; which actors would be needed, as well as extras, as well as what is needed from a location for the film, and if this needs to be altered at all.
Storyboard - A Storyboard is essentially a visual representation of the script; it shows when characters move in and out of the frame and in which direction, so that everyone knows where they need to start off a scene at and where they move to before they even reach the set.
Actor Clearance Forms - These are forms that the actor signs confirming that everything that they will film is permitted to be used within the film, trailers, and all other promotional material. Sometimes, they will be required to confirm that they will attend interviews in relation to plugging the film, and that they cannot release certain information in regards to the film publicly until given permission by the production team.

The director will also make various decisions on what the film will look like before filming even begins, so that he can begin tailoring the set to his vision; through the mise-en-scene of the film; as well as through what he wants the colour pallet of the film to be like, and the landscapes.
Colour pallets can be expressed through a few different ways; not just through post-production editing; some directors like to express the colour pallet of the film through the colour of the costumes, props, landscape, and lighting. And so this is a decision that would be made in Pre-Production, rather than in Post-Production. The director would collaborate with the Props Master and the Head of Costume in order to create a colour pallet representative of his vision of the film, before even considering using lighting effects and editing. Usually, the costumes required will be roughly outlined in the script, or will be gauged from the setting of the story, and the time period that the story has been set in; However, the director will always have the overuling decision on the overall tone of the cast's costumes; whether he is going for a particurlarly expensive, classy looking costume set, or perhaps a darker toned costume set; as this all is a part of the colour pallet; even if it is not specific colours; just a certain tone the director wants the costumes to be (e.g. - Dark browns, beiges, various grey tones, etc.) The director will also collaborate with the Location Director in order to select landscapes befitting of the auteur of the director.

Casting decisions will also be made in the Pre-Production phases; holding auditions, approaching agents about their actors, etc. This is usually done fairly early in the Pre-Production process, as the production team will need to know who is acting in the film before they carry out their budgets and schedules, etc.
The director will sometimes speak to the actors about how they want them to perform briefly before production begins, so that the cast can prepare themselves slightly for their character before they begin their rehearsals; but the majority of character/acting decisions will be made during the production process.

Production

By the production stage of the process, almost all decisions regarding the film should have already been made, and the only decisions that should be left; (aside from editing), would be decisions which would demonstrate the auteur of the director; the only decisions remaining being the ones which add the director's unique style to the film.
The Production Stage of the film begins as all the Pre-Production documents are signed and sealed; and the Production company are ready to go. Production is essentially the process from shooting, to the minute the Data Wrangler has backed up the raw data. From then on, it is then into the Post-Production process.
The Production stage and the Post-Production stage are where the Director can really flex their creative muscle, and can begin to shape the production into what they want it to be. The Director relies on the mise-en-scene and the actors to express his vision during the Production process, and through the editing and sound and music in the Post-Production stages.
The Director has a number of crew who they will work in collaboration with in order to ensure that shooting goes smoothly, which are as follows:

The Director - The Director ensures that shooting is carried out smoothly; decides when a shot needs to be run again, decides what order the shots will go in, direct the actors in how to portray their characters in a more fitting manner, as well as shaping the production into their own style; making the film their own.
1st Assistant Director -The First Assistant Director handles all the questions that any cast and crew may need to be answered; to see if they can answer the questions themselves, and then filter important and appropriate questions to the director; in order to prevent the director from spending their whole time answering questions and to prevent disruption on set. The 1st AD usually helps all cast and crew with any minor issues they may have, and follows instructions from the director.
Director of Photography - The Director of Photography handles all technical issues with the cameras, ensures that they have the correct cameras and camera equipment, discusses lens choices with the director; in order to tailor the look and style of each shot. Typically, the Director of Photography selects a choice of Lens' and demonstrates them to the Director before coming to a decision. The Director of Photography manages all the Camera-Operators on set.
Gaffer - The Gaffer is essentially the general handyman on set; ensuring that all equipment is working and fully operational,  and ensures that all equipment is transported safely from place to place. Any technical issues, and the Gaffer will endeavour to resolve them, unless they are more major issues than the Gaffer can resolve; and then the crew would approach the 1st Assistant Director first, to ask for assistance with their technical issue.
The Sound Department - The Sound Department collaborate with the Director to select the best possible sound recording equipment, and manage all sound equipment. They record all sound and speech necessary to be recorded on set. The Director of Sound is the only other person aside from the Director and Assistant Director who can call "Cut" on a scene; as if there is a problem with the sound, then this cannot be altered in Post-Production and a retake would be unavoidable.
The Data Wrangler - The Data Wrangler takes all raw footage from the cameras at the end of the shoot and puts them onto multiple back-ups, to ensure that the footage cannot be lost.
Art Director - The Art Director works directly below the Production Designer. They work collaboratively with the Set Decorator. The Art Director works with the other departments in order to craft the look of the fim; e.g. - the construction and set design teams. They work with the director in order to create the artistic look that the director desires.

