Pre – production – Pre-production is the process of preparing all the elements and aspects of a project in order to create a good starting point from which you can proceed into full production of that project. This can be applied in all forms of entertainment, from Television and Radio, to live performances such as plays and gigs.
When carrying out pre – production for any given project, one must consider the following;
Type of production;
This is fairly straightforward. When starting pre-production, you obviously have to take into account what media form you are producing. For this Piece of written work we will focus mainly on pre-production for Computer Games design as well as some others forms to create a comparison. My reasoning for this is that I have already gained experience in the pre-production of games and can therefore draw relative knowledge and apply it to this piece of work.
There are varying stages in production. As with the majority of projects, you start of with the pre-production. From then on is where it begins to vary, this is because within pre-production, research has to be taken and when designing and generating ideas for anything. In terms of Computer games, you will mainly research at other games of a similar genre and style and take from that research what is needed. On the other hand, pre-production for a live performance is completely different than gaming, rehearsals, lighting, choreography and sound will all have to be planned and executed. Pre-production of anything is essential as it provides a backbone for you to work with when developing the project. In my case, a 2D iPad application. As well as the initial idea generation, other such things have to be taken into account. This includes but is not limited to; Finance, Time, Personnel, Facilities, Material, Contributors, Locations, Codes of Practice and Regulation.
Finance;
Having a good financial plan when in pre-production is essential as it could be a deal breaker in the development of your project. Gaining the appropriate funds to ensure you project stays on track can be difficult. In order to make this somewhat easier, you should plan out and consider what your funds will be needed to pay for. Notable things to consider can be; Materials, Software, Workspace and Salaries. All forms of costs need to be considered as it will help you gain a clear indication of the amount of money you will be making in the long run. It is important that you carry out market research for certain aspects of your financing such as software and workspace. The market is highly competitive so finding better deals that will reduce your outgoing payments will always be a benefit in the long run. Finances can come from various sources such as; Your own pocket, Sponsors, Fund raising, Bank loans as well as Donations. In the Gaming industry, this is mainly more specific to Indie game companies which will use websites such as ‘Kickstarter’ in order to preview their ideas and allow people who like the idea to donate money towards to the development of the game. Other industries such as Radio and Television will gain money from sponsors or through Funds generated by their individuals higher up in industry.
Time;
Time in pre-production is very important and can include an array of things that will help in the development of your project. It is also not specific to the development of video games. Time can include such things as; deadlines, scheduling and milestones. Deadlines provide a target for a team to achieve as well as move the development a long a good pace and are set by the lead developer of that particular area.Failing to meet deadlines can seriously hinder the development of any project as well as lose the company money and ultimately lose you your job. Scheduling allows you to set out what parts of the project are to worked on and who is working on them, this eliminates any confusion and also shares workloads out evenly. These aspects can apply to all forms of creative media industry and applying them effectively can ensure that your project is completed on time and to a good standard.
Personnel;
Personnel is another important aspect in the pre-production of creative media. You have to look at multiple aspects such as; the size of your team, assigning different roles and which people are competent workers who will get the job done. One of the first things you need to do is look at the size of your team and take into account the time needed and that you have adequate personnel to cover all jobs that have to be completed. To maintain an efficient form of progress, it is recommended that you have more than one person who is able to complete any particular job at any one time. This will not only save time but will also not hinder the progress of the project if someone is away. This is obviously harder to do if you have a smaller budget and are unable to afford this. The skills and experience of your personnel also play a vital role in the project development. Ideally people should be hired who you feel have the best skill set and experience using those skills meaning they will be able to apply it to the development of your project. However, it is also sometimes a good idea to hire people who aren’t as qualified and can be trained by the more experienced personnel. This should only be done when you have an adequate amount of time in which the less experienced personnel can be trained. On the other hand it will also benefit your company financially because the wages of the lesser experienced people will not be as high as the more experienced people and will only increase with time.
Facilities;
When planning out what facilities you will need for the production of your project, you should take into the account the following; equipment, you must make sure you have all the correct equipment needed to create your project. In games this can refer to certain pieces of software, such as Adobe illustrator and Photoshop for artwork as well as certain pieces of hardware including powerful PC’s that can render certain graphical assets. You will also have to look at the space needed to house all of your equipment and personnel. A space to small can create an undesirable working environment while a space to big will be a waste of money. In other industries, facilities can vary. Radio stations will need things like recording studios and mixers while television studios will need cameras and lighting equipment. Will all this, you will have to take into account the cost of all the facilities you need and incorporate it into your financial plan.
