A

REPORT ON
MOVIE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
Submitted to
INDUKAKA IPCOWALA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT (I2IM)
CHAROTAR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (CHARUSAT)
Prepaid by
SACHI DATTANI
ID No: 19BBA017
BBA PROGRAMME,
SEMESTER – 5
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
DR. PRANAV DESAI
FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
CHAROTAR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(CHARUSAT)

INDUKAKA IPCOWALA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT (I2IM)

CHAROTAR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (CHARUSAT)
AT. & PO. CHANGA – 388 421 TA: PETLAD DIST. ANAND, GUJARAT

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 DECLARATION

I Sachi Dattani Student Of The Semester V, BBA Programme At Indukaka Ipcowala Institute
Of Management (I2IM) Hereby Declare That The Report On MOVIE MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION SYSTEM Entitled A Study On MOVIE MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION SYSTEM .Is The Result Of My Own Work. I Also Acknowledge The Other
Works / Publications Cited In The Report.

Place: Changa Signature

Date: 19-9

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

On the outset of this report, I would like to extend my sincere thanks towards the entire
personage who have helped me in this report. Without their active guidance, help, cooperation
and encouragement I would not have headway in this report.

I am extremely thankful and pay my gratitude to my Professor Dr. Pranav Desai for his
valuable guidance and support on completion in this project.

I also acknowledge with a great sense of reverence, my gratitude towards my parents and my
family members, who has supported me morally as well as economically.

At last but not least gratitude goes to all of my friends who directly or indirectly helped me to
complete this report.

Place: Changa SACHI DATTANI

Date:19-9-2021

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 Sr. No. INDEX Pg. No.
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INTRODUCTION:

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Management information system is the information system at the management level of an
organization that serves the function of planning, controlling and decision making by providing
routine summary and exception reports.
Generally MIS serves the information need of middle level managers of an organization by
providing reports. MIS serves managers interested only in weekly and yearly, not the day to day
activities, and is capable of generating reports immediately if an immediate decision has to be
made.

In the old days the managers had to perform many functions without the aid technology. If they
wanted to know how many products were produced in a month, they had to wait until that one
piece of information was produced in a report published at the end of the quarter. If there was a
problem getting a shipment out to the convenience store, the shipping manager may not have
known about it until a customer complained six months later. Before integrated systems,
managers received periodic printed reports that gave them lots of data but often didn't supply
information that they could utilize to make timely decisions. Planning was sometimes a wasted
effort because the managers needed just weren’t there when they needed it.

MIS takes in high volume transaction data and simple models from TPS as input and process
them using simple routines such as summaries and comparisons as opposed to sophisticated
mathematical tools and compress their findings in the form of pre-specified long reports to
support the business decision making requirements in regular schedules. MIS is usually
inflexible and is not concerned with external environment.
A movie theater or movie theatre also called a cinema, movie house, film house, film theater
or picture house is a venue, usually a building, for viewing movies but not all movie
theaters are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by
purchasing a ticket. The movie is projected with a movie projector onto a large
projection screen at the front of the auditorium. Most m o v i e t h e a t e r s a r e n o w
e q u i p p e d f o r d i g i t a l c i n e m a p r o j e c t i o n , r e m o v i n g t h e need to create and
transport a physical film print.
filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a film is made. Filmmaking involves a
number of complex and discrete stages including an initial story, idea, or commission. It then

