Creative Practitioners Short Documentary Film - Essay Example

?Business Plan for Creative Practitioners- A short documentary film project Executive Summary page) My project will involve the production of a short documentary about overseas education. The project will focus on the realities related to studying in other countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and other Middle East and African countries. The project will mainly involve a video production using simple tools and equipment with an investment of limited capital. The project will be completed by me with the help of a friend. The sole owner of the project will be Me, a novice in the film industry with training in Film and TV production in Melbourne. I will rely on a friend who has no background on film production mainly to help in carrying equipment and for moral support. The mission of the project is to create awareness on the realities of overseas education. The project will be aimed at helping me gain experience in film production. The project also is aimed at making a profit of 1000 AUD with the sale of at least 15 CDs. The project will be initiated with an initial capital of 500AUD. With the successful production of the short documentary, I hope to make strides toward making longer and more complex films which will probably draw bigger profits. Goals My project will be aimed at achieving a number of goals. The business hopes to produce and sell at least ten documentary CDs within the first month of production. Furthermore, the business hopes to make a profit of at least 1,000 AUD in profits from the first documentary production. The business also hopes to achieve an average growth rate of 10% per year in terms of sales and profits. The film industry in Australia is growing and more people need to tap and invest in it. The people need to be preoccupied with other projects that can be performed at the local level. Initiating a film production in towns like Melbourne and Canberra can be an opportunity in making a positive accrual to the film industry. For instance, the population in Melbourne has a record of high population of people attending schools. This documentary would be an opportunity to encourage on oversea learning. In addition to this, many people have not discovered their talents. With such projects, many of the people could be directed towards exploring their talents, which are not exposed. Another goal in establishing this project is to reach both old and young people in the Australian society. The Australian population could involve projects to generate improved production in the country. The film industry would record an escalating scale with an indulgence of both old and young. An eminent advantage of the film industry is that, it does not have age brackets as a qualification (Branagan, 2012). Therefore, all people are legible to join in the production of films in Australia. Since the film production will be based in Melbourne, it will be an opportunity for the population in Melbourne to engage in participatory events. In addition to this, the initiation of the film making project in the area will be an avenue of improving the skills of the [population. The population is likely to amass quantitative experience that could be used in developing other films. Yet another goal of this project is to make an impact in the student perception. Melbourne has a large population of students that could be interested in films. This makes is a positive accrual as the students would appreciate a film that is produced in the vicinity. With a high demand for the films, the project will be a source of income (Kitchen and Proctor, 2001). This is an initial stage of making a documentary that is 30 minutes long. The documentary will focus on overseas education and the life of students in oversea learning. Therefore, there will be a limited number of people involved in the production of the documentary to reduce the costs incurred in the initial stages. I am the sole founder of the project, working with one friend. Since this is an initial stage of developments, I will have to perform several roles. This is a plan that deems to reduce on the costs incurred during the documentary production. In the end, producing the work will be a lot easier and less costly. Success Indicators Since the project has a number of goals to fulfill, it will rely on various tools for measuring performance. The project will be evaluated to ensure that it is inclined to its stated goals. Since the project is destined to create a rapport with the community, the audience in collaboration will be vital (Rothwell and Kazanas, 2003). If the project will have reached out to a large audience, then the project will be successful. However, a limited audience would mean a flopped project. In addition to this, project will have to reflect on the number of people initiated into the film making industry during the entire period. A large number of people initiated into the project would mean that the project was positively inducted into the industry. However, with a low percentage of people appreciating the project, it will reflect a negative accrual of the project. The second measurement of the project will be projected from the amount of proceeds generated. In the initial stages of initiating the project, it was considered that the projected will be used as a source of income for the people. Therefore, the people should have a better reflection in regard to their economy. An improvement in their economic status will show a positive accrual of the project. However, with negative proceeds, the project will be evaluated as a