I didn't come up with the initial idea for VET-MAN: On the Road but "not every producer originates the idea; often, a producer is hired to work with a network or production company after an idea has been created" (Kellison, 2013; 3). Once we had the idea and what genre we wanted it to be exactly, Katie, Alex and I decided on our roles. I was more than happy to volunteer to be the producer.
My job during Pre-Production
As we are only a small group of three, I will be act solely as the producer and take on all the responsibilities for this job role, for example, when Alex is finished with the script I can look at it as a "collection of elements - cast members, locations, picture vehicles, lighting, set-up, props, wardrobe changes, special effects etc." because these "need to be analysed, scheduled and budgeted" (Vincie, 2013; 10). As I will be looking at the script in this perspective, I can work with Alex and alter it for practical reasons if needed. This way, we might be able to maximise the value of some elements "and eliminate others that are just costing money but aren't furthering the story" (Vincie, 2013; 10). Examples of this may be a character who doesn't say much but would cost money in travel and food or a location that is only being used for a tiny part of the film - are they really essential to the production? Could we do without them and spend the money more wisely?
Below is a diagram of a producers responsibilities from Peter Rea and David K. Irving's book, Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video. It details each job I need to do and what order they go in. Alex is creating the script but there are aspects of the planning I can't do unless there is a script first, such as props and budget. The first thing to do is the schedule, this is so we can have set deadlines from the start of the project. Organising the cast, crew, budget, locations, art (props / set) all work alongside each other. Once the cast and locations have been chosen, I can start adding the food and travel for each person onto the budget. I can also write a props list and add these to the budget during this stage of planning. After this, it's a lot of paperwork involved (call sheets, consent forms, risk assessments etc) and keeping the cast and locations in contact by possibly setting up meetings with them if needed. Sorting out the transport to the locations, and the food for the cast on the shoot days is another stage within the producers responsibilities and then finally we should be ready to film.
Casting:
Casting good actors is essential in making a television show, if the actors are good it attracts the audience to wait for and watch the next episode. Usually, there will be a casting person during the pre-production stage but the producer would be overseeing the recruitment process to make sure the crew are getting the most appropriate people on board for the show. Creating a mockumentary means that the actors need to work well with the comedy genre, because the humour of the show will come out in the actors performance.
The first stage during the casting process is creating "a job notice and contacting agents" (Jongbloed, 2017). In high-budget films where there is a casting director to do this job, they usually have a good idea of what the directors and producers are looking for. As producer for our film, I have this casting job. I will work with Alex to find out what sort of person he is looking for, and will then be able to narrow down applications ready for our auditions.
The second stage in the casting process is the auditions we will hold. Here we will be able to meet the potential cast members and see what they're like. We can also give them a bit of the script to learn to see if they cope with the comedy side to it.
Once the cast members are selected, the last part of casting is to "complete the logistics and negotiations" (Jongbloed, 2017) which are required so they can start work. This can include negotiating salary, schedules and program credits with them. This is essential for our film because we will need to make sure they know they won't be getting paid for it, only their food and travel will be paid for. We would also need to make sure they know the filming dates, so they will know when to learn the scripts by.
Some casting websites I will be using are Spotlight and Mandy.
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| https://www.spotlight.com |
Once we have chosen the final cast, I will arrange a call back / rehearsal. This is important because "you need to get the cast to know each other, to explore their characters' relationships with each other" (Bamford, 2012: 48). If we just get them together on the first shoot day and they haven't met then their relationship wouldn't be as good. A good relationship would be beneficial if two of the cast members were related.
Location:
The location is just as important as the casting process. In some shows such as Friends, they could have used any city as New York, where it is set, isn't that important to the show. However, there are some shows that are set in a specific place, "they simply could not work in any other place" (Flaman, 2016). My group is thinking about making a continuation of VET-MAN, this is an example of a specific location, we cannot have a show about a vet without seeing him in a vets, or at least an establishing shot of a vets.
In bigger productions there would be a location scout / manager who would "ensure that the locations chosen to shoot a production authentically match the vision of the show's producer or director" (Imani, n/d). As producer, location hunting is my job, I will work with Alex to find out what scenery and atmosphere he is after and do my best to find them. Nevertheless, I will be working with Alex while he develops the script so I should have a good idea as to what sort of locations would be most suitable.
The location scout's job "involves a lot of research, driving and picture taking" (Imani, n/d). After researching into different locations, I will be able to visit the different places in person to see what they're like. Ideally, it would be helpful if the locations were within a short driving distance because if not getting from each location will take up production time. Once we have visited the locations, we will be able to agree on them and then I can get in touch with the location owners, e.g. the vets surgery / animal park.
