Policies and Guidelines
General Guidelines
1. Equipment provided by BAV must be set up by BAV staff. Equipment is not available for self-pickup.
2. There is a 2-hour minimum charge for staffing between 8 am to 6 pm, Monday through Friday. There is a 4-hour minimum outside these hours. There is a 4-hour minimum for staffing on weekends and holidays.
3. Services are available to both campus and non-campus organizations. Campus affiliates receive services at a discounted rate.
4. Virtual Event Support: The nature of virtual events takes us out of a central, controlled environment to multiple locations where all participants may rely on home internet providers. BAV staff will test their own connections and test with presenters ahead of your event. Please be advised that instability or interruptions in service may impact the event.
5. A valid method of payment must be on file with BAV in order to confirm a reservation for services. BAV accepts departmental chartstrings and checks. Orders that do not have a valid method of payment are considered tentative.
6. BAV provides support on campus as well as at off-campus locations. Travel costs, travel time, and vehicle rental charges for off-campus locations may apply.
7. BAV makes a good faith effort to accurately estimate the cost of our services based on information available at the time of the request. Changes to the agreed-upon scope of services to be provided may result in additional charges. Multiple change orders may incur additional coordination fees. Any changes resulting in a significant increase in cost (> $300) will be communicated to the client for approval.
8. Services are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. We make every effort to accommodate all requests, but there are times when we reach capacity. Please try to plan and place your orders as early as possible. Additional coordination and labor charges may apply to last-minute requests.
Cancellation Policy
1. Orders canceled between one to three business days before the event will be charged for all associated labor.
2. Orders canceled less than 24 hours (business days) before the event will be charged the full estimated amount.
Intellectual Property & Copyright Compliance Policy
BAV publishes and distributes media recordings in compliance with copyright policies of the University of California where available and is informed by commonly accepted practices of the industry.
To ensure that media recordings published via affiliated distribution sites fully comply with applicable intellectual property (IP) concerns and copyright law.
UC Berkeley requires each presenter to provide a signed media release form to be on file with BAV before the associated media recordings are published to YouTube or affiliated sites.
The Regents of the University of California retain the copyright of all media recordings published to UC Berkeley’s YouTube channels. These recordings are licensed to end users based on the preference of content providers. The default license attached to media recordings for distribution is Creative Commons – non-commercial, attribution, and no derivatives. Click here to review CC 3.0 license.
A media recording discovered to violate the IP and Copyright Compliance Policy will be removed in accordance with the BAV take down policy.
Recordings/Data Backup and Archival
Edited videos or raw footage from your event will be delivered via file sharing or hard drive.
During the post production phase of a project, BAV insures against data loss by maintaining a backup of the files on our server. Once all deliverables for a project have been met, clients are responsible for securing archives of any files they wish to retain. While it may be possible for us to restore files for up to six months after completion of a project, BAV does not assume liability for lost or corrupt data in our offline archives. Therefore, especially for critical applications, we encourage clients to plan and communicate their archive strategy in advance.
This policy defines the responsibilities assumed by BAV and our clients with respect to archiving client data. In order to minimize the financial impact of our services, we must create disk space for current projects by deleting files of completed projects from our server. Many of the events we record are output in their entirety, with little to no editing. If the singular purpose of a recording is to have a reasonable quality archive of the event, it is usually sufficient to retain only the master delivery file. This is the version that is processed and encoded to a compressed format. The result is far smaller than the original footage, yet still high enough quality for a reasonable archive. The goal of this policy is to explain how client data is handled, and to ensure that the responsibilities related to the archival process are clear.
In most cases, a backup of the raw media files recorded by BAV is created within 24 hours after the conclusion of an event. To guard against data loss during this critical period, we use high-quality recording media to ensure that client data is not corrupted. For mission critical applications, redundant recording systems may be recommended. While a project is in post production, client data resides on a RAID-protected storage area network (SAN). Data is incrementally backed up to linear data tape (LDT) on a nightly basis. There is a two-week cycle for incremental backups, so that any data which has been removed from the SAN may be recovered for at least two weeks.
