Permissions and Privacy

Permissions and people

Event Permissions

Do you need specific permission to record the people who identifiably appear in your film? A broad answer to this question is YES.

Usually this requires only a simple media release form which indicates how the footage will be used and agreement indicated by the subject's signature. Indeed, it is quite possible your business or organisation already has a media release policy which staff, clients and volunteers have signed up to.

For the absence of doubt, there are a few situations of note:

Children and people unable to give informed consent can only be filmed with the express agreement of a legal guardian or parent.

If you plan to license or sell video content in which you appear you will need a media release form

Privacy

The law and common sense apply. While it is legal to film in public and (with permissions), private spaces, people have a right to privacy. This can be breached where video shows identifiable people engaged in activities which might be reasonably considered private.

Obvious examples might include:

a person entering or leaving a fertility clinic.

a family with children enjoying a picnic in the park.

We always aim to avoid capturing footage which might breach privacy, and at editing stages pay attention for anything problematic. We also use a range of techniques which help to minimise any risk of breaching privacy:

Focus on details which highlight people's actions but avoid identifiable features.

Use of shallow depth of field to blur the background

Use of wide angle shots in which individuals cannot be identified.

Use angles which show people but not identifiably, e.g. from behind or below

Conventionally, filming of events such as conferences, seminars and talks focuses on the presenters, with the audience shown from the rear and individually unidentifiable. However, we do advise you alert attendees that the event will be filmed

If you are holding a Q&A session it is important to obtain a media release form from any audience members who asked questions. If this is not possible there are usually editing options which preserve the response but remove the question.

It is also highly recommended that media release forms for presenters and other on stage participants are signed and collected at or before the event. We have encountered situations where it has taken event organisers weeks and even months to acquire release forms sought after the event.

Location Permissions

Filming on your own premises or public spaces doesn't usually require permission. However, if you want to capture interview or context footage on somebody else's property it will be necessary to acquire written permission and to get it in advance of filming.