Usually, "the venue owner will agree to lend his venue to the production for a fee" (Imani, n/d). So far we have only paid for one location, the Village Hall from our Transitions unit, so we are expecting to have to pay for a location. It will be my job to keep in contact with the location owners so I can negotiate the shoot date and time with them. Once settled, I will create a written agreement, including any "fees, shooting dates and time, and the exact areas of the property being used" (Imani, n/d). This allows both the crew and the location owners to know what's happening and when, to prevent any confusion or misunderstanding.
I will either get in touch with the owners directly or if it's public land, I will be able to get in touch through the Kent Film Office.
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| https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk |
Budgeting:
On a high-budget film, there would usually be a budget manager. Their job is to "design effective budget models, ensure all operations are within budget, present annual budgets to senior managers, review budget requests for approval, forecast future budget needs and identify variances between actual and budgeted financial results at the end of each reporting period" (Workable, n/d). This is a very important job because without an initial budget there would be no film / actors / locations / props, and if it's not monitored then the money could run out and hold up production.
We'll have an initial budget which I will create at the beginning of the planning process and then we'll know if we've gone too far over once I start adding costs up. At the end a final budget can be drawn up with all the final costs included. The budget must include the expected costs, such as travel, costumes and props, but it should also cover any unexpected costs, such as having to pay for a new location last minute.
I will be creating the budget by breaking down the "script or treatment into a rough budget estimate" (Kellison, 2013; 6), this will be put into a table and I will update it whenever the price of something changes. This budget will be monitored by me, to ensure that we do not go over the total amount. If we need a relatively high budget, as well as Katie, Alex and I all putting our own money into it, we may put out a GoFundMe page on social media to raise more money towards the total.
I will be in charge of budgeting the props, along with trying to source them. How the film looks, in terms of location and set design will be my job. There may be objects we can borrow from other people or make ourselves in order to save money. I will shop around the find the cheapest props available.
My role during Production
The producers main role is within pre-production, however, they are a very important person during the production period. The producer can be seen as the manager of a film set, "they represent the film throughout the entire project" (Clarke, 2016) from finding the crew and cast to screening the film. Their work usually spans the longest out of all crew members. On major films they will have a whole team of producers to help them, but on "independent films the producer often works alone" (Clarke, 2016). Although we are in a small group creating VET-MAN, I am the sole producer of the project and therefore, I will be working on my own. I can get help from others but I am the one producer for VET-MAN.
During production "the producer is in constant communication with the director" (Clarke, 2016). I already know that I will work closely with Alex in order to help get his vision across to the screen. I will be in charge of getting the most appropriate props, locations and costume to ensure his idea comes through with these. Producers help plan filming schedules, approve locations and make sure that the production stays on time and on budget. As I am the only producer of VET-MAN I will be creating the schedules which I will then go through Alex to see if they are suitable. I will also be finding the locations and creating the budget. Throughout production I will ensure we are staying within the budget and that the cast receive their reimbursements on time.
The producer "visits the set but is often in the production office looking after the business side of the production" (Clarke, 2016). They need to make sure that the film gets made despite the problems which could occur putting the project on hold. I will be attending the shoot days but I will be there to sort any problems, such as picking up any extra props or costume instead of filming or directing the shots. Nevertheless, I will also be able to oversee the filming and give creative ideas to the director.
My role during Post-Production
The producers role is mainly during pre-production, however they are present during production and post-production. In the post-production stage, the producer will deal with the finance and distribution companies in planning and marketing and distribution of the finished film. During filming, I am aiming to give the cast their travel money on the shoot days when they come to us, however if this doesn't go to plan then this is the time period in which they will receive the reimbursement.
As I am in charge of the budget throughout the pre-production and production, I will also be in charge of distributing the remaining budget back to Alex, Katie and myself at the end of the post-production stage once everything is complete.
If we have to re-shoot, these will be scheduled within this time period before the final edit.
Editing the film:
As we are a small group, Katie and I will be mainly editing VET-MAN: On the Road along with Alex's input, however this is normal for the producer to multitask. "A producer might not only research, write, and produce a program or segment, but might also shoot it, edit the footage on a desktop system, mix the audio, design and add graphics, or write and record narration or voice over" (Kellison, 2013; 2). If we didn't have Alex down as the writer, I might have had to help write the script. To evenly split the editing job, I will be the offline editor while Katie will be the online editor. This means that I will be putting the initial footage and dialogue down in the correct order, then I'll pass the job onto Katie and she'll do the finer details, such as colour correcting and sound effects. This works well because I'll have the say in what order everything goes in and Katie, as the Director or Photography, will have her say in the colouring which makes sense because she'll have her own style in shooting the film which she can bring across in the finer details of the edit.
As I am creating the rough cut, I can review this myself and liaise with Alex in order to help get his vision across onto the screen. When the job is passed to Katie, I will review the edit with Alex to make sure it is going to plan.
