Project Plan, Part I
After careful consideration, our project has been named “IV Office”.
Project Objectives
A team of individuals, often coming together for the first time on location, produces films.
On low-budget films, the team often has little chance to share information and plan together before arriving on location. IV Office is intended to enhance pre-production before the team members actually arrive on location - and to remain a valuable tool throughout pre-production and the subsequent stages of production.
The primary focus of IV Office is to coordinate a team of filmmakers, regardless of their location, through a security proofed web interface. Key production information will be organized and made available for easy reference before, during, and after production.
IV Office will include tools for rewriting and archiving script notes, location scouting, shot listing, storyboarding, rehearsal footage, blocking and camera tests, as well as design and information exchange.
Each user will have a unique login allowing them limited or full access ("permissions") to any aspect of the site. This will give each department quick access to read or update their respective sections, while giving confidence to the department heads that their work is secured and kept private. Access will be gained online through the web portal on the Motion Picture Script Pre-production Management Site.
Stakeholder Analysis
After conducting a preliminary search into film related software, it appears the market is currently focusing on budgeting, scheduling, and writing software. none of the software we have researched advertises online features. And, most importantly, none of the available software appears to be geared towards use by a team of filmmakers sharing information to enhance pre-production. We therefore believe IV Office will fill an important gap left by current software developers.
A number of non-technical staff on the production team need access to the information, such as actors. Consequently, the virtual environment is designed to be user-friendly. Due to IV Office's user-friendly nature, the stakeholders of this project are wide-ranging.
Primary Stakeholders
Primary stakeholders most affected by the project will be directors, producers, and actors, who will be allowed access to dynamic filming information. They are considered primary because they will actually be updating the information in the database as needed.
Secondary Stakeholders
Secondary Stakeholders include investors in the film, movie studios, and film schools. They are considered secondary because they won't be updating the database. Secondary Stakeholders will only be viewing and printing documents from the database.
Stakeholder Expectations
Primary Stakeholders
Primary Stakeholders expect all of the filming information to be consolidated and updated in real-time in the virtual environment. The expectation of the director is a way to keep his team organized and updated at all times, especially when the team is apart. Actors expect an easy to use interface which will clearly notify them of any changes involving a scene they are in.
Secondary Stakeholders
Investors in the film will expect to feel more secure with their decision to invest in a film. This security comes from having up to the minute details of all filming information. With this updated information, the investor can see how fast or slow the film is progressing, or if there are any delays. In this way, the process of producing a film will not be so foreign to the investor. Much in the same way, Movie Studios, which have big money invested in films, will expect updates on costs and completion dates. Film Schools can keep track of the progress of student films.