question about filming public places

[bamboleo]

What is the name of your state? Illinois

I am going to be starting a cable access television show, and I'm wondering how filming in public places must be handled. Do all people within a shot need to give their ok to be filmed?

Also I have footage that is now a few years old that was done for fun that I have on VHS, that I was thinking of using on the show. There is no possible way to find the people that are in the films, how must this be handled legally?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[divgradcurl]

As a general rule, if you film people in public, then you don't need to get their permission -- if you are out in public, you have no "expectation of privacy." However, there are some limits. The most important limit is that you can't use someone's likeness to advertise the program without their permission. Further, if you focus on a single person, then there are other issues to consider. But, if you are just filming people walking down the street, or whatever, in a public location, then you can use the film without permission.