Assignment 1 Video Production

This project aims to resolve the issue of TFM Soundworks. they have approached the college as they are due to open at the end of the month. i have been asked to advise them on how best their music content could be distributed online. I have been asked to produce a report explaining the range of online distribution methods so that their marketing team can decide how they can best reach their audience.

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION - ( content delivery, online distribution or electronic software distribution)

this describes the delivery means of media content such as audio, video, software and video games.
online distribution bypasses traditional means of physical distribution methods such as hard files like paper, DVD's and CD's. with the way that technology has evolved and the advancement in network bandwidth capabilities online distribution has become very prominent since the 2000's.

DOWNLOAD

in the context of which we are using here download literally means recieve and save and realistically explains its self in this way more than any. The dowloadable content would only be usable once the download was complete

PROGRESSIVE STREAMING

the concept of progressive streaming is one of which you are able to show pre-recorded information (video or music) over a network of which a user can join and then view without saving the content to his/her hard drive but only be able to view whenc onnected  to the network.

TRUE STREAMING

the concept of true streaming is live information is fed to a server and then sent directly to the user this is not edited and therefore is shown as seen by anybody watching the event live example such as the famous felix baumgartner jumping from space was shown through live streaming to millions.


i have researched good examples of each of these online distribution methods and they are shown below, these examples have been made relevant to TFM Soundworks in order to give their marketing team a good references to use in making their decision.


Download- ITUNES, Amazon,Napster

Progressive Streaming, youtube, vimeo, netflix, lovefilm, bbciplayer, 4od, itunes, vevo

True Streaming - youtube- justin.tv twitch.tv. bbciplayer.

Although downloading is an option I do not feel that it would be the most suitable out of the options this is for multiple reasons. There are faster options available and I feel this would stop people from using the service knowing they have a faster alternative, mostly when veiwing this type of material it would be considered a one once video and therefore downloading something that you do not want to keep would not be suitable also the user would have a to be able to store the data this is something they may not have the capacity to do so. Last I feel that when this type of material can be accessed on other sites instantly the consumer would be inclined to leave the site and view other material elsewhere. 

Progressive streaming is the most commonly used in this industry when it comes to digital distribution and for good reason I feel. It is instantly accessible firstly reducing the risk of viewers becoming unsettled and impatient. There would be no need for external memory in order to store the data as no data would be kept on the system viewing the material. The only negative in comparison to download is the consumer would only be able to view the material when online as no data is stored. 

True streaming is another option but would not be cost effective for an early starting business, also this would only be effective if you offered the option of progressive streaming at the same time as not all viewers would be able to make the time the material would be scheduled for, this I feel would greatly reduce the amount of consumers beig able to access the material.

Through my research I feel that progressive streaming would be the most cost effective but also the highest probability of being able to deliver this material to the largest possible audience allowing people to access this material freely when online there are example of the most successful companies doing this and I feel that beig with in this industry with large competitors it would be more effective and efficent. I would recommend true streaming to be considered but only for certain events if it was financially theasable at the time.

Cavan Steven Chameleon Mcloughlin 

understanding working to a client brief.

There are different types of briefs, i have been asked to show this within an application for Middlesbrough college, within this brief i will show structural briefs such as negotiated, formal, informal, commission based, a cooperative brief and also competition.

i will show that i understand and recognize the nature and demand implicit in brief, how to negotiate within a brief, this will include a consultation with with the client, discretion interpreting the brief such as constraints ( legal, ethical, and regularity), amendments to conditions and also fees.

i will then show the opportunities available such as opportunities for self-development such as new skills, multi-skilling and contributions to project brief.


Structures of a brief.

a contractual brief is an agreement between the client and the employees. the contractual brief explains the duties required and how the the company carries out its work (code of practice). the contractual brief also shows how much the employee will receive. the contractual brief includes areas such as what the employee is is agreeing to before signing to show that in turn they agree to fulfill the contract. a contractual brief may also contain information such as general liability insurance. it is a legal contract between the advertising company and its client which describes the duties required as well as the price and the payment terms.

a negotiated brief is again a contractual obligation that is agreed between the client and whom ever is being contracted to carry out the work, a good example of this would be a collaboration between two companies as they would have to agree on what work would be carried out by each party. the advantages of this would be the ability to create more ideas to improve the agreed work due to a combination of ideas from both the client and the supplier. the disadvantages would be that there may be disagreements about the ideas of the client or vice-versa.