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continues through screenwriting, casting, shooting, sound recording and pre-production, editing,
and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a film release and an
exhibition. Filmmaking takes place in many places around the world in a range of economic,
social, and political contexts. It uses a variety of technologies and cinematic techniques.
Although filmmaking originally involved the use of film, most film productions are now digital.
Filmmaking as of now refers to the process of crafting an audio-visual story commercially for
distribution or broadcast.
The stages of film production:
1. Development:
The development stage has both general and specific components. Each film studio has a yearly
retreat at which their top creative executives meet and discuss a variety of areas and topics they
wish to explore through collaborations with producers and screenwriters, and then
ultimately directors, actors, and actresses. They choose trending topics from the media and real
life, as well as many other sources, to determine their yearly agenda. In a particular year when
action is a hot topic, they may wish to explore that topic in one or more movies. Sometimes, they
purchase the rights to articles, bestselling novels, plays, the remaking of older films, stories with
some basis in real life through a person or event, a video game, fairy tale, comic book, graphic
novel. Sometimes, research through surveys informs their decisions. They may have
had Blockbusters from their previous year and wish to explore a sequel. They will additionally
acquire a completed and independently financed and produced film. Such famous examples are
"Little Miss Sunshine" and "The English Patient" as well as "Roma".
Studios take general meetings from producers and screenwriters about original story ideas. "In
my decade working as a writer, I knew of only a few that were sold and fewer that made it to the
screen," relays writer-director-professor Wayne Powers (The Italian Job). Alan Watt, writer-
director and Founder of The LA Writer's Lab confirmed that original screenplays, completed, for
sale, "specs" as they are referred to, make big news when they sell but these make up a very
small portion of movies that are ultimately given the green light by the president of a studio to be
produced.
The executives return from the retreat with fairly well-established marching orders. They spread
these concepts through the industry community, especially to producers they have deals with
(traditional studios will have those producers in offices on their lots). Also, agents for
screenwriters are made aware. This results in a pairing of producers with writers, where they
develop a "take", a basic story idea that utilizes the concept given by studio executives. Often it
is a competition with several pairings meeting with studio executives and "pitching" their "take".
Very few writing jobs are from original ideas brought to studios by producers or writers. Perhaps
one movie a year will be a "spec" script that was purchased.
Once a producer and or a writer has sold their approach to the desired subject matter, they begin
to work. However, many writers and producers usually pass before a particular concept is
realized in a way that is awarded a green light to production. "The Unforgiven" which earned
Oscars for its Director/Star Clint Eastwood, as well as its screenwriter, David Webb Peoples,
took 15 years to get put in production. Wayne Powers related that "The Italian Job" took
approximately eight years from concept to screen, which, as Powers added, "is average." And

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most concepts turned into paid screenplays wind up gathering dust on some executive's shelf,
never to see production.
Writers have different styles and creative processes; some have stronger track records than
others. So how the development process proceeds from there and how much detail a writer
returns to the studio to divulge before beginning writing can vary greatly. Screenwriters are often
protected by the union the Writers Guild of America, or WGA. The WGA allows a screenwriter
to contract for One Draft, One Revision and One Polish. Bob Eisle, Writer and Member of the
Guild Board states, "Additional writing requires extension of contracts and payment for
additional work". They are paid 80% of their fee after the First Draft. Preliminary discussions are
minimal with studio executives but might be quite detailed with the producer.
Next, a screenwriter writes a screenplay over a period of several months, or however long it
takes. Deadlines are in their contracts but there is no pressure to adhere to them. Again, every
writer's process and speed varies. The screenwriter may rewrite the script several times to
improve dramatization, clarity, structure, characters, dialogue, and overall style.
Script Coverage, a freelance job held by recent University graduates, does not feed scripts into
the system that are ready for production nor already produced. "Coverage" is a way for young
screenwriters to be read and their ideas might make their way up to an executive or famous
producer and result in "meet and greets" where relations with up and comers can be formed. But
it is not historically yielded ideas studios pursue into production.
The studio is the film distributor who at an early stage attempts to choose a slate of concepts that
are likely to have market appeal and find potential financial success. Hollywood distributors
consider factors such as the film genre, the target audience and assumed audience, the historical
success of similar films, the actors who might appear in the film, and potential directors. All
these factors imply a certain appeal of the film to a possible audience. Not all films make a profit
from the theatrical release alone, however, the studio mainly targets the opening weekend and
the second weekend to make most domestic profits. Occasionally, a film called a "word of mouth
film" does not market strongly but its success spreads by word of mouth. It slowly gains its
audience. These are special circumstances and these films may remain in theatres for 5 months
while a typical film run is closer to 5 weekends. Further earnings result from pay
television purchases, foreign market purchases and DVD sales to establish worldwide
distribution Gross of a Film.
Once a screenplay is "green-lit" directors and actors are attached and the film proceeds into the
pre-production stage. Although very often the Development stage and the Pre-Production stage
will overlap.
Analogous to almost any business venture, financing of a film project deals with the study of
filmmaking as the management and procurement of investments. It includes the dynamics
of assets that are required to fund the filmmaking and liabilities incurred during the filmmaking
over the time period from early development through the management of profits and losses after
distribution under conditions of different degrees of uncertainty and risk. The practical aspects of
filmmaking finance can also be defined as the science of the money management of all phases
involved in filmmaking. Film finance aims to price assets based on their risk level and their
expected rate of return based upon anticipated profits and protection against losses.

