What is the law regarding filming or photographing people and minors? Is it illegal to film anyone without their consent? Or just minors? Is it only public property that this holds true?

The basic idea is I have a friend who filmed a rather controversial video where he asked high school kids (minors) about their political beliefs. The views expressed by kids in this are were very radical, and he's been trying to shed some light on this by putting the video online. It's been getting tons of hits.

Given the fact that I'm also involved for hosting the video and whatnot, I was wondering what the legality is of filming, say, the opinions high school students at school without getting parental consent or anything.

Daniel,

Yikes! I'm no lawyer, but if you read the submission guidelines for those iTV type sites where you submit videos, you have to signed release forms from everyone who is recognizable. I would imagine speaking parts would be worse. I'll try to find the link to the site I was at reading this stuff. It was pretty heavy, and scared me off.

Ken

I can't give legal advice, here, so I'll just speak generally.

Anyone in public has no expectation of privacy, which means they can be looked at, photographed or filmed. There is no "think of the children" exception.

What can be done with the film or photographs is another story, altogether. The answer will be project- and footage-specific, and will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

You'll need to consult an attorney to get an answer upon which you can rely.