This Code applies to LARA employees, directors, freelancers, contributors and agents while working for or representing the company. We require production suppliers and contracted partners to meet equivalent standards and expect clients, guests and other participants to respect them. Applicable law or a contract may impose additional requirements.
1. Responsibility and prevention
Managers, project leads and producers are responsible for setting expectations, assessing foreseeable conduct and safety risks, identifying reporting routes and acting on concerns. Team members receive information appropriate to their role, location and production.
Everyone has authority to pause work where they reasonably believe there is an immediate risk to safety, dignity or consent.
2. Respect, equality and harassment
Discrimination, bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and victimisation are prohibited. This includes conduct connected with age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, as well as any other status protected by applicable local law.
Our standard also rejects degrading treatment based on appearance, body size, gender identity or expression, nationality, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities or other personal circumstances. “Banter”, creative pressure, seniority, client status or commercial value is never an excuse for inappropriate conduct.
This standard applies to colleagues, clients, suppliers, talent, contributors, guests and other third parties, and to in-person, remote, social and off-site conduct connected with LARA work.
3. Professional integrity
Everyone working on LARA business must act honestly, protect confidential and personal information, respect intellectual property and use company, client and audience information only for authorised purposes.
Relevant conflicts of interest must be disclosed. Bribes, facilitation payments and improper inducements are prohibited. Gifts and hospitality must be reasonable, lawful, transparent and never intended to influence a decision improperly.
4. Production safety and welfare
Each production must have a responsible producer, an appropriate risk assessment, emergency arrangements and reporting contacts identified in the production information or call sheet. Locations, equipment, working hours and facilities must be suitable for the participants, and reasonable accessibility requirements must be considered.
Incidents and near misses must be reported promptly. Appropriate first-aid provision, safe transport and welfare arrangements must be considered for the scale, location and timing of the production.
Illegal drugs are prohibited. Alcohol must not be consumed while working unless expressly required for a controlled production and lawfully managed. Anyone whose judgement or safety is impaired must not participate.
5. Consent, styling and closed sets
The agreed creative scope, styling, poses, physical contact, use of products and expected level of exposure must be explained in advance. Consent to a pose, touch, styling change or level of exposure must be affirmative and may be withdrawn before it occurs. No one may be coerced, surprised with nudity or intimate styling, filmed in a changing area, or recorded beyond the agreed brief.
Private changing facilities and appropriate closed-set arrangements must be provided where needed. A participant may request a support person where reasonable. No participant should be required to work alone in an isolated setting after raising a safety concern.
6. Models and participants under 18
Models and on-camera participants aged 18 or over are our default. An under-18 participant may be engaged only where their involvement is essential to the creative brief and the production receives written safeguarding approval before casting.
For every exceptional under-18 production, LARA and the responsible producer must:
- verify and obtain all licences, permissions and employment approvals required in the relevant jurisdiction;
- obtain informed written consent from a parent or legal guardian and age-appropriate agreement from the young person;
- provide a parent, guardian, council-approved chaperone or locally qualified equivalent, as required;
- complete a child-specific risk and welfare assessment;
- protect education, rest, working hours, privacy, travel and compensation rights;
- use age-appropriate clothing, styling, direction and subject matter; and
- ensure the young person is never left alone with an unrelated adult or asked to change in view of others.
Nudity, sexualised styling, sexual content, illegal drugs and alcohol are prohibited in any production involving an under-18 participant. A child’s wish to pause or stop must be respected even where an adult has consented.
7. Reporting, investigation and protection from retaliation
Immediate production concerns should be raised with the producer or safeguarding contact named on the call sheet. Other concerns may be sent to [email protected]. If the concern involves that contact, it should be raised with another director or senior project lead.
Reports are assessed promptly and as confidentially as reasonably possible. We identify an appropriate investigator, gather relevant evidence, give affected people a fair opportunity to respond and communicate an outcome where appropriate. Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where disclosure is required to investigate, protect someone or comply with law.
No person may be penalised for raising a concern in good faith, supporting someone else’s report or declining conduct that makes them feel unsafe. LARA may pause work, preserve evidence, remove a person from a project or take contractual or disciplinary action where appropriate. A person may request a review where they believe material information was missed.
8. Emergencies and external reporting
Anyone in immediate danger should contact local emergency services. Nothing in this Code prevents a person from reporting conduct to the police, a regulator, a safeguarding authority, an employment adviser or another body available under applicable law.