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2. Pre-production:

In pre-production, every step of actually creating the film is carefully designed and planned. This
is the phase where one would narrow down all the options of the production. It is where all the
planning takes place before the camera rolls and sets the overall vision of the project.
The production company is created and a production office established. The film is pre-
visualized by the director and may be storyboarded with the help of illustrators and concept
artists. A production budget is drawn up to plan expenditures for the film. For major
productions, insurance is procured to protect against accidents. Pre-production also includes
working out the shoot location and casting process. The Producer hires a Line Manager or a
Production Manager to create the schedule and budget for the film.
The nature of the film, and the budget, determine the size and type of crew used during
filmmaking. Many Hollywood blockbusters employ a cast and crew of hundreds, while a low-
budget, independent film may be made by a "skeleton crew" of eight or nine (or fewer). These
are typical crew positions:

 Storyboard artist: creates visual images to help the director and production designer
communicate their ideas to the production team.
 Director: is primarily responsible for the storytelling, creative decisions and acting of the
film.
o Assistant director (AD): manages the shooting schedule and logistics of the
production, among other tasks. There are several types of AD, each with different
responsibilities.
 Film producer: hires the film's crew.
o Unit production manager: manages the production budget and production
schedule. They also report, on behalf of the production office, to the studio executives or
financiers of the film.
 Location manager: finds and manages film locations. Nearly all pictures
feature segments that are shot in the controllable environment of a studio sound
stage, while outdoor sequences call for filming on location.
 Production designer: the one who creates the visual conception of the film, working with
the art director, who manages the art department which makes production sets.[2]
o Costume designer: creates the clothing for the characters in the film working
closely with the actors, as well as other departments.
o Makeup and hair designer: works closely with the costume designer in order to
create a certain look for a character.
 Casting director: finds actors to fill the parts in the script. This normally requires that
actors partake in an audition, either live in front of the casting director or in front of one or
more cameras.
o Choreographer: creates and coordinates the movement and dance – typically for
musicals. Some films also credit a fight choreographer.

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 Director of photography (DOP): the head of the photography of the entire film,
supervises all cinematographers and camera operators.
 Production sound mixer: the head of the sound department during the production stage of
filmmaking. They record and mix the audio on set – dialogue, presence and sound
effects in monaural and ambience in stereo. They work with the boom operator, Director,
DA, DP, and First AD.
o Sound designer: creates the aural conception of the film, working with
the supervising sound editor. On Bollywood-style Indian productions the sound designer
plays the role of a director of audiography.
o Composer: creates new music for the film.

3. Production:

In production, the film is created and shot. In this phase, it is key to keep planning ahead of the
daily shoot. The primary aim is to stick to the budget and schedule, this requires constant
vigilance. More crew will be recruited at this stage, such as the property master, script
supervisor, assistant directors, stills photographer, picture editor, and sound editors. These are
the most common roles in filmmaking; the production office will be free to create any unique
blend of roles to suit the various responsibilities needed during the production of a film.
Communication is key between the location, set, office, production company, distributors and all
other parties involved.
A typical day shooting begins with the crew arriving on the set/location by their call
time. Actors usually have their own separate call times. Since set
construction, dressing and lighting can take many hours or even days, they are often set up in
advance.
The grip, electric and production design crews are typically a step ahead of the camera and sound
departments: for efficiency's sake, while a scene is being filmed, they are already preparing the
next one.
While the crew prepares their equipment, the actors do their costumes and attend the hair and
make-up departments. The actors rehearse the script and blocking with the director, and the
camera and sound crews rehearse with them and make final tweaks. Finally, the action is shot in
as many takes as the director wishes. Most American productions follow a specific procedure:
The assistant director (AD) calls "picture is up!" to inform everyone that a take is about to be
recorded, and then "quiet, everyone!" Once everyone is ready to shoot, the AD calls "roll sound"
(if the take involves sound), and the production sound mixer will start their equipment, record a
verbal slate of the take's information, and announce "sound speed", or just "speed", when they
are ready. The AD follows with "roll camera", answered by "speed!" by the camera
operator once the camera is recording. The clapper loader, who is already in front of the camera
with the clapperboard, calls "marker!" and slaps it shut. If the take involves extras or background
action, the AD will cue them ("action background!"), and last is the director, telling the actors
"action!". The AD may echo "action" louder on large sets.

