Zenith

Introduction

The Zenith Project is a self-directed project that the seniors embark on, as a way to explore and demonstrate what they value about the media art subject they focus on.

My Zenith Project is to make a pre-production package for a television pilot I plan to make, and then a step by step tutorial video explaining how I created the production package, along with advice on how to make the preproduction process go by more successfully. I will focus specifically on the aspect of pre production after finishing the screenplay, focusing mainly on the importance of the spreadsheets and the script annotations and how to organize them in an effective way that makes filming and editing go easier. I personally really enjoyed the process of making a pre production package and planning the most out of all the three aspects of film production, and it’s an area where I have grown a lot and proven myself to be strong in. There were major areas where I really realized I have overestimated or underestimated my time needs. Additionally, there were areas where I had definitely organized the spreadsheets somewhat inefficiently. However, all the hard work I put in really helped me speed up the process of filming and by ensuring that my lists of information were organized on the basis of multiple things such as props, set, costume, character, I was able to use my time really effectively and think quickly in unexpected situations, such as when actors failed to show up or canceled last minute. Additionally, the way I organized my shot list has helped me through the editing process, which is making my rough cut go much quicker. Because I really enjoyed the process and have felt so rewarded by all of my hard work in this area, I would love to talk about it and share what I learned to make the best of pre-production. 

For my Film Class I will incorporate the pre-production aspect in my demonstration of the pre-production package process as well as my plan for the video. I will use my production and post production skills in my tutorial video demonstration. This means I will be doing pre-production for technically two different parts of the project- a full pre-package for my example, and then a written and annotated script with a shot plan and schedule for my tutorial video. Then, I need to film and then edit my video for the final product. 

This Zenith project is a new challenge for me because I will be providing a tutorial explaining what I have learned. I have not made a pre-production package for a television pilot yet, so this will be a new and additional challenge for me on top of this. I will probably have to do a decent amount of research on my own time to figure out how to make this happen. I am considering using a television pilot script such as the Friends or Gilmore Girls script and then using that as my example for my pre production package. It wouldn’t be my own work, but I am unsure if I have the time to write a quality pilot script given the time that we have. Additionally, I will be making a video explaining the process step by step. I am still definitely a work in progress with my cinematography skills and my video editing skills, so this gives me a great opportunity to work on my skills as well as showcase my strengths. 

Process

My Zenith Process went roughly like this:

On April 1st, I submitted a proposal, which was then approved by Mr. T. On April 6th, I made research slides based on the interview I has with the producers on April 3rd. On April 18th, I had completed my script and made plans to shoot my video. By May 1st, I had fully completed the preproduction package and submitted my footage from the video to Mr. T. April 5th, I delivered my rough cut and on April 6th, I submitted the final edited video.

The following are documents I used during each week of the pre-production process:

Completed Project

Zenith Reflection

Like in all work in this industry, Time is money, so time is of the essence. And this is absolutely the case with a television pilot. 

Hey guys, it’s Chloe, and my Senior Zenith Project was to create a pre-production package for a television pilot. I know that for many people, the idea of planning out a film project  to the extreme detail can be very overwhelming. However, I happen to really enjoy the process, and there is nothing better to me than seeing the results of my hard work in this area. 

 I used the Friends pilot for my Zenith project because it is a classic television show that is well known and has become the standard for sitcoms. I also have not watched Friends, which makes this interesting because I don’t really know the plot or how the show was filmed, which will give this pre-production package plan a fresh take. 

I had not made a television pilot pre-production package before, so the first thing that I needed to do was my research! Luckily, I had the opportunity to receive advice from producers in the industry who could help.I had a lot of questions about the practicalities of the pre-production package and how the process differed from a feature-length film. Based on the producer’s initial response, it was clear that the differences in what was required from a television pilot pre-production package were really not that different. However, the lack of time and money changes the way the pre-production process plays out, especially in real life. 

With a pilot, producers are not only motivated to begin telling a story, but they are also motivated to entice an audience into watching an entire season. So when you debut a pilot, you also need to keep in mind that you are debuting a budget that allows for you to create the same quality content. On one hand, you need to go all out for Episode 1. On the other hand, you need to remember that the overall budget equals ($___ budget for Episode 1) x (total number of episodes). Essentially, you have to find a happy medium between these two needs.

