Rough Guide to Production
This page is a collection of resources for producing video or film. There are lists of production documents and useful forms for day to day use during the production process, contracts and insurances used in the industry, guides to submitting proposals and commissioning requirements, help with selling and distribution and how to go about setting up a production company. If you can familiarize yourself and become conversant with the resources on this page you will be well armed to begin taking your films and ideas to the market.
budget independent approach.
You can use these resources as and when needed or study them to gain a better overall understanding of film production. For example, studying the budgets under the Production Forms Section provides insight into the resources required. Your production may not need everything listed in a particular budget, but you have a valuable check list. You can drill into greater detail, for example by looking at the section on insurances. You could apply the BECTU rates to one of the budget templates provided and estimate your production costs. Even if you intend to remain a very low-budget one or two person crew doing all your own filming, interviewing, editing and distribution, you will be able to estimate how much it would have cost at industry level, mitigate creatively, and hopefully appreciate the huge added-value of your low-
Television Production Resources.
Reading two or three of the best books is a good way to get your head around the how the industry works.
2005 Director's Contract Guildelines for Television, UK - These are the guidelines for directors seeking to work in television to either create or check any contract against. It is produced by the Director's Joint Industry Forum and is for the use of Directors, AGents, Contracting Departents, Producers and Lawyers in British Television
http://www.directors.uk.com/images/DirectorsUK/pdf/contract_guidelines.pdf
It is hoped though that studying the materials available on the links below will also be an excellent guide for those who are interested in a more hands on, make it happen now approach. For example, there are lists of production documents or guides to programme commissioning processes. Just by studying production budgets you can deduce a great deal about the resources required for a programme production. Or take a look at the section on insurances
Television Production Books
Television Production Bodies
APC (THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PROTECTION OF COPYRIGHT) For sending in a proposal for a programme, the APC Code of practice is the standard referred to and to which anyone submitting a proposal should first refer. The principal objectives of the Code are to ensure that film, radio and programme proposals are treated in a fair and transparent manner and minimise the likelihood of disputes arising as to the ownership and development of any film or programme proposal.
Directors UK, formerly DPRS, was launched in June 2008 as the single voice for film and television directors in the UK. The organisation is both a collecting society for the distribution of secondary rights payments to directors, and the campaigning body seeking to protect and enhance the creative, economic and contractual rights of directors in the UK. In terms of film production, if you are in contract with one of the major TV networks, your director agreements are likely to fall within the DirectorUK codes. Directors will also find useful resources here such as director's contract guildelines.
BECTU http://www.bectu.org.uk is the independent trade union for those working in broadcasting, film, theatre, entertainment, leisure, interactive media and allied areas. It has a section on industry agreements http://www.bectu.org.uk/advice-resources/agreements including directors contract guidelines. It has a useful section giving freelance ratecard for all the different industry trades http://www.bectu.org.uk/advice-resources/rates and provides useful information on copyright http://www.bectu.org.uk/advice-resources/copyright . The Tax Guidance section refers the user to the tax office (HMRC) but provides guidance for freelancers for BECTU members.
Media and Entertainment Lawyers
Lee & Thompson are a large firm of media and entertainment lawyers http://www.leeandthompson.com/about/overview/ . Working across the entertainment industry they are leaders in the field of TV legal work in the UK, we offer TV legal expertise across TV production, rights, TV distribution, TV formats and all other areas of TV law and business affairs. The site gives an overview of the different areas of media law. For those interested there is also an excellent downloadable GUIDE TO MUSIC INDUSTRY AGREEMENTS http://www.leeandthompson.com/our-expertise/music/guide-to-music-industry-agreements/
Media Production Forms
Pop Up Ideas http://popupideas.com/resources/tv-film-productoin/free-forms/ provides an extensive list of useful media production forms including contract forms, budget templates and a huge range of administrative templates from daily raw stock logs to stunt performer contracts.
Browse this isp group page for a range of useful contracts and production forms http://www.ispgroupinc.com/contracts/contract_samples.htm
Industry legislation and guidance
2008 http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/psb2_phase2/
Commissioning
BBC Commissioning is an extensive section dedicated to the BBC's commissioning process and claims to cover 'Everything you need to know about commissioning and the delivery process for TV & Multiplatform'. Well there's certainly a wealth of useful information and studying it is an education for any budding producer and a great checklist for the more experienced.
Keep on track with our programme quick checklist
http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/