Children Filming Permission - Page 3

bythric · #21 (**permalink**) 12-19-2008, 10:17 AM

I made a short film from some material I chanced upon when I was about to go to the supermarket which has been watched by 5000 people on youtube, recently someone has taken issue with it claiming that I had no right to make it because it features some children playing in a puddle who I hadn't asked permission to film. Any advice on its legitimacy would be welcome, as would any comments. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Andy Lockwood · #22 (**permalink**) 12-19-2008, 10:25 AM

Well, the people with the issue have issues of their own I think. Seriously, it's shot at distance, and you cannot possibly identify faces.

As for legitimacy - perfectly legal. It's shot in a public place. End of.

What's wrong with people?

EDIT - Mod Note - BYTHRIC - The reason your post didn't appear instantly was because, as it was your first post and contained an external link, it was held in a mod queue for approval. I ok'd it as soon as I found it.

Mark W · #23 (**permalink**) 12-19-2008, 01:39 PM

I agree.

Something of the same flavour happened to me this week - I just finished editing a kids birthday party that I shot as a fav to a friend, friend shows other mums - most are impressed but one asked her if she wasnt worred about " data protection issues ".

Nice film btw

Andy Lockwood · #24 (**permalink**) 12-19-2008, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by Mark W

...most are impressed but one asked her if she wasnt worred about " data protection issues"...

At the risk of boring repetitition... what's wrong with people? That party - happy times for the kids, lovely keepsake for all. I really do wish that people would just stop and think of how ridiculous they sound when they say something like that...

Originally Posted by Mark W

...Nice film btw...

I agree - great capture of the car that hurtled past at a rate of knots soaking the kids - priceless.

Mark W · #25 (**permalink**) 12-19-2008, 03:13 PM

We live in confused times when it comes to our thoughts on privacy and filming - all the more odd when you look at all the cctv that keeps us all ' safe ' .

Again at the risk of repetition it is worth pointing out that there is no specfic laws relating to filming children or puddles or otters.

As a rule of thumb if you can see something unaided and you are not in a bush wearing camo you can film just about anything - and the rights to what you just filmed are yours.

bythric · #26 (**permalink**) 12-20-2008, 04:12 PM

Thanks, I was howling with laughter as I filmed it.

It's amazing how censorious people can become, and no amount of logic or reason will penetrate their opinion. A few years ago I made a film about burning books, mainly as a publicity stunt to see how much media coverage I'd get, and in no way as an attempt to oppress any ideas or ideologies, I just had a lot of damaged and unsaleable books which I needed to get rid of - no charity would take them, so I staged a public book burning. The reaction I got from a lot of people was amazing, there was no consideration of the reason we were staging the event, just a knee-jerk reaction that "burning books is bad because the Nazis did it", as if somehow burning books transformed us into Nazis. Nothing could be further from the truth, but trying to convince the people who reacted in that way proved to be utterly pointless, they just weren't interested in anything we had to say and kept trotting out the same "burning books is bad" mantra. I suspect that the same lack of inquiry and intelligence is shared by the "you can't film children" brigade.

Mark W · #27 (**permalink**) 12-20-2008, 04:46 PM

^^^^ burning books as a stunt - like your style there.

best to proceed with caution for any fliming chidren stunts aimed to achieve a similar illustrative outrage - a gang in bristol kiiled a guy last year cos they 'thought' he was a paedophile ( he wasnt )....