Elements of planning and pre-production documents

 

Pre-production document	Components or elements of the pre-production document	Explanation why each of the components are needed
Storyboards	Characters and a storyline. Camera shot of the scene. Is it a close up shot, over the shoulder shot for example? Camera angle of the scene. Is it a low or high angle, far or wide angle? The angle is how the camera is positioned. Camera movement: Is the camera zooming in or out, panning, truck or dolly etc? Scene number should be included for every scene. Length, time or duration of each scene should add up to the duration of the whole product. Environment: Is the scene interior or exterior? This should be included at least once scene unless there is a change in environment. Noises or sounds used in the scene. Would you hear a TV, a dog barking or someone talking? Shadow and lighting, where the light source(s) is/are in the scene. Is the light above from a light bulb, is there light through a window?	Camera specifics such as the shot, angle and movement of the camera is used to tell the producers and the camera crew how the scene should look when being filmed. Not every scene has to have movement for example. The scene number helps the editing team understand what order the scenes need to be edited together and it helps the production team easily refer to a specific scene. The time of each scene is needed so the production team knows how long the scene lasts. In addition, adding times to the storyboard ensures you don’t overrun the time you have. For example, if an advert is on for 2 minutes, all the scenes combined must add up to 2 minutes. The environment is used to refer to the sets and what would be on them. For example, a photo frame might be drawn on the storyboard so it would appear on set. The storyline is included to see if it makes sense. The noise or sound is used on a storyboard so the production team knows what sounds should be used for the scene. For example, if an alarm goes off in the scene it would be written on the storyboard. Shadow and lighting are included to show where the light would be on set and in the scene.
Script	Environment (interior or exterior locations), noise, dialogue, stage directions. Also camera shots, angles and movements.	Locations or environment explains the place/setting of the scene, the time of day and if it is indoors or outdoors. Camera shots: Tells the camera production team how it should be filmed. Noise: Any sounds in the scene. Dialogue: For the actors so they know what to say and how to say it. Stage directions: Anything the character/actor does. Camera shots, angles and movements: Used to show the production team and camera crew how the product should be filmed with the camera.
Visualisation diagrams	Used for static products like posters. Visualisation diagrams contain: Images, colours, typography and text, a logo, the layout, annotations.	Colours, images and typography make the product visually appealing. They can relate to different target audiences and have hidden meanings. Text is used to show key information that people need to know about whatever the finished product is promoting. Logos promote a company and are arranged in a layout. A layout is used on a visualisation diagram as it shows exactly what the intended final product should look like and where components would be placed. Annotations are used to explain why the design looks the way it does to the client or the graphic designer who will create it.
Call sheet	Production/company name or title, shooting day schedule (what scenes, sets interior or exterior, meals, pages), date, time, what day of the shoot it is, contact information for directors or important people, phone numbers, weather, parking information, names of the actors and personal times, extras, crew members, hospital locations, props or needed equipment, any notes or reminders.	A call sheet gives key information to the TV or radio team before they even arrive on set/at the studio. The company name or logo is used so people know the call sheet is important. The shooting day schedule tells you the name or scene number and if it is interior or interior. It also includes timings for the day (what times scenes will be filmed, any breaks and lunch) and the pages for the actors or radio presenters so they know their lines and what to bring. The date of the shoot and the arrival time will be included so no one gets confused what day or time they should be there. The weather, the sunrise, sunset and the temperature are included so the team knows to dress appropriately. The director and VIP information is included so the team knows who to talk to if they have any questions. Phone numbers, additional notes and contact information are also included for the same reason. The names of the actors, extras and stand-ins are included, and their specific arrival time is included so they are not late. Crew notes, times and props/equipment needed will be listed so they know what to bring and set up as well as the scenes they will be helping with. Any walkie channels will be numbered too. Hospital locations in case someone gets injured on set and they need medical attention.
Wireframe	A wireframe is a layout/structure sketch (digital or physical) of a website and how it would look without colours and fonts, just basic elements. It helps with UI and UX design too. Navigation bar, Logo, image and video placeholders, black and white (grayscale), placeholder text, headings and subheadings, search bar, share buttons (social media), breadcrumb, navigation, contact information and also footers.	Navigation bars are found at the top of the website, they include the HTML links for the web pages or different sections of the website page. We use navigation bars to help the users move through the website easily. Logos are found at the top of the website to promote the company. Wireframes include logos so they know where it will be positioned. Image and video placeholders are used in place of where the images and videos would be. Placeholders are just rectangle boxes which are either empty or have an x in them. Grayscale or black and white instead of colour is used so the web designers can focus on the website layout and structure instead of the content on the website. Different grey shades can symbolise the colours of the website if the designer wants to represent them. However, black and white keeps a wireframe simple. Headings and subheadings are used introduce the importance of information; the title is bigger because it is of the most importance for example. Wireframes show where the heading and subheadings would be placed on the website page. Search bars are used to find information quicker and more easily. It is more efficient for the user. Share buttons are used on a page in case the user wants to share the web page on social media. Breadcrumbs (used for UI) are small navigation bars that tell the user what part or section of the website they are on. Navigation is used to make the experience of the website user friendly and easy to look through. Contact information helps the users contact the company. It is included in the wireframe, so the web developers know where to place it. Footers are found at the bottom of a web page, they contain copyright information which means the law protects the website contents so no one can use it, the symbol © is used to mean copyright. Footers can also include the privacy policy and many other things.