Studio and Location Shoot Procedure

Purpose. This procedure sets the planning, safety, consent and media management steps for every studio and location shoot so that footage can be delivered, licensed and archived without gaps.

1.Pre-production

Every shoot must have a job number, an approved treatment or script, a shot list or storyboard, a call sheet and a Production Risk Assessment signed by the Head of Screen Production before the shoot day. Location shoots require written permission from the location owner and a location release. Council or authority permits must be obtained where filming affects public space.

2.Call sheet

The call sheet must state the date, call times, location and access, crew and talent contacts, the schedule, nearest hospital, weather forecast, parking and any hazards identified in the risk assessment. It will be issued at least 24 hours before the shoot day.

3.On the day

The shoot must open with a safety briefing to crew and talent. Cables must be matted or taped, lights must be secured with sandbags or safety chains, and drones must only be flown by a licensed operator within the rules of the aviation regulator. Talent must sign the Talent and Location Release Form before their first take. Children on set are managed under the Child Safe Policy.

• Safety briefing recorded
• Releases signed before first take
• Lights secured and cables managed
• Traffic and public managed at location
• Breaks every four hours

4.Capture standards

Picture must be captured at the resolution, frame rate and codec stated in the delivery specification, with slates or file naming that identifies job, scene and take. Sound must be recorded to a separate recorder with a reference track on camera where practicable, with levels checked and room tone recorded at every location.

5.Media management

Cards must be offloaded to two separate drives before they are formatted and the offload verified by checksum. Each card must be logged in the Media Asset Library with job number, date, camera and card number. Releases, permits and the risk assessment must be scanned and filed against the job the same day.

6.Wrap

At wrap the crew must reconcile equipment against the kit list, report any damage or incident on the Incident and Hazard Report Form, leave the location as found and return the location release signed by the owner. The Head of Screen Production will confirm the media log is complete before releasing the crew.