Sponsorship and Product Placement

Film Revenue

Rizzle Kicks video - 
What product was placed in here for a fee?

• BMW - Mini
• Beats headphones and speakers

Ways of getting sponsorship?

When creating a product such as a music video, film, magazine shoot, the props, costumes and the stuff that they use provides sponsorships opportunities.

Sponsorship of E.G the premiere league there is sponsorship around the side of the pitch and on footballers shirts.

OK/GO MUSIC VIDEO - Questions on sponsorship 

1. What is the purpose of the music video?
The point in the music video is to try and sell the chevy car too a different target audience than the expected one.

2. Who is it sponsored by?
The music video is sponsored by Chevrolet.

3. Why did OK GO agree to this? what is their view on music videos?
They agreed to do this because they wanted to do and produce something that was different too what they would normally do. Creating something different too what they normally do will help them become more popular as they are venturing out of the normal. This will bring different types of audiences in as well as there normal target audience.

4. Which companies have sponsored OK GO's work so far?
Land rover, samsung and the State Farm insurance.

5. How much sponsorship did they receive from the company?
The company said that the average TV commercial is somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million.

6. What did the sponsorship buy?
The sponsorship bought a couple of Sonic cars,  including a modified one by an LA movie car shop with a variety of swinging arms that are operated by a trunk cylinder. They also bought a mechanically T-bar on the roof to jangle overhead chimes. It also paid to set up engineer that worked out all of the instruments and course layout. Plastic drums, glass and cars were driven at various speeds with sound tubes making deep moaning noises. They also paid for Kulash to go to stunt-driving school to learn how to hold speeds, do hand break turns and stop on marks.

7. Where was the filming location and how many separate location set ups did the production team need to create? 
The company rented canyon ranch off the highway connecting LA with the Mojave Desert. They may have chose this certain location as it is real and they would want the production to look as realistic and be effective as possible.

8. How long did the video take to make? 
The video took 4 days too make.

BBC TV license

• The name of the act that requires the BBC to issue TV licenses and collect a licence fee is the Communications Act 2003.
• There is a current fee of £147 for a colour licence and £49.50 for a tv in black and white 
• The Parliament approves the amount to pay

Crowdfunding: 

1. What is the film called?

The film is called Unsound 

2. What was the Kickstarter project for?

Attorney fees, professional sound, colour correction and film festival submission fees.

3. How long did they spend developing the concept?

It takes 3 weeks to develop the concept.

4. How many days do the most successful campaigns run for? 

Successful campaigns run for around 30 days. 

5. What figure did they decide on?

$15,000

6. How did they promote the project 

Through social media.

Specific pages on Facebook. 

7. What is the pyramid marketing structure. 

90% = Lurkers - The passive majority

99% = interactive (retweet, share)
9% = Commenters
1% = 'Creators' - Help by donating and getting involved, they are they heavy contributors

Enemy of Man: 

1. How much money were they asking for?
They asked for $250,564.

2. How much did they get?
They got $255,564.

3. How many backers were there?
There were 2,712 backers.

4. Who is the director and why is this important?
The director is Vincent Regan. This is important because he is a first time director and is also an actor.


5. How else is the project being funded?
The project is being funded by people and fans purchasing merchandise. Merchandise is all of the things that also help to advertise the production. Merchandise can include t-shirts, posters, mugs, teddies, action figures and so on.

6. Why do you think this was successful in gaining funding?
The two main actors were from the Game of Thrones this made the movie look better as there were already well known actors.

7. What has happened since it was funded? 
New producers on board and the budget has been hugely reduced because of the finance level. Enemy of man has gone straight to TV and Shawn has pulled out of the production

Pretty Woman Case study: Budgeting

Release date: 23rd March 1990
Director: Gary Marshall
Writer: J.F Lawton

Actors and cast:
Julia Roberts
Richard Gere
Jason Alexander
Ralph Bellamy
Pretty women also has around 55-60 extras

The fact there are very big actors in this production it will make the film make a lot more money.

