Saturday 28 February 2015

Unit 1: 1.1 Outline the working culture of the film industry

The working culture of the film industry is very different to typical 9-5 office jobs. You have to be exceptionally adaptation and flexible, as you sometimes have to work unsocial hours and locations. The probability of these irregular hours and demanding work mean that dedication, enthusiasm and resourcefulness stand out as qualities that help new entrants get noticed. short-term employment and unpredictable job stability. Work is often last-minute and requires a great deal of flexibility, particularly in production.

Although some fixed employment opportunities exist, a great deal of the work is freelance and so often people have additional part-time work to support themselves and need forethought for stretching their income over periods of unemployment. To work in the industry you have to have the initiative and confidence to work freelance, and not always have that secure unmoving work.  For me especially going into directing and cinematography, I need to be very good at working with people, leading teams, and communicating. As well as thinking on my feet and having very clear artistic visions

Friday 27 February 2015

Unit 1: 1.2 Identify Time Management Skills

This is a page of a script we got given. I annotated it with the shots my group and I were planning, as well as scheduling tips i picked up and things to keep in mind.

Thursday 26 February 2015

Unit 1: 1.3 Describe the Key Aspects Of Health And Safety When Working On Film Productions

This is the risk assessment sheet I completed for a short film called "Crimson", directed by Piers Hill.
Risk assessments are important because they analyse and evaluate the chance of injury, which could potentially stop the whole production.

Wednesday 25 February 2015

Unit 1: 1.4 Identify Materials Which May Be Subject To Copyright

These are the copyright issues that I made note of while watching the short film "Crimson".
Directed by Piers Hill, Produced by Rajita Shah.

1. Background Music
2. Marvel Reference in Dialogue
3. Band Posters in the Background
4. Branded Clothing
5. Branded Cars


Crimson from B3 Media on Vimeo.

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Unit 1: 1.5 Explain How Regulations May Affect The Use Of Copyight Materials

Copyright is the legal right which was created by the law of a country, which grants the creator of the original work exclusive rights to its distribution. Copyright is important to creators like writers and artists as well as those such as publishers that own rights, as it provides them with a legal right of ownership of the work that they produce.


This means that creators of an original piece of work can have some control over how it is used, which is not only fair but necessary for them to make a living from their talent and efforts. When they have the means to make a living from their work then they can continue to invest their time, and, in the case of publishers, their money into the production of new work.

Materials which are subject to copyright

Musical Scores/Recorded Music – Any form of copied music is subject to copyright, unless you  either edit the song so it does not sound at all like the original, or if you get written permission to use that music.

Scripts - Ideas and story lines that were taken directly from another production are subject to a copyright. E.g. If you made a film with the exact story line and characters as Harry Potter, the producers could file a claim against you.

Images and sound in the production – Including musical scores and scripts, using someone’s images and sounds without their permission.

Finished Films – Films which are finished and contain any copied work such as photographs, music or branding for which permission was not given, are in breach of the copyright laws. 

Regulations affecting the use of copyright

Generally you aren’t allowed to use someone’s work because of copyright, however there is regulations which allow a very limited use of a product. The basic rights which are protected by copyright laws are: To reproduce the work; to import/export the work; to create derivative works; to create and distribute copies; to publicly perform and display the work.

The "Fair Use Doctrine" allows the limited use of materials which are copyrighted without any permission. It’s determined by four factors which are: Purpose and the charter of use; the nature of the copyrighted material; the amount of copyright used and the effect of the use to market potential.

Almost all copyrighted material which is for educational use falls under the "Fair Use Doctrine", the acts that are permitted to a certain degree are: Research and Private study purposes; Lending for educational purposes; News reporting and criticism; Parody, pastiche and caricature; playing sound recordings for non profit making organizations.




This sheet is a example page from the UK copyright service document.

Sunday 22 February 2015

Unit 1: 2.2 Describe The Structure And Interrelations Of The Film Industry

Structure - the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.
Interrelations - the way in which two or more things or people are connected and affect one another:

The Structure of the Production department (in hierarchical order) is:
Executive Producer
Line Producer
Production Manager
Production Coordinator
Post-production supervisor
FA Director
SA Director
TA Director
Production Assistant
Script Supervisor
Stunt coordinator
Production Runner

Interrelationships
The interrelationships of the production departments are: The Executive Producer will talk to the line producer about the budget of the film. Who will design a budget sheet and will manage that. The line producer will then talk to the Production Manager who will supervise the budget, scheduling and will make sure that the film stays in schedule and within it’s budget. The line producer will also give the Production Coordinator the budget sheet so the Production Coordinator knows what the budget is for renting equipment and hiring actors.

