Fund Application for Film Production Design - Coursework Example

Fund Application for film Production Design Number Department Part I: Funding Application for film Production Design Owing to the primary function of the film industry to preserve cultural heritage by improving social interaction with various examples of visual art, this funding application is well within these means. This funding application for production design intends to transform the image of two ancient pieces of art with aesthetics that will engage millions of British citizens in understanding important social and cultural features hidden in the pieces of art. The film design will be based on extensive footages of “The Dying Gaul,” an ancient Roman piece of art, and the Easter islands’ legendary art entitled “the Maoi.” With stunning still photos and videos of the arts ready for editing and production, the film will surely bridge the gap between the ancient European art and then South American cultural heritage (Balch, 2008). The two pieces of art are representative of international cultures and will surely evoke different reactions and topical areas from different audiences focusing on anthropological attributes, archaeological importance and historical sense. Funding the production design of the film will translate into the larger engagement of the British population with the ancient European culture (Polan, 2013). This is especially true considering that the eventual film will integrate ancient Roman influences of the classical English cultures with modern aesthetics, props and adequate English subtitles in the same way the South American ancient culture will be given modern touches. Specifically, funding this program will translate into bringing the current generation up to speed with the classical human sculptures, which in their abstract state symbolize human quest for prominence, despite the presence of debilitating factors such as natural calamities, untreatable diseases and constant conflicts which threatened human existence. These themes are well captured in the feeling of despair and resignation in the “Dying Gaul,” which I will capture by integrating elements of film noir in the final product. In addition, the funding of the production design will be the first major step towards resolving the puzzles about the ancient human life through progressive, open-ended and innovative nonfiction approach to editing of the film. Through interactive, well-timed, explorative shots, the production will turn the seemingly lifeless pieces of art into lively sources of important leads to the ancient world. The film’s audience will clearly get the inside picture of the cultural richness of the arts from multiple standpoints in far creative ways as the interviewees will elaborate. And with fine production techniques, various contrasting scenes will be presented to the audience in a painstakingly consistent manner. As Millett, Polansky and Glantz (2011) noted, the production design should be funded in order to motivate innovative insertion of incisive analyses and aesthetic features such as color, lighting, cameral tricks for a more enjoyable watching experience. The design is intended to feature a broad range of techniques and themes which were critical at the time of creating the art, such as the imagery symbolizing the ethical considerations of the artist versus the need for realism as evidenced in the nude “Dying Gaul” or the abstract portraits of “Maoi.” Any religious factors and effects as well as the influences of the ancient literature viewed through multi-dimensional lenses will also be captured in design by short, creatively inserted interview shots. The film design will also capture mise-en-scenes of people as representative of the societal and multi-societal influences on each of the two pieces of art, such as whether the Easter Islands portrait is representative of political leaders, literary icons, artists, or major historical figures of the ancient times. This way, the “Maoi” portraits and the “Dying Gaul” will be placed in each of their immediate cultural contexts before being linked to each other in terms of physical attributes and other hidden meanings. Part of the abstract aesthetics which the design will present in the eventual product concerns the texture of the portraits which practically makes the Moai an outdoor piece of art, while “the Dying Gaul” an indoor piece. The production design funding is particularly necessary to facilitate presenting the incisive similarities between the rather disparate sculptures. For instance, the production design will created in such a way that elaborates the deeper meanings of the optimistic emotional looks of the classic piece of the Chilean art in the immediate cultural context. Similarly, with “the Dying Gaul,” the film will elaborate the reasons behind the society’s resigning attitude and the different challenges that the society was facing, though shots accompanied by voice-overs or alternated with well-timed interviews (Pitard, 2009). As such, the production design is likely to bind the theme of despair and optimism as evidenced in both pieces of art and give important examples of similar discourses in the United Kingdom, France and the United States though camera shots of the relevant pieces of art, which cannot otherwise be achieved without funding. Funding for the production design will secure this rich history in the final product by making it an interesting piece of art which is complete with modern computer-aided aesthetics such as illumination and color without sacrificing the natural qualities of the ancient art in a manner that consumers will not only enjoy watching, but build lasting memories in their minds (Pitard, 2009). The stages As of now, the project is at its infancy. The director and screen writer have submitted still photos and long videos of each of the two pieces of art accompanied with open interviews of art professionals, archaeologists, historians and other relevant parties. The screenwriter of the project is a long time film specialist, Davis Kales. We are in the process of obtaining the relevant intellectual property rights and any other important protections and reliefs available to young film producers under the law including government grants. You can be sure that the screenwriter and director attached herein have the capacity to transform the concepts into as flowing screenplay. The screenwriter is especially capable by virtue of his extensive experience as a producer, scriptwriter and director for a period of 15 years. I believe the production design is eligible for funding because the project shall be: a) long enough to meet the minimum thresholds of a feature-length multimedia product for public access; b) capable of fetching more expansive release documentations; c) capable of being accredited as an adequate British film that has satisfied the cultural test as provided under Schedule One of the Films Act 1985; d) respects the official co-production Conventions regulating the country’s film contribution in the international market, and; e) meets the provisions of the European Convention on Co-Production (Gratham, 2008). The originality of the design process qualifies the British test as follows: firstly, apart from the shooting of the sculpture videos of “the Dying Gaul” in Italy and “the Moai” in Easter Islands, most of the production design work, from preparation through the post video-editing and mass production will be conducted in the UK. The post shooting interviews and analyses, the