Privacy Policy — The Open Journal Studio

1. Who we are

The Open Journal is a documentary-style personal film company based in North London, UK. We make cinema-quality films about real people, their beliefs, experiences, and what they have learned.

For the purposes of data protection law, the data controller is:

The Open Journal
(Operated by Cardboard Creative Limited)
North London, United Kingdom
Contact email: kev@openjournal.studio

If you have any questions about how we handle your personal data, please get in touch using the details above.

2. What data we collect

We may collect and process the following personal data depending on how you interact with us:

Information you give us directly

Your name, email address, phone number, and postal address
Details about the person you are commissioning a film for (the subject)
Payment and billing information
Any information shared during discovery calls, interviews, or correspondence
Photographs, video footage, and audio recordings captured during production

Information collected automatically through the website

Your IP address
Browser type and version
Operating system
Pages visited and time spent on the site
Referring website or source
Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 8)

Information from third parties

Payment confirmation from our payment processor
Analytics data from tools such as Google Analytics (where used)

3. Why we collect your data and our legal basis

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. The bases we rely on are:

Purpose	Legal basis
To respond to enquiries and discovery calls	Legitimate interest / Pre-contractual steps
To deliver our filming and production services	Performance of a contract
To process payments	Performance of a contract
To send project updates and delivery notifications	Performance of a contract
To send marketing communications (where you have opted in)	Consent
To publish clips or content featuring the film subject (with permission)	Consent
To improve our website and services	Legitimate interest
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations	Legal obligation

4. Special category data

Our films are deeply personal. During interviews, subjects may share information relating to health, religious beliefs, ethnicity, or other sensitive topics. This is known as special category data under the UK GDPR.

We only process special category data with your explicit consent, given before or during the filming process. You may withdraw this consent at any time before publication.

5. How we share your data

We do not sell your personal data to anyone. We may share your data with:

Our production team (freelance cinematographers, producers, and editors) who work on your film under confidentiality agreements
Payment processors to handle transactions securely
Hosting and delivery platforms used to store and deliver your film content (such as cloud hosting providers and personalised landing pages)
Analytics providers (such as Google Analytics) to help us understand how the website is used
Legal or regulatory authorities where required by law

All third-party providers we work with are required to handle your data in accordance with UK data protection law.

6. Where we store your data

Your data is stored on secure servers within the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area. If any data is transferred outside the UK or EEA (for example, through a cloud service provider), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or an adequacy decision.

7. How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary:

Client and project data: For the duration of the project and for 6 years afterwards (in line with UK tax and contractual obligations)
Film footage and deliverables: Retained indefinitely as part of the commissioned work, unless you request deletion
Website analytics data: Typically retained for up to 26 months
Marketing consent records: Until you withdraw consent

If you ask us to delete your data, we will do so unless we have a legal obligation to keep it.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and to understand how the site is used.

Strictly necessary cookies — Required for the website to function properly. These cannot be switched off.
Analytics cookies — Help us understand how visitors use the site (for example, Google Analytics). These are only set with your consent.
Marketing cookies — Used to deliver relevant advertisements if applicable. These are only set with your consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings or through our cookie consent banner when you first visit the site.

For more information about cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

9. Your rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

Right of access — You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification — You can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure — You can ask us to delete your personal data (subject to legal retention requirements).
Right to restrict processing — You can ask us to limit how we use your data.
Right to data portability — You can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to object — You can object to processing based on legitimate interest or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent — Where we process data based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at kev@openjournal.studio.

We will respond to your request within one month.

10. Marketing communications

We will only send you marketing emails if you have given us clear consent to do so. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly.

11. Children's data

Our services are not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

12. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to external sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal data.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

14. How to complain

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: ico.org.uk

We would appreciate the chance to resolve any concerns directly first. Please contact us at kev@openjournal.studio before escalating to the ICO.