Saturday 21 February 2015

Unit 1: 2.3 Outline The Potential Progress Routes Into The Film Industry And Wider Sector

1. Become a film student
2. Study Film production at University
3. Get a MA in film production
4. Get an Apprenticeship/ Work Experience
5. Make your own short films/ music videos/ promo material for company's
6. Get into a productions company's radar
7. Make bigger shorts
8. Get small jobs in a production company
9. Slowly progress up the production company
10. Continue working on your own films/ other independent films

Friday 20 February 2015

Unit 1: 2.4 Outline The Relationship Between The Film Industry And Wider Creative Media Sector

The film industry is under the bracket of the wider creative media sector. But more specifically the film industry often helps other creative media sectors such as gaming, photography, graphic design, and computer software. This is because more people are editing films in Adobe software (for example), and people watch films on other platforms, such as television. Therefore the film industry helps other creative industries to thrive. Similarly the film industry is helped by other media sectors such as advertising and music as we film their advertisements and music videos for them, linking people back to the film industry. It is also easy to switch careers and fields in and out of the film/ wider creative sector. For example fine artists could easily go into art direction.


Thursday 19 February 2015

Unit 1: 3.1 Describe the Impact of Your Own Behavior on Others

The director of our group's film "Tom Girl" Jack Ross said, "Mariella has that cinematographers eye much sought after by directors such as myself. During our shoot she was suggesting images I hadn't even articulated. Without her artistic impulse i'm not sure our tight 3 hour shoot would've been met."

I feel I contributed a great deal to the production of Tom Girl, and worked very well in conjunction with the whole group to combine our skills and make the best film that we could.

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Unit 1: 3.2 Identify the Key Factors for Effective Working Relationships

Using the comments I received from Jack Ross, I feel that I could improve my technical skills. He talked about my cinematographer's eye and artistic impulse, and I think that I could have done a better job if I was more knowledgeable about some of the more technical aspects of cinematography. I know a little about lighting set ups, and the added connotation behind different camera angles/ shots. But my technical experience working with a film crew and sophisticated camera is very limited. In the future I will change this by using my experience with the BFI film academy, and my other film projects that I am working on to give me more hands on experience. 

Monday 16 February 2015

Unit 1: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, and 4.5

4.1 Identify the Resources Needed to Meet Film Production Requirements
4.2 Identify the Technical Skills and Equipment Required for Own Production Role
4.3 Review Own Technical Skills and Use of Equipment
4.4 Identify Sources of Feedback on Your Performance
4.5 Describe Areas for Development in your Current Knowledge, Understanding, and Skills

I have answered all of these in full in my video taped interview with Leigh.

Sunday 15 February 2015

Unit 1: 5.1 Review and Critique a Short Film Production

I am reviewing the other groups short film "New year solution". I really enjoyed this film, as I felt that the story was really original. The pacing I felt was especially good, and there was one dolly shot that I really liked as it gave the whole production a really professional feel.The obvious psychological battle was portrayed well through the metaphor of making it physical. The art design was done really well as it really gave the feel of a bleak bedroom, instead of the corporate stairwell where it was filmed. This colour scheme gave the whole tone of the piece a slightly disconcerting feel, as if the audience know something is wrong without anything having actually happened yet. The story was told well without the use of much dialogue, the visual codes told the majority of the plot and created depth around the main character, and his situation. 

Saturday 14 February 2015

Unit 1: 5.2 Review and Discuss Own Choice of: British Film Productions, World Film Productions

British film has long been critically acclaimed even when pitted against its seemingly superior American counterpart "Hollywood" film. However when you actually compare average critic scores you find that British films actually fair higher. The average critic’s score for Hollywood films being 5 out of 10, and the average critic’s score for low budget British films being 6.5 out of 10.

Films, being a cultural barometer, often reflect the society that they were made it, and the audiences that they are appealing to. The British film "The Kings Speech" is based on a true story and follows England's Prince Albert as he prepares to ascend the throne as King George VI, and the challenges he faces with his speech impediment. This film is set in England and features English people. British films of this sort typicality  have a smaller budget, meaning that they often focus on the characters and story. This is because these budgets aren't available for spectacular special effects and post production. This is shown in the film "The Kings Speech" as the story arc is about a speech impediment, needing vertically no specialist post work. This is much less common in Hollywood as they favour high budget dramatic often sci-fi/ action films.

