Film Peterborough - Student Code of Conduct

Permissions

Student crews should seek permission from Peterborough Film Office for any filming related to university/college coursework or assignments.

Permission for filming activity on council/public land must adhere at all times to Peterborough Film Office’s Filmmaker’s Code of Practice and the following actions and equipment will not be allowed by student productions on Peterborough City Council land:

• Use of weapons, real or fake
• Simulated or real violence
• Antisocial behaviour, real or simulated
• The staging of crimes or accidents
• Filming scenes of a sensitive nature
• Filming with child actors or animals
• Use of UAVs/drones
• Filming before 8am or after 10pm
• Filming or the placement of equipment/props in the road or blocking public footpaths
• Stunts of any sort
• Dressing of actors in police uniform or the use of marked police and other emergency service vehicles
• Special effects, smoke, fire and explosions
• Excessive noise and disturbance to residents/businesses
• Filming inside council buildings/interior properties

Any student crews found to be in serious breach of the Code of Conduct or these terms will be issued with a penalty notice of £250.

Students should contact Peterborough Film Office in the first instance for all enquiries related to council land and property and we will consult with the relevant council teams on your behalf. For health and safety reasons, we may ask for advice from Peterborough Police with regard to certain locations and filming after dark.

Fees and charges

Small crews of student filmmakers will not be charged location fees for filming on Peterborough City Council/public land, unless staffing is required to facilitate.

Locations

When making a film on a low/no budget the most cost effective, hassle free way of finding a location is to ask friends and family if they would be willing to let you use their property. As a student production you could also try asking your University or college – they will often have empty rooms/buildings that are available for you to use.

Property owners on our books will expect a substantial location fee. In the case of student filming, Peterborough Film Office is not able to offer an interior location-finding service. We regret that we are also not able to offer Peterborough City Council interior locations for filming purposes.

Risk assessment

Peterborough Film Office is unable to offer permission to film on public land without receipt of an effective risk assessment that covers all locations being used.

For full guidance on health and safety law and completing a risk assessment for filming purposes please see the Health and Safety in Audio-Visual Production: Your Legal Duties document. Peterborough Film Office is responsible for monitoring the health and safety of production crews working in the city. It is a production’s responsibility to complete a risk assessment that covers all significant risks and manage risks effectively when working on Peterborough City Council land. Lack of sufficient risk assessing or the submission thereof may result in filming being refused or a shoot being stopped.

Journalism students

News crews are not required to obtain a filming permit for filming at council-managed outdoor spaces (highways, parks, harbour, etc.). In general, the same applies to journalism students. There are, however certain occasions when journalism students should inform Peterborough Film Office in advance of their activities. These exceptions are as follows:

• When filming at council-managed interior locations (Libraries, museums, council offices, etc.).
• When filming with a crew larger than 6 people.
• When using any additional equipment than camera, tripod, 1 x light stand and basic sound kit.

Private property

For private property and residences you must gain the permission of the property owner. If the property is rented you need to gain permission from both the people who live there and also the landlord. If you require advice on who owns a particular location, Peterborough Film Office may be able to help. Please contact Film Peterborough by emailing filmoffice@peterborough.gov.uk if you need any locations advice and assistance.

Filmmakers should ensure that location owners and adjacent property owners are:

• Kept fully informed of your intentions
• Given details of any art department requirements including dressing and construction
• Issued with a location contract which clearly states the terms agreed between themselves and the filmmakers Private property owners are likely to expect a fee in return for use of their location so this may limit options for students where specific locations are required.

Insurance

For all filming, you will need to provide evidence of adequate public liability insurance (ask your tutor about this or look at the PACT website). For filming on land managed by Peterborough City Council you are required to have at least £5,000,000 public liability indemnity. If you are attending a college or university, you will be covered by your school’s public liability insurance.

Notifying local residents and businesses

If we feel that your production is likely to impact on residents and businesses around the filming location we would request that they are notified of your activity by letter at least seven days in advance of filming.

You should include your contact details in this letter and encourage people to get in touch if they have any concerns about your proposals. Filmmakers on location are visitors and should be sensitive to the community in which they are working. Noise should be kept to a minimum, especially during unsociable hours (10pm to 8am). Students should carry their college/university Identification with them whenever they are filming in the city, regardless of the location or the scale of the shoot.

Green filmmaking

The following list of practices can be easily adopted by low budget productions to reduce the impact of their filmmaking on the environment:

1. Reduce waste materials e.g. provide reusable drinking containers
2. Avoid printing materials where possible and always print double sided
3. Provide recycling bins
4. Limit vehicle numbers by lift sharing
5. Switch off equipment when not in use
6. Use local crew and cast as much as possible to reduce travel
7. Make sure all crew and cast are aware of your green policy by including details in your call sheets

These practices are extracts from Creative England’s Green Filmmaking Guidelines that has been adapted from Code of Best Practices in Sustainable Filmmaking.