Big Talk Productions

How long has it been around for?

Big talk productions has been in effect since 1995 (16 years) and was founded by Nira Park.

Who runs it?

It is run by a number of people and other investing businesses, such as:

·         Kenton Allen (Joint CEO, main company)

·         Matthew Justice (Managing director of the main company)

·         Simon Curtis ( Executive producer of drama, main company)

·         BBC worldwide (25%)

·         75% independant

·         That Mitchell and Webb company

·         (Completed a development deal jointly funded by Film Four and UK Film Council)

What does the company do?

The company produces television programmes and movies

What films have they made?

·         Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

·         Paul (2011)

·         Attack the Block (2011)

·         Sightseers (2012)

How a film is made (the process)

1) Development
In this stage you need to consider the following aspects:

• Who would watch your movie? / Whos your target audience?
• What do you want your film to say?
• How can you tell it in a new/original way?
• Where would people be able to view your film?

During this development stages you must:

• Develop your ideas
• Plan a script
• Plan and go over all the intricate details
• Plan the length of your film (aspects)
• Storyboard your film

2) Pre-Production (http://www.northernmedia.org/?mod=funding&pageid=104&id=15)
You begin this stage when you have a well developed script and you are clear about who you are targetting as an audience and what the project is about. This is the time for detailed and specific planning – for pinning down the schedule. This is a written plan of what will take place at each stage of your production - from casting, rehearsals, the shooting schedule, to the post-production and delivery of your film.

During the pre-production period you will usually:

• Prepare an overall schedule
• Audition and cast actors
• Book crew (Decide who will do what and make sure they are available when you need them)
• Prepare the shooting script (Pin down the locations and group your scenes together in the order they will be filmed)
• Identify the locations you will use and get permission to film there
• Prepare shooting schedule (Plan your shoot. Decide what will happen on what day – and prepare contingency plans for bad weather)
• Book locations and transport
• Book catering provision
• Sort out insurance
• Sort out copyright clearance for any pre-recorded music you intend to use
• Rehearse – directors and actors
• Prepare locations / sets (i.e. do any art work and set dressing)
• Sort out costumes and props if necessary
• Produce call sheets - daily plans that let everyone know when they are expected and what they are expected to do

3) Production
During this time you are set to put all your pre-production planning into action. You would carry out such tasks as:

• shoot scenes
• plan ahead for next days shoot
• reschedule if things go wrong

4) Post-production

This is the editing part – it falls into two sections – off-line and online. The key creative decisions are made in the off-line edit, so you may wish to involve members of your group in this part of the process.

Off-line edit             
Lower cost, lower picture-quality edit. All editing decisions are made during this time (except for special effects that will require sophisticated equipment).

On-line edit
High cost, high picture-quality edit. All the pictures in your film are replaced from the original tapes at the highest resolution available. Special effects and captions are added, and pictures are colour graded at this stage.  If you are hoping that your programme will be broadcast, the on-line editor will also make sure that signal levels recorded on your final master edit conform to the standards set for broadcast video/audio.   

Sound Dub
Additional sound effects and music are mixed with the recorded sound

5) Screening/ Exhibition and Distribution
You may want to screen your film at a cinema, or a non-theatrical venue. You will need to have publicity and marketing ideas to promote the film and encourage an audience to come and see it.  Plan to take good quality stills pictures during the production, so you have a strong image to promote your film.
Make sure you have sorted out the following issues early on the production process, otherwise you may find you are unable to show your film:

• Music - have you got copyright clearance?
• Release forms
• You may need to specify a viewing age for your film if there is strong language or violent/sexually explicit content.
• If you want to show your film to the general public, you will need to apply to your local authority licensing department for permission. 

Primeval - Notes on gender representation

In this clip taken from the ITV drama Primeval, gender stereotypes are challenged, this is conveyed through use of camera, editing, sound and mise en scene. One of the most significant pieces of prop is the JCB digger in which you see the female character Abby use in order to save her male companion, this already gives us evidence that the typical stereotype of the male domineer and the female damsel are being challenged. Stereotypically it would have been the male which would have been saving Abby from the Sabre Tooth, however this is the opposite. Abby is wearing no (if anything subtle) makeup and very casual working clothes, this goes against the popular stereotype for women which is that they wear a lot of makeup and generally take a lot of care with their appearance, so she is seen as a exception to her stereotype and if anything a "tom boy" character as she carries some more typically male traits.

However, the female stereotype is not completely outlawed as there is a female characters who is seen to be wearing quite overt makeup and formal/neat attire. This conforms to the stereotype. This is the same with a majority of the male characters, despite the exception of the one male character which does not follow his stereotype (as he plays the character in distress), the rest however do. For example toward the end of the clip the male characters save the damsel in distress, which is typical of their "heroic" or "dominant" stereotype. The majority of the male characters are also given guns which reinforce their position of power, a canted angle puts the audience at the other end of the barrel to establish the hierarchy of power (with the male at the controlling end of the gun).