editing, production and release of the documentary film will be carried out within the UK. This implies the bulk of the production design work including collation and production of the content will involve local professionals and assets. Secondly, the primary characters are British citizens. Thirdly, the production design will preserve British themes or underlying material, even though the global cultural heritage will feature prominently in the eventual project. “The Dying Gaul,” for instance, is a rich artistic piece that helps to trace the mood of despair among the ancient Romans, who shared a cultural heritage with the classic English society (Davies, 2005). The production design will capture these links by involving comparative camera shots of popular Italian and British symbols showing the latter’s influence by the former. Thirdly, the production design is set to be done in the UK’s official English language. The voice-overs and clear interview sessions will be conducted in English for a wider national and international audience. In scenes where Italian and Chilean languages are used, the designer will use English subtitles. These strategies qualify the production design for funding. Fourth, I strongly believe that the production design will offer a practical representation of the British cultural heritage when the interviews are properly weaved together with clear comparisons to local pieces of art (Gratham, 2008). By bringing in short scenes of professional artistic and cultural interviewees making explicit mentions of British aspects of cultural diversity in the content, the design process will be an effective symbol and or reflection of the local culture through a unique and innovative style that can only be nurtured through funding. Lastly, by virtue of the local nationality and or country of residency of the screenwriter, the director and the production designer being the UK, the officials are within the limitations set by the UK for funding (Pitard, 2009). We are within the European Union and European Economic Area. Having met these conditions, and by virtue of the application being made through Best Films Ltd, a production design firm registered in the country, I hope that you will consider the funding request. Owing to the fact that you may not fully fund the production design due to its potential cost-intensive nature, you may give partial funding and waive full tax reliefs for the project. The approval of these reliefs and financial support, irrespective of whether it is partial, will contribute significantly towards offsetting the production design expenditure and related costs (Macfarlane, 2010). This project is especially important for funding because it apparently beyond a request for funding development, filmmaking or distribution of theatre production films or those that capture sporting and other music events set for cinema shows. Ours is a production design process that will be present a culturally rich and educating piece of visual art for a wide spectrum of the audience including professional archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, students and adventurers in general within society. Part II The budget particulars In order to ensure that the right deliverable is achieved within a reasonable time, which is set at 30 days, as the production designer I am seeking to hire most of the production equipment and make purchases of the consumables only. Other equipment which may be accessed easily will be borrowed in order to limit the expenditure. For instance, the crew will borrow Super 8 and 16mm Film Editing equipment such as splicers, projectors and viewers during the production design period when editing and addition of aesthetics will be underway. Provided the producer, the screenwriter and I (production designer) make adequate reservations well in time, which I hope we will, the team will be sure to obtain and use them. The team has already secured £2,000 in personal savings and donation from friends, family members and well-wishers towards the project. The costs are as follows: Tri-X, Plus-X, Ektachrome £10 8mm Vision 2 & Vision 3 £12 16mm Vision 2 £20 Purchase of soundtracks rights £1,000 Audio Equipment £60 Lights, Grip and Flags £40 Super 8 Film Cameras and Accessories £20 16mm Film Cameras and Accessories £25 An editing Laptop computer installed with Adobe Premiere CS6 and graphic software will also be needed for £15 rental fee. The Lenovo Y580 is outfitted with 16GB of random access memory (RAM) for faster editing of the more than 10 hours of video footage and addition of aesthetics. It also has 128GB SSD for faster loading of the Mac Operating system; 500GB of hard disk capacity which provides plenty space for the content, graphics and other synthetic aesthetics; and a 8GB video card, which helps to render and for seamlessly editing the massive video files into a consumable visual art. The laptop computer will come with 1TB external hard disk for memory back up. The external hard disk will be especially important for production design as it will preserve the raw videos and the edited version of the motion pictures when the laptop is cleared for the subsequent booking. Apart from the equipment costs, transport and accommodation of the design assistants in London will be especially costly. In total, it will cost £5,000. Yet a strategic fund worth £2,000 to recompense the owners of hired equipment in case of a loss or damage or for purchasing consumables will be especially necessary to ensure the smooth production design process. Production costs are estimated at £2,743. In sum, the total expenditure is £10,945. In a nutshell, the production design of a film based on “the Roman Dying Gaul” and the Chilean “Moai” is not only important but necessary in the sense that it will provide virtually the whole society with a rare glimpse into the ancient pieces of art and culture that influenced their creation. Through the expected innovation-driven production design process, the largely abstract imagery of the sculptures will be better understood by virtue of the elaborative, multi-dimensional well-choreographed interviews of different professionals, timely camera shots of the items and mise-en-scenes of the relevant communities to present the item’s wide social appeal. By supporting the production design process in offsetting the almost £ 11,000 the investment will be worth it, considering that the eventual product will deliver invaluable cultural information and in turn support UK’s cultural heritage and film industry through innovation. Appendix Fig. 1 showing The Dying Gaul Fig. 2 showing The Moai References Balch, D.L., 2008. Roman Domestic Art and Early House Churches. Rome: Mohr Siebeck. Davies, A.P., 2005. UK FIlm Finance Handbook 2005/06: How to Fund Your Film. London: Netribution. Gratham, B., 2008. In For A Downer? Notes on Some British Film Institute Feature Film Productions of the 1980s. Cinema Journal, 47(4), pp.155-163. Macfarlane, A., 2010. Early Ethnographic Film in Britain: A Reflection on the Work of Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf. Visual Anthropology, 23(5), pp.375-397. Millett, C., Polansky, J.R., & Glantz, S.A., 2011. Government Inaction on Ratings and Government Subsidies to the US Film Industry Help Promote Youth Smoking. PLoS Medicine, 8(8), pp.1-5. Pitard, F.F., 2009. Rapa Nui Settlers: By Choice and Necessity the Sequel of Heirs of a Lost Race. New York: AuthorHouse. Polan, D., 2013. Raymond Williams on Film. Cinema Journal, 52(3), pp.1-18. Read More