Although the Director will make some shot decisions in Pre-Production; there are many directors who simply roughly outline their shot decisions in Pre-Production, and make the majority of shot choices in Production; when they can physically look at the set and it's composition. In Single Camera, there is a lot more flexibility with where the camera can be placed within the set; as other cameras and equipment do not have to be avoided; and shooting is possible in smaller sets where it would not normally be possible using Multi-Camera technique. And because of this flexibility in shots, it is a possibility for the director to shoot takes multiple times with different unique angles to see which creates the best effect.
An example of this is that when filming The Office (US), the producers were debating whether a shot was possible that Einhorn (The Director) wanted; a long shot throughout the building, following one of the main characters; and so Einhorn walked the length of the shot with the camera to determine whether the shot was possible or not; as it was unsure whether the camera-operator could capture all of it or not.

The position of the camera in relation to it's subject is often used to convey meaning within a shot; for example, with single camera, it is easier to get inbetween two characters and get a solid shot reverse shot between the two, or even possibly a 180° degrees pan between the two characters; which can be used to convey a closeness, and the relationship between the two. For example; in The Office (US); there are a lot of scenes of "Talking Head interviews", behind which is the idea that the cast are speaking to the "Documentary crew". These shots are always carried out with the seat in the same place, the character sat in the same place, and the camera in the same position, at the same distance, and the same angle; this, in a way, demonstrates the barrier between the character and the documentary crew; reminding you that the character isn't just breaking the fourth wall, and is in fact still speaking to a character on screen; but the fact that the character is looking at the camera, and talking, in a way, to the audience whilst speaking, involves the audience; as well as the fact that the camera is close enough to the character for the shot to seem more intimate; but not so close that it seems informal in the way the character is speaking to the "Documentary crew".
As a rule of thumb; the camera being close to the subject shows intimacy;  to make you feel closer to the character; a wide shot to demonstrate the shot on a scale rather than focussing on one character, showing you the environment as a whole, and giving the viewer a shot of "the bigger picture".
The camera focussing on something other than characters in the frame; for example an object in the background; is designed to draw the viewer's attention to it; and to attach significance to this object and make the viewers curious, and observe it for more information throughout the film.
Because Single Camera Technique is mainly used in order to be able to create shots that would not normally be possible; or in locations where shooting on multiple cameras would not be possible; a lot of shots used in Single Camera productions are shots which are quite close in; and at angles which would not normally be possible, and so shots can convey meaning within shots with methods which you would not normally see carried out in a typical Blockbuster film. For example, an over the shoulder shot in an enclosed location; such as a thin corridor, etc, with which framing can be used within the doorframe or the exit to the corridor, to express meaning between two characters such as a rivalry, a romance, etc, or even with just one character, silhouetted to create the illusion of the beginning of a character's journey. There are many interpretations of the meaning shots convey; however I believe that the way that a viewer interprets a shot will vary, depending upon the person.

There are multiple theories about filmmaking that are put in place by the director in order to give artistic feel to a film, and to create a certain atmosphere or emotion within.
One of these theories commonly put into place by directors is Kuleshov's theory, regarding Shot-reverse-shot in order to portray emotion. The basic explanation for this theory, is that by showing an image, before showing an expressionless person, or an animal, etc, then the viewer's emotions will be reflected onto the emotionless person or animal. For Example; showing videos on animal cruelty followed by a shot of a dog will make the dog appear sad; as the viewer will reflect their emotions of the previous video onto the shot of the dog; making the dog appear sad to them. However, showing a video of a happy family and children, and then a shot of an expressionless man, will make the man look happy and reflective, despite the fact that he has a blank facial expression; as it will be the viewer projecting their emotions onto the shot on the screen again. Kuleshov theory extends to both Production and Post-Production; as obviously it is edited into place through Post-Production, but obviously the shots need to be made in the first place, in order to be edited afterwards, so it also regards to Production.

Another theory present within filmmaking for some years is Auteur Theory - The theory that the director is the "Author" of the film. Directors display Auteur through a distinctive feature; something that is included within every production that the director produces; something that, once it is seen, the director's presence within the film is immediately recognisable. This can be how the lighting is used; the composition of the director's shots, the camera angles, or even the music.
For Example; Sam Mendes' Auteur is that he will use the camera to make beautiful shots in  situations where you would not normally accept beauty, and with a sort of grace to his shots, even when something seedy or violent was happening on screen; as well as his refusal to shoot close-ups; as he claimed he found them overused and overrated.