Nick Cutter (the male in distress) is mainly show to be in a area of inferiority which subsequently emasculates and this is show through the angles in which the camera has been placed. For example when the camera is placed at a low angle which is tilted up to reveal the Sabre Tooth it shows the high position of power in which the animal has at that moment. This once again plays opposite to the male "dominant" stereotype as he is always in a vulnerable position. The editing in this scene is moved into a faster pace, this helps build up a gripping scene which supports Nicks vulnerability. The heavy drum beats and speedily played violin also add to the tension, as it is used to represent the pounding heart beat of the potential victim (Nick) and the swift movement of the Sabre Tooth catching up with him.

The traditional farmer/landowner stereotype is successfully conveyed through the mise en scene as typically a farmer would be of male sexuality (as is the farmer in this clip). He has a gun as his prop and is dressed in khaki, old worn farming clothes which we only really see on a male character. The gun here is very significant in fulfilling his male stereotype as this completes the powerful male alter-ego, it also gives the scene diegetic sound as the farmer shoots his rifle multiple times to enforce his power and masculinity. The editing brings about a slow motion sequence as the "heroes" arrive to aid the damsel in distress when in the landowners barn, this is effective in showing the exchange in power, which shows the younger men to be the alpha male.

Secret Diary of a Call Girl - Sound

As well as using the camera work and other aspects of production, sound is a very important factor in creating a representation, in this case it is the representation of disability. At the begging of the clip ambient sound of the wheel chair rolling along the carpet can be heard, this directs our attention to the chair straight away, which is of course backed up by the images of the man sitting in the chair. At this stage of the clip there is no sound track, this is to ensure that the audience feel the awkwardness in which the characters are subjected to feeling.

Dialogue is next on the repertoire of sounds in which the audience are to encounter. The dialogue sends off a signal of awkwardness right away as there is some use of phatic talk and the sentences are never fully finished before a reply is handed out. As the action starts to get going, we increasingly hear my ambient sounds, for example when Billy Piper is locking the door, these sounds are delivered to us quite clearly to make the audience aware that this is an important sound. Almost three quarters of the way into the clip a soundtrack now begins to play, the main instrument in which we hear is a harmonica, which is usually associated with the blues, as we are to feel sympathy for the disabled man. This sound is also sound bridged as is takes us from a clip of the father to a clip of Billy and the male.

Some other important sounds:

• Ambient - Rustling of paper, footsteps, the window opening and closing, nature
• Soundtrack - Harmonica song, radio, bib

Sound Terminology

Diegetic - sound that characters can hear

Non-diegetic - Sound that characters cannot hear

Soundtrack - music chosen to go with a scene

Score - Original music (made for the show)

Sound Effects - Recorded sounds, usually added in post production (editing)

Theme - Music that goes with characters or situations

Ambient sound - natural, environmental sounds

Dialogue - speech, intonation (how they say it), accent

Sound Bridge - soundtack starts in one scene and is carried to the other

Secret Diary of a Call Girl - Representation of disability - Editing

In the clip taken from ITV drama Secret Diary of a Call Girl, the subject of disability is very relevant and certainly on topic. Editing is used to make us feel certain emotions regarding this sensitive subject and to make us constantly aware of the topic of disability. Below is a list of some of the important features of editing used to create this representation of disability:

• Eye line shot of the disabled man, which instantly brings us to the subject of disability
• When dealing with the payments, there is an eye line match between Billy Piper, the father and the cripple. We view it as Billy looking down, then the father looking down, then their subject of interest (the boy) is show after
• Long scene when the father is rummaging through his sons bag, to build awkwardness
• Match on action when the father picks up his son and places him down on the bed
• Shot-reverse shot of Billy locking the door, to vulnerable boy, back to door. This shot shows concern
• Slow pace, generating a feeling of anxiety
• 180degree rule, Billy always on the left and disabled boy is usually to the right
• Eye line match, Dad looking at the penthouse apartment, shows anxiety and protectiveness
• Jump-cuts of the father in the van which are used to show boredom, time passing and anxiety. There is no relationship between each of the shots, they're discontinuous
• Cross cutting of the action taking place simultaneously
• Camera/editing is privileging the master shot (master shot shows both characters)

Editing Terminology

Eye line Match - A shot of someones face looking, then a shot of what they're looking at

Cross Cutting - Cutting from one scene to the other,. showing the action is happening at the same time. To suggest characters story lines will ,meet and converge.

Cut on motion/ motion cut - Cutting to a closer frame or different frame when there is movement to draw pour attention to it. Starts on one shot and is completed on the next.

Graphic Match - Two shots chosen for graphic similarity e.g. a clock face and rolo (both circular)

Shot - reverse shot - Used during conversations to show one characters perspective to the other in a conversation

Transitions -

• Cut (hard cut)
• Dissolve/cross fade
• Fade in/out
• Jump cut

Jump cut  - Draws attention to the editing and takes out some of the time in a chronological narrative

Montage - Shots chosen for thematic relationship and are often used to show development and crunch time

Pace - How does the edit affect the mood through the pace of the clip