Documents in the Industry
Recce Report
A Recce report is a type of risk assessment when filming is taking place. The document is there to try and prevent dangers and accidents during the recording.Safety.They look for features like:
- Health and Safety matters.
- Electrical equipment
- Light sources
- Permission to film on certain sites
- amount of space where filming takes place
- and where the area for filming takes place and any concerns
All film companies take these precautions before filming has started taking place as it ensures that nothing can go wrong. If there are measurements taken to prevent things going wrong then the likelihood of them happening are significantly lower. A recce report will also tell you if the cons outweigh the pros when choosing a location, for example if the area you're filming in is dangerous and the conditions aren't great then it may be best to choose another location. Recce reports like this can be used in the future if something goes wrong during the production of filming, if you are the person in charge of a production and a very expensive piece of equipment is damaged and/or broken and the people you are employing haven't completed a recce report then that could be the reason to it being broken.
Above is an example of a recce report that identifies the pros and cons behind different hazards, for example they have chosen 'Snow/Ice' as a hazard and then said that someone could slip and hurt themselves but then said they are making sure everyone knows what the surroundings are and for further actions they have said they will wear suitable footwear. This helps the environment be a little bit safer despite the harsh conditions. The good side to this recce report is it highlights a lot of the main hazards there are and gives ways for them to be avoided, there could also be a couple pictures added into it so that people can see where the dangers are and what they look like instead of just having an idea of what they look like.
pros/cons to this how to use in the future
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment is similar to a recce report only it outlines the risk and how severe that risk is as well as how to prevent these from happening for example, to prevent tripping over wires to could tape them down to the floor with masking tape. Risk assessments are a key part of a health and safety management plan because not only does it prevent risks but it highlights the many dangers there are.
The plan not only protects the people working but the project they work on. Below is a risk assessment form that I have created myself while creating my documentary. The good side to risk assessments are that it eliminates any dangers but the bad side is that it can take a while for something so simple like not blocking a fire exit. If in the future there is a fire in the office or somewhere, a risk assessment ensures there are functioning fire extinguishers and working fire alarms around the office, therefore lowering the chance of a massive fire causing the loss of a lot of work.
On my own risk assessment I have outlines the type of hazard, the control measures already in place and potential harm, this step assures that I know the dangers already and have a few ways to ensure these don't happen, I then put the severity, likelihood and over all risk rating out of 10, this lets me and others know how damaging this could be to the project if they were to happen. Lastly, I have put the control measures that are to be used for example in the 'Fires' hazard the adjustment made was fire extinguishers in every room. The good to this risk assessment is that it gives the danger, ways that this can be avoided and then the severity of the hazard. The bad side is that there are other dangers that can be added to it along with pictures to avoid it.
Game Design Document
A game design document, often referred to as a GDD, is created and edited by the development team for a game project. It is a living project that goes along side the creation of the game. The documentary can be made of either text, images, diagrams or concept art and is usually created prior to the pitch of the game.
A good example of a game design document is the 'Doom Bible'. It is a documentary for the game 'Doom'. It has 6 episodes, followed by a 'Stuff' and 'Commercial' sections. The document is mainly images that show how the game is progressing over the course of 5 years. The document also adds weapons and items that are implemented into the game, as well as how each gun handles, these are just notes fore example in the 'Stuff: Weapons, Items, Etc.' section they have a Spray rifle with the notes: Powerful as shotgun, but spread out more. Shotgun recoil.
The good side to this game design document is that you can clearly see the progress of the game going from concept art to the finished product and if it is published online then fans can help out and give ideas of what they'd like to see in the game. The company can then take this on board and tweak with the game. But the bad side is that it can take time out of the day and some of that time can be going towards the development of the game. After a couple of years of after the production of a GDD, the team can look back on the development of the game and remaster it using the same things they did last time.
Contract
During a contractual agreement, the contract usually has to iron out all the details of what happens to the designers or the creators of an idea if they decide to quit or move to another company. In the case of Martin O'Donnell who was a composer for Bungie who created the Halo's original sound track and essentially all the sound that was produced on the companies behalf. After being fired in April 2014 "without cause" he filed 2 lawsuits, one against CEO Harold Ryan over 'unpaid benefits' which earned O'Donnell just over $95,000 and another lawsuit against Bungie claiming a breach in his contract. He will be receiving 192,187.5 shares of vested Bungie common stock as well as payments form the profit share plan, this amounted to over $140,000.
Most of the time, game publishers will hire development teams to create the game. The development agreement outlines the details in the deal between the two companies. There are three main parts that need to be highlighted, the first is 'Terms' this simply says how much the development team will get paid, the deadline and if there will be any royalties. The next is 'Ownership', this one clarifies if the publisher of the developers own the IP. Lastly the 'Warranties' which means that the development company cannot use anybody else's source code and it swears that the publishing company has asked the developers to make this individual game. An example of this is when activision hire either Infinity Ward, Treyarch or Sledgehammer games to create cal of duty and they have been doing so since 2003 until present.
If a publisher wants to create a game that is based on or from a movie, then the publisher and the IP owner for the movie file a contract discussing the terms, The contract defines that the publisher has the right to make a game that is linked to the film and that game works on a platform of their choosing. It also outlines where in the world the game will be released and that the publisher wants worldwide rights for the game but the licensors can charge more for that. And lastly it highlights how long the contract will be valid for.
Non-Disclosure agreements are confidential agreements between two parties which disclose that there is a new idea or invention then the other party cannot tell anyone else about it, without consequence. If the second party does break the agreement, then a lawsuit will probably be filed.
In a collaboration agreement which is usually between a group of people who own an indie company, it establishes who owns what if the game was to flop and the company was to dissolve, who owns the artwork or music from the game that was published. The agreement shows clearly how the project is managed, who is in control of the IP, how any income from the game is handled and how the termination of the project comes about.
The benefits of writing up contracts are that ensures no questions raised when actions are taken because there is a contract that clearly states what can and cant be done within the ground of the company. The bad side to some contracts is that after a company collapses some people can get out done by the contract and get stolen from for example if the company goes bust the artist may not be able to keep their own artwork whether the game was released or not.
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