Pre-production evaluation

Evaluating the effectiveness of pre-production documentation is vital in ensuring that the final version that is sent to the production team is effective.

If documents aren't checked, they could be the cause of a major planning problem, so its important that the quality of the documents is evaluated. This messes up the whole schedule.

How to evaluate:
The documents need to be considered in relation to:

• Sustainability of content for meeting the brief and usefulness in aiding the production team in producing the product
• Sustainability of content for the target audience

It should use:

• Positive language
• Consideration for the original designer/creator
• Specific feedback on any suggested improvement - justifying why it would make this document more effective

Flat plan

Digital Media Unit 2 Topic 2/4

Evaluating client requirements and target audience considerations                 Unit 2

                                                                                                                          Topic 2

A client will commission a digital media product by providing a client brief. This brief sets out the requirements of the project. Some of these requirements will be clear cut in the brief and some will be left to personal interpretation.

Types of client brief and how to analyse them

A client brief containing all instructions can be given to the media production company in a variety of different ways. These include:

Formal

There could be a scheduled meeting between the client and the producer, where the client outlines the requirements. There is a written copy of them, which is assessed and carefully directed by the client. A follow up meeting can be put into place to discuss the initial agreement. 

Informal

This could be over a telephone call, where they discuss the requirements that need to be met by the producer. There is no written copy of the brief, just a call to agree what is needed in the production.

Negotiated

The client and producer work together to form a brief. Discussions for the aims and objectives will take place before writing the brief.

Contractual 

The brief is outlined within a contract of employment. Within a legally binding document. 

Tender

Client producer an advert to show the media product that they need created and wait for bids from producers. They then have a meeting where producers then pitch for the place to produce the media product. They show the cost and timescale of the production.

Commissioned

The client hires an independent media company to create the media product. The media company will do all the work, and develop the product. The whole process has to be overseen by a commissioner from the client. 

Once the brief has been agreed, then the producer has to read and analyse it to be sure of the best way to go forward. There are requirements that have to be met. These requirements fall into different types for example:

• Explicit - Clearly stated and must be met during production

• Implicit - Inferred from the brief and you have to interpret what is said
• Open - Freedom to make own decisions about how to best create the product
• Constraints - Boundaries that the project must work within (legal, ethical, cost, time)

The producer must make sure they know exactly what is required by the client, and when they have to interpret requirements themselves, it may cause confusion. To help stop this, communication with the client is required. It is better to make sure you have full understanding at first, because any changes mid way through the project can be costly in terms of time, resources, and most importantly money.

Tools to use

When analysing the brief, there are a number of tools the producers could use. This allows a systematic approach to the brief, and a capability to break down the brief into sections, to make it easier to understand. It also helps for organisational purposes. These are some commonly used tools:

• Mind map - Document used where thoughts can be linked together through a central idea
• Mood board - Collection of images, words and materials to create a feel for the project
• Blue-sky thinking - Thought and ideas written down by a group of individuals about the brief
• SWOT analysis - Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which can be used as headings for ideas for the brief

Target audience factors to consider

Media producers must make sure the product does not cause offence or disturbance to anyone. This is key to the development, because it the product is aimed at the incorrect audience, it will not be successful. This process involves looking at demographic factors, to create a picture of who the target audience are for the particular product. 

Socio-economic

This is about how much people earn - whether they are a upper, middle or working class. The upper class, who are paid more are likely to be of a high social status. As people move up or down the social hierarchy, it is called social mobility. The higher someones income, the more disposable income they have, which leaves more room for buying media products., therefore this is a large target audience. 

Age

The age of a target audience needs to be considered when developing the product, as it needs to be of the appropriate complexity. Age groups can be defined in small groups for example 12-16 year olds, or in wider groups such as ‘teenagers’.

Gender

Males and females usually have different interests, such as fashion and sports. However, in todays society, there are no preferences for each gender, as everyone is seen to like different things. This affects media products, as they used to be aimed at specific age groups, but it is unethical to do so now.

Ethnic groups

Media products are now available for an extremely wide range of ethnic groups, due to the advanced technology these days. If a media organisation fails to diversify, it could offend many groups of people.

Psychographics 

This is a psychological factor that affects individuals perception compared to others. It affects their interests and attitudes. Through questionnaires, people can get enough information to know what kind of person they are. They could be a number of specific groups, including:

• Resigned
• Struggler
• Mainstreamer
• Aspirer
• Succeeder
• Explorer
• Reformer

Geodemographics

Based on the location of the target audience. This can affect the style of the media product and the language that it is in.

