Pre-Production Major Project: Locations

Finding locations was not easy to start off with as I searched for football pitches and night clubs, Danny came to me saying that the football pitch at Raihnam Recreation grounds was a good size but its on the councils grounds, so I went looking to see if there was rules and I found a phone number for media relations and when I rang them they said it was public grounds and I didn't need permission to film which I made sure they sent me in writing. This is a picture I look of the first pitch on the grounds which we will be using, the picture was taken from mine and Danny's recce. 

The night club was harder to get as I originally contacted Casino's as I had a friend who is knows the owner well and said I would be able to hire it plus they also let out their VIP area if you do some publicity for them so I rang them and emailed but I never got a reply after 5 attempts I went in search. 

I came across the Royal Function rooms on the Medway website advertising halls so when we went to recce it we was thinking more for our wedding scene, when we got there we saw this room and it is perfect for our night club scene and the hire is quite cheap for our budget.

 The mini stage is great for our DJ and a dance area for a few shots of the boys dancing and a smallish bar which we felt was all we needed as there is only one shot where the boys are getting drinks at the bar.

When looking for a hall all we had gone and looked at the Royal Function rooms which had a big hall as well as the night club looking hall which would be good for a wedding reception but it was  expensive and would have put us on a time scale for a big scene. So we accidentally came across the Rochester Social Club which had a sigh saying hall for hire and Danny and I went on a recce to have a look and normally they say only members can come in but as we would be doing them a favour and filming they agreed to let us view. 

The hall is very small and full of tables with little space for a dance floor but we can move things around plus there is a side room in which the boys and Don's mini scene can take place, we felt this was a better choice of halls as the hall in the script is a beaten up cheap place and this seems to fit quite well it just needs a little dressing to look like a reception rather then a bar.

Pre-Production Major Project: Call Sheet Research

I have not wrote my own call sheet before and I didn't not know where to start or what to write so I need to do some research, I have seen call sheets before as I worked on a low budget feature and they sent call sheets the night before with the details of what seems they were shooting and what time we was starting, now I know that I do not want to be emailing people call sheets hours before we are due to start so I want to have as much detail and them done as much as I can so people know weeks before ruffly what we are doing on what day of the week. When i worked for the BBC they would send the call sheet out of Friday evening for the show on Sunday which was about 4 pages of people and information. 

I went looking for information to see what I could find out about call sheets and what basic information needs to go onto the sheet, this website has a step by step of what I should write and what I don't need to include. The website was really helpful and even gave me templates along with the advice and examples, but the website also has other useful items for not just producing. 

http://www.starboardmedia.co.uk/category/film-making/pre-production/

The basics start at the title of the production at the top of the page along with the location, date and the weather, but in our case I can't predict the weather 3 months in advance so I have left it blank till nearer the date. This should also include the sunset and rise in small in the weather box. The location is important and all the details especially postcode for the sat nav and if possible a map, also the location and address of the nearest hospital is very important.
The time of the big break (lunch or dinner) should be at the top near the call time so people know when they will get to break, and a wrap time.

The scene numbers and description so people know what scene that are in on that day and what they need to wear so then know if they get breaks in-between and if they are not in that day at all.
Important numbers such as producers and runner numbers should be on the call sheet incase someone needs it but the rest of the numbers should be with the producer or head runner.

Call Sheet Short Drama

This call sheet is a template/example for the website above, as you can see it is in really good detail and is 2 pages long but it covers a lot of aspects, such as travel arrangements and health and safety. This I felt was a good example as it is a call sheet especially designed for TV short dramas but I do however feel that this is a bit long for our production but the style and layout is very clear and formal which I feel is necessary.

Call Sheet Temp

This another example I took of a similar sort of website, where by it hd a lot of useful tips and document for filmmakers especially in TV. Unfortunately when uploading the conversion went wrong and the layout has overlapped on the first page making it miss out the box for the scenes and crew call times. But as you can see both the call sheet examples are similar and have the same aspects needed they are just set out different ways and the top one has more detail in people and transport whereas this one has more about scene descriptions and the full teams separate call times.

I found by comparing the two I didn't have to use one or the other but by downloading them both from their website I could combine the two so I could take out the travel descriptions from the first one and the teams call times from the second one and then both call sheets hold similar details its just the second one has more distinctive layout which I feel would be clearer especially the call time and production title at the top so I will use this as my main template.

Pre-Production Major Project: Music Research

After a discussion about music for the final piece next year we decided that we wanted a catchy song that everyone would love to be our theme song like the friends, when the title sequence comes on and you sing I'll be there for you and everyone automatically claps their hands 5 times very quickly before carrying on with the title sequence, this song is known by everyone who watched at least one episode. 

This intro is so catchy that this is the kind of song I was looking for to be our theme song. This is done by the music as it suit the genre and the message behind the program the "i'll be there for you" as its all about a group of friends and there thick and thins over 10 seasons plus people will know this for years to come and do the clap or movement to the 5 quick drum beats at the beginning.



