Legal Issues and Cultural Policies that will affect my business

Intellectual property will be relevant to my business for the name and logo, as well as any productions that my studio makes, whether it starts off being small, short films for film festivals, or big scaled production feature films to be released in cinemas.

Copyright will be one of the most relevant pieces of Intellectual Property for my business, I will have to ensure that;

• Any ideas of films and characters aren't used illegally/without permission in other studios
• There aren't any bootleg, rip off versions of any of our productions being published
• Copyrighting all property that is created within the studios, ensuring that it is owned and cannot be stolen - Trademarks

Copyright will also be applied to any original screenplays, stories, etc. that are written by the staff at my studios, which actually lasts the lifetime of the owner of the copyrighted property.

Trademarking would definitely be applied to my business. I will have to trademark certain things like my studio/company name, my logo and branding, and any characters produced for my animated films or for branding/marketing purposes (e.g. Luxo Jr, The 'Pixar Lamp').

Public Liability Insurance will most likely be relevant to my business, more in the future when the work environment is in a studio space with lots of expensive equipment lying around. Staff will have to be aware of their surroundings and with the equipment they use, whether it is using their PC or any electronic device or if they're using equipment like microphones to record character audio (Voice acting). Cables and wires are a very common trip hazard so this is one thing to take into consideration. As well as any expensive equipment being used in large studio spaces from breaking, falling, catching fire (overheating).

Brexit could affect my business in the future when my company has expanded and is based in its own studio space. This'll mean finding animators and staff will be harder to hire if they're not from the UK, and I want to ensure that my business is open to anyone who wishes to work in my studios. This could also be a struggle with setting up a base for my business/expanding it outside of the UK, I will have to ensure I go through the proper process of having permission to expand globally, secure visas for myself and my staff which will permit us from working in other countries and with other studios outside the UK (e.g. Disney, Universal, Warner Bros US). Lastly, It'll be difficult with purchasing equipment and products outside the UK, to save time I will ensure that the products I am purchasing are available in the UK.

The COVID-19 Pandemic had a significant impact in the animation/film industry, with people having to work from home making things difficult to work with and communication being a struggle since with productions such as animated movies, a lot of communication is vital to the animators, VFX team, etc. so they can receive the best feedback possible and know if a scene they have worked on is approved by the higher-ups (the director, animation supervisor). For my business, This won't be much of an issue, especially for my business' animation school, It'll all be done online to ensure easy access to both students and teachers and be able to figure out a schedule that works for them. It'll also be easier on International students from having to travel the UK and going through the trouble of getting accommodation and traveling to the studio for lessons. This means that social distancing and mask-wearing restrictions won't be an issue, our students and our staff will be safe in the comfort of their homes whilst they take our 3-year course.

But for the future, if my studio expands and has its own studio space, social distancing or mask-wearing will definitely have to be taken into consideration, If the studio space is big enough then they won't have to worry about that, they will easily be able to socially distance from each other and not be in range of having to wear a mask. There will also be hand sanitizer scattered around the studio to ensure our staff stays clean and hygenic to prevent the spread of COVID or any illness.