Introduction to Production Context:

With production context you are often looking for whether or not you are considering a high budget or a low budget film. If approaching a script with a low budget you are often putting up boundaries and limiting what you can do. However, there are a number of low budget productions which have tested the limits and proved more successful than high budget films. One example would be, ‘The Blair Witch Project’ which was entirely shot on a camcorder to create a first person spectacle for the audience. This is one of the main reasons it was considered a surprise success; it managed to still have the same effect a high budget horror movie  on its audience and used a method never really used before. On such a low budget there was no consideration for creating a costume for the witch so the director decided we, as the audience, would never see her. This also made the movie a surprise success being that there was a great deal of minimalism and yet it had a greater effect than a number of big budget horror movies released around the same time. This proves that you do not have to have a substantially high budget to make a movie a masterpiece and/or success.

In relation to my project:

We have been asked to film a promotional video for Kelham Island museum. We have been moved into four groups and have been given a short list of locations in the museum for which we must shoot. It is largely about our own creativity and how we will carry out the filming and visual representation of these locations so being on a low budget will only increase our creativity as it is largely down to us to make the product work and there are no expensive investments which automatically enhance the appearance of the overall project. For instance, no expensive filter lenses or, at the most extreme, no ARRI Alexa cameras. We are being realistic about the project; it is one day to be creative and to branch out our team work to make a final product.

When considering the Kelham Island project and the production context it instantly becomes clear to me which production context I will approach the project with. I intend to go about it with a low budget. I believe that in doing this it will allow me to explore my true creative potential when working with less than the bigger industries of advertising Museum in Sheffield. The equipment we use to capture the footage will be provided by the college and so this does not require any further investments. The only factor of the Kelham Island project which would ask for additional money on the day would be the transport. I intend to use public transport there and back as it is local and therefore I can focus, more, on considering how I will carry out the actual filming of the video.

Considering the purpose of the project, first and foremost we are making it with the intention of informing people it is local and available for those who feel they want to visit and expand their knowledge on a chosen subject. We are trying to tell people that it is not just an opportunity for primary school field trips to be that little bit more exciting but also an opportunity for adults and various other age groups to learn something new.

We are also creating the video with the intention of entertaining people, of course the largest proportion of entertainment involved will be when people actually visit the museum however we are ultimately trying to translate this experience into the video and almost confirm that this is how visitors will feel after visiting.  For a large proportion of the time it is the visual elements of museums which really captivate people and so I will consider using this in the final project. Simply recording your surroundings with very little attention given to the visuals will only prove that the individual making the product, on a low budget, lacks imagination and creativity which is largely what this project is about. I intend to avoid this and work with what is available because given perspective that is all a low budget production context asks for; creativity through minimalism. This is, of course, relating back to ‘The Blair Witch Project‘ which was hugely minimalistic but somehow managed to work and pave the way for hundreds of other found footage films years later. Entertainment is not easily achieved and so this is where our creativity is going to be rigorously tested. Through working with the equipment and resources we have including the Primary and Secondary research each of us conducted I believe we will be able to achieve a great amount of entertainment. Of course, once the video is shot it is simply a matter of editing it to the highest standard.

As well as this we are intending to educate people with the product. At the very center of this project there lays the purpose for why we are making it and that is to influence people to visit the museum. Through visiting the museum people are ultimately being educated on things they may not have known about Sheffield’s industrial past and this is another intention of mine for the project; to give people insight into what they may have been missing out on over the years. Kelham Island Museum has been around for a reasonable amount of time and so it helps for us to remind people and even let those know who did not know before that it is available for them to use as a source of educational value. In the video I do not feel I want to give away too much about the history discussed in the museum as this would render a visit to the museum invaluable; I would simply be listing facts which are given in the museum and ultimately be taking away half of the excitement. Instead, I intend to visually display some of the exhibits and only suggest what manner of facts and information they may hold for visitors. What I really want to do is bring out the excitement of the museum and let people know what they can expect and look forward to.

Another intention through making this promotional video is to ultimately persuade people to visit. After all, most promotional videos regarding a publicly visited location tend to have the intention of encouraging visits to the chosen place. Considering the Kelham Island project, we are not only persuading people to visit but we are also persuading people to expand their knowledge of Sheffield’s past and find some form of interest even if only by a little. We are trying to provoke a common interest in the industrial days of Sheffield and it helps that the museum is local as it can stand as a strong and powerful representation of the city and perhaps persuade people to change their perception of Sheffield.

 

Working with a High budget & a Low budget:

When working with a large budget you instantly feel you have everything at your disposal. For example, expensive cameras which you could turn down for a cheap camcorder if you were intending to make a found footage film. Lighting equipment, you may choose to turn down if shooting in natural lighting for a promotional video much like the Kelham Island project. Also, you feel you have to meet the audience’s expectations rather than meet your own targets and be happy with what you have. This could be considered a disadvantage being that many enjoy making films because it is their ideas being translated into a form of entertainment and there are no major alterations.

Example: Big Budget

Films such as, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ by James Gunn which was very much a large budget production backed by Marvel studios consisted of expensive equipment such as Arri Alexa cameras and countless other tools for achieving the cinematic look. This was largely successful worldwide and translated James Gunn’s humor and character creativity into a modern Marvel production. However, a large amount of ideas come from other members of the film crew including he producers and so this is why sometimes working with a lower budget you can take full responsibility and be the creative control.

 

When working with a low budget you often feel slightly limited as to what you can do; It may be that you have written a script for a Horror Fantasy film but you do not have enough of a budget to involve the amount of visual and practical effects that the story requires. However, as mentioned earlier, this does not have to be a negative; minimalism has established itself as a very valuable method in film making over the years and so long as there is a sustainable amount of professional influence such as a stable story line and exceptional editing then it is only really your imagination which is a limitation. Often, it is down to the director’s decisions and overall creativity.

Example: Low Budget

Director James Wan often uses his own creativity to work with a lower budget when approaching what he wants to be considered a blockbuster. Back in 2010, he directed the supernatural horror, ‘Insidious‘ which was backed by E-One Entertainment. The movie was working with $1.5 million which is considered a low budget. Considering effects both visual and practical, the movie was of an exceptional standard and yet each effect was achieved through the minimalistic of methods. It was Wan’s creativity which largely influenced the success of the movie and it shows that having a low budget does not have to determine the films success; You can achieve a lot more when you use your budget wisely. During a scene in the movie the protagonists are being chased by a demonic presence which, instead of feet, had hooves. Normally, on a larger budget, there would be CG utilized to achieve the look of inhuman features. . Instead, Wan’s team made a pair of hooves at the end of two poles which were then operated from behind the camera to give the effect of the creature walking. When blended with shots of the actor in-costume walking the effect was sold. . Wan chose to only use CG where it was necessary; This included cleaning up a shot if wire-work was used.