Health and Safety

As part of our research we had to look at health and safety risks to both the actors, crew members and pieces of equipment whilst filming. In class we talked about the risks of:

• theft - in public places


• weather - rain and cold conditions could effect the equipment


• damage - if not in a controlled area (e.g. wind or free falling objects) damage could be done to any equipment


• Filming children under 16 - when filming in public spaces there is a risk of accidentally filming children under the age of 16, which we would need consent for
  


• Permission - some areas (e.g. train, bus and public buildings) require written permission to film there and even insurance fees.

After which I went through each of my shooting schedules and analyzed the individual risks involved.

Hampstead Heath:

1. Weather conditions - if it was raining or cold it could damage the camera or affect the quality of footage, or people could slip and damage the camera.



2. Splashes of water from the ponds - as I was jumping into the pond I'd have to be careful of splash back.



3. Sickness - as its winter I'd have to be careful of being wet for too long in the cold weather for risk of hypothermia.



4. Theft - Hampstead Heath can be busy at certain times and therefore I would have to be wary of thieves.



5. Transporting - I'd be using public transport to get to the location and so would need to be wary of damage and thieves again.



6. Damage - wind could disrupt equipment or causing free falling objects to damage it.



7. Animals - it's an outside location so would need to keep and eye out for any animals that could knock equipment.



8. Public - as I couldn't be sure as to who would be there at the time of filming then I'd need to accommodate any unwanted attention.

Train and Train Stations:

1. Public - as I couldn't be sure as to who would be there at the time of filming then I'd need to accommodate any unwanted attention or noise.


2. Young Children - Children under the age of 16 need written consent from either a parent of guardian before being filmed, therefore as they are public property then I'd need to make sure that I didn't accidentally film anyone under the age of 16.


3. Permission - I had to be wary of where on the underground and train station I filmed as I would need permission from the station to film certain parts.


4. Damage - Busy crowded areas would make it very easy for equipment to be damaged.

Home:

1. Pets - As I have to cats I had to make sure that they wouldn't any of the equipment or get into the shots so as not to damage the equipment or disrupt the footage.
2. Noise - I have a large house that can often be quite busy and therefore would need to manage people whilst filming.
3. Free-falling objects - I would have to manage general clutter around the house to make sure that it wouldn't disrupt the shoot.

Cafe:

1. Public - As I couldn't be sure who would be there at the time of filming then I'd need to accommodate any unwanted attention or noise.
2. Theft - as it was a public space I would have to look out for potential thieves.
3. Damage - If the cafe was busy I'd have to be sure that no damage could come to the equipment.
4. Transportation - Luckily the cafe I chose was only across the road from me, however I would still have to take it across a main road.