RESEARCH – Client Feedback Survey

13421070 / April 4, 2016May 9, 2016 / Research - Company

(Outcomes – GR1, PER1]

“Customer feedback is so important because it provides marketers and business owners with insight that they can use to improve their business, products and/or overall customer experience.” – (clientheartbeat.com)

An audio production company like the one we’re simulating for the purpose of this project is a business, and customer feedback is similarly useful in this field as it is in many others.

Firstly, soliciting the perception of your client about the service you provide is a great way of gaining insight into how satisfied they are, how you can improve your service and how best to approach the client for repeat business. This is a critical feedback loop for strengthening relationships with existing clients and for garnering return business.

Secondly, they can be used to generate social proof, which is `…a powerful psychological phenomenon where people will behave similarly to the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation…In today’s crowded world, where companies are vying for consumer attention, social proof plays an important part in the ability to reach new customers.’ (unbounce.com). In layman’s terms, this means that potential customers are more likely to choose you if they see other people are happy with your work and these are usually called testimonials.

As such, I thought it would be interesting to research the best method of soliciting this kind of feedback to some extent. [GR1]

I would envision this feedback process to be of most use when dealing with clients in corporate sectors such as advertising rather than with independent film-makers, for example. For the purpose of this project feedback is very useful however so I’ve developed a standard feedback document for OG Productions to be sent to all of our directors as we complete our projects, from which we can hopefully draw testimonials and derive client feedback for use in the academic marking process which can be found here –

http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/8LKHK/

I researched a number of customer feedback documents on websites such as Questionpro.com to garner some insight into the kind of questions we might ask, and altered a standard Client Evaluation of Project template at SurveySmart.co.uk to better reflect our needs. The questions are a mix of multiple choice statements for qualitative feedback and open-ended text-box questions designed to garner feedback which will hopefully be useful as testimonials. It is a reasonably short survey because a complex document with a large number of questions will almost certainly get put to one side in the busy world of media industries, so simplicity and accessibility are key. This was also the reason I opted for the online option so the survey can simply be emailed to the production team at the appropriate time. [PER1]

In reality, I would likely split the feedback up into a survey concentrating more on the artistic side of the projects outcomes which would be best filled in by the director, and another concentrating more on the nuts and bolts of the production and services for the producers attention, but for the purpose of this project dealing with a number of small productions I feel it’s adequate enough to deal with both of these aspects in one document. The survey I’m presenting is also very corporate in tone which can sometimes be a disadvantage, and would likely not be deployed as a matter of course but more likely on a case by case basis taking into account the size of the production, any pre-existing relationship with the client and the way that relationship is conducted, and whether the client are themselves putting on a similarly corporate front.

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KEY POINTS –

Research into client feedback, methods and the logic thereof – Research

[GR1] To professionally operate as a small to medium size company (or other recognisable business entity) in the audio production / post-production field might.
[PER1] To develop a better understanding of the pros and cons of business structures, processes, regulations and agreements which might enable film audio producers to collaborate on multiple projects.

Construction of standard OG Audio client survey – Process Management

[GR1] To professionally operate as a small to medium size company (or other recognisable business entity) in the audio production / post-production field might.
[PER1] To develop a better understanding of the pros and cons of business structures, processes, regulations and agreements which might enable film audio producers to collaborate on multiple projects.

Reflection on potential real world uses – Individual reflection on learning and team role.

P + P – Progress Report – March

13421070 / April 1, 2016May 7, 2016 / Individual Reflection, Learning Outcomes, Planning, Process Management

(Outcomes – GR1, 2, 3, 4 + IN1 + PER4)

With completion of our final shooting day on Thursday 24th March, production has now wrapped on all of the five films we’re working on, and even with two shoots substantially over-running their initial dates and requiring numerous reshoots we are currently on track for picture-locks for all of the films more or less on time – all of them are scheduled for today, basically. We have also made inroads into some substantial aspects of post production for three of the films over the last few weeks, mainly due to a policy of consistently badgering editors for work in progress cuts of the work which have enabled the members of the team not tied up with location work to make a head start on post-production. The team have also been extremely effectively covering one another for location work, with boom ops and supervisors operating interchangably based on who’s available on any given day. [GR1,2,3]

Amusingly, in terms of our expectations vs the reality of production, the most outwardly-organised group of film-makers with the most ambitious ideas in pre-production have ended up being the most heavily behind schedule, whilst the production team with whom we had a horrendously complex experience last semester that caused their project to overrun by some months (and from whom we half-expected issues this term) ran an extremely efficient shoot which completed without need to recourse to their contingency day and without any significant issues whatsoever. [IN1]

Composition is as good as complete for one picture and underway for two others, with work in progress scratch-tracks having been demoed to the relevant supervisors and the rest of the team for feedback purposes in all those cases. Supervisors have remained in close contact with both directors and editors (in some cases these are the same person) for the films they’re managing, and we are now beginning a process of adapting the initial audio plans for our films to the reality of the pictures as they arrive. [GR1,2]

