Berkeley Audio Visual Policies and Guidelines

General Guidelines

  1. Equipment provided by Berkeley AV must be setup by BAV staff.  Equipment is not available for “self-pickup”.
  2. There is a two hour minimum charge for staffing between 8am-6pm  Monday through Friday.  There is a 4 hour minimum outside these hours Monday through Friday.  There is a 4 hour minimum for staffing on weekends and holidays.
  3. Services are available to both campus and non-campus organizations.  Fees for services provided to UC Departments are at our discounted rates.  A 69% surcharge is added to orders when payment is from a Non-UC organization.
  4. A valid method of payment must be on file with Berkeley AV in order to confirm a reservation for services. Berkeley AV accepts departmental chartstrings and checks.  Orders that do not have a valid method of payment are considered tentative.
  5. The University charges processing fees for checks.  A 9% fee will be applied to all orders paid by check.  This is based on the final total charge for Berkeley AV services.
  6. Berkeley AV 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. Berkeley AV 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 (> $300.00) 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 and may not be able to provide support.  Please try and plan ahead and place your orders as early as possible.  Additional coordination and labor charges my apply to last minute requests.
  9. Student groups may use installed AV equipment in general assignment classrooms free of charge. To reserve a technology equipped classroom contact the Office of the Registrar(link is external). Some portable equipment can be reserved through ASUC Event Services(link is external).  You may also contact your LEAD Center(link is external) advisor to ask about possible funding options for audio visual support.
  10. 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.  Berkeley AV staff will test their own connections and test with presenters ahead of your event. Instability or interruptions in service may impact the event.

Cancellation Policy

  1. Orders canceled between 1-3 business days prior to the event will be charged for all associated labor.
  2. Orders canceled less than 24 hours (business days) prior to the event will be charged the full estimated amount.

Intellectual Property & Copyright Compliance Policy

Berkeley AV 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.

Why This Policy Exists

To ensure that media recordings published via affiliated distribution sites fully comply with applicable intellectual property (IP) concerns and copyright law.

Capture of Copyright/IP Authorization

UC Berkeley requires each presenter to provide a signed media release form to be on file with (ETS) before the associated media recordings are published to YouTube or affiliated sites.

Licensing

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 (CC 3.0 license(link is external)).

Content Take Down

A media recording discovered to violate the IP and Copyright Compliance Policy will be removed in accordance with the (ETS) take down policy.

Data Backup and Archival

During the post production phase of a project, Berkeley AV 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, Berkeley AV 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 Berkeley AV 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 Berkeley AV 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, Berkeley AV 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 easily recover any needed files.  Check with your IT support team if you need help: Berkeley AV 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 this is done immediately after receiving or downloading the files.
  • Clients are responsible for any cost associated with data recovery that is outside the scope of the original project. 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 Berkeley AV 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 this policy, ask questions if more information is needed, and communicate their data archival requirements.

Media Releases

During the post production phase of a project, Berkeley AV 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, Berkeley AV 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.

The University of California requires a signed UC Berkley media release form for each presenter(1) appearing in a broadcast program(2) to be on file with Berkeley AV before we are authorized 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. Berkeley AV 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.

Berkeley AV supports an all-digital process for submitting University of California Berkeley media release forms, allowing Berkeley AV clients to capture an electronic signature and submit signed media release forms via email. Please do not ask guest speakers to send documents directly to Berkeley AV! Rather, collect and archive all signed documents from your presenters before submitting them in a single batch transmission.

Berkeley AV provides the following release form that has been approved for use by the UC Office of Legal Affairs:

EVENTS – Media Release Form for all presenters(PDF file)(link is external)

Here is the process for submitting signed media release forms to Berkeley AV:

  1. Download the appropriate release form and complete the information at top of the form (requires Adobe Reader(link is external)).

  2. Save the PDF file to your desktop. Please add the Berkeley AV order number, 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 Berkeley AV for processing, and file copies for your own records. Please email all media releases for an event in a single transmission to media.releases@media.berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail)(link sends e-mail) and include the Project ID number in the subject heading.

For answers to some common questions about the media release form and submission process, please see our FAQ page.

Please direct questions about the University’s copyright and permissions agreement policies to the UC Berkeley Office of Legal Affiars.(link is external)(link is external)


(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 are not required to submit a signed media release form.

UC Berkeley Events on YouTube Publishing Process

Please note that a valid Berkeley AV order number is required to begin the publishing process. If you have not already placed an order, you may begin the process here (link is external).  The UC Berkeley Events YouTube channel hosts videos produced exclusively by Berkeley Audio and Video Services.

The process for publishing content to the UC Berkley Events channel on YouTube(link is external) involves two steps:

1. Submit signed media releases

The Regents of the University of California require all presenters appearing in a program broadcast by the University to sign a media release. Please collect and verify signed media releases from all presenters before submitting the documents to Berkeley AV, and file the original documents. Click here for blank forms and information(link is external) regarding the University’s copyright policy. Signed forms may be emailed as PDF attachments to media.releases@media.berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail).

2. Submit a publishing agreement

The online publishing agreement confirms that you are ready to publicly release your content, and that you agree to the terms and conditions established by YouTube and the UC Regents. The form also provides a way for you to define the metadata – or, the YouTube watch page title and description information for each video. If you are not familiar with how this information is presented, please browse through some related videos on YouTube(link is external) to learn how other content providers format their metadata.