A sourcing team wants footage of an appliance leak test at its Chinese supplier. The camera can show the test, but its planned angle also catches a neighboring customer’s product and the full station settings. Before commissioning a tour, decide what a prospect needs to see and what the quality team must verify separately.
Separate the sales film from the buyer's evidence
WIPO’s 2024 Guide to Trade Secrets and Innovation explains that keeping information secret requires reasonable steps under the circumstances, and lists control of facility access as one example. The guide does not prescribe a filming protocol or determine what any given supplier can disclose. ONCE’s production recommendation is to control what gets recorded, because masking an export still leaves the original recording in the workflow.
Build an ONCE shot permission list
Public: Put one buyer question next to each approved setup. If the question is how the operator checks for a leak, film the approved action on a cleared unit and bench. Make clear when it is a demonstration. A representative shot does not establish the pass rate of a shipment.
Restricted: When the quality team needs results for a real lot, agree on an evidence channel and approver before filming. The supplier might provide an approved test record or arrange a controlled review for named recipients. Keep it out of the marketing delivery and define who may download it and when access ends.
Off camera: Walk the route with the person who owns access to the line. Check shiny housings for reflections, listen for details on the room audio, and look beyond the subject for labels or screens. If an approved shot cannot be isolated, redesign it or request different evidence before pressing record.
Pay for access planning as a deliverable
Ask for separate prices for the walkthrough, the public shoot, any restricted capture and the review. Give the supplier a stop authority and agree where the rushes may be copied. Before approving the edit, ask someone outside the shoot to state exactly what it proves, then ask the factory approver to review the actual export. For handling files after review, see ONCE’s guide to deciding what leaves the production folder.
