Important Aspects of Commercial Film Production - Assignment Example

Commercial Production Development Report An in-depth study of the processes involved in the development of a professional production While discussing the making of a commercial production we need to thoroughly understand and implement for ourselves the best market practices prevailing at the given time so as to make it a grand success and viable by way of profitability, given the competition and limited resources in an environment of vast choices available to the target audience. To make our study and research on the captioned subject more meaningful and better explained, the making of The Football Factory, a major feature film, has been referred to in this context. It is based on the acclaimed novel by John King, and is about a forgotten culture of males who are fed up of being told repeatedly about their negativity in society. They use violence as a drug, which they feel and describe as being more potent than sex and drugs put together.  Adapted and directed by Nick Love, The Football Factory is seen through the eyes of four men, all of who have a different story to tell about their experience. Tommy Johnson (Danny Dyer); a bright thirty year old with a steady job and close family ties, leads us through the story and is the link to the other three characters.  Billy Bright (Frank Harper); a right wing fascist who forms part of the older generation of the Chelsea Headhunters but is full of bitterness in what he sees as a country that has failed him.  Zeberdee (Roland Manookian) a hooligan whose life has already run into the core society of crime and drugs.  And Bill Farrell; a seventy year old war veteran who tries to enjoy every day to the maximum. The Football Factory is frighteningly real yet full of painful humour as the four character's extreme thoughts and actions unfold before us thus making it a major feature film in current times. At the outset, in this context here are a few pointers to developing and establishing a successful commercial film production with reference to the making of The Football Factory. The very foundation of any venture into making a sound and quality film is the script of the story which will make the film stand out amongst the audience by creating a memorable and positively experiential film. The script must be chosen with utmost caution after considering all the facets of the story and the effect and influence that it may have on the target audience. Sure it’s a buyers’ market as far as script optioning is concerned as there are a lot of scripts available to choose from depending on the subject matter of the film that we opt for. So there is ample choice and with a little patience and due diligence of judging the script from our point of view, a truly relevant film can be churned out with full potential of being a grand success. The script for The Football Factory was indeed a time consuming process making the choice a difficult one in view of the beautiful pieces of available scripts. The one finalized after a wide array of relevant considerations, was a jackpot as the very foundation of the film was dependant on the script and the not so well known writer whose work was finalized indeed resulted in the grand success of this Vertigo Films Production. When producing a commercial film lot of stress has to be given to the possibilities of our interests being exploited or misused by undesirable elements who may try to find loopholes to further their interests for unwarranted gains to them in the likely event of our venture being a grand success. So it is imperative to act proactively in protecting our interests by way of doing all contracts and deals in a fool proof manner. All contracts should be checked for any unforeseen discrepancies that may surface in the future and misused to our disadvantage. They should be vetted by experienced and reliable legal professionals whose integrity is beyond doubt in our favor. A detailed study of the pattern of contracts amongst film makers, actors, artists, scriptwriters, film crew and, execution contractors has revealed that the present times, as compared to the early years, have shown a vast change in the complexity and length of contractual agreements thus making the entire process very simplistic. Film makers rarely confront partners who want to make issues out of what is written in the contract and mostly insist merely on the financials in view of the vast opportunities at their disposal. The trend has also evolved of a trustworthy atmosphere amongst all parties to such agreements and contracts. Hence, when signing the various contracts for The Football Factory, the services of M/s Hailey and Co., an experienced and well established law firm were taken to thwart any misinterpretations and unwanted future complications on the legal front. With the expansion of the entertainment world and the increasing opportunities amongst all involved in the film industry, the importance of copyright laws and their implementation has grown tremendously. Copyright laws have been enacted in all major centers of filmmaking. The laws gives the creators of literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works, sound recordings, broadcasts, films and typographical arrangement of published editions, rights to control the ways in which their material may be used. The rights cover; broadcast and public performance, copying, adapting, issuing, renting and lending copies to the public.In many cases, the creator will also have the right to be identified as the author and to object to distortions of his work.International conventions give protection in most countries, subject to national laws. It is essential that all work of films too be taken care of under the copyright laws. For making The Football Factory due precautions and foresight to avoid violations of any copyright matter were taken and