Saturday 31 January 2015

Unit 3: 1.1 Identify the Stages of the Film Production Process

  • Development 
- Concept
- Script Writing
- Story Boarding
- Finding Talent
- Financial Planning
- Think About Marketing/ Audiences
- Audience Research
- Cast + Crew

  • Pre Production
- Finalising Script / Story board
- Scheduling Shooting
- Budgeting
- Finding Locations
- Set Deadlines
- Finalise Cast and Crew
- Make Mock ups of Sets / Scenes / Lighting set ups
- Art Design inc. Make up, Sets, and Costume
- Script run throughs
- Accumulate the equipment needed

  • Production
- Set up
- Filming on Set
- Clean Up
  • Post Production 
- Editing
- Sound Design
- Soundtrack
- VFX
- SFX
- Colour Correction
- Opening titles 
- Closing Credits

  • Distribution 
- Exporting
- Sending the Finished Film to the Box Office and to be Mastered onto DVD and Blue ray Format. 
- Promotion via press interviews, film showings and film festival activities.



Thursday 29 January 2015

Unit 3: 2.1 Explain the Key Elements of a Story Structure in Film

In any piece of fictitious film, the structure can be broken down in to 3 key sections. These are called the 3 act structure. This three-act structure is a model used in screen writing that divides a fictional narrative into three parts, often called the Setup, the Confrontation and the Resolution. While it is a popular structure for screenwriters, many have expressed their distaste with the model, feeling it to be too restrictive. 
  • Act 1- The first act is usually used for exposition, to establish the main characters, their relationships and the world they live in.
  • Act 2 - The second act, typically depicts the protagonist's attempt to resolve the problem initiated by the first turning point, only to find themselves in ever worsening situations.
  • Act 3 - The third act features the resolution of the story and its subplots. The climax is the scene or sequence in which the main tensions of the story are brought to their most intense point and the dramatic question answered.

Russian theorist Tzvetan Todorov, also sygested this three part structure. But he believed that all narratives begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt that equilibrium, and finally reach a resolution, when equilibrium is restored. The three stages being named equilibrium, dis- equilibrium, and new equilibrium. So this means that:
  • Beginning = Act 1 = Equilibrium
  • Middle = Act 2 = Dis- Equilibrium
  • End = Act 3 = New Equilibrium 
Todorov's theory takes into account Aristotle's theory that all drama is conflict, and therefore that there is a dis-equilibrium at the heart of every narrative. 

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Unit 3: 2.2 Research Ideas for a Short Film Production

Film Ideas:
  1. Book on shelf
  2. Bloody Rose
  3. Anxiety "Normal"
  4. Same Me, Same You
  5. Tom Girl
  6. Picture This (Jack's poleriod film idea)
  7. Addiction

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Unit 3: 2.3 Explain Own Ideas for a Short Film Production

I had three ideas for the short film, two of which I put forward to the group. One that I called "Normal", and another named "Loss", and the third "Bound".

The first film - "Normal" features a protagonist whom suffers from anxiety. The idea of it was to try and put the audience through her unease of the seemingly normal events using film techniques to off put the audience and make them feel empathy. 

The second - "Loss" is much like the first, but stemmed from a compleatly different idea. There was to be three characters, a family, sitting and eating around a dinner table. Again the audience would be made to feel uneasy, but unsure as to why. As time went on you start to realise that the mother never responds or eats. The plates pile up around them, the kitchen is in a terrible state. At the end of the meal, the camera pans past the father and sons empty bowls to the mothers which lays untouched, it then pans up showing the mother not to be there at all. She was a figment of her grieving families imagination. 

The third - "Bound" is about a girl who finds a book on a shelf with her name on it. She picks the book up, despite being told not to touch anything, and in it shows the story of her life. She flicks through it and it shows her triumphs and downfalls throughout the years. In between these, however, there are her brothers achievements. It becomes clear through the pictures and the girls body language that she becomes uncomfortable. Her parents are pushing her into working in a area that she doesnt want to. Someone calls her name, she slams the book shut and hurriedly tries to put it back into place. A photo falls out face down as she does, and before walking out she bends down to pick it up. Dust floats up, as she reaches for it. She stands with the picture in her hand, deciding whether or not to look at it, to look into her future. At the last second she turns and tosses it into a near fire, before turning her back on it and walking out. 

