As a San Diego video production company, our goal at BizVid Communications is to make the production process as easy as possible for our clients and to be sure they are protected from potential law suits. While there are many issues to consider during the making of a video, the one that can rear its ugly head most commonly is invasion of privacy.
I am reminded of the time we were asked to come on location to make a video for one of our corporate clients. The video spokesperson was an employee who agreed to be on camera. It was a key role. Often, employees are used in this capacity because it saves the client the cost of hiring professional talent.
The video shoot went flawlessly. The final version was client approved and distributed as planned. The employee earned bragging rights and was the talk of the business for quite some time.
One day the client called in a panic and asked if there were a way to eliminate the employee from the video and re-edit into a usable product. The employee had been fired and wanted to be removed from the video. Unfortunately, there was no way to accommodate this without re-shooting a bunch of it. We were caught between a rock and a hard place because the employee had not signed a Talent Release, the video was re-shot.
From that day forward, all persons in our productions must sign a Talent Release or they don’t get taped. The release discourages one from acting in a manner as outlined in the scenario as outlined above. Needless to say, lesson learned and the Talent Release is part of the arsenal of paperwork we take to every location.