Materials;
In regards to materials, a plan needs to be created that outlines what materials you need and how you are going to get them. This includes who you will use to supply items which is important as it can affect the overall cost, so carefully choosing who you are going to use as a supplier is essential as you may be able to find better deals at other companies.
These materials can include (but are not limited to);
Library and archive materials
Photo-library materials
Sound Library materials
Scripts
graphics
Interviews
sources
The way in which you get the materials you need depends on other aspects including, time, finance and needs. It is also recommended that a priority list be created so that the harder to acquire materials be acquired before anything else. You will also have to take into account the type of project you are developing so that you are able to identify the specific materials needed for your production. Researching your materials is an effective way to find some good deals and places where you can save money. The best example of this would be Sound Libraries where you can source free music and sounds. This will save money and time as you wont have to spend money on Foley artists creating sound or have to wait for them to actually make the sound.
Contributors;
Contributors mainly include the personnel involved in the development of the project. In terms of the development of a video game, this can include (but is not limited to);
Artists
Lead Developers
Programmers
Designers
External specialists
Publishers
These certain departments make up the development team of the project. Each area contributes a certain amount of work in accordance to their own deadlines. Designers will mock up a general idea for the game while artists will begin creating concept art based on those ideas. Programmers will begin coding a very basic version of the game and the artists will begin finalized artwork or placeholders for the time being. At times, some projects will ask specialists or experts to come in a voice their opinion on a particular topic or help in the development. A good example of this would be in the television industry where some shows will invite people onto the show to explain a topic in more detail or voice their opinion on the matter.
Location;
Location is an important aspect whether it be you deciding where to base a new games studio or set up some other creative media form. When doing so you should consider;
Accessibility
Cost
Distance
Area
Accessibility is very important as it can affect the general work flow of the company. If your location isn’t as accessible for some members of staff to other, you will find that some people will not be able to work as much as others and this can disrupt any form of development. You also have to take into account the cost of the location in which you would like the base your company as some areas will be cheaper than others. For example an office in the middle of Birmingham city center will cost more than an office that is based on the outskirts of Birmingham. An office based somewhere close to others who specialize in the same industry is also advised as it will allow you to create connections with other companies that may benefit the development of your project. Another aspect that should be taken into account is the distance in which your employees have to travel in order to get to work, too far and it increases the chances they may be late for work or out of frustration, leave the job entirely. Another aspect you have you take into account is the cost. It should be a priority on your financial plan as it is one the most expensive aspects of starting up your own studio. There are ways to reduce how much you pay but that always comes with the area you choose to set up in and the state in which the building is in. It is advisable that you find a location that is pretty much ready to go and not in need of restoration or fixing up. This is because it takes time and money and while it may be a little cheaper, the time invested will take away any time you spend on creating projects and making money.
In regards to pre-production, it is very important that you take into account all the codes of practice, rules and regulations, trademarks, ethics and copyright.
Trademarking for example is when and company or individual legally protects a word, symbol or phrase in order to prevent others from using it to gain money. Copyright is a legal process in which a person or company is given exclusive rights to print, film, perform and record a project. Protecting any content created by someone. Ethics is another important aspect in games, especially in more modern games. This is where moral principles influence the players choice in the game to progress a story.
In terms of rating systems, one of the most well known is PEGI. This is a regulation body that determines a video game rating based on ages. This allows members of the public to determine whether or not the game is suitable for them or if the person is a parent, whether or not it is suitable for their child. Their rating system follows this pattern.
When I had to create an application for the Birmingham Repertory theater, I had to take all of these aspects into account and apply them.
In terms of finance for the app, there was none. We had to use all the software provided by BOA as anything else such as external materials like sounds and graphical elements would’ve have had come from our own pockets or created ourselves. In terms of resources and materials, everything was already at hand in terms of software with ADOBE illustrator and Photoshop installed and Gamesalad. The main source of content or material was the rep itself who provided us with a large amount of archive material to incorporate into the app.
George M. Pollock 