Organising:
The producer must be around during the pre-production stage to "supervise every step of it's development" (Kellison, 2013; 3), I will be in constant contact with Katie and Alex throughout their progress and making sure we are keeping to budget and schedule, if I fail to do this we might miss deadlines. I also need to be organised in my own work, such as finding the cast and contacting location owners. We will also miss deadlines if I do not keep on top of my own work. I feel that I am an organised person anyway so I hope to bring this into our pre-production unit.
The comedy genre
We have decided that VET-MAN: On the Road will be a comedy, specifically a dark sitcom. We chose a sitcom over our previous film of a mockumentary because it is one of the most common types of television comedy, and we felt that our new and improved VET-MAN film would suit better as a sitcom. We also wanted to have more freedom with the cinematography, because with a mockumentary it needs to be shot like a documentary, in a fly-on-the-wall style, however we struggled with this in our mockumentary and included a few close ups, which wouldn't happen in a documentary style show. As a result of this, we thought changing the show to a sitcom was a good idea.
Sitcoms:
A sitcom is a specific type of comedy television. They usually follow a fixed set of people which carry over from one episode to the next, for example, a family or a group of friends. Each episode is finite, therefore, the conflict created in the show is “generally closed off, explained, reconciled, solved at the end of the half hour” (Brett, 2009; 28). The characters are usually all different in personality to each other and are opposites, sometimes this can bring the conflict into the episodes.
Sitcoms are usually filmed in a studio and rarely on location, and typically have around 15-20 scenes in one half an hour episode. As there are not many scenes they are able to be filmed in front of a live audience. When filming a sitcom, the crew would start filming and finish about three hours later, so it is a short period of time for the audience. Traditionally, sitcoms are shot with “three simultaneous cameras…this greatly reduces the number of times a scene needs to be reshot for technical reasons” (Tropes, n/d). Using this technique also means it’s quicker to shoot with the live audience in mind.
Sitcoms were originally “developed for the radio in 1922” (Mack, cited in Wamsler, 2007; 3), but were more commonly watched on television in the 1950s. To be able to be used on radio, they needed the comedy to be guided through the piece, this is because there were no pictures to go with the dialogue and therefore, the people tuning in would not know when the funny parts were coming. As a result of this, canned laughter was introduced. This technique means that the people on the radio channel were able to play a piece of recorded laughter to help guide the people listening. Hearing the reactions on the radio meant that the people listening knew when to laugh themselves.
The comedy genre
We have decided that VET-MAN: On the Road will be a comedy, specifically a dark sitcom. We chose a sitcom over our previous film of a mockumentary because it is one of the most common types of television comedy, and we felt that our new and improved VET-MAN film would suit better as a sitcom. We also wanted to have more freedom with the cinematography, because with a mockumentary it needs to be shot like a documentary, in a fly-on-the-wall style, however we struggled with this in our mockumentary and included a few close ups, which wouldn't happen in a documentary style show. As a result of this, we thought changing the show to a sitcom was a good idea.
Sitcoms:
A sitcom is a specific type of comedy television. They usually follow a fixed set of people which carry over from one episode to the next, for example, a family or a group of friends. Each episode is finite, therefore, the conflict created in the show is “generally closed off, explained, reconciled, solved at the end of the half hour” (Brett, 2009; 28). The characters are usually all different in personality to each other and are opposites, sometimes this can bring the conflict into the episodes.
Sitcoms are usually filmed in a studio and rarely on location, and typically have around 15-20 scenes in one half an hour episode. As there are not many scenes they are able to be filmed in front of a live audience. When filming a sitcom, the crew would start filming and finish about three hours later, so it is a short period of time for the audience. Traditionally, sitcoms are shot with “three simultaneous cameras…this greatly reduces the number of times a scene needs to be reshot for technical reasons” (Tropes, n/d). Using this technique also means it’s quicker to shoot with the live audience in mind.
Sitcoms were originally “developed for the radio in 1922” (Mack, cited in Wamsler, 2007; 3), but were more commonly watched on television in the 1950s. To be able to be used on radio, they needed the comedy to be guided through the piece, this is because there were no pictures to go with the dialogue and therefore, the people tuning in would not know when the funny parts were coming. As a result of this, canned laughter was introduced. This technique means that the people on the radio channel were able to play a piece of recorded laughter to help guide the people listening. Hearing the reactions on the radio meant that the people listening knew when to laugh themselves.
Once sitcoms had moved onto the television screen, the producers did not want the audience laughing at the wrong time or not laughing at all when they should, therefore, they either had the shows filmed in front of a live audience with prompts telling them when to laugh, or they brought across the idea of canned laughter from the radio. Using recorded laughter is easier in terms of practicality. This is because the crew do not have to worry about a live audience, and they can focus on filming the show. While this is more straightforward, recording in front of an active audience is the standard set-up for a sitcom. All these conventions of a sitcom are beneficial for me to know so I can make sure the story is going in the right direction to comply with these. If our film doesn't follow the sitcom rules then we would have failed in creating this specific type of comedy show.
