Let’s Fix It In Post
Let’s Fix It in Post explores current practices in post production, finding that many people working in the sector have their human rights impacted in a range of troubling ways.
The research, which involved in-depth interviews with 28 individuals and used existing datasets from Film and TV Charity and Creative Diversity Network, found evidence of systemic issues across all aspects of post production, including exploitative working practices, significant detrimental impacts on health, safety and family life, and impediments to diversity.
Key findings included in the report
- Illegal and barely legal practices related to contracts, payment terms, health & safety regulations and reasonable adjustments
- A bullying and blame culture resulting from unclear lines of accountability, conflicting hierarchies and conflicting priorities
- Significant impacts on the health, safety, and the family lives of workers, such as being unable to establish and maintain relationships with family and friends
- Unacceptable working conditions, including excessive working hours, a lack of rest days, insufficient breaks, a lack of daylight and working in small, dark and airless rooms
- A lack of warning about traumatic or sensitive content or any support in handling such content
The hidden challenges of film and TV post production
The research was conducted by the TV Industry Human Rights Forum in partnership with the Film and TV Charity, and with support from Creative Diversity Network and post production consultancy from Emma Butt. The research also benefited from the support of broadcasters who make up the membership of the TV Industry Human Rights Forum.
The report identifies a lack of understanding about post production processes among many of those working in commissioning and in productions as one root cause of the issues, leading to insufficient budgets, impossible schedules, a lack of transparency and poor communications. In particular, the report highlights:
- Demands for post production work that is cheap, fast and high quality
- The associated purchasing practices of commissioners and productions, including: unrealistic schedules; late notes, approvals and decisions; poor communication; and late payments
- The failure to require, budget for and monitor practices of post production suppliers, instead tending towards the lowest bidder rather than rewarding those suppliers with good working conditions in place.
Rethinking budgets and industry practices
The report concludes that some of the costs of a production are borne by individuals least able to afford it, who end up providing their labour below cost or for free.
It calls on broadcasters and production companies to increase the understanding of post production processes among commissioners and production teams, to reset expectations on the way budgets and time are allocated and to change their own practices in order to incentivise and enable better working conditions so that the post production industry, and wider TV sector, can thrive.
About the TV Industry Human Rights Forum
The TV Industry Human Rights Forum was established in 2017 after members of BAFTA’s Albert Consortium recognised a need for broader industry collaboration and action to understand and address human rights issues in the TV industry. It aims to provide a focus point in relation to human rights for content creators, including TV and advertising production, and commissioners, including broadcasters and streaming services.
The purpose of the Forum is to understand how the TV industry impacts on human rights and to create positive change by proactively addressing human rights issues in the operations of the member companies and wider TV industry. It seeks to improve the industry’s understanding of how people might have their human rights impacted by TV production, who is most vulnerable and how to take the right actions in response.
Current members of the TV Industry Human Rights Forum are BBC Studios, Channel 4, ITV, Sky and NBC Universal.