Release forms needed for ambient audio??

J

JamesBe

Member
Hello. Just wanting to cover my arse here...

Just picked up a niffy digital recorder and am about to start recording background noises, etc.

My question is do I need permission to record just audio.

Example, if I walk through the city and theres crowds of people(not singling out a single person) or kids playing on a playground, stuff like that,
do i need a release form?

Obviously they will not be distinguishable as actors, but just wondering about legal rammifications latter on.
 
Not if there's no way to tell who they are or understand what they're saying. Muffled audio falls under the same rules as blurred out faces.

I'm not a lawyer, but I have worked in television and film for a while and I've never heard of legal calling someone out on that. I've even had to track people down to sign release forms before, but never for that.
 
The rule of thumb is that you get releases for anyone or anything that's recognizable.

In the case of sounds from a busy street, playground, train station, department store etc. what is there that would make someone hear it & recognize it? Odds are, not much.
 
But carry identification in case the feds stop you, they'll get very nervous not knowing what you're doing. In fact when you see them in the distance don't pull a mic out and start recording, it'll look like a gun.

Department stores will call their security pronto, if you try and record instore without asking first.
Stay away from kids playgrounds, the feds won't even ask, tell a friend what you're doing and carry his/her cell number.

Before you go out, write out a list of essential fx you want for your library, if you try and remember them it's easy to get waylaid and forget.
Get a city map and trace a path out, so you don't double track back and forwards. Unless it's a fine day without any wind blowing .. don't go out.

At the head of each recorded segment, include a spoken slate, saying date, time, location and take number, for easy reference later.

Also, carry a good set of stereo headphones and after an hour or so get in a quiet area and make sure you're recording without getting RF (radio interference)

Cheers.
 
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