I am going to make a short documentary in England about Detroit techno music. The documentary will be largely shot inside a club with the interviewing of some prominent Detroit techno DJs taking place during the day (inside the club premises). I work independently (own my own gear). I want to retain the rights to all the material that is gathered as I am currently building up a portfolio. Here is what I have to consider:
There is an owner of the actual building.
There is a separate promoter of the techno night.
There are DJ's who are to be interviewed (some of whom have agents).
There will be people in the background (clubbers, dancing).
Who needs to sign what and where can I get the wording?
Thanks in advance!
You will need written permission from the owner of the building.
If the promoter is on camera you will need a release form. If there
is something very specific about the event you will need written
permission to use anything trademarked or copyrighted.
Anyone interviewed will need to sigh a release.
In a documentary you don't need to have a release form for everyone
in a public place, but you will need to make sure everyone attending
this event knows it's being taped for a publicly released documentary.
You will need to get clearance for any music heard in the background.
So make sure you get a full plat list of every, single piece of music
played while you are there.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
Are we sure UK laws pertaining to these matters are same/similar to those in US?
I would think that a supremely litigious society (US) would have much tighter laws than other places. In other words, there may be fewer requirements for permissions/releases outside of US.
In my case I'm not talking about lawsuits. I'm talking only about what is needed
to make a documentary a sellable, distributable project. Perhaps there are fewer
requirements in the UK than the US to fend of being sued - I really know nothing
about law. However, I know about making sure everything is cleared and all
permissions obtained (in writing) when it comes to the distribution of a documentary.
Distributors are going to ask for all the paperwork to be in order.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
quote:
Originally posted by Vasic
Are we sure UK laws pertaining to these matters are same/similar to those in US?
I believe you can get away with more in the UK, but that list should ensure you're covered against any kind of complaint; I took a documentary course there but it was some years ago so I don't remember all the details and it may have changed some since. The one thing I do remember them reiterating was that you can't use any footage of someone who explicitly tells you that they don't want to be in the documentary, unless you got a release beforehand or it's in the public interest (e.g. 'hidden camera' footage of potentially criminal acts).
