Section 1: Film Industry

 

1.1

What is it like working in the film industry?

The film industry is a very competitive industry, as there are many people who have the same job as you and are applying for films that you may have applied to. Therefore, it is absolutely vital that you have a portfolio or CV that stands out with your body of work in your specific field, such as directing, acting, cinematography, writing or producing. In the film industry, work is more important that qualifications. This means that if you have a lot of degrees in your specific field and no work to show, you will not be hired. Therefore, having a portfolio of some form or another will help you be noticed into the industry to moreover get better jobs. Another important aspect of the industry is networking, as knowing people in the industry and communicating with others is the only way you will be able to show your portfolio to others. For example, this could be at networking events held specifically for filmmakers or certain film festivals that allow you to talk to other applicants or nominees within that festival.

Give 10 examples of qualities you need to work in the film industry

Creativity: You need to have creativity in order to create elements in all elements of production, including stories, sets and backgrounds, lighting, camera angles and many more.

Communication: You need to have good communication skills so you can clearly distinguish what goals you need to set and how you will achieve these goals together as a film crew.

Problem Solving: You need to have good problem solving skills, as in a film production it is almost certain that something will go wrong. Therefore, identifying the problem and addressing it is very important as it will affect the entire crew and potentially cause a delay.

Punctuality: You need to be punctual, mainly because you need to turn up on time, earlier is preferable, to anything related to the film-making process, as the unexpected may happen and the extra time will be crucial for your production to not be hindered.

Authority: You need to have authority while on film sets, especially because you need to be capable to lead a crew and reach a set goal in a certain period of time. Therefore, having authority is important due to the

Decisiveness: You will need to make decisions quickly as a filmmaker, as things may go wrong or something may be impossible to do, therefore choosing the best option because of a hindrance is important for the production to continue.

Vision: As a filmmaker, vision is important because of how important it is to have a set vision that you will work your way towards. This can apply to all sectors of film-making, and is a very similar trait to goal-setting, which compliments time management skills.

Working Under Pressure: You will need to work under pressure as a filmmaker, mainly because of how your job is an aspect of the entire production and contributes to it, so without that aspect the film will lose some of its creativity, effort and idea.

Ambition: You will need to have ambition, as creating a film no matter how realistic it will be to make it, you will need vision at the start during pre-production in order to have a set idea of what the film is about and how you will go about creating it.

Open-Minded: You will need to be open-minded as a filmmaker, as you will have to accept and consider other people’s inputs into the creation of the film. This is because a film crew consists of many creative individuals, therefore allowing them to contribute could potentially benefit the film itself or the efficiency of production.

***The links below may help if you need more info after your masterclass with Rupert:

Useful for job roles and progression as well as information about the industry
http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/film/about_the_industry

Good introduction to working in the industry
https://www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/how-to-get-a-job-in-the-film-industry/

Further articles:
10 commandments of film making
Seven arts of working in film
Essential personal traits of filmmakers
Top 10 qualities of a great filmmaker

 

1.2 

Why is time management important in the film industry? 

 Time management is important in the film industry, as for each section of the production of a film will require there to be a strict schedule in order to release the film on time without going over budget. Various aspects in pre-production, production, and post-production will need this, such as the different departments like marketing, casting, and editing. While shooting the film, everyone working on set will need to follow the schedule and ensure that they do not go over the time sections specified, otherwise this will hinder the entire production and ultimately cause delays,

Give at least 4 examples of good time management skills

A good time management skill would be focusing on priority. This is because while filming, especially for the Director and Director of Photography, they need to decide what shots to film first that have high priority, so if they don’t manage to film all of the shots, they will have the most important ones filmed first.

Another good time management skill is planning, which is vital in pre-production. This is very important as the better your plan for making the film, the more efficient production is and less pressure and stress is put upon the crew. Therefore, this would include but is not limited to, a schedule for all members of the cast and crew, preparing for the unexpected, and timings to film shots or for setting up equipment.

