It is important that, if you have not already done so, you now do the following either:

1. If your project has been rejected inform your client the results and explain why their group has not been selected. Be diplomatic and professional and try to maintain good contact for future projects. In some cases consider taking forward your project into your final project.

2. If your project has been selected inform your client the results and explain why their group has been selected. Explain the next steps including the proposed production schedule and ensure the project is viable.

These are the agreed production groups that were proposed in class today, discuss your roles and if you decide to change a role let me know. Please make sure the production work on each project is done collectively. I will be monitoring individual input until the end of term and this will influence your individual marks in the interest of fairness.

Third Age Project

William – Camera

Pablo – Sound

Alek – Directing

Amir – Editing

Period:

Hallie – Director

Felicia – Camera

Anne-Sophie – Editor

Stefan – Sound

Deaf Health Charity

Nastia- director

Alsu -Camera

Sipho – Editor 

Maxim – Sound

RSPCA

Dora – Edit

Dasha – Director

Ashely – Camera

Noha – Sound

Well done for the presentations today, please remember to also upload a PDF version on Turnitin.

Overall there were some strong ideas presented that were well considered. The point of this module is that your creativity needs to work in conjunction with the needs of the ‘client’ and that collaboration was clearer in some than in others. There were a batch that had a good issue but no clear ‘impact’ except for Social Media which was quite vague. Some others were visually underdeveloped. Some had a clear outline of what form the film would actually take whilst some were subsumed in data research and lacked any visual imagination. It is important to consider all of these points in any future pitches.

Currently the 4 selected projects to go to the next level are:

Nastia – Deaf Health Charity

Hallie – Period Poverty

Alex – Third Age

Dasha – RSPCA

My current thoughts are that, at the moment, there needs to be greater consideration about the actual visual content to sustain a five minute running time and that needs to be developed. In addition this is a campaign documentary and so the documentary element has to feature strongly – but parts of animation, dramatisation, reconstruction are fine as supporting elements. Two of the rejected projects not on the list above had very strong visual potential.

On Wednesday 4 March we will be discussing the 4 greenlit projects as below:

1. A solid commitment of interest from the client group when the film goes ahead.

2. A discussion of a more detailed outline of the visual content of the proposed film based on primary research.

3. Clear indication of a range of contributors in the film including names and a sense of what they may say.

4. An impact plan of how the client may use the film in their organisation.

Could each group confer before this Wednesday to prepare the above for discussion. Each group will have 20 minutes in the editorial meeting on the 4th to then outline their approach. Each role will have to address the approach to the project from their point of view.

Wednesday 26 is Presentation Day. I am sure you have all read the brief so many times but here are some key points:

• In the presentation you must deliver a pitch for the film and include evidence of primary research of a cause, charity or organisation of your choice.

• It must include a commitment from the films subject for their participation and must be developed to be able to go into pre-production immediately.

• You will present the project outline to the year group, who then vote on the best ones. Each of the selected projects is then undertaken by groups.

• The pitch materials will need to be emailed by 11.00am to ferok@regents.ac.uk or brought into class on a drive to copy over.

• The pitch can use any media but must be available in a PDF that can be uploaded onto ‘Turnitin’ for the external examiner.

You have 3 minutes to pitch and 2 minutes to take questions.

This is an INDIVIDUAL task.

Assignment A is due next week and will be presented in the workshop. All the development we have been doing for the first 3 weeks is aimed at helping you present. The full assignment is on Blackboard but here are the main guidelines:

Assignment A:         3 minute presentation 

This assignment requires students to prepare a presentation for a film that they would like to make for the module. The presentation must engage in a current social, political, economic, environmental and/or cultural issue.

In the presentation you must deliver a pitch for the film and include evidence of primary research of a cause, charity or organisation of your choice. It must include a commitment from the films subject for their participation and must be developed to be able to go into pre-production immediately.

You will present the project outline to the year group, who then vote on the best projects. Each of the selected projects is then undertaken by groups. The pitch can use any media but must be presented in a form that can be uploaded onto Blackboard.

