No-budget short documentary: Releases for crowd attending a concert.

[David.rhsc]

Hi,

Not certain if this is the right section to ask, but I didn't see an area where it really fit (pre-production perhaps?). A brief moment of searching also didn't net much.

I'm closing up the development phase of a short doc where I will be filming during a concert (night club venue) that several friends and I are funding/having put together. We're renting the club for the evening and working with a local promoter to promo the show and help us contact bands. The show will be free.

I am wondering how to handle releases for the people who come to see the show. I have seen at events in the past large signs that essentially state that attendance is an agreement to be filmed/photographed and goes into standard usage release text. Does anyone know if something like that is sufficient to cover you when the end goal is making a specific film, or does that only work when the event holder is just getting material for promotional use?

Any and all links or suggestions appreciated.

 

[Gonzo_Entertainment]

I'm pretty sure if you post it and/or announce it then it's covered. In the Original documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization". There is a point where a woman on stage reads the big long "by being present you hereby consent.... etc....

 

[citychik]

It's called a Crowd Release form. You should post one or two of them at the entrance into the club, and/or the room if there's a specific one within the venue where the event takes place. I shoot performances in clubs quite a bit, events in auditoriums, etc., and the managers have never objected to my posting one of two of these at the door. Before putting them up, always ask the venue's manager if you can and where they will allow it, but stress to them that it must be seen by people as they enter. Doing so gives them the option to not go in if they don't want to be filmed/videotaped (though most people will eat it up, thinking this will be their 15 minutes). Bring your own Scotch tape to do it. Sometimes I shoot performances in nightclubs in which the audience is seated at cocktail tables and, for those, I also make smaller 1/4-page versions of the release and distribute them among all the tables. Again, always ask for permission first.

You can find variations of crowd releases on the internet but I'm including the text of a generic one I created below. I usually customize it according to the artist(s) performing, as in "Tonight's performance will be videotaped as part of a documentary about [artist's name]."

Tonight's performance will be videotaped
as part of a documentary.
Some audience members may be
recognizable in the video.
Your presence in the audience
grants consent to
the filmmaker and camera crew
to record your likeness and appearance
at this performance and
to use your image in the video
and/or in marketing materials for the video
without compensation to you,
and
releases the filmmaker/videographer
from all liability related to the videotaping
of your presence in this venue.

Enjoy the show!
​

If it's a smaller, more intimate club and the artist is a friend or I just want to go the extra mile, I add this to the bottom in a much smaller font: "[FONT=&quot]If you object to appearing in the video, please notify the cameraperson BEFORE the performance begins and all attempts will be made to exclude or blur your image in the resulting documentary, although cannot be guaranteed."

Oh and, of course, make sure you also have the venue's management sign a Location Release form as well (you can find a ton of those on the web, too), and make sure you thank them in the credits.

Hope this is helpful![/FONT]

 

[David.rhsc]

Wow, thanks for the detailed response - especially the sample text - it will help a great deal.

I'm certain to have a plethora more questions in the coming weeks, but I wanted to double check the veracity of crowd release notices. Looks like we're good to go with signage and hand-outs.