Understanding codes and conventions of corporate and promotional programming

Legal Issues

Privacy
This is when you keep things under wrap

Equipment when shooting for a corporate or promotional video you have to use a range of equipment for example:

The equality act was introduced in 2010 to protect people from discrimination in the workplace and general society. However, this was changed very slightly in April 2011 to include positive recruitment and promotion alongside public sector Equality Duty. Although the name doesn't change and remains as the Equality Act 2010.

Copyright is something which is automatically given when you need to legally protect your work as long as it is original and does not imitate work that someone else has already created. The UK it is free to add copyright to your work as there is no register for it.

This can be formed in many ways such as a news company making a false statement about a celebrity or someone of status which could damage their reputation. Nowadays this is something that happens more often due to social media and how quickly messages and stories can be spread around. 

Libel
For example in 2014 Scarlet Johansson claimed for defamatory because of a french writer claiming things about her private life which could damage her reputation. She was able to claim €5000 even though she had originally wanted to claim up to £40,000. 

* https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/04/scarlett-johansson-wins-french-defamation-case

An example within corporate videos is from 2013 when an advert was released from Spec savers with cricketer, Kevin Pietersen. He received a substantial amount of money when he won the case.

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/specsavers-libel-payout-kevin-pietersen-sparks-warning-marketers/1215560

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/england-cricketer-kevin-pietersen-wins-payout-over-specsavers-advert-that-suggested-he-cheated-hot-8866315.html

 It means that nobody else can legally use the content unless they are given permission by the creator or give credit when they use it. Often companies will create a deed. It will acknowledge the rights they can have and for how long. You can also charge a fee for the use of the content too or let them use it for free. 
Another way to ensure your work is copyrighted is if you have it in physical form. If you have an idea in your head for new music or a story it has to be written down. If there is no physical evidence of it existing you can't say somebody stole your idea. 
If you want to make clear that your work is copyrighted you can simply label the work with the C symbol, your name and the year it was created.
Different countries have different rules in regards to how long copyright lasts for. However in the UK and most places it will run out 50 years after the day you die for the majority of written, drama and art work. For photographs this is shorter at approximately 25 years.

https://www.gov.uk/copyright
https://www.bbc.co.uk/copyrightaware/what-is


Equality Act 2010
Before this act was put in to place it was split into three parts:
- Sex Discrimination Act 1975
- Race Relations Act 1976
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995

When the act was brought in it meant that if you wanted to make an accusation the case will depend on whether the discrimination, harassment or victimization happened before or after October 1st 2010.
Age discrimination is a big part of this and it means no matter your age you should still have the same opportunities. For example, in the media this happens often where people can't play certain parts because of age. In 2015  American actress Maggie Gyllenhaal was denied the role to play the wife of a 55 year old man as she was deemed to old. 
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance https://women-s.net/ageism-in-hollywood-examples/

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents

Obscene Publication Acts 1857

OFCOM

When writing a screenplay you have to bare in mind who your target audience is.

Ethical Issues 

As media students we have to consider representation in regards to people, places and events because we have to be sensitive with the material we create. When selecting actors for short films we have to

We went to a talk at the Forum which was part of the film festival for 2018. It was a panel where they talked about screen equalities and diversity within film and TV. The actor Antonio Aakeel spoke about how he roles he gets offered are often about being an radicalized terrorist even though he has lived in Britain all his life. He states that he wont take the parts because he feels demoralized by being constantly given these parts that he can't relate to but equally could play other parts to a high standard such as being in rom-coms or comedies but due to the color of his skin people won't necessarily think of him playing that part.

https://www.norwichfilmfestival.co.uk/events/2018-events/screen-equalities-diversity-and-inclusion-panel/


GDPR - 
Data protection is now a big issue in the UK and effects every business and charity. The new law became into place on the 25th May 2018. 
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/what-is-gdpr-uk-eu-legislation-compliance-summary-fines-2018

Current Practices

- Camera that will shoot in 720p or 1080p (HD)
any lower quality will effect the overall outcome of the video

- Tripod
For professional looking shots as they will be steady. A fluid head tripod would also mean you can have steady movement when doing pans or tilts.

- SD card
Have a card on which has at least 16gb of storage or have multiple cards for backup

- Microphone
Depending on where the shoot is taking place and whether you are interviewing someone you will need an external microphone. A hot shoe mic is good for outdoor interviews although may pick up more white noise sounds. A tascam is also a good alternative to use for clear sound as long as the mic is close to the person.

Other good products to have are reflectors if you need better more focused lighting on people as well as a backup battery for the camera and tascam.


In regards to pre-production you will need to have a brief from the company/person that is commissioning you to make the video. For example, we recently were commissioned by a group called MESH to make a video which would be shown at an event to around 100 people.
For this we had the head of MESH, Julie come into college to give a talk about what she wanted to have featured and showed us a story board of what had been made in the previous year.
As a client she was very open to suggestions so we almost had a free reign on what we could do. Whereas other clients would potentially be more set and know the vision and what they want the final product to look like.

Before production starts you always need to complete pre-production paperwork.
You will need -

Location Recce - This is so you know the spaces you will be working with and know if you will need extra lighting or different microphones. Also to get a better idea of the shots you want.

Risk assessments - Once a recce has been done you can identify potential risks and know how to avoid them

Shot list - Mainly if it is a longer video with more complex shots. We had a very tight turn around for our video so did not have one.

Location release - Once you have locations you need to have legal permission to be able to use the places at set times.

Talent release - Anybody who appears in the shots will need to have completed a release. Their is two different types one for under 18's and the other for over.

Production Schedule - For any production you need a schedule but especially when working with clients and having them appear for interviews. These need to be discussed and dates set for filming in advance.


Corporate videos use a lot of the same conventions.
For example when interviewing someone the rule of thirds will be used and the person will often be placed on either the left or right side of the third with the background slightly blurred to keep the attention on the main focus which is the interviewee.

Lighting is also a big part of this to make it look more professional. Here is the setup of an interview on the Andrew Marr show. There are lights above her and we can see this due to the shine on her hair but also a softer light in front to eliminate any shadows. We see her placed towards the right side of the rule of thirds with a blurred background of Parliament. This also helps set the scene.



Often in corporate videos there are also filler shots. These can be of anything to do with the topic of the video or what's in the surroundings of where you are shooting the video.
In the one we created for the MESH group we included photos of previous projects that had been carried out but also videos of nature and even someone cutting the grass.