My pitch to client Tony Jones

Below is my pitch to Tony Jones about what clips I think we should use in the initial show reel, after showing some clips I had liked the look of in a previous post. I will discuss these clips with Tony Jones and see his thoughts on them, hopefully we can come to a clear conclusion.

Tony Jones,

There are many various clips I personally think would be effective in the show reel for the changing spaces project. After our initial discussion on the 9th of June, I think to portray the best image of Cambridge we can in the show reel we should use the following clips.

The video clip from the archive footage of the welcome sign of Cambridge with 1970's cars driving past it would immediately enforce our aim to the audience of showing old archive footage of Cambridge. This would be a clear establishing shot and would attract attention from the audience while they are walking past the shop window.

The video clip of punting in Cambridge is also in my opinion one of the main things we should use in the show reel to portray Cambridge. Cambridge's city image is usually the universities or the punting attractions, and Cambridge has always been referred to as a 'university town' so this would be immensely appropriate. Nonetheless, we do not want to portray Cambridge as just being about the punting, and would like to show various other footage so perhaps only a short clip of this would be neccessary.

Many historical shots of Cambridge would in my opinion also be useful because once again it shows the historical aspect of Cambridge, and this will in my opinion attract some of the older generation of our target audience as opposed to the younger generation, which could be attracted by any other material we put in.

I hope we can come to a clear decision about these various shots and whether or not they can be used in the show reel, but overall I think these various clips from the archive footage combined will show a positive and clear message to our audience about the history of Cambridge in the 1900s.

All the best,

Tara

Considering the target audience - member 2

This target audience member as opposed to a nostalgic middle aged man would be in comparison, an 18 year old teenage girl. She has lived in Cambridge most of her life and has moved from another city.

Above is an estimate or example as to what the appearance and personality of the teenage girl in terms of the target audience would be.

She on the other hand would be interested in the changing spaces project and the show reels because she enjoys new shops and developments in the town centre, and enjoys shopping at different places. For the show reel viewings, I think a target audience member such as this would stop for about 5 minutes for a quick glance and then watch more if interested further. Due to the student based work and music videos in the show reel, she may be interested for longer and may stay to watch these.

She would really enjoy watching a video in a shop window because she enjoys new developments around Cambridge. A target audience member such as this would think that the changing spaces program is a great idea because it adds creativity and inspiration to the Cambridge high street and most popular areas.

She would shop for food in Tesco's, preferring the cheap offers and promotions. She would watch comedy at the cinema as well as romances and some historical films but not many.

Therefore in close comparison to the other target audience member, both these members of the potential target audience would have a clear interest in the changing spaces programme.

Considering the target audience - member 1

In terms of considering the target audience, I will consider two audience members which could be interested in the changing spaces program and in our commission project. They will also be interested in the history of Cambridge and therefore will be interested in the screenings we will produce.

One example of a target audience member would traditionally be a 35 - 40 year old male, who has lived in cambridge all his life. He may be interested in my program because he would also like documentaries and historical programs, and he would really enjoy exploring the history of Cambridge and seeing old footage, perhaps from when he was a child or were little - I hope this nostalgic feeling encourages older audience members to be interested in the project screenings.

Above is an estimate of the appearance of the middle aged man. He would as a rough estimate, stop for ten minutes to watch the screenings, and would refer to the website shown on the be back in five minutes sign for more information about the history of cambridge.

He would also like the idea of of a shop window video display, as it is something different and against traditional methods of independent cinema. He also would really like the changing spaces idea because seeing the decline of Cambridge due to the credit crunch after living their all his life - and he would be interested in seeing Cambridge being brightened up once again.

He would travel to the town centre by Car, and prefers the Grafton centre's traditional shops as opposed to the Grand Arcade centre where everything is higher priced. He dislikes public transport and likes to be independent.

He would shop for food at Morrisons, as he likes the variety of food as opposed to Tesco's and larger branded companies.

Films he would watch at the cinema would be comedy, perhaps some animations and he also likes historical films and documentaries. Therefore, this target audience member would really enjoy the changing spaces program due to the history of Cambridge.

Personal Commission Project Plan

Here is my personal project plan for the whole project. Click to enlarge and view.

Personal Commission Risk Assessment

Here is my personal risk assessment for the Commission project, including the show reels and issues that could arise. Click on image to enlarge and view.

My individual role

This table below shows my individual role on the project and shows a table with the whole class' roles.

