Privacy Law

As I will be filming in public places, I need to know whether I will need permission from the passersby. As some of the places where I will be filming will have the possibility of hundreds of people walking past, if I do need permission from each person, I would have to take certain parts out of my idea. I need to know my rights and the publics rights when filming on location.

From the BFIs website: You do not need to ask passers-by for permission to feature their faces in a film. Under UK law, the copyright of film shot in a public place resides with the filmmaker. This information is very useful to me, and even though it is from the BFI, the information is still the same for the use I am using it for. If I were to make a television advertisement, it may be somewhat different i.e. I may need to cord off an area, and using actors as passersby; however my promotional video is different to an advertisement, as I am not making any money from the project. I would like testimonials in my piece, so as I am directing the camera at a specific person, I will need their consent for this to happen. If I dont ask for their permission, they are within their rights to get it taken down, or have their face blurred (which wouldnt look professional on a promotional video). For this reason, when I ask people for their consent, getting signed copies of consent would be a must. You will need the full co-operation of the local police force if you plan to film on a public highway or use special effects, explosives, fire arms (including replicas). You will also need permission to portray uniformed police officers or marked police vehicles on film. As the shots which I will be filming in the public space will be general shots of the buildings and passersby, I will not need to involve the police. In addition, I will not be using any on location special effects or impersonating anybody, so again, the police do not need to be informed. If you film outside a store or restaurant you do not need permission to show its name or trademark however, if the location chosen is used to communicate a negative message in your film (for example, a film about 'poisoned restaurant food') you may risk legal proceedings. I will be showing trademarks in my promotional video, however as it is to promote Norwich to teenagers and young adults, I will not be communicating any bad messages, and therefore this shouldnt be a problem. If you film an actor inside a store or restaurant you need written permission to use the location and also to show the chain's name or trademark.

Many of my shots will be taken outside of the building; however I do want to film inside Chapelfield and Travelodge. I will have to get written permission from these places to make sure that I can film on their premises. If I dont ask for permission, the companies could take legal proceedings against me. This research into privacy law has helped me understand my rights and the publics rights. Without this information, I may have shot inside some premises which needed permission, and if they didnt see me film and I used it in my final edit, they would have been in their rights for it to be removed if they saw it on the internet etc.