Because time is of the essence, how do we make the process more efficient? What are some practical things we can do to help us achieve our goals and create a quality pre-production package?

Using a free program like Celtx (my favorite) or Studiobinder (which is free to us Freestylers) can speed up the process because the services can quickly input information and reduce the tedious labor. This is especially important for screenwriters and the pre-production staff’s time efficiency.  Personally, I prefer to use google or excel sheets to create my package, because I prefer having the ability to manually control the layout of the information on my screens. I have created a template pre-production package folder, divided into three main folders: for the core team, for the on set crew, and for the cast. 

For the cast, we have a copy of the script, a document for the shooting calendar, and a standard actor agreement document. Regardless of the fact that we are students, it’s important to maintain a level of professionalism with our cast. 

For the crew, there is a folder for scheduling and responsibilities, which contains a shooting calendar, and a copy of the main stripboard. This should be handled by the directors and producers, but it is important that everyone showing up to set has access to it. In note-taking, there are two main templates for the production team to take notes on- one for the quality of each individual shot, and one for the location of footage and audio files. The person who should be taking notes on set ideally should be a production assistant or script supervisor. If there was one thing I could recommend to other filmmakers is to have someone take notes about the location of files and the quality of files on set! It definitely speeds up the process. In the other folders, there is a copy of the elements by scene sheets and a copy of the shot list. The elements by scene list can be used by set dressers and the art department, and should be available for reference by the directors and producers. 

The central team is where the majority of the documents are located. The central team, for clarification, would be the producers, the directors, and anyone involved in leading the main parts of the production. 

 In preparation for the shoot, we have a pre-shoot checklist, which is a great place for the directors and producers to list out everything required from the craft table supplies to the camera batteries to the costumes and props before a shoot. It sucks to haul everything to a shoot and forget something like your SD card, so hopefully, the checklist helps ensure this does not happen. Additionally, there is an element-by-scene flipbook, which can be a great scene-by-scene reference for the central team and the art everything that is required for the shoot. Each slide breaks down the scene by location, characters, number and kind of extras, set requirements, prop requirements, costumes, makeup and special effects work, stunts, and more. 

In Post Production, we have the two note-taking templates from the crew folder, as well as a cue sourcing sheet for any kind of music that the editors may use.

Location/Casting/Legal is pretty self-explanatory. If you need to create a contract for the actors to sign, request the use of a location, or alert a community about filming, check out these documents. 

Artistic vision contains a mood board, which I used to help put together my ideas for the set, costume, and lighting design based on my research and google searches. This section is mainly for the art department, the directors, and the producers. 

Budgeting, especially with a television pilot, is its own beast. Again, time is money and time is of the essence. Each episodes’ budget should be built out like a feature-length film and then reduced to fit the practicalities of what you can actually achieve. Discover your entire vision then scale it back, not the other way around. Simplify locations used and characters per episode, to reduce the overall payments needed per episode. Find locations that are 90% pre-built whenever you can, because production design is time-consuming and expensive. If you can find a location that already looks mostly like what you envisioned, use it! 

Finally, the core documents: the stripboard, the shot list, and the elements overall spreadsheet, which is where I recorded, organized and broke down all of the main elements from my lined script. After completing my lined script, the process of creating a television pilot pre-production package was largely the same as one for a narrative. However, there are some slight differences:

As for the shot lists and guidelines for the cinematography, plan for a 2-3 camera setup, and establish a wide, medium wide, and medium shot as well. Add that into each scene’s shot list. When recruiting a crew, try to keep the crew small and efficient. The most useful addition would be an extra camera operator– apparently, it’s totally worth it!

Overall, the main goal is to not have to do overtime or go over budget, and you can help reduce the likelihood of this by having a quality and realistic pre-production package. Put your crew and cast over profit, so don’t cut corners for paid overtime, and don’t cut corners with them at all! You need to incorporate cast and crew well-being into your plan, so in the preproduction package, you must account for a craft table (food), and consider any additional needs (ex. If you are filming in the snow, provide heat lamps). Make sure these additional jhfactors are allotted in your budget and on your packing list every single shoot day.The respect you give to the people you are working with is a major factor in the overall quality of the final product. 

At the end of the day, when all your pre-production package is done you could have this many documents and files available for usage, or possibly more. The opportunities in the pre-production package are endless. 

(Will submit soundcloud file here when it uploads)