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KT Hart
I learned quite a few things about the pre-production process when KT came to s peak with the class. Especially in regards to what it takes to get animals on camera.
What stood out to me the most was not that it costs money just to have an elephant in a music video or film, but that you're required to have two trainers per animal and pay their wages, you must pay for transporting the animal to set and there are requirements on set that must be met before a contract is even agreed upon. When considering all of those things, it is no wonder that Lawrence of Arabia was one of the most expensive films produced at the time it was made. Now, when I think about that huge scene where hundreds of men on horses were charging through the desert, I am thinking of how many trainers were needed for each horse and how much it must have cost just to transport that many horses to the set. Likewise, The Black Stallion comes to mind and the scene where the boy and the stallion are both cast into the ocean after the ship they were on sank. The filmmakers had to make sure no danger would come to the stallion and that the actor/stunt double knew how to approach the horse while it was in the water. After hearing KT talk about the process of bringing animals into a film gives me a newfound respect for the message at the end of a film with animals in it. "No animals were harmed during the filming of this production," because it's true. So much care and attention to detail goes into successfully working with animal talent and their handlers. |
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Alex Boye
I did not expect Alex to make as large an impact as he did on our class. When he spoke to us, the first thing I noticed was how much energy he has. He's just a ball of energy and it's infectious.
Alex spoke to us about making a good YouTube video. Emphasis on good, not the "Look what my cat did this morning" type of videos. He pointed out that one key element is having "the hook," an image to draw your audience into wanting to see the video. You want them to go "Woah! What is that? What is this video about?" I think that is why he wanted the elephant for his music video. That certainly would have been a great hook. It was the hook idea that lead us to the ideas we had for his music video with Dixie State University, leading to including a hot air balloon and a sword swallower/fire breather in the video. He showed me that when you have an idea, it is worth the effort of working with the right people who can help bring the idea to life, which is what we did and we got to work with DSU films and all of the other talent involved with the "A Million Dreams video. Alex didn't just speak to us about the importance of making a project happen. He gave us the opportunity to be involved with a project of his and from that I was able to gain experience and see how truly collaborative a process producing a music video or film is. My dad had the opportunity to meet Alex and showed him a photo I had taken of him while on the tree with books scene from the music video. Alex told my dad that I take good pictures and that he wanted a copy of it, which I sent to him. He later told me that himself at the music video release. Alex is a great person and fun to work with. I really hope I get an opportunity to work with him again. |
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Alan Munro
Whenever I go see a film, I wonder if the rest of the audience realize that the film wouldn't have made it to the big screen if it hadn't first begun as an idea which then became a script and that script was probably written, then rewritten several times before its good enough to be produced. Then, the script is broken down and poured over as the pre-production process begins and the producers begin planning how to even shoot the film.
I think that is part of the point Alan was conveying when he came and spoke to us about his "Untitled Western." It isn't enough to have an idea and turn it into a script. You have to go through the process of asking how the story should be told visually and that has an effect on what goes into the script, or how the story itself changes. Another point he made is that a majority of films don't get made from the first draft of a script. Ever. That is a result of truly considering how to make the story better and that starts with the script. If you have a good script, then perhaps the film would be good, but you aren't going to have a great film if you don't have a great script and a lot of the choices that make the script better ultimately make for a better film because you're thinking about how the script should be brought to life. That is really the biggest part of the pre-production process in and of itself. His point about not ever making a film from the first draft of script may seem cynical, but that's because there is a lot of truth to it. When I write a script, I am never fully satisfied with the first draft except that the story is down on paper. I am always thinking of how the story I am writing is going to look on screen, so I write my scripts with that in mind. What I got from Alan when he spoke with the class is that you can't just write a script and expect the production team to work their magic. You have to keep in mind that someone's going to have to break it down and plan how to make the film make sense. It doesn't mean writing a script that is easy to understand, but writing it in a way that the person reading it can visualize what is happening and come away with a vision of how it can be brought to life. |
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Tren Tran Anh
Tren talked to us about the process of adding digital graphics to a film. More specifically, making a film using mostly computer generated images.