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A take is over when the director calls "Cut!" and the camera and sound stop recording. The script
supervisor will note any continuity issues, and the sound and camera teams log technical notes
for the take on their respective report sheets. If the director decides additional takes are required,
the whole process repeats. Once satisfied, the crew moves on to the next camera angle or "setup,"
until the whole scene is "covered." When shooting is finished for the scene, the assistant director
declares a "wrap" or "moving on," and the crew will "strike," or dismantle, the set for that scene.
At the end of the day, the director approves the next day's shooting schedule and a daily progress
report is sent to the production office. This includes the report sheets from continuity, sound, and
camera teams. Call sheets are distributed to the cast and crew to tell them when and where to
turn up the next shooting day. Later on, the director, producer, other department heads, and,
sometimes, the cast, may gather to watch that day or yesterday's footage, called dailies, and
review their work.
With workdays often lasting 14 or 18 hours in remote locations, film production tends to create
a team spirit. When the entire film is "in the can", or in the completion of the production phase, it
is customary for the production office to arrange a wrap party, to thank all the cast and crew for
their efforts.
For the production phase on live-action films, synchronizing work schedules of key cast and
crew members is very important, since for many scenes, several cast members and most of the
crew, must be physically present at the same place at the same time (and bankable stars may
need to rush from one project to another). Animated films have different workflow at the
production phase, in that voice actors can record their takes in the recording studio at different
times and may not see one another until the film's premiere, as most physical live-action tasks
are either unnecessary or are simulated by various types of animators.

4. Post-production:

This stage starts when principal film production ends, but they may overlap. The bulk of post-
production consists of reviewing the footage and assembling the movie and taking it to the next
step that is editing. Here the video/film is assembled by the film editor. The shot film material is
edited. The production sound (dialogue) is also edited; music tracks and songs are composed and
recorded if a film is sought to have a score; sound effects are designed and recorded. Any
computer-graphic visual effects are digitally added by an artist. Finally, all sound elements are
mixed into "stems", which are then joined to the pictures, and the film is fully completed.

5. Distribution:

Distribution is the last stage, where the film is released to cinemas or, occasionally, directly to
consumer media (VHS, VCD, DVD, Blu-ray) or direct download from a digital media provider.
The film is duplicated as required (either onto film or hard disk drives) and distributed to
cinemas for exhibition (screening). Press kits, posters, and other advertising materials are
published, and the film is advertised and promoted. A B-roll clip may be released to the press
based on raw footage shot for a "making of" documentary, which may include making-of clips as

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well as on-set interviews separate from those of the production company or distributor. For
major films, key personnel are often contractually required to participate in promotional tours in
which they appear at premieres and festivals and sit for interviews with many TV, print, and
online journalists. The largest productions may require more than one promotional tour, in order
to rejuvenate audience demand at each release window.
Since the advent of home video in the early 1980s, most major films have followed a pattern of
having several distinct release windows. A film may first be released to a few select cinemas, or
if it tests well enough, may go directly into wide release. Next, it is released, normally at
different times several weeks (or months) apart, into different market segments
like rental, retail, pay-per-view, in-flight entertainment, cable television, satellite television,
or free-to-air broadcast television. The distribution rights for the film are also usually sold for
worldwide distribution. The distributor and the production company share profits and manage
losses.

Independent filmmaking:

Filmmaking also takes place outside of the mainstream and is commonly called independent
filmmaking. Since the introduction of DV technology, the means of production have become
more democratized and economically viable. Filmmakers can conceivably shoot and edit a film,
create and edit the sound and music, and mix the final cut on a home computer. However, while
the means of production may be democratized, financing, traditional distribution, and marketing
remain difficult to accomplish outside the traditional system. In the past, most independent
filmmakers have relied on film festivals (such as Sundance Film Festival, Venice Film
Festival, Cannes Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festivals) to get their films
noticed and sold for distribution and production. However, the internet has allowed for the
relatively inexpensive distribution of independent films on websites such as YouTube. As a
result, several companies have emerged to assist filmmakers in getting independent movies seen
and sold via mainstream internet marketplaces, often adjacent to popular Hollywood titles. With
internet movie distribution, independent filmmakers who choose to forgo a traditional
distribution deal now have the ability to reach global audiences.

The Marketing Function in film Making:

What Is Film Marketing?
The marketing of a film is an important factor in its production. Without ads, no one will know a
film exists. When a film is in progress, it must be sold in the same way as every other product is
in order to entice audiences to watch it.