The Directorial Style that the director has obviously can include his "Auteur symbol", but is on a lot wider spectrum; this can include the mise-en-scene, or the colour pallet of the film. This is the complete look of the film; in a way. It can be used to make scenes look seedy, or classy, or even can just be a less subtle approach to colour grading than will usually be considered. For example, David Fincher's Fighjt Club was colour graded as close to green as possible without actually becoming green (And at some points, it does become green); which was a part of his directorial style; adding his own style to the piece; but not a style that will necessarily carry across to other films he directs; whereas Auteur is a distinguishable style which will not vary from film to film.

Post-Production

The Process of Post-Production is everything that happens from when the Data Wrangler saves the raw camera footage, and passes it on to the editing department. Almost the entirity of the Post-Production process is editing; as well as sound and music, special effects, and then also marketing and advertising, before the release of the film.

Importing - Is when video clips and footage are transferred into the editing software of choice. Several videos/clips/footage can be imported in a software at a time. The footage is from then on, ready to be edited.
Whereas Exporting is the process of saving the completed edit/edits into the desired location in the desired format. (mp4, jpeg, etc.) Before it had been saved into the select format; the video files would have been in a different format; For example, if footage was being edited on Adobe Premiere Pro, it would be saved as a "Premiere Pro file"; and this could not be viewed on any video playing software, or burned to disc, etc; this file format is used purely for when video is in the middle of being edited. Exporting is only done when the footage's editing is completely finished; as it will change file format and it will be difficult to edit after that point.

Audio Mixing is an extremely important aspect of Post-Production; a film can look beautiful visually, with all scenes cut correctly, and in the right place, but if the sound is off, or not working correctly, it would ruin the entire production, and so it is the job of the Audio/Sound Mixer to ensure that the sound is working correctly.
During Production, the Production Sound Mixer's role is to record dialogue and any fx necessary for the production. The Production Sound Mixer overlooks the majority of the sound crew; technicians and boom operators, etc. They determine which microphones would be most suitable for each scene, and to ensure that the sound levels are consistent, with no issues; and to generally ensure that all endeavors relating to sound are handled smoothly and with no technical hitches.
However; when it reaches Post-Production; it is the role of the Production Sound Mixer to collaborate with the director and find the best fit, sound-wise, for the film, and to ensure it is what the director's vision entails. The first step in this process is by using an Audio Mixing sofware to correct the sound and to combine it with the video.
All Audio Mixing softwares, despite the differences, share the same basic structure: An Input section, an Output section, and a control section. The Input section is also called a "channel"'; simply put, this is where you input the music that you want to alter/use.
The Control section of the mixer is used to blend different sounds into one soundtrack; with the sounds taken from the various "channels". Sound levels can also be altered accordingly using this Control section.
The mixer sends the completed soundtracks to the Output Channel; where the completed soundtrack can then be saved into it's respective format and saved.
Another aspect of Audio and Sound that can be done either alongside Production or in Post-Production is Folay; a way of creating sound effects without creating them electronically; For example if there is a shot of a person walking across gravel, but it is too windy to capture the sound correctly. the "Folay Walkers" will literally walk across gravel and capture the audio so that the sound is real.

The way that a film is edited can completely change a film from the original raw footage. The story can be completely shaped by the editing. And so the Editor and the Director work together very closely in order to ensure that both the Editor and Director can combine their style effectively without one pushing the other out. The Editor and the Director make the major decisions together, and the Editor is in charge of the assistant editors, who handle small editing choices and prepare the raw footage for the major edits. The editing process usually can take anything from four to eight months. When the film is being edited, the look of the film can also be altered significantly by the use of colour grading; where a film can be graded with a certain colour, for example, Blue; in order to make the whole scene look darker; without making the colour look like it is actually blue.

The sound effects and music within the video are added on and altered in post-production; and the Audio and Music Team are responsible for this. The Director also works collaboratively with the Audio and Music effects team in order to create the correct tones and sound for their film to also express their directoral style.

In conclusion, the development process is used to correctly demonstrate the writer's style; and from pre-production onwards; the majority of the decisions are made to demonstrate the director's vision, whilst still accomodating the writer's style.

References


http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/the-hero-journey-mythic-structure-of-joseph-campbell-monomyth.html
http://ask.metafilter.com/34097/Why-use-singlecamera-mode-when-shooting-television

Changes to my Production Brief Proposal

I have decided to make the following changes to my brief proposal;
-GoPro Cameras will be placed differently; They will be placed at each of the two front corners of the stage; facing diagonally towards the centre of the stage. This way each camera will not be in shot of the other, as they would be at opposite ends of the stage, but will still capture the performance from an angle to the right and to the left.