Planning: Production Roles - Miss Begum

Production Roles

Introduction:

The production roles we had made up consists of key roles that are essential to ensure that our production is made successfully. Production roles consists of:

• Director
• Producer
• Light Operator
• Location Manager
• Camera Operator
• Editor
• Hair, Costume & Make-up
• Storyboard Artist
• Sound Operator

Each and every one of these roles are vital to when creating out thriller film as it ensures that the film is created successfully. Production roles like this help the team work smoothly without having any disturbances such as unorganised work. Furthermore, each of these key roles ensures that the film is created of a high standard. We were given the opportunity by our teacher to decide on each key role that was given to and who would take full responsibility for it. We had done this by distributing production roles within our group identifying members their strengths and weaknesses to help us make our decision on who would take what. Deciding on what roles each individual should have, we discussed what that individuals certain attributes bought to the group so they are enable to succeed within their role effectively.

The different roles and their definitions:

Who has this role and Why?

The Director:

The director is the one who is responsible for having the power to direct the film how he/she pleases. A film director gives directions to other crew members and casts ensuring that everyone is following the script and storyboard correctly to produce an effective and successful film. Moreover, their role consists of good leadership skills as well as team working so he/she is able to communicate well with the team members, working together to meet tight deadlines and using their time efficiently. The director is also supported by the producer and storyboarder sharing information on each shot to get the most effective one. The director is the most important job as they make the overall decisions associated with the film.
We've chosen as a group that Dillan should be then director for our production as he has good leadership skills knowing what will work best for the thriller film. In addition, with great communication skills, he is also able to communicate with the team effectively and making himself clear of what he wants in the film to make it work. He is a very focused person so he'll wont get easily distracted when something goes wrong and knows how to solve the issue very quickly. This ensuring hat he will complete the project to a high standard hopefully with no falls.

The Producer:

A film producer works alongside with the director supervising the making of the film and preparing and presenting it to a film distributor. One of their key roles as the producer is to ensure that they create an environment where the film crew and cast can perform effectively to their best potential. The producer also is usually the first person to get involved in a project and come up with the idea for the production itself. In addition, they secure the rights and choose the screenwriter and story editing team. They are also responsible for bringing the creative team together including the director, cinematographer, the production designer and key cast members. The producer overalls supervises the development process when film making.
We've decided that I would become a fantastic producer for the team as we decided that I have excellent communication skills within the group therefore I'm able to communicate with people efficiently to get things done smoothly. I'm also a patient person therefore I'm more capable of dealing with any problems that might occur when we are filming. I'm the most creative one in the group therefore I will be a great producer coming up with new ideas for the production as well as visualise how certain things might look and how they should be presented.

Lighting Operator:

The lighting operator is mainly responsible for creating the light and atmosphere in the film to create the create connotations that will associate with each individual shot. For example: if the shot has connotations of dark vibes and negativity, low lighting will be used by the lighting operator to establish these particular connotations. Furthermore, a lighting operator keeps in mind issues of visibility, safety and cost ensuring they do not exceed the budget and avoid making mistakes. The lighting operator reads the script carefully and makes notes on the changes in place and time between each scene which then allows them to identify changes usually done just with lighting to avoid too many blackouts in the scene, Moreover, meetings will be held by the director with the designers, stage manager and the production manager to discuss the ideas of the film and furthermore, establishing budget and scheduling details for the production.
We decided that Pervin was going to take responsibility as the light operator as she is generally very good with any problems to do with lighting. She is able to understand what works better with each individual scene and what lighting will connote what. She is also a creative individual therefore she is able to position the light source in a appropriate location to successfully create an effective scene for the audience to react to. For example, if wanted to portray a character with dark intentions, she will know what type of lighting will fit the scene most and show to achieve it.

Location Manager:

A location manager is responsible for finding the appropriate location where the film scenes will be set . They must ensure that they obtain permission from the police, governmental permits and location owners before we are able to use the location as set for a scene. A location manager also often works closely with the director and producer designer during the preproduction to discover and secure their expressed creative vision. The manager is also responsible for public relations at particular locations used and the crew's safety during the filming of a production.
We also decided as a group that I should be the location manager, I'm also the producer so I'm able to understand what will work together well to produce the best outcome. I also have good organisational skills and therefore I will be able to choose the locations efficiently according to the storyboard and everyone else's opinion, putting it all together to create something effective. I'm also good at negotiating with others so then I will be able to negotiate efficiently with location owners if we need to use a public place to film our production.