The sci-fi leaning films are the best examples of this process. Since it is extremely difficult to realise a convincing sci-fi vision with little experience or budget, the two films with sci-fi themes have tended to underplay the futuristic elements visually a little. This leaves more room for the audio to do the work of signifying and world-building, but also requires a deft directorial stance not to allow the audio to undermine the visuals where these haven’t quite matched the director’s initial vision. The picture must always dictate the audio and even if the director’s original vision for a scene was much more interesting from a sound design perspective it’s necessary to rein in the largesse at times. [GR4]

In terms of my own contribution, I’ve been on-set for three of the five films including managing the entire location audio operation and subsequent transfers and admin for Descent, have contributed considerably to sound design and foley aspects of Immort and Feel Good, such as they are completed at the moment. As we’ve got into the momentum of production with the crews, administrative requirements for the project have thankfully slackened off somewhat. [PER4]

My hours spent on the project for March have broken down roughly as follows, not including academic aspects such as blogs or research –

March Total = 101
Admin – 16
Meets – 7
Location – 52
Creative Work – 24.5
Other – 1.5

Our main issue this month has been facilities, as mooted in February’s report. In order to alleviate the pressure on our favoured workspace our institution took the insane decision to cancel 12 of our 38 booked sessions and drastically shorten another 8. This destroyed our post-production schedule at a stroke, and created a veritable storm of admin in planning and rebooking work. We tried to rationalise this into real world terms as if some kind of technical catastrophe had befallen the facility, but practically we have lost any hint of a margin for error on the part of any of the films and experienced another ballooning of administrative time for the project as a consequence. [GR1,2]

The main impact of this complication in terms of the team was morale, since most of us were flat-out on set with little time to think about the ramifications or spend time replanning our post work for the films. As the situation here is now somewhat fluid (it is impossible to say whether the Sound Theatre will actually be available to use for two days of each week until we get to the day), we are setting our work priorities on a week by week basis, with desired outcomes for each film set at the production meeting at the beginning of said week. We’re confident we can manage the films as long as they remain on schedule which, at the present time, largely appears likely.

In the interest of staying ahead of the game the priority for each supervisor going forward is now to decide who will be performing the final mixing of each of their films and where this person will be performing said mix, and then setting a deadline for it’s completion, the latter preferably in confluence with the director of their film. Aside from the benefit of a solid deadline, this will enable a process of centralisation of the data from aspects of audio production for each film which is now being split across multiple people in different environments (our composers are tending to work at home, for example) which will hopefully avoid too many data management and compatibility issues as the aspects of the films come together. [GR1, 2]

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KEY POINTS –

Overview of situation generally for the project and specifically for the film Descent –Professional practice, Process Management.

[GR1] To professionally operate as a small to medium size company (or other recognisable business entity) in the audio production / post-production field might.
[GR2] To organise and fulfil an operating strategy and schedule which deals with multiple productions simultaneously, and which maximises efficiency and minimises issues or risks to delivery.
[IN1] To successfully manage the provision of service by the business for the film Descent with regard the assignment of resources, specialisms and working time, liason with the director, editor and producer on a practical and creative level, and communication of information on their needs and requirements for the piece, in order to appraise the efficacy of the collaborative approach to working on the piece – (Supervisor and Company Officer)

Breakdown of work carried out in March – Contribution

[GR3] To provide a professional standard of service in respect to location sound recording and post-sound design / mixing.
[GR4] To conceive, compose, source and / or produce music to client specifications that synergistically supports the other components of their films.

Collective creative process – Process Management

[GR1] To professionally operate as a small to medium size company (or other recognisable business entity) in the audio production / post-production field might.
[GR2] To organise and fulfil an operating strategy and schedule which deals with multiple productions simultaneously, and which maximises efficiency and minimises issues or risks to delivery.

Contribution specifics – Contribution

[PER4] To contribute extensively to multiple film productions.

Reflection on process of adapting audio plans and outcome of facilities issues– Individual reflection on learning and team role

Project Overview, individual film synopses and Learning Outcomes

13421070 / February 7, 2016May 7, 2016 / Contribution, Learning Outcomes, Project Overview

Semester B – Audio Project 2 Group Members

Alice Asbury – aliceasbaudioproject2.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk

Gareth Bailey – gbaup3semb.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk

Anthony Belcher – ap2anthony.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk

Rory Hunter – roryhunteraudio.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk

Matthew Jones – aptwo.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk

Project Overview

The students will collaborate to provide audio services ranging from location recording, post-production sound design / mixing and music composition to five films as a research exercise focussed on managing and completing multiple projects in an appropriate way.

The five films consist of two 15 – 20 minute short films, one 10 – 12 minute short film, one 4 – 6 minute short film and one 3 – 4 minute animation. The films are detailed below along with the relevant group member designated as it’s project manager. This person will act as main point of contact for their designated director / producer, will direct the overall sound design of the piece, and will manage the allocation of resources to the project.

The entire group are jointly responsible for the final quality (with reference to individual and collaborative contributions to the soundtrack of the films) and delivery (with reference to individual and collective contributions to the day to day running of the Omni-Gaffer Productions ‘business’) of all five films as one artifact.