Sexual orientation

An individuals sexuality affects a media product. Media producers have to make sure that they are not offending anyone when creating the media product, as people can be any gender these days.

Mainstream Vs Niche

This relates to the purpose of why the media product was created. The product could be created to appeal to a wide range of people (mainstream market). The product can be targeted at a small group of people (niche market). This then affects a product is marketed to appeal to the niche market. Quantity should be more exclusive in a niche market, to increase their desirability and demand. 

Concept Art, Visualisation Diagrams, Flat Plans, Prototypes and Mock Ups

Concept Art
Concept art is portraying ideas across through a form or writing or images. Creating the ideas before the actual form of production.

Visualisation Diagrams
This is a technical drawing for creating images, diagrams or animations. It does not have to be stuck too, but its for a general idea. Used to help sketch an idea. It can have annotations, to give you a spring board or starting place for the project or idea.

Flat plans
A plan for the structure of a media product. They are all print documents, for example, a newspaper, magazine, leaflet or booklet.

Prototypes
First versions of products with cheap materials to see if the product works. A one off sample. These are before the actual versions of the products are created, for a test of functionality.

Mock Ups
A model or sample of what something will look like. It is for the aesthetics, not the functionality (like the prototype). It is to see what looks best and how anything could look better. It can be in the form of anything (mostly digital).

Production designer

What does the role of production designer entail?

Responsible for the overall look of the production. They have to talk to the director about the feel, design, look and atmosphere of the production. Sets and locations have to be found. Costumes and lighting can be discussed with the people on this roles.

During a production, which other members of the production and which other areas of the production does the production designer co-ordinate with?

They co-ordinate with the lighting and costumes teams. It depends on the script, but there is working with the director.

What issues with locations can occur during the production of a TV drama?

Places like The Tower of London and Hampton Court are now huge tourist attractions, so they wouldn't be able to use them as sets for a movie due to the difficulty in having it plainly to themselves without any distractions nearby.

What skills, education and experience is it beneficial for a production designer to have?

Good to have an artistic background to be able to draw and draft. Work experience in production will really help because it is hard to learn the skills of each individual sector such as costumes and understanding conditions needed to film. Work experience would help to find out what area you would like to work in within the industry.

During the production process itself, where are the working locations that a production designer tends to work and how do these relate to the actual filming of the TV drama?

They worked in some national trust properties. They also worked in halls and they had to cover paintings for the filming of the scenes.

BBFC  (British Board of Film Classification)

The BBFC are an independant company who have been classifying cinema films since 1912. They have nothing to do with the government.
They have an annual report, reviewing their decisions and and activities that had gone on that year.

BBFC classify films, so that viewers are age appropriate for the rating of the film. This supposedly stops young kids from watching movies that they shouldnt be watching, however in this day in age, netflix is one of the most popular sites for watching movies, therefore young kids can get access to movies that are illegal for them to view.

The BBFC analyses films and gives them an age appropriate rating. There is a criteria that they have to follow in able to rate the movies. They look for things such as drugs, inappropriate language, and violence and sex. This ensures children are protected against seeing content that they shouldnt be viewing. Before the rating is sent off, the chief executive team have to confirm that they have chosen the correct rating for the particular movie. Sometimes, they will need specialist opinions and help to decide ratings, as the movie doesnt fit the specific criteia that has to be followed.

The BBFC is not a profitable organisation, however does not work with the government in any way either, as it does not receive any subsndies from them ever. Its fees are made to just cover costs, meaning they make no money. Its only income is from the services they provide to classify movies or any type of programme. They do this by charging a specific amount according to the running time of the movie or DVD. However, the BBFC have to consult their viewings with many other departments such as culture and media before it gets officially publicised.

PRS (performing rights society)

PRS pay their members royalties and support them by hosting events for them and investing in new technology. Members use PRS to pay for their music in order to use it. Some of the royalties include cinema, tv, radio and theatre. They protect the music of writers, and fight against piracy of music.

Project Management

Project management is the role of ensuring that all aspects of a given production is run smoothly by overseeing a number of people or departments. The PM would ensure that all deadlines are met and the brief is followed by liaising with others and holding them to account.

• Project management is the effective planning and running of a project from the starting ideas to the end product.
• Planning requires the outline of the tasks, deadlines and milestones that the project is at.
• A project timeline schedule is needed to be created for the creation of the media product to include tasks that need to be done, deadlines for each task and milestones within individual tasks or the overall project. This places events in order of what needs to be done when.