From the above image, you can see my role was the producer. As a producer, I had to organise every person, what job they had to do, how far along they were and what they still needed to do. For this i took progression notes for each day of the project to ensure everyone was working. I had the executive producers to ask for help if I was unsure about any work or any opinions. i helped anyone that was unsure about their job, and made sure people always had a job to do if they had finished their set job.

My strengths of being a producer was that I kept very organised, and simultaneously kept the group organised, making sure everyone was on task with the job set. My level of communication was good with each person and I was there to help if needed. However, my weaknesses were keeping control of everything, as people sometimes switched jobs and tasks originally set and this was a problem when all the jobs needed to be completed. The work of the groups as a whole was very successful, although sometimes ideas were not put across properly and this meant many people got confused. The fact that we all worked well together was a strength of the process, but a weakness was that communication was sometimes low between group leaders leading to confusion. These problems were all overcome due to people finishing jobs early and therefore being able to complete all the necessary jobs.

Initial meeting with Tony Jones - Thursday 14th May 2009

Below is a summary of notes from the initial meeting I had with my client Tony Jones, which explains clearly what Tony jones himself would like from the project and what he wants from the showreel and an overall feeling of what working with him will be like.

Here are the personal notes I took from our initial production meeting on Thursday the 14th of May.

The Cambridge film trust is a charity designed to promote films. The cinema is the main venue of the film festival – the picturehouse was founded by Tony in 1989 which aimed to support independent films.

Tony’s role is entirely separate to the picturehouse, but he is able to merge the film trust with the picturehouse. Tony programmes the picturehouse and two weeks a year the film festival takes place. The picturehouse holds 2 to 3 special events a year.

The Cambridge film trust wanted to be involved in the Cambridge film trust as the initial idea was Tony’s, which he and the trust discussed with the city centre in june 2008. It then became a wider project due to visual artists.

Long Road were asked to be involved as the Cambridge film trust is a charity, which aim to promote film culture and education – therefore they wanted to involve educated schools. They were interested in the Creative and Media Diploma and wanted to involve this into our curriculums if they could.

Background initiative to the project

The initiative for the project came from the idea of brightening up empty shops around the cambridge area, and due to the amount of empty shop windows (a consequence of the credit crunch) this seemed fairly necessary. The Cambridge Film Trust and Cambridge City Council plan to temporarily transform vacant premises into something innovative for the community.

The photos show the vast amount of empty shops in Cambridge, especially near the Grand Arcade and in the Grafton centre.

Both the government and the council felt that empty shops attracted more crime, as the more empty shops there were the more run down Cambridge looks, and this would consequently would attract more crime in the streets. ‘Empty shops can be eyesores or crime magnets’ the communities secretary claims.

Tony Jones and the Cambridge film trust had to do a bid to the local council in order for to be allowed to use the certain premises. He wanted to simply brighten up the empty shops around Cambridge with a new and innovative idea. There were also other organisations involved, such as Partizan owned the rights to the Michel Gondry video, therefore meaning they would be granted a credit and logo in the show reel. The idea was to have a 20-25 minute show reel to play in the empty shop windows around Cambridge, so this then would catch the public’s attention.

My working assumptions

From working with Tony Jones, I can assume that the project will be an innovative and new project which I will work towards to the best of our ability. I think that in the show reel I create, we will need to be very specific about what I include, because it will show the areas of Cambridge and people do not want to get the wrong impressions of what Cambridge's history was like.

I think that Tony Jones will be quite specific in what he wants me to do, so this should be no problem and I should be able to work effectively with the client. I will need to be concise, clear and creative with our ideas and this should portray a new way of screenings for the Cambridge Film Trust - challenging yet again the traditional idea of independent cinema.

I think that I will need to work fast paced and with full concerns of the client throughout the project. What I also need to be aware of is Tony Jones' ideas of what he would like may be different to the ideas I think would be the best to show on the screenings - and therefore I will need to be very careful of the concerns of the client and make sure that our views do not differ too much and therefore we can work together towards the same effective finished project.

Background research - changing spaces project

Hopefully, this changing spaces project should evolve with the show reel I create and I hope to be able to work well in the project. Below is some background information about the project.

Changing Spaces is a pioneering initiative developed by Cambridge City Council in partnership with Love Cambridge. The project started in June 2009 and has exhibited over 40 local artists and charity groups in more than 15 different locations since then.

