There are two editorial departments in GNM producing audio and audiovisual content:
Multimedia, which produces news and features video, podcasts, streams,
Guardian Films which produces documentary style, broadcast standard films
To cater for these different scenarios, the RCS Audiovisual Product Tracking Form can be used in two ways:
-for Multimedia as a final check, after content has been published and processed, to ensure that all interested parties including music reporting have been captured; and
-for Guardian Films as a project management tool, from the point of commission to broadcast, tracking production and all related information, deadlines and contracts
Like other content published by GNM, audio and audiovisual content that has been published on Guardian.co.uk will appear in Content matching for processing.
There it can be matched to the appropriate commission(s) and/or contracts. If relevant, it can also be disregarded or staffed. For further information on matching content, see here .
All audiovisual content originating from the news agencies and supplied under contract should be automatically matched to the correct contract using the Source field.
Similarly, staff-produced audiovisual content will be matched as such by RCS where the source is Guardian.co.uk, The Guardian or The Observer.
RCS automatically creates and allocates an Audiovisual Product Tracking Form (APTF)for all audio and audiovisual content published on Guardian.co.uk. RCS gives each APTF:
a unique Reference or VRN;
a Title using the headline from the website; and
a Status of Pending Editorial.
The APTF should be used, after you have finished matching up audiovisual content, to check that all interested parties in a production, e.g. archive footage, production, stills, music, interviewees, have been captured and, where necessary, paid.
When the APTF is complete, its Status should be changed to Complete.
Under GNM Output, you can find details of where and when the item was published on the Website and its duration.
Use the Procurement form to capture details of all interested parties in a production and the duration of their contribution. The matches you made in Content matching will be listed here and further information such as the duration of the contribution can be added; new contributors can also be recorded by inserting a new record.
Mandatory fields are prompted in red.
Once you have selected a Contributor and defined their Role, in the CRN/ARN field you can add details of the relevant commission (for content/services purchased ad hoc) or contract (if the contribution/service has been supplied under a fixed-term contract such as James Richardson or a news agency contract such as Reuters).
In the dialogue, click on Show list to attach an existing commission or contract; otherwise click on New commission to go to the Commissioning platform to create a new commission/payment for content/services purchased ad hoc.
You can view or update the commissioned to a contributor by clicking on View.
NB1 When you select Music provider as the Role, you will need to record the Artist and Title.
NB2 Where you are dealing with publishing rights, ensure that you choose MCPS/PRS Alliance Ltd as the contributor, enter a Duration and choose the appropriate contract, e.g. the Joint Podcast Licence for podcasts, the General Entertainment on Demand Licence for music synchronised into a film, etc. The Track, Artist and Duration information will be supplied to the MCPS/PRS in our quarterly reporting.
NB3 For most original contributions to an audiovisual production, GNM will expect an assignment of copyright from the supplier and payment will be delayed until the relevant contract is returned.
Once all procurement had been captured, mark the APTF as Complete in the Status field.
You can search for all audiovisual contributions from a particular contributor by selecting Editorial > Audiovisual product tracking forms or searching for the contributor under Editorial > Search contacts and clicking on View > Commissions.
To create a new APTF, search for a contributor. Once you have found your contributor, click on New AV Product.
Mandatory fields are prompted in red.
Each APTF is allocated a unique Reference (VRN) when the product is defined.
Status indicates the stage the production has reached. It defaults to Pending Editorial and you should change it to Complete when the programme is finished. NB Other values can be made available - please email rcs.administrator@guardian.co.uk
Audio/Video - The format defaults to Audio. Click on the list to switch to Video.
Working title - When creating an ATF for an as yet unnamed product, you can enter a working title for the product.
Synopsis - A description of the programme which can used for listings and relicensing. NB There is limit of 60 words.
Episodes - The final production will be made up of a single programme or a series of episodes. You can enter here the number of episodes along with each individual title.
Commissioned by - input here, if appropriate, the external third-party broadcaster or company that has commissioned the film.
Publication / desk - Input here the internal editorial department that has commissioned the film.
Production - in this block you can store details of the production schedule, delivery dates to the broadcaster, technical acceptance, etc.
Use the Procurement form to capture details of all interested parties in a production e.g. archive footage, production, stills, music, interviewees, and the duration of their contribution.
Once you have selected a Contributor and defined their Role, in the CRN/ARN field you can add details of the relevant commission (for content/services supplied ad hoc) or contract (if the contribution/service has been supplied under a fixed-term contract such as Clancy Chassay or a news agency contract such as Reuters).
In the dialogue, click on Show list to attach an existing commission or contract; otherwise click on New commission to go to the Commissioning platform to create a new commission/payment for content/services purchased ad hoc.
You can view or update the commission linked to a contributor by clicking on View.
NB1 When you select Music provider as the Role, you will need to record the Artist and Title.
NB2 Where you are dealing with publishing rights, ensure that you choose MCPS/PRS Alliance Ltd as the contributor, enter a duration and choose the appropriate contract, e.g. the General Entertainment on Demand Licence for music synchronised into a film,. The Track, Artist and Duration information will be supplied to the MCPS/PRS in our quarterly reporting.
NB3 For most original contributions to an audiovisual production, GNM will expect an assignment of copyright from the supplier and payment will be delayed until the relevant contract is returned.
You can search for all audiovisual contributions from a particular contributor by selecting Content > Audiovisual product tracking forms or searching for the contributor under Contributor > Search contacts and clicking on View Commissions.
You can either a) fulfil commissions in advance of a production being completed or broadcast; or b) await the release of the product on Guardian.co.uk and match the film to its APTF.
a. To fulfil commissions in advance that have been linked to an APTF, select Content> Incomplete Audiovisual Products. Click on Procurement and access each commission by clicking View on the appropriate record. For further information on fulfilling commissions, click here.
b. When the film is published on Guardian.co.uk it will appear in Content matching to be processed. Guardian Films content will be distinguished from other audiovisual content by having 'Guardian Films' in the Keywords field and will not be automatically allocated to an APTF by the RCS.
Select the film under Unmatched published content and the appropriate APTF under the AV tracking forms tab on the right-hand side of the screen and click on Match. All commissions related to the APTF will be fulfilled in the background and paid.
To manage and track film productions, go to Incomplete audiovisual products. This screen shows a list of all film productions which are incomplete.