Synopsis -
A man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events and he hires a beautiful prostitute that he meets, only to fall in love with her.

Genre- Romance, comedy

Production manager: Roger Joseph Pugliese
Executive producer: EMI soundtrack album - Ron Fair
First assistant director - Ellen H. Schwartz
Second assistant director - Bettiann Fishman
Production companies - Touchstone pictures

Wardrobes: Cerruti 1881 Paris

Crew - 
Production companies - Touchstone pictures - silver screen partners TV
Associate producer/second unit director - Walter Von Huene
Art director - David Haber
Set decorator - Garrett Lewis
Costume supervisor - Dan Lester
Key costumer - Eleanor Bardah
Makeup - Bob Mills
Hairstylist - Carol o' Connell

Other roles: 
Camera operators
Script supervisors
Sound mixer
Boom operators
Cable man
Film editor
first and second assistant cameras
Assistant editors
Music editor
Sound editor
ADR editor
Post-production supervisor
Set designer

Film locations - 

• Georgio Beverley hills 
• North rodeo drive 
• Beverley hills, California 

Box office - 

Budget - $14,000,000 (estimated)

Gross - $178,280,591 (USA)

Domestic Box office - $178,406,268
International Box office - $254,239,604
World wide Box office - $432, 645, 872

Opening weekend - $11,280,591 (1,325 screens)
1,325 theatres, $8,513

Pretty Women often gets compared too Notting Hill and other Rom coms that have similar types of budgets. 

Financial constraints - Case study: Transpotting

Trainspotting was made in 1996
Budget: £3.5 million
Director: Danny Boyle
Writer: Andrew Macdonald
Producer: John Hodge

Synopsis (plot)

• Based on a Scottish novel trainspotting 
• A series of interlinked stories concentrating on heroin hooked anti hero Mark Lenten
• Novel written by Irvine welsh 

Rights to the screenplay  - 

• To translate a novel into a movie form, the most important thing is to snap up the screen rights. 
• Danny Boyle wanted to make it and they stole the rights for it and said that they could co-produce.
• Red Dwarf production company did not originally want trainspotting.

Finance - 

• The filmmaking threesome (Boyle, Macdonald and Hodge) are being badgered by Hollywood Mogul Scott Rudin (Producer of Sabrina and the firm), who offers them $250,000 to film whatever project they desire. 
• Channel 4 said that they would finance it because they like the script. 
• The author of the novel was on their side.
• They also had huge amounts of pressure from red dwarf productions and Hollywood. 
• The deal was eventually done for 2% of the films budget ($30,000) and Noel Gay, backing out of hands-on duties in exchange for a share of the profits and a name on the credits. 
• This meant that red dwarf gave $30,000 for 2% of the movie rights. He had no production or pre-production control. 

"One of the key issues, clarifies Boyle, "was not to make a film that costs a lot of money. You can get carried away with people offering you money and end up making a film that's out of proportion with your kind of audience"

PRE-PRODUCTION - 

This is known as the run up period to the film Boyle explains.

• It lasts from 4-7 weeks depedning on budget.
• Trainspotting had 7 weeks which includes Casting, Location(recce/scouting), art department work, props, colouring, costume design, hair and makeup.
• Rehearseals began in a rented flat at the top of a Glascow tower block (this was cheap because they wanted to keep the funds as low as possible) 
• It was filmed mostly in Glascow but set in Edinburgh
• They were also in Edinburgh alot for the pick-ups (scene-setting, dialogue free snatches shot to pad out the action)
• A crew has been assembled - led by Boyle. (Camera, lighting, props, makeup  etc)
• Hunting for suitable locations (Recce)
• Lots of places visited on there locaction recce (Bars, shops, brewhouse etc)

CASTING -

• Ewan Mcgregor - Plays Alex in Shallow Grave. He was the first actor on board.

Casting directors -  Gail Stevens and Andy Pryor

• They wanted people like Ewen Brenner and Bobby Carlyle and they also made a list of the top talents to help them choose who they wanted to cast for the film.