The premise is simple enough; there is an ever increasing number of vacant retail units appearing within the streets of Cambridge. The economic downturn has had a significant effect on the very infrastructure of the world that we live in and while slim opportunities exist to fix the fundamental flaws, Changing Spaces offers unique solace to the creative arts.

Changing Spaces hope to bridge the divide between the people of Cambridge and the city itself.

Every two weeks new artists get the opportunity to display their work in one of the empty shop windows around the city centre. By focusing on short term exhibitions we can provide many opportunities to artists as well as creating a flexible schedule to suit all those involved.

The Cambridge film trust - in depth research

The Cambridge film trust is an ongoing charity founded by Tony Jones and a few partners. The film trust is a charitable organisation devoted to screenings, events and special seasons which enable and encourage the audiences of the film trust to personally engage with the contemporary film culture in a creative output.

The film trust challenges the idea of independent cinema through new and innovative methods of showing and screening various work.

For example, in relation to our commission, the film trust has used the idea of the 'changing spaces' program to brighten up empty shops around Cambridge with art, screenings and so on - which will create a nicer atmosphere in the busy areas of Cambridge. This program is new and has not been created before, therefore challenging the traditional idea of independent cinema.

The Cambridge film trust's audience is mainly a community audience that support charitable work. The film trust has a wide audience and works hard on devoting time and effort to find out their audiences needs. The audience primarily is based on the community organisation which the film trust are sponsoring, so for example if the film trust is funding or sponsoring a project in Cambridge it will have a very wide Cambridge audience.

My commission client

For the Commission, my personal client with some of the others in class was Tony Jones, who runs the Cambridge Film Trust.Tony Jones runs the independent cinema ‘The Arts Picture house’ and is the person in charge of heading the Cambridge Film Trust.

The Commission was set as a potential ‘brief’ for Diploma students and contained specific ideas and videos to include in the show reel, such as Buster Keaton videos and the work of Michel Gondry. The job structure was organised by seperating the class into groups, and each group had a leader to ensure that the work gets done.

Tony Jones approached us as a whole class and asked us to get involved with the 'changing spaces' program, due to our new creative media diploma. He personally liked the idea of us showcasing some of our work in the project too and thought it would show that the cambridge film trust and arts picturehouse had clear links with the community and the people living in Cambridge.

Personal previous commissions - Sawston Cinema

Another previous commission I think is relevant is the commission I had with Sawston Cinema. In this commission, I was commissioned with others in the class to create an attractive, vibrant and creative logo for the cinema in Sawston.

Below is my attempt at the Sawston Cinema logo, I decided to use two contrasting colours so I chose a bright blue and a simple black, and incorporated the words Sawston and cinema into the curves of the letter S.

However, after I received some feedback from the client and they wanted the colour scheme of the logo to be different, because the logo needed to be visible on both a black and white background.

Therefore, I then changed all the text to the same blue but this wasn't as vibrant, so I changed the S of the blue to a little darker blue so I had two contrasting blues in the logo. My logo was then chosen out of 3 for the final decision.

However, this commission was not a positive commission compared to other commissions I had worked in simple because after this we received no further feedback from the client despite emailing and phone calls, and none of our logos were used in the end result for the logo.

Nonetheless, this showed clearly the process of a commission and highlights what could happen in a commission if clear communication is not made between the practitioner and the client.

Process of a commission similarities

This YouTube video I had found after personal research shows a similar idea to what I was explaining myself as a step by step process of the Commission. This commission however is for creating a music track or music video.

According to the video, it is apparent that the process of a music video commission goes as follows:

1) The label and/or artist decide to make a new video and pick a director they want to work with (typically based on the director's previous work.)

2) The video commissioner then hunts down the director and contacts him/her through their agent or production company.

3) A copy of the song, with the lyrics, is sent to the company who then assigns someone (usually the director himself, but this isn't always the case) to write the treatment. Sometimes the artist will have an idea what he wants to do with the video and will write the treatment himself, or a first draft of it anyway.

4) If the treatment is approved, then a date is set for the shoot and a crew is put together by the production company. Usually this is done fairly fast.

5) The video is shot. This typically happens over a day or two, rarely more.

6) Once the shoot is done, the film is sent to post-production companies where the telecine (ie. coloring), special effects and editing are handled.

7) When the video is completed and ready, it is sent back to the label which then releases it to appropriate outlets. It should be noted that the label typically holds the copyright of the finished product.

