Why is health and safety important when working on film productions?

It is important to have clear health and safety guidelines when working with film, and it is even more important to follow these guidelines when scenes are being rushed/there are children or animals on set/ when there is low lighting in the surrounding area. Health and safety practice isn’t just important when stunts are taking place, there is risks of fires in studios and any exterior shooting will come with risks (traffic, weather, uneven surfaces ect.). When filming even simple things can carry hazards, if a person is required to carry out a certain movement over and over again, the risk for hazard increases (the risk of serious injury can be decreased by changing specific things about the environment, e.g. performing an action on grass instead of concrete).

What are some of the key safety issues relating to film production?

Extreme weather in a shooting location carries threats to health and safety, if you are shooting outside all day it is essential that crew are dressed appropriately (warm or cool clothes), have sun cream/ place for shade/ waterproofs/ appropriate footwear).

Camera risks such as a camera operator walking backwards in a moving shot, they should be make sure they are comfortable with the path they will be taking.

Shots that may look disturbing to the public eye if they don’t know a camera is present, e.g. a fight scene, should be monitored.

How did you apply good health and safety practice when making your film? Include your risk assessment and explain why this is important.

1. What did you do? In this session we did a cinematography masterclass, at the start of the session we learnt about different shots and how these shots could be put together to create a specific mise-en-scene, then we learned how to operate the cameras and booms, and how to plan shots, we filmed a practice film with the plot based around a delivery that allowed us to try out the things we had learned at the start of the day.
2. What have you learnt? I learnt that before we make our film it will be vital to plot every single one of our shots, we more footage then I thought we would, and it’s important that everyone is focused to make sure that camera is correctly set up and that the sound is perfect.
3. How have you worked with others? In small groups we did a practice short film, we all tried out different things and it allowed everybody to get to grips with using the equipment.
4. What do you need to develop? I think a firm plan for the script and all the shots we will need for our short film is essential, we only have a short amount of time to get all the footage we need so everyone needs to know exactly what they need to do on the day.

4.2 Explain why copyright is important in the film industry.

Copyright is the exclusive right given to the creator of a creative work to reproduce the work, usually for a limited time. The Copyright law exists because it helps to protect a creators ownership of their work.
The kind of work that is covered by the copyright law are original works of authorship (e.g. literature, poetry, films and music).
If we were to use someone else’s copyrighted work in our film then and profit from that use then we would have to pay them and court may prevent us from showing our work.
In order to avoid infringing copyright laws in our film we should try and avoid using any creative works not made by ourselves, and if we do, we must have permission of the original creator.

2.2 Describe a range of key job roles and responsibilities in the film industry.

Producer: person who manages the production of the film from beginning to end. They plan and distribute jobs to the people that they hire, so that everything runs as smoothly as possible, and they organize the financing of the film, they are pretty much the manager of the film.

Director: they are the person in charge of the shooting the film. they ore often seen as the sole creator of the films they take part in, but they are always supported by a huge network of other workers.

Cinematographer: they work closely with the director to capture the script in the way that the director wants, they plan the lighting of the scene as well as the movement of the cameras, their role is particularly important when it comes to capturing the desired atmosphere for each shot.

Editor: they arrange the sequence of the different shots and have a huge effect on how the film turns out (as often many different shots of the same scene have been taken).

Screenwriter: the screenwriter is the person who writes the script, they are vital in making sure the film plays out in a logic sequence (everything is in the correct order and makes sense) they also make sure that the dialogue seems natural to the audience.

NCFE write up.

1.1 Describe areas for development in your current knowledge,understanding and skills.

I am currently taking A-level Media Studies (my school doesn’t offer Film Studies of Photography). I have shot and edited music videos with friends for my Media course and enjoy amateur photography. Apart from that I have very little experience with any film production.

I am specifically interested in the cinematography of extreme sports (especially surfing, rock climbing and mountain biking) but would also be interested in documentary camera work (maybe to do with nature/environment).

In the film academy I would like to take on the role of cinematographer or editor, as I feel this would be most useful for me in relation to my ideal career.

From the BFI Film Academy I would like to gain more knowledge about the pathways that lead to jobs in the film industry after i have completed my sixth-form study, I am also looking forward to working with other young people with similar interests to me and am exited to have ago at making a short film that is more creative than sport documentaries would be to see if it would be something I am interested in doing in the future.

I am looking forward to improving my knowledge on editing, this is particularly important to me as I hope to gain experience and build a portfolio of work before I apply for jobs, but would likely have to edit the videos myself.

I would like to pursue further education or get a job in film and think that the BFI will be incredibly useful for me.

1.2 Take a role in the production of a short film.

My production role is editor. I will help my group plan the script and different camera shots and help map out where we will film and how long we will need to do it for. In production I will assist the director and cinematographer. 

I will, need to understand the software used for editing and how to operate a camera. I will also have to used the software for formatting a script.

We will need actors, cameras and tripods/stabilizers and access to several different locations, in and around Sheffield.