Orientation Film Production: How to Give New Employees a Safe Start

Orientation Film Production

The first day of a new employee is a critical moment. It is the day on which the employee learns the OH&S rules, becomes familiar with the facility and takes the first step into its safety culture. This first impression shapes the employee's long-term safety awareness. An employee who sees that safety is taken seriously on the first day maintains that attitude; an employee who sees safety training treated as a formality begins to ignore the rules.

An Orientation Film Provides a Strong Start; It Is Not a Certificate on Its Own

Last legal review: 12 July 2026. A film is a strong component that standardises induction, job-specific risk training, the facility tour, assessment and documentation. Check the current training requirements in the official regulation.

An orientation film is the most effective training tool for this first day. A professional orientation film gives every new employee training of the same quality, scope and standard. Variables such as whether the trainer is tired that day, skips part of the explanation or answers questions sufficiently are removed.

In this guide, we answer how an orientation film is produced, what should be shown, how it should be adapted by sector, why it should be filmed at the actual facility and how often it should be updated.

What Should an Orientation Film Show?

Facility Introduction and Layout

Employees should become familiar with the physical layout of the facility on their first day. The orientation film should clearly show the main and employee entrances, production areas and office sections, the canteen, changing rooms and rest areas, parking facilities and shuttle routes.

This information helps new employees avoid becoming lost at the facility and feel safe on their first day.

Emergency Information

This is the most critical part of an orientation film. The locations and routes of emergency-exit doors, assembly areas and headcount procedure, the locations of fire extinguishers and fire cabinets, first-aid cabinets and stretchers, emergency-alarm sounds and their meanings, and emergency contact numbers should be shown clearly and visually.

This information should be presented over real images of the facility, not an abstract map. The employee should be able to match the emergency-exit door seen in the film with the actual door.

Basic OH&S Rules

Facility-specific OH&S rules form the main body of the orientation film. It should include mandatory PPE and the areas in which it is used—for example, where helmets or safety glasses are compulsory—restricted areas and access limitations, safety lines and pedestrian routes, forklift and vehicle-traffic rules, smoking areas and prohibitions, and visitor rules.

Management Welcome Message

A short welcome message from the factory manager or general manager on camera strengthens the film. It shows that safety is taken seriously by management and communicates to employees that they are valued and their safety matters.

The message should last 30–60 seconds and be sincere and direct. It should use a personal and genuine tone instead of clichéd corporate language.

Emergency-Procedure Summary

What should you do when you hear the fire alarm? Where should you take shelter during an earthquake? Who should you call when you witness a workplace accident? The answers should appear briefly and clearly in the film. Detailed emergency training can be provided in a separate film; a summary of the fundamental procedures is sufficient in the orientation film.

Why Should It Be Filmed at the Actual Facility?

Recognition Effect

An orientation film cannot be filmed in a studio or generic office environment. Employees need to recognise the place in which they will work. They need to see the emergency-exit door in the actual building rather than in an abstract illustration, and the assembly area in the facility grounds rather than on a map.

After watching an orientation film produced at the actual facility, an employee can say, “That door is there, and the assembly area is there.” This association is not possible with a generic film.

Keeping It Current and Accurate

The orientation film should be updated when the facility changes—for example, following a new building, production line, relocation or emergency-exit route. A generic animated film does not need this update but also contains no facility information. A film made at the actual facility requires updating but provides much higher training effectiveness in return.

Adapting an Orientation Film by Sector

Factories and Production Facilities

Machine safety, production-line rules, forklift traffic and high-noise areas are central. Hazardous-area signs and colour codes should be shown in detail. PPE requirements may differ by area, such as fire-resistant clothing in the welding section or respiratory protection in the chemical section.

Construction Sites

Rules for working at height, scaffold safety, excavation-area restrictions and heavy-equipment traffic are the fundamental subjects in site orientation. Because conditions on a construction site change continuously, this type of orientation film requires more frequent updates.

Food Factories

Hygiene rules should be explained together with OH&S rules. The hand-washing procedure, the order for putting on hygiene clothing, allergen-contamination prevention and clean-area entry rules are an integral part of orientation.

Office and Corporate Environments

The fire-escape plan, earthquake procedure, first-aid cabinets and AED locations are fundamental subjects. Ergonomics information, including correct sitting posture and screen distance, can be added to office orientation.

