As an independent studio, we have always conducted our business activities in way that reflects certain values and beliefs. Working in the creative industries, we believe it’s important to operate in a way that isn’t just good for our clients, but also for our staff, partners and society as a whole. Although we don’t have a specific ‘code’ of ethics, we are keen to share our values so those who work with us appreciate our standards and what we care about. Please take a look, we hope they are useful.
Staff Welfare
To us, creative work is not a mechanical process, but the product of care and imagination from many individuals – work that sometimes isn’t obvious. To ensure a good quality service for our clients, we endeavour to provide a fulfilling working environment for our staff. Specifically, an environment that recognises individuality, permits flexibility and encourages growth and development.
We are truly grateful for every client who books our services. Not only are they providing valuable work and income to our staff, but they are supporting their professional growth, creative development and personal satisfaction. At FilmFolk we believe one can never underestimate the value of good quality employment to an individual and their family.
equal opportunities
We always have and always will be an equal opportunities employer. We fully welcome applicants from any background, orientation or ability. In fact, we go further than that, by providing a welcome and familiar place for everyone to flourish, one which supports the needs of each unique individual where we possibly can.
Of course, that doesn’t mean we can or will employ anybody. Rather we rigorously focus on what really matters - individuals with the greatest passion and abilities regardless of who they are or where they come from. And once we find that person, we are totally dedicated to cultivating their talent and reaching their full potential!
mental health
We believe there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ or ‘average’ person. Indeed, even those that claim to be such, will face periods of difficulty with psychological challenges, both seen and unseen. For this reason, we care about the well-being of our staff and aim to support them by being an understanding employer where trust can grow.
Consequently, we don’t see someone’s ‘mental health’ as a basis upon which to judge them, but rather something to be understood and helped where possible through the right kind of work and opportunities. We have very robust systems in place to recognise and reward our staff - or to see whenever help is needed. As for anyone, client feedback is very important to mental well-being and we positively encourage our clients to thank staff for a job well done.
staff pay
Working in a creative studio like ours is certainly no sweat shop or workhouse, but it is challenging and requires skilled individuals ready to give their heart and soul to everything they do. For this reason, we believe in paying our staff a fair and decent wage.
We want the very best talent for our clients and to ensure this we provide a rewarding environment for our staff. Regardless of skill level, all staff are paid in excess of the London Living Wage whilst our most diligent and industrious professionals earn more than most others in the industry. Working at FilmFolk is a place where talent thrives.
professional conduct
Nearly every staff member at FilmFolk is customer-facing in some capacity. That is a matter of principle. It’s because we want to enable a direct link between the work we do and the service we provide to the customer. It also means that communication is both immediate and personal and that our clients get what they want without suffering convoluted mediation.
Of course, some staff members who are great at what they do, may not have been accustomed to direct client contact before joining us. For this reason, all staff receive training and support in client liaison. We hope the results of such direct communications are beneficial, however if clients have any issue with a member of staff, we do of course want to know about it. We welcome an email in confidence.
environment
We are conscious about our impact on the environment. In the past studios like ours consumed copious film rolls, tapes and optical discs. These days however we produce very little physical product with most projects delivered as download files. Furthermore, we invest in good quality equipment which actually lasts longer than the average family car and use high grade rechargeable batteries that makes good environment sense.
Also, by allowing many of our staff the opportunity to work from home, we minimise emissions and excessive energy consumption. This means our singular impact on the environment is travel to and from shoots. For this we use car hailing apps and car clubs wherever possible. This not only cuts consumption, but also alleviates unnecessary congestion whilst still ensuring reliability for clients.
investors
FilmFolk is a private limited company directly managed by its owners. Unlike many of our larger competitors, we are not run by an executive team primarily interested in rewarding investors. Whilst we believe investment is important to businesses, we think that businesses run predominantly for profit are not always the most responsible or ethical. Our aim at FilmFolk is to provide a reliable and accountable business where not all decisions are made for profit, but if a way that servicing our clients in a friendly, ethical and sustainable way takes first priority.
feedback
We thoroughly welcome feedback from clients on the work we have produced. It’s a big motivation to us and our staff as well as helpful in cultivating the accountability at the heart of our business. We welcome comments on Trustpilot, Google, Facebook, Yell and Yelp. Wherever possible we ask reviewers to mention specific team members so we know feedback is genuine and we can share it with our eager staff.
If, however, we have fallen short with our service in any way, we invite clients to send us an email first. As a studio we really want to put it right for you or make it up in any way. Obviously, we never intend to fall short on any project, but we understand in occasion it might just happen and if so, we will certainly do our utmost to make it right!
