Secret Compass supports productions of all scales and in all settings, with a specialism in complex shoots and extreme remote locations. These FAQs explain why risk management matters, how it works in practice, and how we help teams work safely and confidently to bring bold ideas to life.
RISK MANAGEMENT FOR TV & FILM
Risk management is the process of identifying, evaluating, and reducing the risks your production carries – from safety to security to legal, and everything in between. Going through this process helps ensure residual risks are within your tolerances and you have a happy balance of risk and reward. Whether you’re looking to shoot in a hostile environment or managing productions in extreme locations, we can help.
It goes far beyond just ticking a box for insurance. It allows production teams to:
- Understand the risks they’re taking on.
- Minimise harm to crew, contributors, and reputation.
- Clearly communicate residual risk and secure informed consent.
- Ensure legal compliance in complex or sensitive filming scenarios.
Ultimately, the senior production lead on location holds the responsibility – but they shouldn’t manage it alone. A professional safety consultant or risk advisor helps anticipate, monitor, and manage risks as they evolve. Subject matter experts (SMEs) should advise on specialist areas, and roles should be clearly defined in your documentation and contracts.
Risks vary widely by production. Instead of listing generic risks, we assess hazards across four core categories:
- Team – Relevant experience, composition, stress and fatigue
- Environment – Location hazards, weather, infrastructure
- Activity – Resources, specialist skills, stunts
- Medical – Pre-existing conditions, emergency facilities, equipment and resources
This approach ensures your risk profile reflects the realities of your specific shoot.
RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR FILMING
A risk assessment helps you:
- Understand where, when and how your production carries an elevated level of risk.
- Take informed, proportionate action to reduce those risks.
- Define your residual risk and whether it sits within your tolerance.
- Provide a basis for informed consent and suitable team composition.
A risk assessment identifies hazards, evaluates likelihood and impact, and outlines control measures. A safety plan turns this into action – detailing medical, communication, security, and evacuation protocols, plus roles and responsibilities.
Both are vital. One identifies the risks; the other ensures you’re ready to respond.
It depends on the nature and complexity of your production. Some teams prefer one comprehensive document, while others split it into separate components such as,
- Risk Assessment
- Safety Plan (including medevac and comms protocols)
- Security Assessments
We recommend structuring documents logically and keeping them clear and concise – with long, jargon-heavy safety documents the important information can get lost, and are time consuming to read.
SAFETY FOR HIGH-RISK OR REMOTE FILMING
Every production is different, but you’ll need to consider:
- Environmental risks: terrain, weather, flora and fauna
- Team capability (crew and cast / contribs): experience, fitness, any training
- Activity planning: equipment, team and logistics, specialist requirements
- Medical support: access, capability, evacuation time
We recommend getting input early. This is especially important for any areas which require specialist support of specific risks.
Speak to Secret Compass! We bring deep operational experience and TV-specific safety knowledge to help you:
- Identify and mitigate risks early
- Plan for emergencies and rapid response
- Build crew confidence and informed decision-making
Whether you need remote filming safety, high-risk shoot guidance, or hostile environment risk support, we’re here to help.
LEGAL, COMPLIANCE & INDUSTRY STANDARDS
Legal risks vary based on:
- Who you’re filming (children, vulnerable groups, sensitive contributors)
- What you’re filming (controversial, illegal, high risk activities or high-profile content)
- Where you’re filming (local laws, insurance, permissions)
You’ll also need to consider post-transmission legal risks. Risk management helps identify these early and avoid costly mistakes.
There’s no single global standard, but we work to internationally recognised frameworks including:
- ISO 31000 – Risk management
- ISO 31030 – Travel risk management
- BS 8848 – Fieldwork and remote expedition standards
- HSE best practice increasingly including IOSH and NEBOSH
These help ensure due diligence and industry best practice, even when filming ground breaking content in unregulated regions.
ABOUT SECRET COMPASS SERVICES
We can help at any stage, but ideally as early as possible – before a production is even greenlit. These early conversations help shape what’s needed, where you might go, and how to scope the budget line for the risk and safe management element. The more we understand your editorial goals, the better we can support them.
That includes things like:
- Where you’re thinking of filming
- The activities you’re planning
- Team size and experience
- Seasonal and climate considerations
- What medical support you’ll need and what’s realistically available
Even if these details are still in flux, starting the conversation early means we can work closely with you to shape a safe, achievable plan from the outset. Our role is to enable bold, brilliant storytelling – safely.
We offer complete risk management support, including:
- Risk assessments and safety planning
- Hostile environment filming advice
- Remote medical and evacuation planning
- On-location safety consultants
- Safety audits and risk briefings
We are the go-to people to manage risk, anywhere in the world, for the most ambitious shows on TV.