4.1 Health and safety practice
Health and safety are significant in any workplace to prevent injuries and the poor wellbeing of employees. With all film productions, it is standard procedure to complete a risk assessment. It is a document which is an examination of anything that can cause harm during a particular shoot. A risk assessment has to be completed for each scene, location, day, week or shoot.
A health & safety policy is also needed and created by the production company. It is the responsibility of human resources and a producer to keep everyone safe. They have to determine potential risks, consider the likeliness of these risks, take the right action to combat these issues, and train staff to know how best to manage risks.
In the film industry, you have to prioritise health and safety. All electrical equipment has to be PAT tested and taped down to avoid electrical shocks or accidental trips that could damage equipment or injure a crew member. Another critical safety issue is ensuring all workers wear protective gear when filming in challenging environments. Especially when shooting on location, it is essential to consider all potential risks to prevent anything from going wrong. For example, if there will be rain, a production manager would have waterproof and safety coverings to protect expensive equipment from weather damage. If working on a building site or in a laboratory, the crew would be required to wear safety shoes, glasses and hats if appropriate. Other common health and safety hazards include lifting hazards and camera risks. Workers have to be careful when lifting heavy or dangerous equipment, and camera operators may have to complete motion sequences which require quick action from them, putting their physical wellbeing at risk.
As we had to complete our production from remote locations, a risk assessment was less relevant. We still filled in all necessary health and safety documentation. However, the potential risks within our indoor, home environments were limited. Regardless, I had to ensure my camera equipment was fitted securely so that that were no accidents. I also avoided using wires and opted for portable batteries and battery-powered recording equipment to prevent any tripping hazards.
4.2 Explain why copyright is important in the film industry
Intellectual property is the intangible property relating to creativity, inventions, literary works, designs, symbols etc. The four types of intellectual property are copyrights, patents, trademarks & trade secrets. Copyright is the exclusive, legal right given for a fixed number of years to print, publish, perform, film or record literary, artistic or musical material. Both legal rights help control the ownership and distribution of creative works. It is essential to protect the right of the creators.
The three basic rules of copyright are that the work must be of authorship, it has to be original, and it must be in a fixed, tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published & unpublished works. Such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, software and designs. Films can infringe on copyright by using pre-existing work, such as a novel, as the inspiration for a movie, using hit-songs and records for sound design, and showing art in a movie without getting permission from the owner. Even tattoos and logos can be copyright infringement.
One of the key copyright issues with the film industry is that it can be expensive to retain intellectual property rights. This extra cost can be a massive expense for film production. So, if a film wants access to different creative media, they have to pay to gain the individual rights to every song or third-party material used. If a production company were to use any intellectual property without getting permission, they would be infringing on copyright law, more specifically if they profited from using the copyrighted material. Even if materials are copyrighted by accident, a production company can be liable for hefty fines or have to pay monetary damages to the owner of the intellectual property. In extreme cases, they can face imprisonment. All copyright issues have to be handled legally, and on some occasions, you may have to destroy your material, causing you to lose progress and necessary resources. Ownership and clearly defining ownership rights is essential.
You can avoid copyright infringement. Firstly, you must always assume that the creative work you want to use is copyrighted. Assuming this will help you ensure you are respecting other people’s intellectual property and avoiding any legal complications. Alternatively, it might be easier to use all original work. This strategy saves the production team extra costs and can create more authentic, unique material. Secondly, having licensing agreements and signed contracts is a great way to secure a film’s required rights. For example, an option is a form of licensing agreement that guarantees a film company the rights to an underlying property such as a book or play. The contract can be set for a fixed period, with the right to renew once it expires. A production company can also have an IP policy, which sets out guidelines to ensure employees respect all intellectual property laws relevant to the industry. Finally, it is imperative to read the terms and conditions when using “royalty-free” resources such as music or images. You have to check whether you legally have access to the resources for non-personal and commercial use.
During our film production, we had to create all original material to avoid infringing on copyright laws. This decision meant that all of our creative pieces (from our video submissions to our soundtrack) was material created by our team members. We avoided using any third-party or “royalty-free” resources because we do not have the finance to acquire copyrights to any creative material. Nor did we want to risk using resources that may not be permitted for commercial use. However, the copyright laws meant that my team and I had to go the extra mile to be creative and challenge ourselves to achieve our aims without external help.
Hi Tiwa, you have shown that you have an excellent understanding of both health and safety and copyright when working in film. You have achieved this section! Holly