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Film marketing is a technique used to promote a film. It involves calculating everything you’ll
spend on the film, including DCPs, VPFs, trailers, advertising, and advertisements. This is where
the P&A comes in (Prints and advertising budget). You think of what you’re going to do in your
movie.
It wouldn’t be entirely wrong to say that oftentimes a movie’s box office collection depends
more on how well the movie has been marketed, way more than what the story is about.

How Does Film Marketing Benefit The Movie?

Film marketing, also known as film promotions, is the process of distributing a film and the
people in charge of it are the distributing firm. Now, this comes literally from the fact that these
people, as their official job, sell the films to theaters and distribute publicity materials around the
world.
The manner in which your film is marketed will have a significant impact on the
popularity. Films are costly to produce because if the public does not purchase tickets to watch
the film at the box office, a significant amount of revenue will be wasted.

To make their movies successful, every big Hollywood studio and film production corporation
has a dedicated promotion department. The promotions department is in charge of creating and
executing a coherent promotional strategy through a variety of media outlets, including theatrical
trailers, newspapers, magazines, television, radio, the Internet, and billboards.

So How Can You Assure Your Film Marketing Plan Will Be

Successful?
The work of a filmmaker does not end at making a good movie and waiting for some big shot
movie distributor to come along. A good movie-maker knows the importance of Film
marketing. After all, the mastermind behind most successful movies is a well-planned and
executed marketing idea.

1. Know your target audience:

 Small budget movies need to have a specific targeted audience due to the constrained
budget.
 If your movie is about mythology, target it to the people who love mythology.

2. Know the size of your audience:

 It is essential to know the size of your audience you are looking to sell the film to.
 Too small of an audience will result in a lack of viewers and collection loss. If the
audience is too large, a restricted budget won’t allow you to reach them.
 Reduce the size of your audience or increase it. If your movie is about mythology,
specify it to a movie on Zeus or vice versa.

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 3. Know how to reach the audience

 It can be hard to accumulate an audience for filmmakers, especially with lesser budgets.
 However, with the most audience being active internet users, this becomes easy too.
 Get updated with what your audience likes and approach them using internet tools.

4. Finally, make a good strategy:

 Distributing your marketing tactics into smarter, more divisive plans will help in taking
one step at a time.
 Use online sources and tools as much as you can. You might have to put in some
investment for the paid online and offline promotions.
Once you complete your film marketing plan and execute it properly, either of these two things
are bound to happen. Either you’ll secure a dream distribution contract, or you’ll have the
courage to reach out to your audience on your own.

Security Risk Management Framework:

How to Keep Your Film and TV Productions Safe in Cyberspace:

Security practices in film and TV are frequently failing to keep pace with these changes. Perhaps
the most well-known breach involved Sony Pictures during the production of The Interview,
when executives scrambled to manage the circulation of pre-release movie content alongside key
financial data and sensitive personal information, giving the world a taste of the high stakes
involved in serious media-security leaks. CreativeFuture, a nonprofit that focuses on protecting
artists and creative workers from for-profit piracy, estimates that 430 million people seek pirated
content from 13.9 billion web pages every month, generating an annual cost of $1.5 billion to the
film industry.

And in the age of “fake news,” insecure data can also be repurposed to reappear in troubling
locations, from misleading political content to unauthorized marketing or digitally
manipulated pornography. Lori Loeb, director of the digital arts program at Dartmouth College,
points out that data security risks are not only financial but go to the heart of media ethics. “For
independent media makers, the threat of copying or using content for ‘deepfakes’ is increasing,”
she reports. “I find it scary to imagine that content I produce could be used to create a fake news
story or ripped off for someone else to use without permission from the actors or producers.”

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A rising portion of digital threats come from within organizations too, according to Symantec’s
2019 Internet Security Threat Report, increasing the need for cyber security at multiple levels.
Regardless of their size or source, all kinds of leaks can send data into the wrong hands. For
smaller businesses or independent contractors, a single breach can compromise years of work or
take a significant financial toll. 