loss making project (Reel and Abraham, 2007. In addition to the income generation, the evaluation will also focus on funding and success. A reasonable project is considered to have more income generated, which will also foot the incurred costs. Therefore, the project should incur lesser costs to fulfill its projections. Reflecting on the success of funding and completion of the project would be a possible evaluation of the end results. Product Description and User Needs Product description is a vital aspect that shows the quality of a product. In this project, the product is a documentary that will reflect on overseas learning. The documentary will focus on the general life of students in oversea countries. The change in life and environment would be the main point of focus. It is evident that students studying in other countries have to amass resilience in adapting to the environment and the new country. Therefore, the documentary will feature on how to make this easier for students who wish to study abroad. It is in the best interests of students to rely on this documentary for a number of reasons. First, the students will have an idea on how to pursue education in other countries. It is evident that different countries have different education systems, cultures, rules and environments. Therefore, focusing on the subject would equip students with information on how to cope with changes and challenges attributed to new environments. Secondly, the documentary will advise students on how to obtain oversea scholarships and sponsorship incase of need. This will be useful in helping students overcome financial constraints that may come their way in the pursuit for education. Thirdly, the documentary will give information on appropriate conduct of students in oversea learning. With such an approach, the population will amass enough information in relation to oversea learning. Target Audience and Market 1 Industry Description and Outlook Documentaries are an important media genre, situated “somewhere between art, entertainment, and journalism.” Documentaries serve the audience’s need for information, learning, factual programming, and entertainment, and also raise serious issues for public consideration and action (Aufderheide 2005). However, due to micro budgets and usually one-off productions, it might be a risky for fresh independent filmmakers like me. Government support or sponsorship is limited, pressure from broadcasters is increased, and copyright requirements are high. But, during recent years, Innovation became the key development for documentary producers. In the new media environment, we are experiencing the digitalization, interactive media, and multiplatform distribution, etc (Beattie 2008). And because of creative freedom, low cost production and exhibition equipment, more and more filmmakers have the opportunity to present their creations at professional standards to the marketplace. By 2008 the documentary boom had flooded the market with documentary products great and small (Ansen, 2008). It becomes more challengeable for young filmmakers in today’s documentary market. 2 Information about Target Market Officials say China has the largest number of overseas students in the world. Since China's economic reforms, Chinese government has been funding programs to send people abroad to gain knowledge and skills. Now due to China’s one child policy, more middle-class families are able to affordit themselves and about 93% of Chinese students are self-funded, studying for undergraduate, postgraduate, doctor degrees mainly in engineering, sciences, accounting, international relations, economics and finance, and administration. Their top choosing countries are English-speaking countries like the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, also a number of other popular countries like Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan and Singapore. While Chinese students have brought money to foreign colleges and universities hard-hit by the global financial crisis, China is getting the knowledge and skills needed to drive the country's rapid growth (Chen 2011). My target audience will mainly be Chinese families and students, as well as worldwide academic authorities and scholars. As most families only got one child, the parents even grandparents are extremely concern about the child’s education. Most western countries got advanced system, that’s why they would like to send their child study abroad. And if their child is already abroad, they would be desperate to know how they living? Good or not? Documentary like this would definitely attract their attention, and widely spread. In additions, all the oversea students feel connected to each other. This documentary will strike a responsive chord in the hearts of the oversea students. They would feel like one of them and get involved. 