Professional Practise
Forms
Release Forms
Release forms are needed when interviewing members of the general public, as it is them giving you consent to film them and use/produce that footage. When getting someone to sign the release form they must be explained what it is used for and should not be under any false pretences on what their footage is going tobe used for. These forms are only needed when peoples faces are clearly shown or are being interviewed, however people walking in a shot from a distance do not need to sign one.
Parental Consent Release Forms
Parental consent release forms are needed when having filmed where an under 16 year old is present. Due to them being under 16, their parents or legal guardian is still responsible for them. Therefore to use any footage, the signature of the guardian/parent must be present on the release form.
However the exception to this can be made if interviewing members of the public (vox pops) with children where it is on non-sensitive subjects that could be harmful to the child.
To protect children once the footage is avaible it is wise to keep all information about the child confidential, also when filiming, focus on the even/activity rather than on the children.
Agencies
ASA
The Advertising Standards Authority is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media. They patrol the media and take action against any harmful, misleading or offensive advertisements. This is there to protect the public from having their privacy invaded and being treated unfairly. http://www.asa.org.uk/
NUJ
Stands for the National Union of Journalists. They give a voice to journalists and journalism to make sure that the pay and conditions for their members is at a high standard as well as promoting media freedom, professionalism and ethical standards. http://www.nuj.org.uk/
OfCom
Ofcom is the communications regulator. They regulate the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, plus the airwaves over which wireless devices operate. They make sure that the public are protected from harmful or offensive material, not only this they are there to make sure that people are not treated unfairly and theat their privacy is not being invaded. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/
BBFC
The British Board of Film Classification is an independent, non-governmental body which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912 and videos/ DVDs since the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984. They do this by giving them one of these ratings; U, PG, 12A, 12, 15, 18 and R18. This allows them to protect children from explicit or sensitive imaging, whilst deciding what age it would be educational rather than harmful. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/
Right to Reply
The 'Right to reply' is a way for people to defend themselves from something they have been published in. If the person has been shown to doing something illegal or bad they are allowed to reply to the allegations made against them. This changed depending on the country and the laws there. http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/page/guidelines-fairness-right-of-reply/
Copyright
Copryright law originated in the UK with the current act being the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The law gives the creators of work rights to control the ways in which their material can be used. The rights cover, broadcast and public performance, copy, adapting, issuing, renting and lending copies to the public.
Types of work protected:
-
Literary – Song lyrics, manuscripts, manuals, computer programs, commercial documents, leaflets, newsletters & articles, computer programs etc.
-
Dramatic – Plays, dance, etc.
-
Musicals – Recording
-
Artistic - Photography, painting, sculptures, architecture, technical drawings/diagrams, maps, logos.
-
Typographical arrangement of Published editions – magazines, periodicles, etc.
-
Sound Recording – may be recordings of other copyright works.
-
Film – video footage, films, broadcasts and cable programmes.
-
Crown Copyright – Works made by an officer of the crown, includes legislation, documents and reports produced by government bodies.
-
Parlimentary Copyright – Work made by or under control of the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law
To qualify for copyright your work should be regarded as original and show that work and skill has gone into creating the product. When you copyright something you cannot copy the idea but only the content. For example you could do a film about a zombie apocalypse and copyright it, but someone is still entitled to create their own zombie apocalypse film as long as they do not copy yours or adapt it to do so.
Duration of Copyright
The 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act states the duration of copyright as:
-
For literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works – 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last remaining author of the work dies.
-
Sound Recordings and broadcasts – 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was created.
-
Films – 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last principal director, author or composer dies.
-
Typographical arrangement of published editions – 25 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was first published.
-
Broadcasts and cable programmes – 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the broadcast was made.
-
Crown Copyright – 125 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was made.
-
Parliamentary Copyright – 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was made.
http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law
Fair Use
Fair use is apart from the copyright law. It allows the use of a copyrighted document in certain circumstances for example; commentary, search engines, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching, library archiving and scholarship. Providing that it is justified and given credit through sourcing. This is done so that copy right isn't too restriced and won't affect our free speech, new reports etc.
How to copyright your work?
To copyright your work you have to fill out a copyright form (see image). Once you have filled it out correctly, print it out and send it to yourself via recorded postage. Sign for the envelope and do not open it.