This is the Inbetweeners Title sequence and theme song, this however does not have an signing it is purely just the soundtrack but when people hear it come on their TV's they know straight away it the Inbetweeners so this I don't mind not having the singing but I feel for a show like our we need some meaningful words in the chorus.

So this inspired us to find a person or band to create a song for us, which we knew might mean it would be tailored and would be made to the edit after filming next year. I went in search of some royalty free music to see if I could find anything like this without going to a band.



I just typed in Royalty free music for TV intros into Youtube and I found this, although it does sound more of an epic soundtrack to me it was more like a Bond (007) movie type soundtrack not a sunday league drama type, it started off slow and after a few seconds the music started building until the beat got into it and even though it was good it just doesn't fit our style.



This one is also from Youtube, this song is also a start of simple and slow and it builds soundtrack but it is more for action and intense movies or TV than our production so it also does not work but by listening to these soundtracks it definitely makes me want to have singing in our theme song so I think we need a band.

Helen told us she knew a bang and would get into contact them to see if they would create a song for us, once she told me that they are an American bang and would not tailor a song for us but would let us have the rights to anyone of their already produced songs it was then my job to look into the bang and their songs further to see in any fitted.


The bands name is Nekokat, so I went searching to find out more about them. Nekokat is made up of three band members one of which is Helens friends (the drummer) they are a new up and coming band based in America with their new debut single 'Gimme a Break' a catchy song that we felt fitted our script very well, and after listening to the single a few times I found that I would walk around the house singing this. So the next thing was to get in contact with the publishing company to get the rights for the song which the band had already agreed too.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6583132/supergroup-nekokat-gimme-a-break-exclusive-single-premiere

http://wearenekokat.com - features the new summer hit "Gimme a Break" on the website.

Pre-Production Major Project: Budget Research

When you say budget it means give an estimate on how much you will be spending, well thats what i thought I would have to do for this part of being a producer but in my research I learnt that I would have to over budget items and account for every little thing I needed which I can't think of now, so instead of saying I have this amount of money and then spending it when it needs I have been looking at film and Television budgets. 

A definition of a budget is that it calculates the number of items and people that the production would need, derived from a combination of the items brought from props etc and the cast and crew, this is also called in inventory and is also used to calculate under or over spending.  This is an example of a Tv Budget after the show has finished and the over spend they had not budgeted for. 

Because we are spending our own money into this Pilot we don't want to go over budget if we can help it as that means I would have to explain where all the money has gone and ask for more, plus if I had only budgeted say £600 and my estimate was under then I didn't stick to it plus unlike this image we are not paying anyone, we are paying travel and crews food so we shouldn't go over on wages.

Television has always had the most money chucked at it for series, Lost estimated at $4 million per episode and game of Thrones $6 million but sometimes fantasy shows don't always succeed with the high budgets and low budget series like Doctor Who are just as big a success with lower than a tenth of the budget at $2 thousand, which means we can do the same.

Working out at budget isn't as easy as it looks as you have to think of every little item (like for us the tea and coffee dispensers for the football pitch scene) but when looking into budgets they mostly cover peoples wages, after searching the internet I found that a to be classed as a low budget the max amount of money is 250 thousand for a film but for reality Tv shows they start at 100 thousand and these are classed as low budget series. 

Pre Production Major Project: Producer Research

Before researching into producer roles my interpretation of a producer was, a Producer organises the crew to be at each shoot with all the equipment needed and their plans but also to have the cast and locations sorted with all the paperwork for each shoot.

But after searching on the internet of what a producer does from hollywood to low budget, from films to Television I came up with this:

Film producer do a variety of roles depending on the type, such as selecting the script, directing, editing and arranging finance, but most of all they create and keep the creativity and continuity through out the production and keeping the production on the same level.

The average Hollywood film made in 2013 had just over 10 producer credits, this is because one producer cannot do everything so there appoint an executive and line producer but the main producer has the last say on sound, edits and script changes, but they also have to arrange all the distribution and selling of the film.

Different types of producers

      Executive Producer

The Executive Producer addresses the finances in that they pitch films to the studios, but they when chosen they will deal with things such as budgets and contracts.

Line Producer 

Manages the staff and day-to-day operations. Finds staff for the production. Most people know them in the credits to be "produced by" not Line Producer

Supervising Producer 

Supervises the creative process of screenplay development, and often aids in script re-writes.

Co-Producer 

A writer who may not have written the script, but contributed significantly through table reads.

Co-Ordinating producer (Production Coordinator) 

This producer manages the schedule and arranges the staff into teams.

Associate Producer

Runs day-to-day operations.

Segment Producer

Writes or produces one segment of a film.

Editing Producer

Helps co-ordinate the edit by working with the editor and relaying information from other producers.

Notable producers of which I know but these are mostly Directors or Actors that have put their own money into the production.