While the entertainment industry has a history of standardized practices in areas like safety, a
lack of security norms has meant that workers have needed to adapt to a constantly changing
assortment of methods and rules on each production, creating miscommunication and leaching
production time. A lack of standard security training has also meant that important issues often
go unaddressed; unattended phones or tablets, insecure servers, or unprotected cloud platforms
can be an inadvertent source of disastrous leaks.
CDSA to the rescue:

To address these issues, production, technology, legal, and security experts from AMC, Bad
Robot, BBC, Marvel, NBCUniversal, Walt Disney, and others worked for more than a year in
collaboration with online content providers such as Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu and members of
the Producers Guild of America to create the CDSA’s industry-wide security standards. Their
recommendations offer a blueprint to protect against cyber breaches from a production’s start to
its finish.
Alongside the complete draft of detailed recommendations, the CDSA has released a one-
page production checklist, a general summary of guidelines to help with project planning and
budgeting, and a sheet of individual responsibilities to be shared with all cast and crew members.
They’ve also compiled a list of helpful websites with resources about regulations, international
standards, and other data protection strategies.

7 handy tips for securing your production:

.
Advance planning, collaboration, and communication are essential to the security of any
production. Taking a few key preventive measures in low-drama moments can help projects
avoid high-drama outcomes.
1. Define what matters.
Take time at the beginning of production to identify all of the assets that need protection, such as
key documents, like scripts and call sheets, and media and design files. Other examples of
confidential or protected data include financial records and contracts, personal information, and
all electronic communications about the production, including text messages and collaboration
tools like Slack or Webex. Once they’ve been identified, they should be tagged ASAP so

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appropriate action can be taken to protect them. Minimizing the numbers of copies decreases
opportunities for theft.
2. Secure the physical environment. 
Cybercrimes are digital, yes, but many have a tangible component to them, one that usually
involves unauthorized access to hardware. Network routers, switches, and ports should all be
identified and secured. All devices associated with pre- and post-production should be password-
protected and physically secured when not in use. If the hardware is in an office, then the office
should also be locked when not in use. Private devices like phones and tablets should be
collected and secured on set to prevent unauthorized recordings of sensitive material. During
principal photography, put one or two people in charge of a locked location where devices can be
stored and returned at appropriate times.
3. Secure the virtual environment.

Make sure all networks and devices involved in the production have up-to-date firewalls, anti-
virus software, and anti-malware. Choose secure servers for email and text communication about
your production. If a production site relies on a shared network, use a restricted network for
confidential information and offer a separate Internet-only guest network for other users. Use
passwords and multifactor authentication whenever possible. If possible, maintain a data-system
access and transfer log to track the activity of confidential information.
4. Limit access. 
Access to data should always be on a need-to-know basis. Establish which individuals or groups
require particular materials to complete their work and use password protection to restrict the
circulation of sensitive files or folders to only those members of the crew. Limit privileges to
view, edit, or share within file-sharing systems and cloud applications. Only share confidential
data via approved channels, never over private email or social media.
 5. Look out for irregularities. 
Be alert to unusual activity. If the production doesn’t have a dedicated tech team, designate a
point person for tracking data activity. Be sure to check that email or social media links and
attachments come from a reliable source before you click.
6. Be ready for worst case scenarios.

Prepare for the possibility that, despite all your best efforts, something might go wrong. Establish
a remote lock and/or remote data wipe function for devices; “find my phone” services often offer
these functions in the event that a phone ends up in the wrong hands. Always back data up to a
secured cloud service or external drive. Have a response strategy in place in case sensitive
material is released. Plan the who, when, why, and how for reporting and addressing incidents
and concerns.
7. Respond, review, and revise. 

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If an incident does occur, put your response plan into action and then review and revise your
systems to address weaknesses that have come to light.

How to Design a Database Model for a Movie Theater Reservation

System:

Short table structure descriptions are given below:

1. The movie table contains data about movies which will be shown in the theatre. The
primary key is id, which is auto-incremented like all primary keys in all other tables. The
only mandatory data is title.

All fields have meanings according to their name. The column duration could be used to
disable inserting a new screening or to show an alert message in case we want to enter a
screening in an auditorium where the previous screening is still in progress:

Previous screening start time + duration_min of it > this screening start time.

2. The auditorium table identifies all auditoriums in theater. All data is mandatory.

The seats no field can be used to calculate percentage of availability of auditoriums for a selected
screening/movie/auditorium/date range. This is an example of data redundancy because we could
get the number of seats for each auditorium by counting them in the seat table. In this example it
might not improve performance significantly. I show it here as an idea that could help with
designing more complex models. If we set up the database this way we must bear in mind that if

20
we change one piece of data, we also have to change others. If we add or delete data from
the seat table we have to adjust values seats no in the auditorium table.