LOCATION RECCE - 

Brewhouse -

Correct equipment 

Enough space

Safety

Initial concerns - Light bulb is too bright and spotlight could hamper filming.

- Problem panning shot across the bar. 

-May need to add more bars and stools which means costs increase.

• The bar was already equipped with booths and the bar can be refit with a long table and bench.
• This all takes alot of time and money and has to be put into the production schedule.
• 90 extras will be needed for the scene and 10 of them trained actors for the punch up
• Too keep costs low, only one section of the bar will be used , filled with tables to make it look populated.
• The cost of the place depends on the relationship with the brewery.
• Depends on how much business they may loose as a result of one day of shooting (8am-8pm)
• Cost around £500-1000 for one day filming. 
• The team only get too look at the place once - everything has to be taken into consideration such as set, props, cast and the venue, temperature of room, brief location manager of all problems and changes needed. 
• Brew house was the only pub with a balcony. 
• Had breathe finding a crematorium and a courtroom
• Probably because of the secrecy. 

Volcano nightclub - Turned out to be locked, leaving everybody to stand around for 20 minutes (wasting time and money)

• Place needs to be painted purple to give it a neon affect
• Keep club name 
• Dialogue drowned by loud music's so subtitled added. 

Ladies loo - 

• Lightbulb has a problem - remove them
• Extras in and out

SET DESIGN - 

• The look of trainspotting is drawn from real life but very exaggerated. 
• You read the script, discuss certain aspects, talk about the general film and do research
• Then planning sets, reference photographs and sketches.
• Danny is informed before everything by a mood board - which includes tones, colours, themes and items etc. 
• Sketches = Visualisation diagrams

Kave Quinn - Set designer of trainspotting 

PROPS -

• Already worked on storyboards scene-by-scene sketches of how each scene will look on screen.
• The final thing is deciding whether to use locations or build sets, and whether the locations are good enough.
• 6 weeks before production we buy things that would make good prop's

COSTUMES - 

• Wardrobe Mistress Rachael Fleming is in charge of clothes. 
• Some costumes are created and some are items from Oxfam and charity shops.
• Some clothing may also be from friends, family and own experience. 

THE SHOOT- 

• Lasts for 35 days (low budget)
• Five days a week, some Saturday mornings and includes a week of dreaded night shoots.
• Daylight doesn't stop until 11pm and is back again by 4:30am 
• Time schedule is crucial! 
• Work usually begins at 8:30 with catered breakfast. 
• Macdonald and Boyle get there at 7am too run through the day
• photographer
• distributors
• publicity 
• keeps lots of agents
• friends and family away from the set 

• Producers role to control all of this however shouldn't have to do much during shooting.
• They deal with the stuff behind the scenes.
• Art director wants the light and set to be perfect 

What is the expenditure in a budget broken up into?

• Costume
• Set designer
• Lighting
• props 
• Actors/cast 

Low budget film making

Tips and advice video - notes

Resource film making- 

Resources first = working with what you've got. When the whole production is based on what you've got first.

E.G. paranormal activity 

List locations - What areas do you have access too?

List actors - Who will help out with the production and work for you? (friends and family and their experiences)

List equipment - What gear do you have, it is free or cheap? (lights, camera, stage etc.)

Interesting items - Props and costumes that can be included in the theme and genre of the production. These interesting items usually is what determines the genre

Local events - Incorporate production 

Minimize locations - 4 or 5 main locations for a lower budget film 

Minimize characters - 4 or 5 main characters and a few other supporting ones. This should total with around 8-10 characters. No more than 10! Another tip: don't use all the actors at once in one scene. 

Write to your actors strengths - Cater roles to each individuals strengths. 

Fill all scenes and places with people of don't write  the scenes in the first place. (Use and take advantage of local events for back ground settings)

Avoid exterior night scenes - Bad lighting is major if you do not have the budget for the correct equipment.

Avoid special effects - Unless you can budget and have good special effects. Avoid them, it will look awful and will ruin the production especially if you don't know what your doing with them.  