Submission

The total individual mark for this assignment is 25% of the overall grade.

The presentation will need to be emailed on Wednesday 26 February by 10.00 to ferok@regents.ac.uk. The pitch will be presented in class on that day from 11:00 so a digital copy of your presentation will be expected. A PDF of the presentation materials will also need to be uploaded to ‘Turnitin’ by 23:59 on the same day.

Please check the assignment brief for assessment considerations to ensure you are on point.

Further Guidelines:

• Ensure that your presentation is comprehensive and includes all the written information and imagery required. If it includes moving imagery make sure the link is embedded in the final document/powerpoint.

• Your 3 minute slot will be followed by a 2 minute Q&A with the class. Each student will therefore have a total of 5 minutes all of which is assessed.

• Anybody that is absent and not presenting will be given a 0% grade unless they provide student registry with evidence for their absence and that this is passed on for my attention.

• Anybody not presenting will lose the opportunity for their proposal to go forward into production.

The class on Wednesday 19 will be an editorial meeting where we will continue to gauge how far each project is on the crucial areas of client, style and impact. In particular we need to discuss the audio and visuals you have in mind for your proposal. Please come ready to deal with this so you can prepare for the pitch.

We spent time today with your presenting and discussing ideas so I thought it might help to give some general feedback about your proposals so far on this assignment. All of you were able to present a least one issue that you would like to make a film about. There were some excellent ideas which could make very interesting films and some that needed much more development. If you did not present today you will do so next Wednesday.

All of you should now be getting a solid (100%) commitment of interest from the proposed character/group/organisation you will make the film about, this is now the priority. There are many good ideas but it is the ones with the strongest client relationship, strategy and visual treatment that will determine which films go ahead. Visually you need to consider the style in more depth so that we get a strong sense of what the film will look like when you present your ideas. Any questions ferok@regents.ac.uk

Here are some advice points as you enter negotiations with your clients:

• At this stage a meeting with a prospective client is essential.

• Projects that have a confirmed client will be the only ones going forward into production after the pitch session on 26 February.

• 16 students and 4 films means you all have a 1 in 4 chance of getting made. The odds are better if people fail to get a client and this can happen.

• Discuss with the clients their needs, your production schedule and make sure what they do fits in with the plans for the shoot.

• They also need to know they will need to give feedback on the finished film.

• If they are enthusiastic they will offer you some access to meet and maybe take some stills of the activities before you pitch which will be helpful.

• Remember the 4 essential elements we went through in DP – character, visuals, story, conflict. Sort this out as part of your pitch.

• Be creative and be real.

Short films that are broadcast on television have always been a major element of campaign productions. You have already presented some campaign adverts that you found effective. In todays session we will be looking at these types of films and investigating their impact. Here are two short films that were found to be very effective, one is for the activist group ‘Plane Stupid’ and the other for the more mainstream charity ‘Barnardos’.

Above: Plane Stupid – Polar Bears

Above: Barnardos – Life Story

In terms of your campaign film you need to be considering 3 main headings:

1. Content – Breakdown and describe the content of the film: it’s genre, style, production values and so on. What are you trying to say and what methods will you use?

2. Strategy – Who is the film for? What are the aims of the film in relation to the clients campaign?

3. Impact – What is the intended reaction to the film and what will it’s residue be? Quantify the audience and the scope of its cultural, political and social impact.

In the session we will consider how the headings of content, strategy and impact apply to the productions that you are planning.

The presentations you make on February 26 will be assessed under Assignment A details of which are listed on Blackboard. One of the key issues we will be looking at is how strong is the commitment from your ‘client’ to the project. You should all spend time this week meeting the client and getting a real agreement as the project will not be green-lighted without this confirmation in a reliable form. The needs of the client will also determine your style and content so bear this in mind when you present your proposed campaign production. We will be going through and checking the progress of all of you today.

If you have not already done so read the Assignment Brief carefully and come back to me with any questions sooner rather than later. ferok@regents.ac.uk