here again the services of M/s Hailey and Co, legal firm were harnessed to make the going smooth and without any hurdles on this front. Music publishers too invariably copyright their musical works, and sure a film has music as an essential ingredient. They have no obligation to give us permission to use their music. The laws are highly rigid and a work of music which has been contracted for our film cannot even be changed without the explicit permission of the producer. This permission may be given again at an exorbitant price. A tie up with music producers and companies helps in avoiding long term occurances of hinderances in this regard. Vertigo Films has taken due caution and care to copyright all music used in The Football Factory and which will surely save the film and its producers from any kind of music plagiarism. A very tricky aspect of commercial film production is the raising of film production finance. Film finance is a very secretive and little understood aspect of film production. It is a subset of project finance, meaning that the cash flows to repay investors are generated from the film project, and generally not from external sources. The main methods of raising finance for the production of a film are through government grants, tax schemes, debt finance; and equity finance. Additionally, in motion pictures Gap/Supergap financing is a form of mezzanine debt financing where the producer wishes to complete their film finance package by procuring a loan that is secured against the film's unsold territories and rights. Most gap financiers will only lend against the value of unsold foreign rights. Hence it is clear that depending on the credibility and reputation of the production house, and the potential of the film project in hand, film finance can be obtained to deliver all assignments for the timely and successful completion of the film. A thorough study ought to be conducted about the credibility of film financing banks, film investment bankers, film financiers and entertainments industry key dealmakers that are actively involved in the funding and distribution of independent films. With both bank and third party lenders there is a choice of loans and finance options to choose from depending upon circumstances and repayment choices. One option is to use presales to finance production costs of the film, which has been proved to be very gainful for producers to withstand initial financial pressures of cost and time schedules. Nevertheless, film financing is time consuming and complicated. All forms of financing must be seriously, and meticulously considered since each film producer’s situation is unique. In view of the credibility and positive track record of Vertigo Films, there were no constraints in raising finance for the making of the film The Football Factory. The producers first opted for mezzanine finance and also generated sufficient funds by way using presales to garner the required funds. All the rest was through equity finance. Another very important aspect of commercial film production is the proactive planning and deals that need to be made in regard to distribution of the film in the domestic and foreign markets. The money making process for films starts with taking the right decisions for distribution of the film for which indepth research and surveys need to be carried out in potential markets and its launch in audience segments having the most lucrative potential in terms of viewership.The main issues to consider when reviewing it are the commission to be charged, the media covered, the territories that it is to cover and the duration of the licence.Proper execution of contracts is essential to take care of the producer’s interests specially in international markets where acceptability and adherence varies from country to country. It is also possible to make decent revenue from exploiting rights, for soundtracks, merchandising and tie-ins with complementary businesses. An important aspect of film distribution is the fact that whatever the arrangements made, the investors first recover their cost and only then can the film producer hope to eye any profits from subsequent sales.The makers of The Football Factory employed a wide array of practices for selling their film. In view of different circumstances and laws prevailing in different market segments, Vertigo Films ventured into flexible distribution agreements areawise and countrywise, however without compromising on their planned financial returns in any way. It is worth mentioning that opportunities have never been greater for generating revenue from the exploitation of film rights. Producers have more opportunities than ever before to deliver desired content to consumers. It is important to get distribution deals right so that they generate rewards for the producer as well as all concerned in the making of the film. None the less film production is an ardous task that requires rigorous effort, networking, full knowledge about the processes involved, the desire to excel and lastly a firm belief in oneself. Value for the talent of all involved in the process instills a culture condusive to the creative end result of the film being a masterpiece in its field. Then there is no limit to the revenues that are generated in the box office in addition to the film bagging a plethora of rewards in its category, thus paving the way for further such productions to be taken in hand and created and delivered successfully. Sources www.thefootballfactory.com/ www.out-law.com/ dohistory.org/film/process_preprod.html www.indietalk.com www.sagindie.org/resources/contracts www.sagindie.org/resources/contracts dvcreators.net/music-clearance-article/ www.clearance.com/get_yourself.htm www.capitalequitypartners.com/. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_finance www.newenglandfilm.com/news/archives www.dvhandbook.com/index.php?p=30 Read More