Monday 26 January 2015

Unit 3: 2.4 Present Short Film Ideas

[I presented two of my ideas for a short film to my BFI Film Academy group, one by myself, and the other with a small group of friends.]

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Unit 3: 3.4 Produce a Short Film

The short film that my group and I made called "Tom Girl" is being submitted separately to this blog.

Thursday 8 January 2015

Notes From Week 5!

  • Make sure you see the export, don't leave your film in someone else's hands. 
  • Always take a copy of the raw footage as well as the finished film for future portfolios. 

  • Tom Girl Feedback:
  • Good idea- good approach (truthful and heartfelt)
  • Good amount of content & shots & shot types & angles
  • Good visual codes that tell the story without any dialogue
  • Good framing & filming
  • Improve continuity
  • Great emotional soundtrack
  • Build up of tension 
  • Make sure you can read the text
  • Improve some of the timing

In conclusion I really loved my time at BFI film academy, I feel like I had an invaluable experience and learnt an indescribable amount about the industry and film making process. I cant wait to use my new skills and knowledge in a new film venture.  

Wednesday 7 January 2015

Notes From Week 4!


  • Jodie is own main characters name, played by Max.
  • May is the best friend, played by Manisha.
  • Geoffrey is the best friends boyfriend, played by Kris.
  • The extra (who i'm naming Jane), was played by me.

  • I alternated between working the lighting, camera, being an extra, and sometimes a runner.

  • 3Cs and 3Ss are used for analysing film. 
  • They are - colour, character, camera, setting, story, and sound.

Tuesday 6 January 2015

Preparation for Production day!

The director (Jack) and the other DoP (Tom) and I spent the whole week before production prepping everything. Finishing the story/ storyboard, making the schedule, working out the lighting, tone, and pace, of the shots and film as a whole. This was so we were prepared when we got on set. But unfortunately as it turned out, we had to cut half of our shots, and the schedule went out of the window because of unforeseen difficulties on the day.

Monday 5 January 2015

Notes From Week 3!


  • The NFTS is the best film school
  • Work freelance in the early days
  • In December, January, and February there is low demand for work, so try to do your own stuff 
  • For a scene choose either handheld or tripod - do not switch between, as it confuses the audience
  • Remember the safety clip on tripods
  • Don't zoom during a shot. Not in post or on the camera, dolly/ tracking only. 
  • Iris ~ aperture
  • Think about depth of field/ the shot. Front, mid, back layers.
  • Gane up ~ quality down. Gane is used when dark, but try not to use it too much
  • White balance is important during a shot. 
  • Blue/ white light comes from artificial lights, yellow light comes naturally from outside.
  • Tracking shots increase production value dramatically. Shoot these types of shots first.

Sunday 4 January 2015

Notes From Week 2!


  • Director - Asham Kambaj - short film "rent"
  • When you have restricted locations make the piece character driven
  • Small things/ actions show audiences who characters are
  • Keep in mind Symbolism, metaphors, and prophetic fallacy
  • Keep ideas, characters, world, and story simple
  • 3 Act structure (Equilibrium, Dis Equilibrium, New Equilibrium)
  • Characters -
Why do the audience care?
Keep relatability in mind
Always start with character, then world, then the story
Don't make generic characters - flesh them out







Saturday 3 January 2015

Notes From Week 1!

As well as the blog posts that i am doing for the qualification on this blog, i will also be posting the notes that i took down, for future reference.


  • Get a IMBD page (Internet movie data base)
  • Do commercials and music videos to start
  • Don't use any copyrighted stuff at all - baggage as a film maker
  • Make friends with musicians/ writers/ actors
  • 3 Pages script = 1 minuet of footage = 1 day of filming  = £1000 production cost
  • For actors  - Casting Call Pro + Spotlight
  • Pastiche, Parody, and documentaries are exempt from copyright laws to some extent
  • Enter film festivals for kids first- then progress onto adult film festivals  

Thursday 1 January 2015

Getting Accepted!

My name is Mariella Devoil, I am a 17 year old A level Student. My aspirations are to get into feature films as a director or cinematographer.

This is my blog about my time with the BFI film academy run in the Pinewood film studios, documenting my progress as I go along!

My course runs through from the 17th of January to the 21st of February, working towards a NCFE Level 2 Award in Preparing to Work in the Film Industry.