Once the masters for a project are delivered and the project is complete, files may remain on our media server for up to six months while being copied to an offline RAID storage device. This device is monitored by our automated scripts for upload to bDrive. This is intended as an internal archive, and is not meant to replace our clients’ own backups. Keep in mind that while the University’s current contracts with Google provide for unlimited storage capacity, there is no way to predict whether the terms of those contracts will change, or how long these bConnected services will continue to exist.
Other than this document, BAV does not notify clients regarding changes to the location or status of data backups, but we make every attempt to ensure the integrity of client data as it moves through the archival process.
• Clients are ultimately responsible for the primary data backup once a project is completed. It is recommended to use the “two is one, one is none” philosophy. In other words, if your files were to suddenly vanish, how many copies of your critical data would remain? Hopefully, at least one!
• Clients are advised to develop a consistent archive strategy for their media. Standardizing the methods and locations for your archives will minimize the chance of lost data and help you to recover any needed files quickly. Check with your IT support team if you need help. BAV does not manage or provide technical support for bDrive or other third-party file storage solutions.
• Clients are responsible for taking possession and ensuring the integrity of their primary backup data before the original files are moved to offline storage. It is highly recommended that you do this immediately after you receive or download the files.
• Clients are responsible for any cost associated with data recovery that is outside the original project’s scope. While we can’t guarantee the integrity of our internal offline archives for completed projects, we have never failed to recover files during the defined archive term.
• Clients are responsible for maintaining backups of any files on external devices provided to BAV for connection to our computer systems. We can not assume liability for lost or corrupted data originated by clients or outside vendors.
• Clients should read and understand the data backup and archival policies. Please ask questions if more information is needed.
Media Releases
The University of California requires a signed UC Berkeley media release form for each presenter appearing in a broadcast program. All forms are required to be on file with BAV before authorization is granted to publish video and/or audio of the event. Individuals appearing in multiple events must sign and submit the UC Berkeley media release form for each event in which they appear. BAV is not authorized to release audio or video material to the public until we have received a copy of the signed agreements from all presenters appearing in a broadcast program.
BAV supports an all-digital process for submitting University of California Berkeley media release forms, allowing BAV clients to capture an electronic signature and submit signed media release forms via email. Please do not request that your guest speakers send documents directly to BAV. Instead, please collect and archive all signed documents from your presenters before submitting them in a single batch transmission.
BAV provides the following release form that has been approved for use by the UC Office of Legal Affairs:
1. Download the appropriate release form and complete the information at the top of the form (requires Adobe Reader – click here to get reader).
2. Save the PDF file to your desktop. Please add the Berkeley AV order number and Project ID number in the file name to facilitate processing.
3. Attach the file in an email to the speaker and ask that they complete the form. Please note that all information on the form must be entered before a digital signature can be applied.
4. Collect all media releases before submitting them to BAV for processing, and file copies for your records. Please email all media releases for an event in a single transmission to media.releases@media.berkeley.edu and include the BAV order number in the subject heading.
Please look at our FAQ page for answers to some common questions about the media release form and submission process.
Please direct questions about the University’s copyright and permissions agreement policies to the UC Berkeley Office of Legal Affiars web page.
(1) “Presenter” is defined as any individual with a significant speaking role in the broadcast program (e.g. Master(s) of Ceremony, introductions, lecturers, panelists, etc.).
(2) “Broadcast Program” is defined as the edited final master for publication. Individuals who participated in an event but do not appear in the broadcast program must not submit a signed media release form.
• BAV must provide all production support, video, and audio when live streaming to the UC Berkeley Events YouTube channel and UC Berkeley Live. Please inquire if you are interested in live streaming to your streaming platform.
• On the event day, BAV will require access to the venue at least 90 minutes before the event starts time.
• A publishing agreement and media releases must be signed by all presenters and submitted to BAV before the event.
• BAV is committed to accessibility and inclusion and follows UC policy by adding captions to all videos, including live-streamed videos. You can find out more about accessibility at UC, click here.
• BAV provides live streaming support via IP, over the UCB campus network for most events. BAV will thoroughly test to ensure all connections work as required before an event. However, please be advised any unplanned interruptions in service to the network may impact the live stream.
BAV provides our own equipment including microphones in order to have control of the audio we record for live or publishing purposes.
Contact us!
Click here to submit your request if you are a UC Berkeley campus affiliate (faculty, staff, and students)
For public clients, please email berkeleyav@berkeley.edu to submit your requests.