Take 5: Class in Session 5 Tips for Videotaping in Schools (page 2)
5 - Stay Legal
Video for just your own family's use might simply require permission in advance to bring a camera to an event. For this, you should never hold a singular shot on any other child longer than a few seconds. Does this mean you can shoot only close-ups of your own child? Of course not. Do shoot lots of closeups of your child, but don't forget to include variety in medium and wide shots, so the activity makes sense later on. Just be aware that in this age of internet creepiness, most parents are leery of video cameras pointed at their kids. If parents request that you don't videotape their child, be polite and acknowledge the request. This is not an exposé.
If you're shooting your child's class activities for the entire class, to be given to the students at the end of the term, then you need to get written permission from each child's guardian on record. In this case, your final edited piece must include each child in the class. Don't be exclusive, and don't focus on just your own child or the popular kids.
If you are shooting for the entire school, written permission slips should be sent home to each parent at the beginning of the school year and to parents of children who join the school mid-term. Follow up with the teachers of children whose parents refuse to sign, so that you know which kids you have to exclude in advance. See? We told you it was a daunting task!
Jennifer O'Rourke is an Emmy award-winning videographer and editor and Videomaker's Managing Editor.
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We recently received a letter from a reader in Washington, D.C., asking us to elaborate on this topic. Fredrick Weaver needs to shoot general scenes of children on playgrounds for a documentary and wants to disguise the kids' identities, while adding a little more artistic edge to his video. Read our response here.