Warehouses and Logistics Centres

Forklift safety, racking-system load capacities, loading bays, correct lifting techniques and stacking rules are critical subjects in warehouse orientation.

Orientation Film Production Process

Stage 1: Defining the Content

The subjects and order of the orientation film are defined together with the company's OH&S professional. The facility risk assessment and existing orientation procedure are used as references. The questions employees ask most frequently and the most common mistakes are included in the content plan.

Stage 2: Script and Filming Plan

The voice-over copy and scene order are prepared. The areas of the facility to be filmed, how the emergency-exit route will be shown and where the management interview will be filmed are planned. The company's OH&S professional approves the script.

Stage 3: Filming

Filming takes place during the facility's normal working hours. Production areas are filmed while active; an empty facility reduces the perception of realism. Emergency-exit routes are shown by following them with the camera. The management interview is filmed in an office or a representative area of the facility.

Filming generally takes between half a day and one full day. Half a day is sufficient at small facilities; a full day may be required at multi-storey or multi-building sites.

Stage 4: Post-Production

Editing, voice-over, graphics such as floor plans, direction arrows and hazard symbols, and music are completed at this stage. Where multilingual voice-over is required, each language is added separately. Delivery is prepared in an LMS-compatible format.

Typical Duration and Budget

Production schedule: delivery is generally planned within ten working days after filming. Typical film duration: five to ten minutes. Current Medyabox orientation-film budgets are maintained in the OH&S Training Film Prices 2026 guide and start from TRY 80,000 + VAT.

Detailed budget information is available in our OH&S Training Film Prices 2026 article.

Update Strategy

When Should It Be Updated?

The orientation film should be revised when the facility changes physically, including a new building, floor-layout change or emergency-exit route; when OH&S procedures change; when new risks are introduced, such as new machinery, chemicals or a production line; and when management changes, requiring an updated welcome message.

Advantage of a Modular Structure

Producing an orientation film in sections makes updating easier. If the facility introduction, emergency information and OH&S rules are produced as separate modules, only the changed module needs to be updated. The other modules remain valid, reducing the total update cost.

Update Cost

In a modular orientation film, only the changed section can be filmed again and integrated into the existing structure. The update cost is calculated in a detailed quotation according to the changed scene, location, language and graphic scope; it is not tied to a fixed percentage.

LMS Integration and Documentation

Automatic Tracking

An LMS can assign the orientation film automatically to a new employee and make access, completion and assessment results traceable. These records strengthen evidence; they do not automatically replace the required training certificate, attendance record or examination documents.

Test Integration

Adding a short test at the end of the film increases training effectiveness and provides documentation. Questions such as “Where is the emergency assembly area?” or “Which PPE is mandatory before entering the production area?” confirm that the employee has absorbed the information.

Medyabox provides delivery in SCORM-compatible formats. Test integration can be completed easily through your LMS platform.

Orientation Film Production with Medyabox

Medyabox produces orientation films within its OH&S training film production service. The script is verified with the company's authorised OH&S professional; filming at the actual facility, professional voice-over and LMS-compatible delivery options are configured according to the employee profile and training plan.

An orientation film is generally produced as a package with PPE and emergency films. The series-production model reduces the unit cost and ensures consistent quality across all films. Our OH&S Training Film Production article examines the production process for all OH&S film types in detail.

To receive a project-specific quotation, contact us through our contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should an orientation film be?

The ideal duration is between 5 and 10 minutes. Less than 5 minutes may be insufficient to communicate the fundamental information. More than 15 minutes carries a risk of reduced attention. A modular structure should be used when more than 10 minutes of content is required.

Does every sector need a separate orientation film?

Yes. Every facility has a different physical layout, risk profile and set of OH&S rules. A generic orientation film cannot communicate facility-specific information and has low training effectiveness.

What should be done for employees of other nationalities?

Training should be provided in clear language that the employee understands. Where required by the workforce profile, professional multilingual voice-over is a critical solution for communicating every safety message; language options are selected according to the institution's actual workforce.

Can you update our existing orientation film?

Yes. Only the changed sections are filmed again and integrated into the existing film. A complete reshoot is not required.

Does showing the film fully satisfy orientation-training requirements?

A film is a strong orientation tool but does not complete the full training obligation on its own. It is supported by the facility tour, questions and answers, practical work and assessment. An LMS makes tracking and test results visible; official documents and records are prepared separately.

For an orientation-film project, contact us through the contact page or call +90 216 504 28 70.