Part 5a: Ethics that might apply in my place of work/ professional community

I have been brainstorming the codes of practice/ regulations that may apply within my place of work/ professional community, relying solely on my own thoughts.

I have come to realize what codes of practice/ regulations I use naturally, having worked in my field for several years.

Within the Media:

The first code of practice that I brainstormed was that you cannot film anyone without their permission. If filming a documentary for example, it is essential that permission forms are to hand for anyone being interviewed can fill them out. These forms should outline how the finished product is being distributed/ published and also what the finished product is going to be about. You should always make sure that both parties involved (the person/ people being filmed and the producer of the production) has a copy of the form.

     If you are filming in a public place, you should always make passers by aware that there is filming going on and try your utmost hardest to get anyone in shot to sign a permission form. If this does not occur, you will need to hide the identity of the public member in post production, which would be fine in a documentary, however if filming a piece of drama, this will affect the whole dynamic of the production, therefore permission is essential.

There will more than likely be a whole book on the legislation when it comes to filming children. I feel that unless it is absolutely necessary try to refrain from filming them. A child is not able to sign their own permission form so if it is essential for a child to be filmed, the parents would have to sign the permission form. It is not a good idea to film a group of children without any permission. I would also advise checking any laws there may be about exploiting children...

When filming in public places, I always find myself contacting local councils to gain permission to film in the locations required. I feel that this is always a good idea as members of the public are likely to complain about the production. You can also obtain the relevant health and safety risk assessments as well as know what kind of insurance you will be required to have for filming in these locations. PERMISSION IS ALWAYS BENEFICIAL TO THE EFFICIENCY OF THE SHOOT!

Plagiarism will always play a huge part within the Media. If I am making a production, I always make sure that I have the rights to any un-original soundtracks that I may use. This is the same for using any archive footage.

Using artificial weapons for productions in an un-conrolled environment such as public place can always be quite tricky. My feeling is that there may be some kind of license required to do such a thing. I also think that it is a good idea to alert the authorities as well as alert the local council with what you are planning to do. Maybe even put a notification to the public in some way alerting them that the weapons are fake and being used for production purposes.

Within my current job role at Hertford Regional College:

I am currently working as a Media Technician at Hertford Regional College.

Safeguarding has to be the first regulation/ code of practice I though of when brainstorming my ideas for this part of Module 2. It is one of my biggest duties making sure that the welfare of the students comes first. On safeguarding training, which the college provides, we are taught how to recognize whether a student is at risk, whether it is at home or at college.

Equality and diversity is another huge factor when working at the college. It is essential that any student has equal rights, including students with learning difficulties. In my mind it is the most amazing feeling making sure that someone with a learning difficulty succeeds to the same standard as someone who doesn't. It is essential that the correct facilities are available for these students.

     Working at the college we make sure that every student is celebrated, regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation or their different abilities.

In my job role at the college there are several aspects to my work that I have had to have specific training on. These are:

• Working at height: There are some occasions that I have to use a ladder to do certain jobs, such as changing bulbs in a lighting rig.

• Manual Handling: I have undergone manual handling training as I have to lift heavy equipment on a daily basis.

•  Tallescope Training: There are some occasions where I help out with theater work within the college, therefore, if I am changing bulbs in the theater lighting rig I will have to use a Teallescope (vertical ladder that is 7 meters high)

After brainstorming all of my ideas about codes of practice/ regulations withing my fields of work I feel that there is more than likely going to be a lot more. I have several amounts of paperwork given to me by HRC that will help back up and add to my findings in Task 5b.