3 Size of Primary Target Market My primary target market would be Chinese Oversea Students who study in those three countries. According to an estimate, every year, nearly 750,000 Chinese students apply to higher education institutions around the world to study (Choudaha 2012). According to Institute of International Education, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are top three countries that have the highest number of international students. In 2010-2011, with approximately 723,277 foreign registered overseas students in the US, followed by the UK and Australia, approximately with 330,000 and 280, 000. In 2011, Chinese students shows 23% increase the prior year in the US; by 43% at the undergraduate level; and female represent approximately 45% of the total number of international students. (2012). China Education Ministry say, in the 2009-2010 academic year, the University of Cambridge alone had nearly 1,000 Chinese students. My target market is increased rapidly each year (Chen 2011). Business personnel and production team The business will be run and managed initially by myself with the assistance of my friend. Given the financial and resource constraints currently in place, I will have to perform several duties. I will have to coordinate and manage all the project activities. I will also be the cameraman taking both still and video shoots using the cameras at my disposal. I will also edit the videos and photos taken using the digital cameras to produce the finished product with sound and music properly integrated. In addition to the tasks mentioned above, I will also act as a marketing executive. In this respect, I will present the product to the market and advertise it using various options. I have worked as an intern and amassed vast information and experience in film making. This will be an advantage on my side and an important factor toward the success of the project. It will be easier directing the documentary and editing the sound and video clips given the experience that I already have. In addition to this, I have learnt a lot about financial control which will be important in initiating and managing the project with limited funds and resources. Business Model The project is small and therefore requires little input of resources. Therefore, personal savings will be used to initiate the project. I have garnered a substantial amount of cash that would be used in executing this project. However, there is need to have a better financial base for the complete execution of the project. Secondly, advertising companies will be approached to include their adverts in the documentary at a cost. Advertising is a service that incorporates other products into the documentary (Bornstein and Davis, 2010). Ultimately, the advertised products will achieve supremacy in the market. Financial Projections and Budgets As the project seeks to reduce the costs incurred in production, the project production will be done in the university computer laboratory. This will involve setting all the requirements in the computer lab for execution of the project. Since the equipment is owned by the school, minimal costs will be incurred. As a result, the business will benefit from the low costs of production. All business plans have succinct budgets that encompass all planned activities. As a matter of fact, a budget of 1000 Australian dollars will be sufficient for the initial development of the first bunch of documentaries. This would be sufficient for the development of documentaries that will create an impact in the market. First, purchase of materials and equipment is expected to cost close to 200 Australian dollars. This would include all the requirements in the shooting of the films including blank cds (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010). Secondly, planning for the stated venues will require fees for payment of the levied costs. This will require about 50 Australian dollars. Thirdly, my assistant will have to be compensated for the work done. This will amount to 100 Australian dollars. In addition to this, 100 Australian dollars will be set aside for the props and stage management. A total of 100 Australian dollars will be set for miscellaneous expenses, while the rest will be utilized solely for the film making and production. The venture is projected to grow at a constant rate of 10% over the first three years. In order to overcome the financial constrains, there will be need to source for funds from other sources. After the production of the documentary I will seek funds from crowd sourcing, grants, and fellowships. I will target a total of $3000 in grants from the South Australian Film Corporation, Screen Australia, Film Victoria, and Screen Queensland. BUDGET SUMMARY " Documentary"   EXCLUSIONS - ALL FILMS NON-QAPE (OVERSEAS ELEMENTS) QAPE as at: (insert date) $Australian         prepared by   Trf.from A-Z TOTALS       "ABOVE THE LINE" COSTS       A.1 STORY & SCRIPT Fees & Expenses       A.2 DEVELOPMENT Fees & Expenses       3,000 B.1 PRODUCERS Fees & Expenses       B.2 DIRECTORS Fees & Expenses       E(a) CAST-PRINCIPALS Fees & Expenses           TOTAL "ABOVE THE LINE" COSTS         3,000 "BELOW THE LINE" COSTS       PRODUCTION COSTS       C UNIT FEES & SALARIES       1 Production Management       2 Production Accountancy       3 Asst.Directors & Script Supervision       4 Camera Crew       5 Sound Crew       6 Lighting Crew       7 Grips Crew       8 Costume Crew (Drama)       9 Make-up Crew (Drama)       10 Hairdressing Crew (Drama)       11 Art Department Crew (Drama)       12 Action Vehicles Crew (Drama)       13 Livestock Crew (Drama)       14 Construction Crew (Drama)       15 Special Effects & Armoury Crew (Drama)       16 Visual Effects & Animation       17 Occupational Health & Safety Crew       18 Tuition & Technical Advisers       19 Second Unit Crew       20 Overseas Crew       24 Overtime & Loadings         TOTAL UNIT FEES AND SALARIES:           D FRINGES & WORKERS COMP - CREW/CAST       E(b) CAST & CASTING (DRAMA)       1 Casting Fees & Expenses       2 Principals       3 Supports       4 Standins & Doubles       5 Stunts       6 Extras       7 Narrator/Presenter           F.1 COSTUMES (DRAMA)       F.2 MAKE-UP & HAIRDRESSING (DRAMA)       G.1 LOCATIONS       G.2 STAGE RENTALS       H SETS & PROPERTIES (DRAMA)       H.1 Construction       H.2 Props & Set Dressing       H.3 Action