TA3: Pre-production planning

What you need to know

• What work planning is and why it is important • What a workplan is and how it is created.

Every project needs a plan. Without a plan, deadlines may be missed and the quality of the media product may not be good enough. In a project, it is in everyone’s interest that a plan is in place.

What work planning is • Work planning is literally a plan of the work that needs to be done. • This enables everyone working on the project to understand when and where they will be needed. • Without planning, a project may run over or run out of time. • It also helps plan equipment, resources and people needed. • Work planning is an important way of structuring a project. What a workplan is • A workplan is a planning document to create structure to a project. • It can be created on a spreadsheet, with a planning app or using online software. • A workplan is a live, working document. How workplans are created and used Workplans are created using these components: Components of workplans Phases Pre-production, production, post-production Tasks Larger sections of work Activities The smaller actions that need to be carried out to complete a task Workflow The visual representation of all the activities in the order they need to be completed Timescales The length of time available to complete the project Milestones Key points in a project Contingencies Sets of events or problems that might occur during a project Resources Hardware, people, software needed DRAFT

Practise it!

1 XCO Media want to create a workplan for a project with a very tight deadline.

What component would be most important when managing time? (1 mark) 2 There is a very large team and many different designers working on the project. Which component would be important to include when working with many people? (1 mark)

Remember it!

• Work planning is the key to a successful product. • A workplan is a document to help plan a project. • A workplan is made up of different components.

What you need to know

• The uses of workplans • The advantages of workplans.

Workplans help to organise tasks and track progress during a project.

Manage time effectively Outline tasks and activities clearly Manage resources

Workplans allow for deadlines to be set and to be broken down into months, weeks or days Each task that needs completing can be included on a workplan alongside who the task is assigned to A workplan can clearly show which equipment is needed for each task, ensuring that it can be hired or booked out in advance

Example: A DVD cover will need to be designed, created and printed by the released date of the DVD Example: To create a leaflet a graphic designer, illustrator and photographer may all have tasks included

Example: To record an interview at someone’s house for a podcast, a sound recorder and microphone may be needed Advantages of workplans • Allow managers to see all stages of a project • Everyone knows their roles and responsibilities • People know when they will be needed • Progress can be tracked • Clear deadlines • Easy evaluation of project • Allow contingency planning • Easy to spot if something is going wrongDRAFT

Revise it!

Create a mind map of uses for workplans. Place the word ‘workplans’ in the middle, the three main uses of workplans as nodes branching off, then add media-based examples to each.

Remember it!

• It is useful to help manage time, tasks and resources. • Workplans have many advantages for people who are directly using them and those who are on the project.

What you need to know

• What mind maps are • What a mind map can be used for • How the effectiveness of a mind map can be improved.

Anyone can have an idea, but there are documents available that help to structure and develop those ideas, such as a mind map.

What mind maps are • A mind map is a diagram created to support the generation of ideas and organise information. • It helps to break down or develop ideas step by step. • It will contain a main idea in the middle of the diagram, inside a shape. • Shapes that contain information are called nodes. • Lines that come away from those nodes are called branches. Two types of mind map 1 Physical mind maps can be completed by hand. 2 Digital mind maps are created using digital computer software. What a mind map can be used for Summarising requirements Uses of mind maps Problem solving

Thinking through complex scenarios Taking notesAudience research collation Ideas generation A mind map’s effectiveness can be improved by making it detailed, specific and by using nodes and branches to break down a problem into all the areas that need to be worked on. DRAFT

Revise it!

Create a mind map that breaks down how to create a mind map both by hand and digitally. Label the nodes and branches.

Remember it!

• Mind maps can be created digitally or by hand. • Mind maps have many different uses. • They are made up of nodes and branches . • They need to be specific and detailed.

What you need to know

• What a mood board is • What a mood board can be used for • How a mood board’s effectiveness can be improved.

Mood boards can be used in the ideas generation stage to gain inspiration or find out more about the feel or tone of a product.

What a mood board is • A mood board is a landscape collage of overlapping elements. • It includes images, fonts, colour, material, sounds and video clips. • It conveys information about a tone, theme or feel. Two types of mood board 1 Physical mood boards can be completed by hand. 2 Digital mood boards are created using digital computer software. What a mood board can be used for Gain inspiration Ideas development Uses of mood boards

Develop a look, tone or feel Find out about competitors

Target audience information A mood board’s effectiveness can be improved if the content is related directly to the brief and only focuses on one aspect or area of it.DRAFT

Revise it!

Search online for ‘mood boards’. Then create a document with a selection of mood boards and explain which area of the brief each focuses on. For example, a mood board might focus on a target audience/genre.

Remember it!

• Mood boards are useful tools to find out information about tone, look or feel. • They contain different elements. • They are creative and unstructured.