I haven't had any experience in producing a comedy, because I was the editor in our previous mockumentary so I wasn't looking into it from a producers point of view. I struggled to find research on producing comedies but I came across this quote below about how to become a producer for a comedy show:
"Watch as much comedy as you possibly can. This includes live performances as well as TV comedies. This gives you an introduction into the genre and what types of comedy click with different audiences" (McGinty, 2017)
Alex already some sort of idea on what he wants to create during this project and I am happy to follow his lead, however I am not as experienced within the comedy genre as he is. In order to be successful within this project and to help Alex out in creating a good comedy film, I will take the advice from this quote and look at different comedy shows. By doing this I will be able to see what audience engages best with different types of comedy shows, and then I should be able to help with the comedic side of the story as well as the creative side. I plan to look at sitcoms such as The Office and short comedy films that aren't necessarily sitcoms. I will find these on the Short of the Week website as they have a wide range of short films listed here.
"Watch as much comedy as you possibly can. This includes live performances as well as TV comedies. This gives you an introduction into the genre and what types of comedy click with different audiences" (McGinty, 2017)
Alex already some sort of idea on what he wants to create during this project and I am happy to follow his lead, however I am not as experienced within the comedy genre as he is. In order to be successful within this project and to help Alex out in creating a good comedy film, I will take the advice from this quote and look at different comedy shows. By doing this I will be able to see what audience engages best with different types of comedy shows, and then I should be able to help with the comedic side of the story as well as the creative side. I plan to look at sitcoms such as The Office and short comedy films that aren't necessarily sitcoms. I will find these on the Short of the Week website as they have a wide range of short films listed here.
References:
- Bamford, N (2012). Directing Television: A Professional Survival Guide. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing. Page 48.
- Brett, M (2009). The Sitcom. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Page 28
- Britannica. (n/d). Situation comedy. Available: https://www.britannica.com/art/situation-comedy. Last accessed 20th Oct 2018.
- Clarke, A. (2016). What Does The Producer Do On A Film Set?. Available: https://www.amyclarkefilms.com/blog/what-does-the-producer-do. Last accessed 19th Sept 2018.
- Bamford, N (2012). Directing Television: A Professional Survival Guide. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing. Page 48.
- Brett, M (2009). The Sitcom. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Page 28
- Britannica. (n/d). Situation comedy. Available: https://www.britannica.com/art/situation-comedy. Last accessed 20th Oct 2018.
- Clarke, A. (2016). What Does The Producer Do On A Film Set?. Available: https://www.amyclarkefilms.com/blog/what-does-the-producer-do. Last accessed 19th Sept 2018.
- Flaman, B. (2016). Location, Location, Location: How Important Is Setting To A Story?. Available: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/location-how-important-setting-story. Last accessed 23rd Sept 2018.
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- Jongbloed, K. (2017). Casting Producer Responsibilities. Available: https://careertrend.com/info-8769119-casting-producer-responsibilities.html. Last accessed 24th Sept 2018.
- Kellison, K (2013). Producing TV and New Media: A Real world approach for Producers.. 3rd ed. UK: Focal Press. Page 2-3.
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- Tropes. (n/d). Three Cameras. Available: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThreeCameras. Last accessed 20th Oct 2018.
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- Vincie, A (2013). Preparing for Take-Off: Pre-production for the independent Filmmaker. Burlington: Focal Press. Page 10.
- Imani, F. (n/d). Job Description for a Location Scout. Available: https://work.chron.com/job-description-location-scout-13707.html. Last accessed 24th Sept 2018.
- Irving, D; Rea, P (2015). Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video. 5th ed. Burlington, MA: Taylor & Francis Group. Page 2.
- Jongbloed, K. (2017). Casting Producer Responsibilities. Available: https://careertrend.com/info-8769119-casting-producer-responsibilities.html. Last accessed 24th Sept 2018.
- Kellison, K (2013). Producing TV and New Media: A Real world approach for Producers.. 3rd ed. UK: Focal Press. Page 2-3.
- McGinty, N. (2017). How To Become a Producer For Comedy Shows. Available: https://careertrend.com/become-producer-comedy-shows-5102.html. Last accessed 19th Oct 2018.
- Tropes. (n/d). Three Cameras. Available: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThreeCameras. Last accessed 20th Oct 2018.
- Workable. (n/d). Budget Manager job description. Available: https://resources.workable.com/budget-manager-job-description. Last accessed 24th Sept 2018.
- Vincie, A (2013). Preparing for Take-Off: Pre-production for the independent Filmmaker. Burlington: Focal Press. Page 10.
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