Planning: Production Roles - Miss Begum

Production Roles

Introduction:

There are production roles that had to be filled for our final production, they had changed from the preliminary task as we have found who is suited to which role best. Each role has a different function and is vital to the final production and some roles are shared. The roles consist of a director, producers, camera operator, sound technician, editor, storyboard organiser, costume, hair and makeup organiser, lighting operator and location manager.

The roles:

Director - A director has to visualise the script or storyboard and then guides the crew and cast to create the film through the director's view. The director also chooses the cast and the production design and controls the the creative aspects of the film. It is important for the director to have good leadership skills and can give instructions clearly.

Producer - A producer supervises the production by selecting the location and the script. The producer also has the final say on sound and what scenes should be cut, also decides on distribution rights although this won't be relevant for our final production.

Camera operator - The camera operator, usually called a cinematographer. This person is responsible for maintaining the composition and camera angles when filming. This is to make the film look professional while following the directors instructions.

Sound technician - The sound technician assists in setting up, operating, and maintaining sound equipment. They also consult during the editing process when mixing or amplifying the sound.

Editor - The editor is involved in the post production process of filmmaking. They work with raw footage and selects shots and combines them to make a finished product. Editors generally work with the directors as they have the shots visualised and the editor has the skill to make this a final product. Editors need to have good organisational skills and be able to work under pressure.

Storyboard organiser - The storyboard organiser is charge of pre-visualising the motion picture. The storyboard will aide the director and editor greatly in the production and post production process. It is necessary for the storyboard organiser to have good organisational skills, as well as good time management skills.

Location manager - The location manager is responsible for finding and securing the location that will be used in the film. They will need to obtain all fire, police and governmental permits that are relevant to the film being made. They are also responsible for location scouting and work closely with the director and production designer as well as being responsible for public relations.

Costume, hair and makeup organiser - This is usually split into two different roles, a costume designer or supervisor and a makeup artist. The costume designer or supervisor is responsible for all the clothing and costumes that are worn by all the actors that appears on screen in a film. They are also responsible for designing, planning and organising the construction of the garments and their fabrics, colours and sizes. The make up artist is responsible for planning makeup designs for all leading and supporting cast. This includes, cosmetic makeup, body makeup and they will consult the special effects team if special effects are involved.

Lighting operator - Lighting operators or lighting technicians are responsible for the movement and set up of different pieces of lighting equipment for the separation of light. The lighting operator will also control whether there should be low key or high key lighting depending on which is more appropriate for the shot.

What are the group roles and why?

Director - We decided that I should be the director as I have good leadership skills and have a good sense of time management. This will be very important as during the filming process I will have to organise the cast and crew members, The actors will look at me for information on how they should look and behave on camera and the crew will want my input in their roles during filming. I will work closely with the story-boarder and the editors to make sure the opening is visualised correctly and put on screen correctly.

Producers - We decided that Trang should be the producer as she has excellent communication skills and this was evident during the preliminary task, she is a great problem solver and this will be very useful during filming as we may encounter problems with legality for example. This will be solved by her as she will hold onto the pre production paperwork as she had great input in it as the producer. She is also an excellent supervisor which is useful during editing as the producer should have great input during this.

Camera operator- We decided that I should be the camera operator as this would be most efficient in such a small group, as I am the director, it will be much easier to give directions from behind the camera. I also have previous amateur experience with a camera and I am keen on learning more about camera operating. I immediately stepped forward to be the camera operator on the preliminary task and I wish to improve my film making skills through the opening.

Sound technician - We decided that I should be the sound technician as it will be more efficient as I will be on the computer during editing. I also have the necessary skills to work with the software we will be using when editing our thriller to add sound to it.

Editor - We decided that I should also be the main editor as I develop knowledge quickly about software and have previous experience in amateur editing, I will use these skills and expand on them to make the opening into one of high standard. I am also confident and have good time management skills and therefore will edit efficiently.

Storyboard organiser - We decided that Trang should be the storyboard organiser as she is very good at drawing and is extremely artistic and creative, this will be useful as it will give a clear picture to the director on how I should film the shots and scenes. She is able to draw quickly and clearly and will be useful if we need to make any last minute changes.

Location manager - We decided that Trang should be the location manager as she is a very outgoing person and has a lot of knowledge on ideal locations for a thriller opening. She also has very good communication skills to request any permissions or supervise when doing so. She also has very strong organisational skills for when we are filming and therefore if we encounter a problem while filming on location she will be able to present the correct paperwork and solve any issues.

Costume, hair and makeup artist - We decided that Pervin should be the costume, hair and makeup artist as she is very creative and has the necessary skills to apply makeup for the cast. She is very artistic and will make the cast look very appropriate for the scene. For example if a victim needs to look dead she will apply the correct amount of blood or white makeup to make it look as if they have been killed or they have been dead for a certain amount of time. She will also choose the outfits appropriately.

Lighting operator - We decided that Pervin should be the lighting operator as she is very good at problem solving and is good at organisation. This will be very useful during the filming process as we may need a certain key of lighting and she will organise the area we are filming in to have that, she will also consult during editing to make the lighting appropriate for the scene.