a formal brief is a formal written document which usually contains specific and also precise details about the goals and targets that need to be achieved. a formal brief would not usually contain any unnecessary detail or information. this type of brief would usually be aimed at a company or a party of people rather than individuals, also this would not always be a legally binding document.

an informal brief is usually not a document but a verbal agreement but can be either, this is where a client and the company which they have been employed by discuss the requirements for the project that is being undertaken. The advantages of this type of brief is that there is more of a verbal communication between the two parties which would usually mean the hired company may have a greater understanding of the project to be carried out. The disadvantages to this type of agreement quite simply is that there is no legally binding contract, this can usually lead to employee's being unpaid or deadlines not being met.

a commission based brief is based upon the idea that a large media company would employ another media company to run and produce the project for them, this would then be used by the employee possibly for an external client who would pay the independent company for running the project. this would possibly result in the independent company receiving royalties for the project too. the brief would not be negotiated by the company and the client, however is negotiated between the two media companies.

a tender brief would be used by a client that would advertise, in response a production company would bring together a proposal that would then be pitched to the client, there would usually be multiple pitches from multiple companies, so the client will then get the chance to choose the proposal that best suits their brief and would then offer the job to that company.

a co-operative brief  is usually two or more companies that are hired to work to a specific brief designed by the client. once both companies have received their brief they can then proceed to carry out the work required. if there is disagreement or difference in ideas there would usually be a negotiated brief in order to resolve these issues.

a competition brief is a type of brief of which the client would usually put it out publicly or send it to chosen companies participating, it would sometimes be seen as a free competition as each production company would complete the brief and the client would be able to choose the one that is best suited to them or that they like the most. As an award this would be published.

Reading a brief

when receiving a brief it is very important that you read it thoroughly. you must make sure that you fully understand what is being asked of you within the brief, to the specific standards set by the client in order to guarantee such things such as : being payed for the work carried out, customer satisfaction, reputation within the industry and also it is important for the client and the employee to meet deadlines this is for all of the reason stated but also financially o the employee as more time on the project essentially would cost more money.

Negotiating with a client

i feel that it is important to discuss the brief with the client prior to production as when you meet your client you would be able to discuss the brief with them, this would be a good opportunity to raise any issues that you feel lie within the project, also offering any ideas that you fell will improve the project. This would also allow you to begin the project confidently knowing that you and the client both agree completely on what needs to be done to create the right product for them. the client of course may take your idea on board or disregard them completely as they may feel it would not portray what they envision. if you were to carry out the project with your ideas having not negotiated with the client you may not be payed for the work carried out, as they would be entitled to accuse the company of not working to the guidelines of the brief that they provided.

There are advantages and disadvantages of employing discretion within a brief, the advantages of doing this would be that this would make it more flexible between you and the client, meaning that you would be able to discuss freely many different ideas that the company would have for the client. they would also accept/decline the deadline without any hostility. the disadvantages would be that the brief could be seen as quite weak as not everything is set in stone.

There are potentially  legal, ethical and regulatory issues with some briefs these would generally consist of copy right issues, making sure the client understands these and any infringements that would occur by using the material they have chosen. Also it is important to make the client aware of any ethical issues that may be portrayed by carrying out the project in the manner they have chosen should they arise for example if they were to create a project to raise awareness on racism this would have to be done in a manner that is sensitive to those affected by racism.

There would usually be amendments made to the final product. These may consist of such things like the product, the budget and the conditions.

The product - there may be things needed changing within the brief upon readin it these may consist of

• overlay in time
• ambitious deadlines
• time scales
• scopes

There may not be enough finance to complete the product, this may result in amendments being made to the budget. if this happens there are generally two options either to increase the budget or decrease the scope of the project.

The conditions of the project may need to be amended, this generally happens if you were to run over time. you would need to approach the client about the matter of your pay being increased, this would generally be difficult after the contract has been signed. It would be more beneficial to discuss the possibility of this with the client prior to signing the contract.

There are many opportunities that lie within taking on briefs these would usually consist of self development, learning new skills, multi-skilling and contributing to a brief.

briefs are a good opportunity to be able to explore what tasks we are generally good at and what we aren't as good at this would allow you to assess this and productively improve through self-development. within the brief there may be certain tasks that you have never come across before this would allow you to learn new skills through-out. in circumstances where you would not use a large production company it would give you the opportunity to multi-skill as you may have to complete different roles within the project. once reading the brief an individual may decide to create such things as mind maps and mood boards this would allow them to contribute to the project.