Purposes of Research: (Production Research)

Production Research:

Content:

- When conducting your own film there are a vast amount of research tasks which are required which involve content. The content in which you want may be original or optioned, both of which require research. A route you could choose to go down would be a contractual agreement between a potential film producer this could be for example a movie studio, a production company or even an individual, also a writer or third party to hold ownership over a certain screenplay. As stated earlier you will have to research whatever route you go down as you will have to search for screenplays in which are available to you. Unless you come up with your own content/ story which would take an immense amount of primary research methods as to what you would want to base your film about for example stories from real life which you could find out by conducting interviews, or even shooting live events for the purpose of gathering information etc. 

- Within content, copyright is a type of intellectual property in which cannot normally be used without receiving permission from the owner. But there are ways of going around this as with other forms of intellectual properties copyright can be bought and sold. Another way of doing this would be for the copyright owner to choose to license others to be able to use whatever it is while still retaining ownership of it. An example for short film makers would be perhaps a song for a short film, so they would perhaps email an existing song writer who has suggested that he will share copyright for a small fee to allow people such as short film producers to use this material in their films. In addition to this there are other solutions such as music which is produced by new productions as you wouldn't have to gather permission as no copyright is labelled onto that music. 



"Copyright And Fair Use Animation". YouTube. Web. 29 Dec. 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suMza6Q8J08

Viability:

With viability it is crucial to think logically about the budget when it comes to producing a short film as most companies would be running on a low budget. All information below is what you will need to think about when it comes to expenses as well as the availability of pretty much everything:
It is essential to check/ demonstrate that your planned product which may be a short film is workable. 
You need to test the viability of your product at a number of different levels:
- Is the product financially viable?
- Do you have the necessary skills to undertake the production process?
- Do you have the right equipment and technology available to you?
- What help and support will you require?
- Have you got enough time to produce the product?

These are all important questions in which you should ask yourself to ensure the success of your film.

Other relevant things to look into for viability would be:
1. Availability of Crew
2. Equipment Availability
3. Financially healthy to look into the project
4. Assistance and Support availability
5. Location Availability
6. Travelling facilities


Media Placement:

- This refers to any type of advertising which would be used to increase the awareness of a producers short film. The advertisements in which could increase awareness could be; radio stations, TV adverts, magazine adverts, posters, billboards or even newspapers. For a short film distributor they can use any of the previous methods to directly communicate with their target audience to then be able to inform them of any upcoming short films to therefore be able to increase awareness of the product so that it would be more likely to receive views when released. 

Finance & Costs:

Is the product financially viable? This meaning can the audiences as well as yourself being a short film producer can you afford to make all the products/ services at which you  are offering.

Short Film producers have to consider the costs of the following:
- Crew 
- Locations
- Talent
- Props/ Costume
- Permission
- Equipment
- Miscellaneous e.g food and drink

At the end of the day a short film will not be cheap to make. By ensuring you pay rightly to avoid copyright will ensure that nothing goes wrong later on in terms of copyright issues.

Technological Resources:

- When it comes to looking at audio and moving image products this will require the use of various types of recording and editing equipment. A range of hardware and soft ware options are available for print and multimedia production. However, if you were working as an independent producer then your equipment would have to be purchased or hired for the duration of the production process. You would therefore have to research the costs in advance so that you can budget for them. In some cases a group license is required, this is where you would be requiring more than one editor.

Personnel:

When creating a short film it's key to be able to come up with new and up-to-date ideas, to be able to do this you would require technical expertise to assist within the production stages, also marketing people will be required to help sell the product and then to be able to generate an income from the advertising, sales and merchandising. 

There are different types of personnel for example;
- Sales Team
- Distribution
- Legal
- Editing team etc.

Locations:

- In regards to location a filmmaker will almost certainly have to undertake location research, this research can consist of a location recce this identifies all suitable venues for when the filming takes place. Also assisting in the overall planning when choosing specific shots and assessing any health and safety issues and implications to ensure no cast or crew will be injured while in production. 

Questions within this stage in which you should be asking yourself are:
- How viable is the location in which you would like to film your short?
- How is the sound in your location, is it nearby, is the lighting appropriate?
- Is the location in which you have chosen offering enough space for your short?

References:

"Media Book with all the knowledge" Web. 29 Dec. 2015.
https://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/Secondary/EnglishAndMedia/MediaStudies/BTECNationalInMediaProduction/Samples/Samplematerial/BTEC_Nat_Media_Unit01.pdf