3. The screening table contains data of all screenings and all fields are mandatory. A
screening must have a related movie, auditorium and start time. We can’t have two
showings in same auditorium at the same time. We can define a unique key consisting
of auditorium id and screening start. This setup is better than defining a unique key
consisting of movie id, auditorium id and screening start because that would allow us to
enter screenings of two different movies at the same time in the same auditorium.

4. The seat table contains a list of all seats we have in auditoriums with each seat assigned
to strictly one auditorium. All fields are mandatory.

5. The reservation type table is a dictionary of all reservation types (by phone, online, in
person). All fields are mandatory.

6. The employee table lists all employees using the system. All fields are mandatory.

21
 In complex systems there are usually more roles so we need to have a role dictionary and
employee/user-role connection. In our example we have only one role: the same person
inserts reservations and sells tickets.

7. The reservation and seat reserved tables are the main tables of our system. This is why I
listed them last. All other tables can exist without reservation tables but without the
reservation tables we would lose the reason for designing the whole database in the first
place.

The reservation table stores data about a ticket reservation and/or sale. If we have a reservation,
the attribute reserved would be set to True, the reservation type id would be set according to the
origin of the reservation and the employee reserved id would contain the id employee value of
the person who entered data (it would be empty if the reservation had been done online by the
customer). In the same way, if tickets were sold, the employee paid id would be filled with the id
employee value of the person who sold tickets, the attribute paid would be set to True. The active
attribute identifies if a record is still valid. If tickets were sold this attribute would always be
True and the reservation without sales would be active until 30 min before screening starts

The seat reserved table enables us to make a reservation or one payment for multiple
seats. After the employee checks a few free seats on the interface, one record would be
added to this table for each of them. If we want to check which seats are free or taken we
can check the values in this table joined to the reservation table where reservation. Active
=true.

22
Film financing:

How Are Films Financed?

Most films are financed through a combination of investors, tax credits, grants, and other
sources. This funding must be secured (usually by film producers and sales agents) at the
beginning of a motion picture’s development, in order to pay for all the costs that accrue
during the making of a film. There are two main ways that this funding can be secured:

 Through a studio. The film studio handles most of the financing when a feature-
length film is being made under the umbrella of a major film studio (often called a
“Hollywood film”). The company producing the film is usually tasked with doing the
legwork to gather enough investors to fund the film.

 Independently. A film project made without the help of a major studio is called
an “independent film. When a film is being produced independently of a studio, it’s up
to the film’s producers to secure financing for their project. Independent filmmakers
use their personal networks, tax credits, and grants to patch together funding to make
their film.

9 Ways to Get Funding for Your Film:

1) Grants: There are a wide array of filmmaking grants and fellowships available to
filmmakers, from government grants to grants offered by nonprofit organizations, film
festivals, and film institutes. While government film funds are usually lottery-based or
only require basic criteria, most other film grants are merit-based, meaning that aspiring
grantees need to go through an application process to receive the grant money. Many
grants require specific criteria; for example, there are grants for first-time filmmakers,
women, new-media storytellers, and documentary filmmakers. There are also grants for
every stage of the film process, including development grants, production grants, post-
production grants, and distribution grants.

2) Tax incentives: In the US and Canada, there are a number of tax incentives,
deductions, or rebates available for shooting portions of a film, or housing a film’s
crew in certain areas, often to promote tourism in an area or take advantage of an area
during its off-season. These tax incentives apply to a variety of films including
documentaries and big-budget studio films. In film financing, tax incentives are
referred to as “soft money” because the filmmakers do not have to pay the incentives
back. Tax incentives are not available until after a film production is finished, and the
film’s accounting team files taxes for the production.

23
3) Pre-sales: Pre-sales are a way to receive payments before a film is completed, by
selling the distribution rights to different territories (both North American and foreign
distributors) before the film is completed. In return, these financiers can make requests
for specific actors to be added to the cast, genres, or topics. However, if the
filmmakers can’t follow through with these requests, pre-sales funding may collapse.

4) Negative pickup deals: Negative pickup deals are a form of debt financing, when a
producer sells the film project to a studio for a set price but the money is only
available after the entire film has been completed. In the meantime, the filmmakers
will need to secure funding as normal, and will often have an easier time securing
funding because they can then ask banks to lend against the value of the deal. These
can be risky, though if the film’s budget ends up going over the figure offered by the
studio, the film team will need to find a way to pay for the difference.