Tools

• Gantt chart:

            Uses horizontal bars to illustrate project completion dates, progress and milestones and dependencies.

• Workflow tool: 

             Split by team member so that it is clear who is doing what, when.

• Project schedule excel

• To do lists

Digital Media Unit 2 Topic 1/4

Planning factors                                                                                    Unit 2

                                                                                                                                                                          Topic 1.1

When developing a media product, there are loads of factors that need to be considered. These factors can affect the production of the media product.

Type of media production and implications

Somer digital media productions can be television, films, websites, advertising ETC. The purpose could be for entertainment, education, information or promotion. Each product has their own requirements that need to be considered during pre-production. Although the content may differ, there are still some similarities too, such as a storyboard. However, parts are different, such as needing actors for particular products. 

Financial constraints

Budgets are a huge constraints of the creation of a media product. To be successful, a decent sized budget may be needed. Some costs include:

- Staffing    (director, animator, graphic designer)

- Premises 

- Location

- Legal costs

- Transport

- Resources/equipment   (cameras, lighting, props)

Different media productions will have different costs and financial requirements.

Revenue Streams

During the production of the media product, there are many revenue streams that can be used to finance the project. These include:

- Sponsorship

- Crowdfunding 

- Corporate finance

- Advertising 

- Franchising 

The type of media product and size of organisation affect which revenue stream to use.

Time constraints

Time constraints need to be kept in mind when planning a media production. The product always has to meet a deadline and failing to meet this could hurt the business financially.

Timescales are built backwards when planning a media production and then the stages are put in place. Resources needed may only be available at certain periods of times. For example:

- Filming location

- Sounds studio 

- Computer time 

- Catering facilities

- Actors

Personnel involved

Gathering the right staff is crucial. You need the right number of staff with the right skills and experience needed.

An audit of requirements for the production of the media product is carried out and then the skills and experience of individuals is matched against this. By doing this, they can identify gaps to fill.

Delays due to not having enough staff can stop a project from meeting its deadline and increase costs.

Relevant facilities, locations and resources

These can include studios, props, sets, microphones, computers, and software.

Impact of legal issues

There are many laws that have to be followed when creating the media product, and the impacts of them need to be acted up on. For example:

Freedom of Information Act

The public has the right to access information that is held by public sector organisations. Whether it is about them or about others, they are a public company.

Intellectual Property Act

If you have created a piece of work, it is your property. You need to sign an agreement to make sure the organisation makes the money from the product they sell. If this is not signed, the owner of the piece of work gets all the income even if they are sold on organisations platforms

Data Protection Act

This protects peoples private information from being used without permission.

Copyright and Patent Act 1988

Creations such as music, sound recordings, images, films or written work are not to be used by others without permission. You are able to control if people are allowed to use your material, and how they use it.

Libel

You can't include false information about someone in a media production. It could damage their reputation unfairly.

Slander

Same implications as libel, but involves false words spoken.

Impact of regulatory issues

During the production of a media product, there are many laws and regulations. They must follow these laws, or the product is illegal. For example:

- BBFC (British Board of Communication)

- PRS (Performing Right Society of Music)

Impact on ethical issues

Being ethical is doing the right or model thing. When creating the media product, ethical issues need to be considered so it doesn't offend or disturb anyone. Ethical issues can include violence in video games films or using fake internet ID to gain information. Sometimes films go out of their way to be controversial to gain more publicity. However, if they take it too far, they can have legal action taken to it, to ban sales of the product. This is extremely harmful to the organisation both time wise and financially, and can strongly affect them in the short and long term.

Infographic project management

Who carries out the research

Who can do/does audience research?
Digital marketers and communicators usually do the audience research. This is because they are able to reach out to customers or a target market online. It is important for picklejar communications to do audience research to understand their needs. This helps them to form strategies for schools.

When should audience research be done?
Audience research for picklejar should be done when schools need them to find them new teachers for departments, or if they need to find out information about students. This helps the schools find out information as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Why should audience research be completed?
Audience research needs to be completed to find out information about customers or target audiences views. It can also help in finding people suitable for a specific job. It can be used in many ways to help businesses to understand what they should be doing next due to customer and audience needs.

What research methods can be used?
Qualitative and quantitative research can be carried out. Quantitative research is useful when trying to find what people prefer out of a couple of options. This is because they're usually questionnaires or surveys. However qualitative research finds more in depth information on what people prefer or would like to see. This is because people can expand on their points.