Communication skills is also important for time management, as being good at communicating with other members of the cast and crew will allow the process to run by smoothly without many errors. This is also important due to how communication will affect the relationship between different crew or cast members, which could potentially make or break the production.

Another important skill for time management is decision making, especially for people with more authority in film crews, such as Directors or Producers. This is crucial due to how sometimes for instance the Director, will have to choose what vision of a shot or scene they will have to do if certain parameters do not work int he set. Therefore, choosing one over the other will affect the entire schedule and the film, and will have to be carefully considered by the Director.

BFI Academy CALLSHEET The End 26 Oct

BFI Academy CALLSHEET Spaghetti 29 Oct

 

***please upload the call sheets for your two shoots, and any other production documentation (schedules etc)

 

1.3 

Describe the key aspects of health and safety when working on film productions 

 Health and safety is a very important aspect to film-making, as lawsuits and legal action can be taken if the film crew do not recognise a potential safety hazard to members of the crew or cast. One aspect of health and safety is identifying the potential hazard. This requires members of the crew to find anything that may cause a hazard on location or on set, even if the chances are very slim. This is because it is better to be prepared for the worse so the production can go underway efficiently.  Another aspect is notifying everyone in the cast and crew about these hazards. This is equally as important, as if people don’t know about these hazards then you will be to blame and it will drastically affect your production, especially if a key role person decides to quit.

Describe at least 3 health and safety considerations for your own film

One of the health and safety considerations we had to acknowledge was the various cables on the ground. This is because there were several different electrical equipment around the set that required different cables into different plug sockets or power generators, which meant these cables were across the room. Therefore, we had to ensure that all members of cast and crew knew about these cables so nobody tripped and fell over causing any sort of damage.

Another health and safety consideration was small set we needed to use to film our production. This is because of how we needed to add another wall to the set so we could film from all angles, which meant that the actors were enclosed into this set. Therefore, this meant that in the case of a fire, they would need to know how to manoeuvre to get around the set and through the door to outside the set.

Another health and safety consideration was the lighting used for the production. This is because we used some tungsten lights that heated up quite quickly and, if held, are a safety hazard. Therefore, we ensured that all members of the cast and crew knew about these lights, where they were on set, and which way they are facing so people can avoid the heat being produced from the light.

***please upload the risk assessment for your shoots

BFI Academy Risk Assessment THE END 26 Oct

BFI Academy Risk Assessment SPAGHETTI 29 Oct

1.4 & 1.5 

 

***please summarise or upload the copyright information you learned in your first editing class with Tom

 

Why does copyright law exist?

Copyright law exists to prevent the plagiarism of another persons work, and to allow them to be credited where need be. This is because it is unfair if somebody steals your work without credit, especially in the film industry as it takes a long time to produce a film.

What kind of work is covered by copyright?

Literary works such as song lyrics, manuscripts, manuals, computer programs, commercial documents, leaflets, newsletters and articles are covered by copyright. Dramatic, musical, artistic, photographic, sound recording, magazines, and film are also protected by copyright law. 

What might happen if you were to use copyrighted material in your film?

If you use copyrighted material and profited from using it, you will have to pay them financial damages, and the court may stop you from using his material further without his consent. Your material may be impounded and the judge may order you to immediately destroy it. You may also have to give the copyright owner your profits as well.

How can you make sure not to infringe copyright law in your film?

Ensure that every aspect of material that has been obtained outside of your own creation is accounted for. This means that contacting the person(s) that created the piece of material and asking for their permission to use it in the film production to make sure that any copyright law isn’t infringed.

How has copyright law affected your film production?

If you were to use certain copyrighted material, such as music, sound effects, or stock footage, then you will need to obtain a license to be able to use it in the production. Therefore, you would most likely have to use money from the budget to invest into copyrighted material before production occurs so you are more prepared while creating the film.

***You might also find the following links useful to complete this section:

http://copyrightuser.org/filmmaker/ 

https://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law