5) Gap financing: In gap financing, filmmakers take out a loan from a gap company
against the film’s unsold rights including box-office rights, streaming permissions, and
DVD sales. Gap financing presents high-risks for both parties, because it’s impossible
to predict how a film will perform in either North American or foreign markets, and
the estimated value of the unsold rights may be inaccurate and yield a poor return on
investment.

6) Private investors: Private investors are another avenue for getting a film funded
whether it’s someone who wants to diversify their investment portfolio or a wealthy
person who just loves film. Private investors make up a very small portion of film
finance because investing in film is considered a high-risk venture.

7) Fiscal sponsorship: Fiscal sponsorship is a contract in which a film team can partner
with a nonprofit organization in order to receive tax-exempt status for their project.
With a tax-exempt status, a film project may be eligible for more grants and tax-
deductible donations.

8) Crowdfunding: To crowdfund a film, the production team will publish their pitch,
trailer, and/or cast list and ask members of the general public to submit individual
donations to help the team reach its goal. A number of small-budget films have been
able to raise a portion or all of their financing through crowdfunding campaigns.

24
 9) Product placement: Product placement is a form of film financing where filmmakers
agree to feature certain products or brands in their film, and in exchange receive either
free products (for example, high-end cars for chase scenes) or direct film financing.

Human resources role in a movie production company

Human resources role in a movie production company
HR industry standards are the same and consistent no matter what industry you work in. Whether
you work in Hollywood or Bollywood, you recruit employees, conduct on-boarding, manage
payroll & benefits, ensure employment laws compliance, provide employee relations, training &
development, etc.

 Every country has their own labor laws that govern human resources. One of the responsibilities
of an HR Director is ensuring that everything the movie production company does is compliant
with all governing laws, including federal and local statutes.

 The film industry revolves around talented and committed professionals, all individuals in their
own right. Coming from different backgrounds; some well to do, others needing a livelihood, all
of them come together for a project whether big or small. While these projects have a number of
high profile people manning various positions, one wonders if there is a Human Resources
professional in the team. The typical crowd in a film unit consists of actors, actresses,
technicians, junior artists and any number of supporting staff, headed by a Director and one or
more producers. As like in any corporate, with targets and constant deadlines, the individuals
involved in making a film do need the help of an HR professional who can make a difference in
their lives.

The Human Resource function is expected to suggest to the Management how to strategically use
the human resources available. A good HR professional is not just an employee, but more of a
consultant, available anytime the need arises to handle human behaviour at work and can make a
meaningful contribution when needed. The HR person handles all people related issues and can
also bring about amicable settlements to conflicts between people, by being a meaningful
mediator among warring artists.

The introduction of a professional HR function may result in a completely different set of

standards in hiring and nurturing talent in the film industry. An HR function will introduce a
formal induction to the industry which can be standardized across units, provide a platform for
counseling with the help of professionals who understand the heavy demands made on people be
it actors, technicians or even the humble spot boy and lend a helping hand where necessary.
Continuous engagement with the artists and others on location may be another major input that

25
could reduce the tension all around. Those who face anxiety at every stage, can be helped to
involve themselves in other creative areas too. The scope for HRM in the film industry is
therefore immense.

Bringing an HR professional on board is not going to solve all the problems of the film world.
But it can at least address the people issues involved in any major film project and free the
Director and others in pivotal positions, to concentrate better on their creative areas rather than
be involved in managing petty personal issues.

Some things about working in a movie production are unique to HR

One major role of human resources is to protect employees from all forms of sexual harassment
and violence. The movie industry today is dealing with the fallout from accusations of sexual
abuse and harassment.
The #Me Too movement in today’s movie industry is a reminder to HR that sexual harassment
and discrimination must be taken seriously from the beginning.

HR role in sexual harassment:

 Train employees to recognize, report, and respond to sexual harassment.  
 A policy that clearly states that sexual harassment is not tolerated, and any reports will be
fully investigated.
 Raise awareness in the workplace to make everyone feel safe.

Not everyone on a movie set or in a studio are employees, there is a lot of people on a set
who don’t work for the company. Production companies often subcontract certain parts
of the production to other companies. 

HR role is to ensure all subcontractors are fully aware of the company sexual harassment
policy and these should be included in the terms and conditions between the company
and its subcontractors.

26
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