Advantages of a commission for media practitioners

The importance of commissions for a media practitioner is significant in terms of work and portfolios, also in terms of skills and reliability. A commission is a significant step up in the media industry, it shows clearly the ability to work closely related to a client, to suit their specific needs and what they want in the commission - most importantly, it shows clearly the ability to suit and edit you’re own work to a clients needs.

The role of a commission in a portfolio for getting future work highlights you as a candidate above others. If you produced a good product, the client is likely to be pleased with your commission, whether it was a video, a trailer, an advertisement or so on. This would consequently mean the client would pass on a good word to other industry professionals, or may even be happy to grant you a reference in terms of further work. If the commission is delivered on time, this highlights your reliability, determination and stickability on a project, especially for a client.

If the finished commission receives good audience feedback, this means you have more than likely stuck close to the brief and have not swayed from the initial project brief - which is always a good point. It is common for some media practitioners to add in their own ideas to the brief, which often is not what the original brief entailed. This ties in with the ability of sticking to and meeting the brief, which is the main part of the commission project.

Most importantly, working well with the client is a bonus in the media industry in terms of a commission. If you as the practitioner do a good job, this in turn means you may be hired for other commissions by the same person and/or other media professionals, who have heard good feedback from your original commission. This links to the idea of a good product and meeting the brief, in all aspects - you as a practitioner are more than likely to receive good feedback from the hired commission professional.

Working within a genre showing a track record could be an advantage but also a disadvantage within the media industry. For example, if a practitioner just worked on music videos for commission, then they would more than likely be recognised in the music video industry, but not many other industries. For example, most media practitioners (such as jake and Jim - video producers) begin working in one area of production such as music video production, and then branch out to a wider based level of production in all round areas. Otherwise, if you as a practitioner works in all areas, then this is an advantage due to working in varying media industries - and consequently would mean you would be recognised in all media areas, not just one genre, which could work to your advantage.

Overall, commissions for the creative and media practitioner are very important. The ability to work well with the commission professional, to meet the brief, to develop a good finished product, to have the product delivered on time and to have good audience feedback is all very important, as it gives you an ability to have a step up in the media industry and with industry professionals.

Personal step by step process of a Commission

The general process of a Commission set by a client is fairly straightforward, and usually allows a set brief for the media practitioner. Here are my personal thoughts on what the general process of a Commission would be.

• A commissioner is usually set a brief or commission for a client or company, which will normally be a product to advertise, promote or simply to help the company or client. This could be in the form of a video, film, song, essay, book, newspaper etc.

• For a commission to begin, initial contact needs to be made between the media practitioner wanting to do the commission brief and the client setting the brief.

• Either the client will contact the practitioner and arrange a meeting/phone call or general contact, or vice versa and the practitioner will apply for the commission usually by a meeting or interview.

• Traditionally in either case, the media practitioner will have to show past work, rough ideas for the commission and explain why they should be picked over others. (The practitioner by this stage will be drawing up ideas, brainstorming, getting rough ideas for the commission)

• Brief contact between the practitioner and the client will then be made, usually in the form of an interview, meeting or brief discussion over the phone if no alternative.

• This is where the practitioner will give a clear idea of the work they would like to do on the commission and clear areas of work they will undertake, what they will create (video, film, book, essay, song etc) and when they will have the project finished by.

• Only if the practitioner is successful, will they receive a call back or another meeting or discussion. The client will arrange another meeting and will accept the commission as what they want, giving feedback on the general idea and suggesting definite improvements.

• The client will address clear aspects of time completed, the brief and what needs to be thought about for the commission, and the practitioner will agree to these and usually will sign a contract or binding document.

• The practitioner will then begin work on the commission under the influence of the client, and will produce work suitable for the commission.

• The practitioner will traditionally now create a rough cut of the commission, whether the project is a sculpture, painting, exhibition, a film or a video, and will arrange a meeting with the client to see their response.

• The practitioner will receive varying feedback from the client, depending on client satisfaction. They will then go back to the commission at the latest stage and change the work depending on client feedback. This will alter the commission, and the client will want to then see a next draft of the commission project.

• The practitioner will then create a next draft after the rough cut draft, and the previous process of client feedback and changing work will occur once again until the client is generally happy with the commission and the commission can be considered a finished product.

• The practitioner then can get credited to other clients, or receive a further commission with the same client or company.

Clear examples of a commission such as this can be seen in my blog post of previous commission here, or can be seen in the blog post about music artists, which is explained above in another blog post.