LO2: risk assesment

• Be able to assess locations, risks, and legal/ethical issues relevant to their audio-visual media product, finding solutions to any risks or issues identified
• P2 Learners carry out at least one relevant recce and risk assessment for production stages, recording:
• a) the outcome of recce(s)
• b) any potential hazards/risks
• c) their solution of any identified hazard/risk in line with health and safety procedures
• P3 Learners resolve identified legal or ethical issues for their planned audio-visual media product

P2: when producing risk assessments learners should, where possible, reflect industry standard practices, with reference

to professional formats and content for the media product. Recces could be produced in written format supported by photographs of the location or alternatively produced as an audio /audio-visual presentation using information captured using a mobile phone. Risk assessments, where possible, should be industry standard, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) may provide learners with useful sources of information. Learners should also be aware that recces and risk assessments should be carried out in each location whether indoor, such as studio or outdoor, if the learner plans to use more than one location in the production of the audio-visual media product. When producing their risk assessment and recces learners may find it beneficial to use photographs to illustrate various risks/hazards associated with the equipment, such as tripping hazard of badly laid wires, burn risk from hot lighting etc. These photographs could be annotated by learners to identify specific risks/ hazards and accompanied by appropriate solutions for each identified hazard/risk – for instance in the case of badly laid wires – learners could suggest the use of appropriate tape to secure wires in place etc.

P3: learners should be made aware of the legal and ethical issues applicable to audio-visual media products and the production process and should then apply these to the audio-visual media products they are producing, it may be helpful for learners to debate these issues through class discussions. These issues could range from copyright, intellectual property rights, use of offensive material. Work could be evidenced in written format, letters to relevant bodies or online requests applying for copyright permission. It is important that learners relate the relevant legal and ethical issue to the particular media product they are producing for instance if learners are producing a short

film they need to consider obtaining permission to film for the chosen locations, if relevant, and the individual actors/ presenters, if they are under 18 years of age – this could be evidenced in letters applying for filming permission and responses and permission to film forms from the parent/ guardian of the minor etc Regulatory bodies such as Ofcom the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and

the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) would be useful sources of information in relation to relevant legal and ethical issues.