Camera Operator:

The camera operator is responsible for physically operating the camera maintaining the camera angles, movement and size of each shot he takes. In a film making narrative, the camera operator will work alongside with the director , actors and the crew members to make technical and creative decisions for the production. In the film setting, a camera operator is part of film crew consisting of the director and photographer and camera assistants.
We decided that Dillan should be the camera operator because he also has great knowledge on how to operate the camera effectively to get the right shots we initially came up with in our story board.

Editor:

A film editor has the responsibility of working with raw footage, selection shots and combining them together to create a sequence of moving images. A film editor also must creatively work with the images, story and dialogue, music, pacing, as well as the actors performances to effectively re-image and even in some cases to rewrite the film to craft a cohesive whole. Editors usually play a dynamic role in the making of a film.
We decided that Dillan should be mainly responsible for editing the film but as a whole, we will be all editing the video together to make sure we are all happy with it and there are no mistakes in it. Dillan should be mainly responsible for editing because she has past experience with editing software's therefore she is able to edit our film confidently using her past knowledge and apply it when he's working with our film. As he has past knowledge on editing, he is able to turn our film into something of a high standard making it highly professional. Moreover, due to his patience, he will be able to remain calm and confident when something goes wrong.

Costume, hair and makeup artist:

A costume, hair and make-up artist takes care of creating the cast members appearances. They also assess the make-up and hair closely observing their requirements and needs. They also work closely with the directors and performers, they set up the department and prepare the make-up and hair budgets and schedules for the cast. Breaking down the script scene by scene, they must identify the required make-up, costume and hair styles that are needed in that particular scene making sure it gives the right, intended response from the audience. Before the creation of the characters appearances, they also make notes of the characters to ensure they make each character fit their specific representation and image before they begin developing their appearances.
We decided as a group that Pervin should be responsible for costume, hair and make-up as she has a lot of experience of make-up. She also has creative skills which will help our group come up with a perfect image that will suit the characters representation. For example, if she's trying to create a representation of antagonist, she will know that she needs dark make-up, covering the individuals identity to let the audience know clearly that this person is the evil one.

Storyboard Artist:

The storyboard artist is responsible for producing images and notes based on each shot of the storyboard. They visualise the details associated with each shot by putting their ideas on paper so everyone is aware what will happen in each shot and what type of camera movement, angle and size is needed. Quick pencil sketches are the conventional technique of creating a story board but some artists may use photos to create visuals, photos that are taken carefully specifically for the project are put together digitally to produce a photographic representation called a photo visual.
We decided that I should be the storyboard artist as I am the best drawer out of the whole entire group, this means that I am able to draw it clearly for everyone to understand what will happen in each shot. I'm also a very creative person so I'm able to create each scene unique. I'm also aware of the overall scene therefore I am right for this job.

 

Sound Operator:

A sound operator are responsible for operating and maintaining the technical equipment used to record, amplify, enhance, mix or produce sound. They identify the sound requirements for a given task or situation and perform the appropriate actions to produce a p[articular sound suitable for the certain scene. Sound technicians may use software's to help produce effective sound and sound effects.
We decide that Dillan should be responsible for the sound in our thriller film as he has skills to operate software's. He is also enjoys playing with sound so we are going to rely on him to make the best and suitable sound for our opening thriller film, He also possess skills of agility and endurance therefore he is a capable of inserting sound to our film.

 

Conclusion: How was this been beneficial?

Overall, this planning has been very beneficial for me because we are much more organised and we know who will be responsible for each task so there is no confusion in the group whilst we film. We were able to identify each and everyone's individual strengths and weaknesses to decide on what key role we was going to undertake. We had to ensure that we chose our roles carefully as we are aware that these roles will be significant when we make our thriller films successful. It is also beneficial as it enables us to prepare and come up with new ideas adding to the current ideas.