Different types of media - Lesson 2

Both of these mind maps are different types of media. The second one is five different pieces of media that i came up with myself and i also thought about the purpose of this media and the requirements needed for this media.





Summary of the Hollywood and Tv put the squeeze on UK's low budget film makers article -
This article is about how small production companies are finding it very difficult to hit the big screen due to the mega budget for TV dramas and US studios focusing on superhero blockbusters. These small production companies don't want to take that risk of producing small independent movies.

The article is pretty much saying that smaller and middle range film makers and their productions are struggling to reach the big screen. Hollywood blockbusters such as star wars and harry potter remain rock steady with just under 20 films produced in 2015. Franchises and merchandise are also making these productions become more popular and are building the funds.

Films that are being made by the major production studios take 90% of the box office, leaving only 650 films in the US chasing the 9% remaining of the box office. With the final 1% being given to European films.

Netflix has 90 original productions under way in Europe alone, Sky has 80 and ITV and BBC have upped there game.

There is not a big difference between high end television and many films these days. This is because most of the drama's being produced now has a minimum of £1 million per episode and the quality and experience is very high.

Amazon, Netflix and HBO nearly doubled from £262 million in 2013 to a record of almost £500 million last year.

TV shows are also taking over and not many people have enough budget to get there films out there because all the top studios are producing huge films.

What is included in pre-production ?

What is Pre-production?

Pre-production refers to tasks that are taken out before the production begins. This includes everything that helps to create the production. 

For example creating a small video, the pre-production process would include making a storyboard, research for the video, location recce and shooting the video.



Why is pre-production so important?
Pre-production is where most of the work happens in the whole production. It is a crucial part of making a production and it ensures that all staff working on the production know exactly what is going on. Pre-prodcution helps with the overall quality of the production.

• Storyboards/ storyboard artists - A storyboard is a sequence of drawings that usually includes dialogue. The storyboard represents the shots that are planned for film or TV productions. 

• Location-Recce - Refers to visiting a location that it suitable for shooting that has the correct facilities needs for the productions. 

• Prop and wardrobe planning and preparation 

• Script writing - Research must be taken out before writing a script. The majority of productions in media must have a script.

• Magazine templates - These are visual templates that help visualise the magazine when planning it. It helps give an idea of what is going to be on the front cover and where everything is going to be placed. 

• Cast/actors - In TV and film productions there must be a cast and actors. These people make up the production and the characters in the production help create the story. 

• Scout location - Is one of the most important stages in pre-production. It is when the location scout team go and visit locations of places that the production may take place in. It is too see if it has the correct space, facilities, and health and safety regulations. 

• Finalizing budget - This is when managers should finalize the production. It is a chance for them to have a detailed breakdown of the productions costs and all of the funds. 

• Rent equipment- This is equipment that is used purely for the production. It is payed for too use for a certain amount of time and then is given back after it has been used. For example recording equipment such as tripods, cameras and lighting may be rented. Also props and costumes may be rented and payed for just for the use of the production.

• Shooting schedule  - This is so that the production has a plan for each day. It is created so that mainly the manager, producer and director know exactly what is happening daily. It is also so that everything gets done in time and the production can be finished when scheduled. 

• Costume designer - This is the person who designs all of the costumes for the production. There main role is too create the character. Costume is usually how we identify each character.

• Web designer / web templates- A web template is a design used in planning that shows the structure, layout and display of the website. It is put in place to make it a lot easier for the web designer when making the actual website.

• Risk assessment  - This is what is put in place too evaluate all of the possible risks and hazards on set. It is also help to limit these risks. 

Unit Introduction

My name is Hannah Star. I am in year 13 and am doing Creative media Cambridge technical. This unit is unit 2 and is all about pre-production and planning as they are key aspects of any digital media production. By completing this unit we will understand the pre-production process that the digital media industry follows when creating a product. All of this will help me gain knowledge to then be able to take part in the examination that is mandatory. We will be assessed through an exam paper that is worth 80 marks and is two hours. The exam paper will be based around a case study.