Props & Vehicles       H.4 Livestock       H.5 Special Effects & Armoury       H.6 Visual Effects       H.7 Animation & Puppetry           I.a STOCK, PROCESSING AND TRANSFERS - FILM & LAB - Shooting       I.b STOCK, PROCESSING AND TRANSFERS - TAPE & HD       J INSERTS, STILLS AND ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE       K.1 EQUIPMENT & STORES Camera       K.2 Sound       K.3 Lighting       K.4 Grips       K.5 Unit Facilities       K.6 Safety           L RENTALS & STORAGE       M TRAVEL & TRANSPORT 1,400     1,400 N ACCOMMODATION, LIVING & CATERING 400     400 O INSURANCES       P OFFICE EXPENSES       Q OFFSHORE SHOOT         TOTAL PRODUCTION COSTS   1,800     1,800       POST-PRODUCTION COSTS       R POST-PRODUCTION CREW       S POST-PRODN. RENTALS & OFFICE EXPENSES       T POST-PRODN. TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION       U.1 PICTURE POST PRODUCTION       U.2 DIGITAL VISUAL EFFECTS       V SOUND POST-PRODUCTION       W MUSIC       X.1 PUBLICITY & STILLS - PRODUCTION       X.2 DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS         TOTAL POST-PRODUCTION COSTS                   TOTAL "BELOW THE LINE" COSTS   1,800     1,800 INDIRECT COSTS       Y LEGAL & BUSINESS       - Audit         - Offset applicant fees         - Tax Accounting fees         - Interest         - Bank Fees         - Company Fees         - Stamp Duty         - Exchange Rate Fluctation         - Production Legals         - Title Search           Z OVERHEADS         TOTAL INDIRECT COSTS                 TOTAL ALL CATEGORIES     1,800     4,800 COMPLETION GUARANTEE       CONTINGENCY 180 180     FINANCE       MARKETING       PRODUCTION LEVIES       TOTAL BUDGET     1,980 180   4,800   CHECK TOTAL: 4,980 Financial Plan for 3 years 2012 % 2013 % 2014 % Sales $ 2,000 100.00% $ 3,000 100.00% $ 4,000 100.00% Cost/ Goods Sold (COGS) 100 5.00% 200 6.67% 300 7.50% Gross Profit $ 1,500 75.00% $ 2,800 93.33% $ 3,700 92.50% Operating Expenses Salary (Office & Overhead) $ 200 10.00% $ 200 6.67% $ 300 7.50% Payroll (taxes etc.) - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Outside Services 300 15.00% 400 13.33% 600 15.00% Supplies (off and operation) - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Repairs/ Maintenance - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Advertising 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Car, Delivery and Travel - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Accounting and Legal - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Rent - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Telephone - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Utilities - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Insurance - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Taxes (real estate etc.) - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Interest - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Depreciation - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Other expense (specify) - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Other expense (specify) - 0.00% - 0.00% - 0.00% Total Expenses $ 500 25.00% $ 600 20.00% $ 900 22.50% Net Profit Before Tax 1,000 2,200 2,800 Income Taxes - - - Net Profit After Tax 1,000 2,200 2,800 Owner Draw/ Dividends - - - Adj. to Retained Earnings $ 1,000 $ 2,200 $ 2,800 Copyright, IP and Licensing The business will be duly registered with government agencies to reinforce its legality. Since the project aims at making profit through its productions, there will be a need for copyrighting the works of arts. This will prevent masquerading parties from benefiting from the proceeds of the project. Furthermore, acquiring property rights will be vital in making a positive step in lawful induction into the market. The documentary produced will thus be registered with the Australian Copyright Council in addition to being licensed and registered with the Office for the Arts. Adhering to legal procedures will give the project a boost, as the activities will be considered legal. Action plan-status and next step The project will have to be evaluated according to the performance. The project should have strategies for ensuring greater performance at each production level. For instance, an increase in the demand for the products is an indication that the project is performing well in the market. The project will begin with preliminary preparations which will involve gathering the necessary materials. Once this has been done, research will be done regarding the possible aspects of life abroad to be covered. The scenes for the shootings , the music clips and the persons to be featured during the shootings will be chosen. This will be followed by actual shooting of the video clips and taking of still cameras. The clips will then be edited using software in the computer lab to produce the final product. Once the documentary has been produced, several copies of the same will be made and properly packaged. The packaged products will then be sent to various stores for sale. References Bornstein, D. and Davis S. (2010). Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Grossman S. And O'Brien M. B. (2010). How to Run Your Own Nurse Practitioner Business: A Guide for Success. Springer Publishing Company. Kitchen, P. J. and Proctor T. (2001). The Informed Student Guide to Marketing. New York: Cengage Learning EMEA. Osterwalder, A. and Pigneur Y. (2010). Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Publishing Group. Rothwell, W. J.and Kazanas H. C. (2003). The Strategic Development of Talent. New York: Human Resource Development. Read More