Risk Assessment

As Director I am responsible for the majority of these risks, however it is important to remember that general health and safety rules and “common sense” should be adhered to at all times to ensure all cast and equipment is free from risks and danger.

Risk Identified Shooting Location Responsibility Strategy to Overcome /

Prevention

Illness / injury All Me / actor

In the case of the actor being ill, I will ensure a substitute is in place a few days beforehand. In the case of myself being ill, the risk cannot be overcome and imminent rescheduling will need to take place.

Actor Inconveniences / Clashes All Me / actor

Sometimes there may be unforeseen circumstances in which the actor or myself is unable to make a shoot due to clashes with other events, and as such regular face-to-face contact will be maintained to ensure that the project runs smoothly. The actor has been chose based on their reliability and they are unlikely to let me down.

Weather Outdoors N/A

I will check the weather forecast beforehand and ensure that it is appropriate for the relevant scene. If it is not, rescheduling will need to take place as early as possible and thus the forecast will be checked at regular intervals leading up to shoots. Weather such as heavy rain and wind will be inappropriate in all circumstances as it will be inconvenient and may damage equipment.

Memory card full / formatting malfunction All Me

I will ensure that I bring at least two back-up memory cards to every shoot so that if one does not work I am fully covered. I will use 16GB memory cards as these can hold huge amounts of video footage,

and furthermore I will ensure that they are emptied of any existing data the day before each shoot.

Broken Equipment All Me

Most of the equipment used in the sequence will be my own (camera, costumes, etc.) and hence it will be my responsibility to ensure that it is not broken before use. This will be done the day before each shoot, as to ensure any problems can be resolved before a shoot if possible. If issues cannot be resolved, this gives up to a day’s worth of notice if rescheduling needs to take place.

Low battery All Me

The camera will be charged the night before each shoot, and after every shoot as soon as possible. This means that the battery is now likely to become low during shoots, or if any spontaneous rescheduling needs to take place. However, I will be ordering an additional camera battery from the internet just to be sure - this will be especially important when on location as there will be no plug sockets!

Not getting props / costumes on time All Me

Though the actor may assist, I will be responsible for procuring the props and costumes for each shoot. To avoid problems in this area I will ensure that I know exactly what I need for each shoot by looking at the Call and Costume and Make-up Treatment at least a week before each shoot. I will get each costume to the actor beforehand, and anything purchased online will be done again a week before so that it is delivered in good time.

Actor gives poor performance All Me / actor Although this will predominantly be the fault of the actor, it is also my responsibility to ensure that the actor is

fully briefed as to exactly what is required of her. I will hold regular meetings to ensure that she knows what I require from each shoot, ensuring that she has time to perfect her lip-syncing, dancing etc., and also voice any concerns. This is important so that any issues can be resolved beforehand, and not on the spot.

Lighting All Me / N/A

The default lighting in the studio may not be sufficient for the visual style that I require in my video. As such, I will book the studio out beforehand so that I will familiar with the lighting and what it can do. I will then acquire a grasp of how it can be changed to suit my needs. In terms of the outdoor lighting, this goes hand-in-hand with the weather. If the lighting/weather is completely inappropriate shoots may be rescheduled, but I will careful assess the lighting as to film shots from the best possible angle – i.e. shadows, etc.

Location safety / unavailable All Me

Research has been conducted into the shooting locations as to assess the suitability of filming in each. The outdoor locations are busy public areas and so there should be no such issues other than public interference – even at nightfall. In college the studios are designed for activities such as this and therefore there will be no issues in procuring these resources. However, I will need to ensure that I book the studios as to avoid clashes with other users. Here, I can only film during the day.

Trip hazards Studios Me In the studio there may be trip hazards when using an abundance of professional lighting equipment. To overcome this risk

I will keep the studio as tidy as possible, making the actor aware, and a metal note of where the wires are. Wires should not be trailed across furniture and instead the floor. Wires should only be kept to a minimum when unwound and put away when finished with.

Public interference Outside Me / actor / possible assistant

Because my outdoor shooting locations are in busy public areas, there may be times when the public interference poses a risk to our own safety, or theft of the equipment, etc. To avoid such issues I, along with the actor’s help, will assess each location upon arrival for any persons that may seem a threat. Although this may seem judgmental, it is important to put our own safety above anything else. If we felt at risk or unsafe we would leave and come back at another time or go to a different location Some people may not wish to be caught on camera and as such, we will have to respect the wishes of the public. This means that filming could take longer than needed and so the call times account for an additional time that may be necessary. If necessary we will bring along an assistant who can keep an eye out on safety – it may be difficult to do this ourselves given that we will be in the “zones” of filming and performing respectively.

Traffic Outside (Mainly Newcastle) Me / possible assistant

Newcastle City Centre is extremely busy in terms of traffic, and so to avoid a potentially fatal accident I will film, and the actor will perform, from a safe distance from the road. If necessary we will bring along an assistant who can keep an eye out on how close we are to

the road, etc. – it is sometimes deceiving when in the “zone” of filming or performing.

Electricals Studios

Using electrical equipment, mainly the studio lighting, general electrical health and safety will need to be applied. Switches should only be turned on when the specific piece of equipment is needed. Otherwise, the lights may burn out or burn something. All studio lighting will be PAT tested, but nevertheless we will have a technician on hand.

Software Post-production Editing Suite Me / n/a

The software used for post-production (Final Cut) might crash when dealing with such a large amount of footage. To prevent this risk I will be saving my work at 15-minute intervals.

General Health & Safety All Me / actor

It is important than general health and safety and common sense is adhered to all times. Our own safety is paramount, but at the same time it is important to respect the equipment used and the facilities. To do this in the studios particularly we (me and the actor) will familiarise ourselves with the regulations of these resources.

Video not following conventions N/A Me It is important to maintain a balance between following conventions and being creative. In my planning I accounted for both and as such I will refer back to my Treatments, storyboards, etc. at regular intervals. I will also follow these when actually filming on the day.

Video is not creative N/A Me

Budgetary issues N/A Me / actor

Because the video is low budget there may be financial issues in procuring all of the costumes and props as well as the transport to the various shooting locations. As a result, as many items as possible will be re-used rather than

bought brand new, and I will pay for the actor’s transport to locations, and her costumes, because I am the director and this is my video.