Question about producing a tv show...HELP! Question about producing a tv show...HELP
 

Question about producing a tv show...HELP!

Hey guys...

I am producing a tv show that has segments of stuff all over my city....

People around the city...

Almost like a News magazine type thing...

Do I need to get release forms?

How does it work for the news?

Please help!

Any ideas will help

Curious: Have you partnered with a local affiliate? Cable local access? If so the producer you are working with will have all the appropriate documentation with respect to public venue shooting, actor's releases, permits etc.

IF .... if this is for an internet newsmagazine covering the stuff that the local channel won't, then you will need some reference material on the above and then have your attourney vet this out so that you are protected. Your business insurance will also have to reflect the nature of the venture. Consult with your agent on that one.

If you have a few more details, perhaps some of the contractual savvy members will chime in also....

This is a small production :)

On local televsion...


Most interviews take place on public streets... or.... in night clubs/ bars.


thanks

Check the situation in your own area. You may need to see a lawyer.
You need to cover your own butt. That's the main thing.
Release forms are for your own protection, in case things turn out nasty way down the track.
Release signatures from the person on camera, get permission from the owner of the bar. He/she may object to the subject covered on their premises.
Cover yourself if there are others in crowd shots that can be reconized. They may be on the town with somebody elses wife and don't want to be seen.
Also if music is heard playing in the background you could be breaking copyright.

These are some of the things I take in account in my country.

Hope this is of some help.

So how does the news get away with it then....exactly?


News crews are a news woman/man and a camera guy... They can't run around and get release forms.

In a public venue there is a reasonable assumption that one or more persons will be watching or even recording things with a still camera or video recording device. Provided that the main subject matter is the interviewee and that the background remains just that, there is no license anyone has over their own image. Stay inside and watch docs on area 51 if you are the paranoid type worried about tracking devices hidden in paper currency. Last sentance directed at the public at large and not the O.P.

Most journalists will uphold the rules of integrity when getting their stories but watch closely. When the consumer advocate show airs they are really careful to keep the camera on the sidewalk when talking about the bad deal at the local dealership. Public venue.

Same for a sporting event. Public event, cameras and people are there ... the general assumption is the default ... that your image might be captured as part of the event.

As for the pub, individual releases will be needed because the owner of the private property cannot speak for the patrons unless there is unequivocable proof that he did inform all that camera(s) would be present and that there would be no compensation paid to anyone ... etc ... you've no doubt seen an actor's release...

You'll need a stack of paper and a bar owner who doesn't mind having his customers presented with a legal document to sign as a condition of entry. Not only that but in some jurisdictions a contract may be considered void if the participants are legally intoxicated. Tough to prove if the patrons were warming up elsewhere.....