Beginning the research tasks with Del

Tuesday we were asked to write an analysis of the terms Content, Resources and Placement, these regarding the production of film/documentaries. Appearing vague at first some research was needed, but I feel I completed the tasks to the right standard. 

Task 1B

Production Research

 

 

Content

 

“Content is King” Content is the centre of any project, it is all that is included within what is presented to viewers. The narrative, images, footage, interviews, sound and anything else contained in the actual video itself are classed as content. Content is a result of the research done pre-production in the sense that the video’s content will have been planned and will contain compiled information regarding the subject matter of the project. It is also a result of the production process, that is the arrangements, filming and post-production (e.g. editing) process.

 

For example when Louis Theroux goes to shoot a documentary, for instance his time spent with UFO hunters. He will have to have thoroughly researched the history of UFO hunters, the area he is visiting and the people he will be interviewing. In this way it is obvious how vital research is to the quality of the project. Documentary is an informative form of film and if someone aims to teach someone something they should of course be well educated in it themselves. Extensive research coupled with an interesting and engaging film should grab a viewer’s interest and educate them in the given subject.

 

Coming back to Louis Theroux specifically, a key feature of his work is his ironic and subtle approach to interviewing. He presents himself as an inoffensive, weak man who appears unbiased to even extreme viewpoints. This visage means he can ultimately get the real opinions of those in question and can ask them leading questions to get certain answers for the purpose of the film. This is done because there will often be a pre-conceived viewpoint of the group/event/area he is documenting, which will maybe be an existent generalisation discovered through research or Louis’s personal moral stance which he can put across by getting the interviewee to react as I have described. This will have taken some planning and meticulous research into the specific people he needs to be talking to and what he needs to be talking about.

 

Research also covers the collecting of necessary footage, as in most documentaries there will be archive footage featured. This will need researching to ensure it is the correct imagery for the film, to see how much if anything it will cost and in what form they will receive the footage. There are different ways of obtaining such footage, but typically it will involve contacting or visiting an archive (this could be online or an actual library). Using sites such as ITN Source or Focal International will give you access to archive footage but will require payment. Sites such as BAPLA however are non-profit organizations and images will be free.

 

 

Resources

 

To actually go ahead with a production having the correct resources is essential. Resources will be governed mainly by the budget and include all the vital components of any film project, these are a film crew (cameramen, boom operator, director), the appropriate venues to film if any are needed (these could be studios or simply obtaining the permission to film on certain locations), the means of transport (large groups of people are likely to need driving or even flying to locations), any additional paperwork such as release forms, shooting schedules and call sheets.

 

An example of location being a necessary resource to be planned and confirmed could be taken from basically any documentary. Louis Theroux has travelled to various destinations in America for example, this would have had to be arranged like any flights would be organized and pre-arranging the meetings with people featured in the documentary so they can be efficient on the trip and keep their time over there to a minimum, in the interest of being economical with the budget. The team filming Deadliest Catch would have to arrange the filming dates in line with the fisherman’s schedule and prepare to be filming at sea in dangerous conditions.

 

Where hiring crew is concerned, if the producer/filmmaker doesn’t already have people in mind then there are agencies on the Internet with the details of experienced film crews and their prices, sites such as UK Film Crew Pro and Film London cater this.

 

As paperwork is concerned this is standard to any TV or film production to ensure that the project is properly planned and documented and also in the event of legal issues it ensures the safety of safety of the project.

 

Placement

 

Placement refers to the film distribution process; it’s marketing, circulation in theatres and release to DVD or however it will reach consumers. It can happen in various ways, most often the project will be given to a distributor who is in contact with industry commissioners and exhibitors. These distributors will hold viewings of the film and aim to convince the commissioners/exhibitors that they will profit financially from presenting the film in theatres or whatever the given medium is. If all goes to plan, the distributor writes up a contract detailing his earnings from the film once it is aired/released (typically around 30% of profits). Documentaries and films alike will often be noticed at festivals, for example MIPDOC where thousands of people from the industry go to view screenings as potential buyers. Basically the work of a distributor has a massive effect on the success of a production, their previous history within the industry, how well they are able to promote a film and then connections they have.

 

Of course, today it is easy for people to distribute their own films onto the Internet with UGC sites like You Tube being incredibly popular; this is however a far less effective way of promoting the film than actually getting it shown to people within the industry by a distributor.