Tom Hanks

Vin Diesel 

j.j Abrams 

Leo Decaprio
Tim Burton 

Stanley Kurbrik 

George Lucas

Brad Pitt

Steven speilgburg 

Ben stiller

Adam Sandler 

Taratino 

Jim Carey

Mel Gibson 

Peter Jackson 

all of which are male!!!!

PGA- Producers Guide of America which is a trade organisation representing TV producers in the U.S. They help every one of the above producers by supporting them as a member and giving them benefits but this is a non-profit trade group that promotes the producing team interests, the PGA has over 7 thousand member who improve their careers and the industry by being apart, plus the organisation try to work on the laws and impartial standards for the producer.
The PGA have annual awards to celebrate the hard work and gratitude.

Their mission statement is:
"The PGA represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team"

Pre-Production Major Project: Contract Research

When creating a contract between you and an employee you have to consider every thing that could affect you as a producer/company.
I went looking into what sorts of things needed to be covered in my contracts so that we are covered.

I found out that the contract had to be a written document as this is more professional and easier to look back over. This should be read and agreed upon by the producer and actor then both sign and get a copy whether by scanned document or a printed document.

Some of the things covered should be the pay, whether they are being paid and when. In our case we are not paying so we need to adjust this and put that we are covering travel and how much, whether its train, car or pick up.
The dates of the production in as much detail as possibly can, so for us we have said the date of the whole week even though we plan to have at least one day off in the 7 days. Plus the times of the day we play to film but keeping it in small doses.
Whether they will get a copy of the end result, on DVD, Digital copy etc.
Whether they have to supply their own wardrobe
What they are credited for and they know what role and what in entails.

From this I now know exactly what I need to cover in my contracts and for how much detail is needed so that each actor knows what they are getting and that they will provide us with what we need and not to drop out of the production. The below image shows a basic contract for a low budget production made, this is a good example to start at for me to create my own but I am to write more details into the being available, food and drink provide and the amount of  money will be paying towards their travel.

Pre-Production Major Project: Cast

After a long search and 3 audition sessions we have now found all our cast, to have done this me and Danny had to read through and pictured each of the characters from Helens character profiles compared to what we wanted from each person.
To have done this we had to our research into the character profiles and then while casting online I then researched into the actor and then invited them to auditions if they fitted or was a good actor to adapt.

This is Adam Johnson he will be playing Shaun Kelly on the team- Shaun is a health expert and a gym fanatic whereas Adam loves football and looks after himself health wise by going to the gym a lot with his muscles and six pack. Both the character and actor are very similar height and visually.




This everyone knows is Jamie Terry and he is playing Ollie Jackson, these two go hand in hand as Jamie is so much like the character Ollie with his humour and success in women we felt this was not even an argument but we did give everyone a fair trial.


This is Lilly Steel and she will be playing the character of Hannah, Lucy's best friend. We felt that the character Hannah would be a bit opposite to Lucy and be girly and wear dresses and lots of make-up. Lilly like to party but also cares about people but is the jealous type which we felt she would not really need to acct much and be more herself.



This is Daniel Wornham he is one of the four main boys playing Tom Mclean. Dan was great at auditions and played what we thought was a great Tom he could be aggressive if needed but he also has that cheeky smile which we fell for, Dan is a bit shorter than his character which is not a big deal as he makes it up in his acting.



This is Paul Bridger who is playing the role of the coach Don Johnson. Paul didn't look like the coach when he first walked into auditions but he acted it out very well and he made even us feel motivational, he is a bit younger than what we was going for but when he started his dialog we knew that he is the coach.



Malik Kaddu playing our main guy, the captain Dean Willis. Malik is a big lover of football and plays every week he has also played with minor league celebrity footballers and even models. He is cheeky chap and really loves the idea and wanted to get involved he was so motivational without even trying and with a six pack he fits the bill nicely.


Now Matt Thompson, he was the first person we loved and cast, he is playing the sweet and innocent Nathan. Matt was really good in his interview and ok his skills with a ball was not amazing he is flexible actor in his skills and we love that he has this dark horse vibe to him the same as his character.



Louis Jones is still a shy and young boy that appeared in Helens Fiction adaptation piece a year ago but he fits the part of Callum, the youngest player on the team which louis is definitely he has a love and passion for acting and gets along with everyone.


The role of Graham was a hard one to chose but David Brook fits although David is not a recovering Alcoholic he can definitely pull that one off, he is slightly younger than our aim by about 5 years but by still being the oldest team player the boys will be able to run circles around him.



Hannah Jay who is playing Lucy Mclean, Toms sister and Hannah's best friend, Hannah fitted the role very well with her sweet and innocent girl next door look and attitude. She is very friendly and easy to talk to but also when she was auditioning she had that edge which is why we felt she was the best Lucy we auditioned, she also has that potential to stun the audience in the nightclub scene and the kitchen scene the next morning.



Overall we are very pleased with this cast and they are very lovely people which we hope that will make filming easier for us and they are all so keen and excited to be apart of the film in February along with the promotional aspects in weeks to come.