It was neat to see how involved the process of producing a film with mostly graphics and three dimensional animations is. It seemed there are actually
more steps that have to be taken in order to bring the entire thing together.
Tren showed us how the animations are story boarded, designed on a computer, animated and finally put into the film. It was interesting that animating and designing the graphics goes through a pre-production process of its own, with planning every shot and how each individual scene should look. He even showed how the scenes are modeled and designed.
It was clear to me that a lot more work goes into producing a graphics heavy film. It is no wonder why it takes years for a 3d animated film like Toy Story to be completed or even how much planning must be made when combining digital with live action like the many science fiction and super hero movies filling theaters these days.
What truly amazes me about the process that Tren showed us is how quickly these films are made with the amount of work the production team has to go through. In addition to that, the large amount of people it takes to make such a film. There's the modelers, animators, colorists and people who add texture to a single modeled subject. After all of that is done, each scene must be edited and then finally put into the entire film.
When I see the new Incredibles movie, I'm going to have a whole new perspective on how the whole thing comes together and how many people dedicated hours and days of their lives to make the film be the best it can be.
It was neat to see how involved the process of producing a film with mostly graphics and three dimensional animations is. It seemed there are actually
more steps that have to be taken in order to bring the entire thing together.
Tren showed us how the animations are story boarded, designed on a computer, animated and finally put into the film. It was interesting that animating and designing the graphics goes through a pre-production process of its own, with planning every shot and how each individual scene should look. He even showed how the scenes are modeled and designed.
It was clear to me that a lot more work goes into producing a graphics heavy film. It is no wonder why it takes years for a 3d animated film like Toy Story to be completed or even how much planning must be made when combining digital with live action like the many science fiction and super hero movies filling theaters these days.
What truly amazes me about the process that Tren showed us is how quickly these films are made with the amount of work the production team has to go through. In addition to that, the large amount of people it takes to make such a film. There's the modelers, animators, colorists and people who add texture to a single modeled subject. After all of that is done, each scene must be edited and then finally put into the entire film.
When I see the new Incredibles movie, I'm going to have a whole new perspective on how the whole thing comes together and how many people dedicated hours and days of their lives to make the film be the best it can be.
Doug Wellman
Doug Wellman came to the class and showed us how budgets are created during the pre-production process. He showed us how budgets used to be meticulously created with strips of paper in a large book with rubber bands to hold the strips in place. He then showed us how budgets are created with a spread sheet program.
The program included all of the different departments of a film crew, so the line producer can enter in the amounts for each and every person involved with making the film, from above the line talent and producers to all below the line crew.
The important thing Wellman pointed out is even with a script, a treatment and even story boards, it is important to have a budget top sheet before making a pitch. The reason for the top sheet is to have an ideal budget set for the investors, so they can see how much money they will need be spending on the film production. Without investors, there isn't any money to make the film. Once a budget is agreed to, it is the responsibility of the line producer to determine where the money is going and to whom. This includes salaries of producers, directors, actors to the cost to rent equipment and all things that will cost some sort of money, including kraft services.
It was quite eye opening to see all the different things financing a film includes. It isn't just "here's some money, now go make a movie." It all has to be accounted for. Each and every cent. This allows a producer to see where they can lower the cost of the film before production even begins and also helps the investors know precisely what they are investing in and see where the money is going to be spent on.
The program included all of the different departments of a film crew, so the line producer can enter in the amounts for each and every person involved with making the film, from above the line talent and producers to all below the line crew.
The important thing Wellman pointed out is even with a script, a treatment and even story boards, it is important to have a budget top sheet before making a pitch. The reason for the top sheet is to have an ideal budget set for the investors, so they can see how much money they will need be spending on the film production. Without investors, there isn't any money to make the film. Once a budget is agreed to, it is the responsibility of the line producer to determine where the money is going and to whom. This includes salaries of producers, directors, actors to the cost to rent equipment and all things that will cost some sort of money, including kraft services.
It was quite eye opening to see all the different things financing a film includes. It isn't just "here's some money, now go make a movie." It all has to be accounted for. Each and every cent. This allows a producer to see where they can lower the cost of the film before production even begins and also helps the investors know precisely what they are investing in and see where the money is going to be spent on.