Moral dilemma (or how to say no)

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Kell Smith

Thanks very much everyone!
Hey I"m curious - different question but I'll ask it here anyway - if I was out shooting outdoor scenes, street scenes, outdoor malls, street people, etc, would I need model releases, permission etcetera? Just curious. Good to know.

It depends on where you're going to use the footage. News coverage usually not a problem. Commercials, entertainment programming, and theatrical release absolutely need 'em. Documentaries straddle the fence. Note that privacy legislation in recent years has changed the ballgame - used to be about the only absolute where releases were mandatory was when making images used for advertising, even when taken in public places, but it has gotten a lot more restrictive lately. I was astounded to learn last week that even revealing someone's birthday, such an employer posting a "congratulations to this month's employee birthdays" notice, is now considered a violation of people's legal right to privacy! In these days when parents are prohibited from photographing their kids in public parks and swimming pools, school plays, etc, to protect the privacy rights of other kids who might also be in the shot, one should definitely err on the side of caution. Reedickledockle!