Film Synopsis and Details

Remember – Garden Gnome Films

Dilpret Rall – Director/Producer/Editor

Olivia Thompson – Camera/Producer/Editor

Client Sound Requirements: location sound recording, music composition, post-production sound design/mixing.

Synopsis (15 – 20 minutes):

Remember is a film that tells the story of a man’s life told by his family and friends. Arthur is a strong and caring man who is tragically put into a coma after an accident. In hospital he is visited by his friends and family, they share stories around the bed and paint a vivid picture of his amazing life.

Audio Project Manager: Anthony Belcher – ap2anthony.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk
Feel Good – Big Blue Bear Productions

Fiona Shaw – Producer

Thomas Love – Director/Writer

David Devine – Writer/Location Sound

Kane Brookes – Cinematographer

Client Sound Requirements: music composition, post-production sound design/mixing.

Synopsis (15 – 20 minutes):

Feel Good is set in a near future where a ground breaking discovery has made it possible to bottle and market emotions.

Audio Project Manager: Alice Asbury

Descent – Extant Films

Shaun Standring – Producer/Writer

Angelin Selvanathan – Director

Charlotte Hughes – Art Director

Client Sound Requirements: location sound recording, music composition, post-production sound design/mixing.

Synopsis (10 – 12 minutes):

A short psychological drama which mainly follows one character as he goes about his life inconspicuously, however, it soon turns out he has underlying issues that come to the surface as the plot thickens.

Audio Project Manager: Gareth Bailey

Immort – dir. Jacob Redfern

Holly Oakes – Producer

Jacob Redfern – Director/Writer/Editor

Nicholas Thornthwaite – Cinematographer

Samantha Dos Santos – VFX Artist

Lyon Owen – VFX Artist

James Smillie – VFX Artist

Client Sound Requirements: location sound recording, music composition, post-production sound design/mixing.

Synopsis (4 – 6 minutes):

Immort, is a sci-fi short film with the dystopian theme of humanity being immortal due to the public distribution of nanobots. The protagonist Sici is dissatisfied with how little control she has over her fully automated life. Through technological experimentation, Sici makes an attempt to end her life. The film questions the purpose of living when you can never die.

Audio Project Manager: Matthew Jones

Catastrophe/Sour Puss – Team Cipher

Esther Langan – Animator

Holly Burch – Animator

Jameela Howard – Animator

Konstantinos Zacharakis – Animator

Natalie O’Connell – Animator

Client Sound Requirements: music composition, sound design/mixing.

Synopsis (3 – 4 minute animation):

Starts with a shot of a cat waking up to the sound of a doorbell. It watches its owner walk to the door, receive a package, then walk into the kitchen. The cat follows her in; where there is a bowl bad tasting cat food is waiting for him. He looks dissatisfied and watches as his owner opens a cupboard and stretches for something at the back of the top shelf. A bowling ball (that is on the top shelf) with a little paw print on it starts to roll down and hits the owner on the head, knocking her out. As she lies on the floor, the cat stares at her stoically. It cuts to the cat washing his paws, then walking upstairs, to the owner’s bedroom. He dresses up as his owner and essentially takes her place.

Audio Project Manager: Rory Hunter

Group Aim

To manage the process of creating the above soundtracks collectively, and to deliver these soundtracks to a good standard and to the client’s specifications.

Group Objectives

[GR1] To professionally operate as a small to medium size company (or other recognisable business entity) in the audio production / post-production field might.
[GR2] To organise and fulfil an operating strategy and schedule which deals with multiple productions simultaneously, and which maximises efficiency and minimises issues or risks to delivery.
[GR3] To provide a professional standard of service in respect to location sound recording and post-sound design / mixing.
[GR4] To conceive, compose, source and / or produce music to client specifications that synergistically supports the other components of their films.
[GR5] To produce soundtracks comprising of foley, SFX, dialogue, music and atmospheres to client specifications that synergistically support the other components of their films.

Outcomes and Learning in the context of Moving Picture Industry roles

[IN1] To successfully manage the provision of service by the business for the film Descent with regard the assignment of resources, specialisms and working time, liason with the director, editor and producer on a practical and creative level, and communication of information on their needs and requirements for the piece, in order to appraise the efficacy of the collaborative approach to working on the piece – (Supervisor and Company Officer)
[IN2] To develop a better understanding of the craft and industry of a Dubbing Mixer, and to contribute to the dub mixing required for presentation of the artifact – (Dubbing Mixer)
[IN3] To better my understanding of sound design with at least some reference to the science fiction genre – (Sound Effects Editor)

Personal Learning Outcomes

[PER1] To develop a better understanding of the pros and cons of business structures, processes, regulations and agreements which might enable film audio producers to collaborate on multiple projects.
[PER2] To develop a better understanding of the wording and content of contracts, rates and rate cards offered in the film audio field.
[PER3] To expand my knowledge of the theory of and audio techniques deployed in films similar to or influential upon those we will deliver.
[PER4] To contribute extensively to multiple film productions.