The Institute of Videography (IOV) is a UK-registered, not-for-profit trade association for professional videographers. Its membership predominantly operates in the corporate video, wedding videography and special interest video (documentary) markets - but extends into every area of media production. Whilst its membership is predominantly within the UK, Ireland and Europe, its has recently started to attract members worldwide.
The IOV was established in 1985 by its founders - Geoff Belmont-Rixon and Phillip Gleed - who together recognised the need to provide an association of like-minded professionals within the, then, developing videography market. The IOV and its list of membership benefits soon expanded, and the organisation adopted its present incorporated form and constitution in June 1991. Today, the IOV is owned by its members and managed by a board of elected Executive Members. Each member agrees to act in accordance with their Code of Practice, and to strive to maintain the highest levels of production competence and professionalism in their work.
The IOV has an optional accreditation system for its members. The first level of accreditation is Associate Membership, which is achieved on completion of an online exam on the core competencies of videography. The syllabus is contained within the VideoSkills website (VideoSkills) which is freely available to registered users. The VideoSkills syllabus and exam is made up of five separate categories covering 'Cameracraft', 'Lighting', 'Audio', 'Post Production' and 'Business & Legal'. Whilst the craft skills remain constant regardless of the country of origin of the videographer, the Business & Legal sections vary according to where the videographer is located.
Once Associate Membership has been attained, the member can then apply for Full Accreditation which is based on submission of production sample. These samples are assessment by a panel of existing members who provide a critique of the work and judge whether it is comparable to current production standards.
Apart from providing various public guides to videography and commissioning a videographer, the IOV's arbitration service provides a negotiation service between members and their clients should a contractual dispute arise. The IOV Arbitration Officer is also authorised to act as an Independent Expert Witness in disputes involving non-members.