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How do you prevent audiences from taking videos?Date: September 18, 2012 by Julia Simon  Views: 2821
Any ideas? Our last DVD of the choir captured an audience member in the front row holding her cell phone up to make a personal video of the concert so we had a video of a video. Other audience members complain about sitting behind someone else's screen. If you ban this in your program, how do you enforce it? Ideas, suggestions?
Replies (14): Threaded | Chronological
Jack Curtis Dubowsky on September 18, 2012 6:21pm
1. Make an announcement beforehand.
2. Ushers.
Julia Simon on September 18, 2012 9:48pm
We made an announcement and we had a note at the top of the program. Perhaps really LARGE ushers hired from our local pub?
Applauded by an audience of 3
on September 19, 2012 9:37am
Julia: Education (that's your program or verbal announcement, which can be expanded beyone a request to point out that it is in fact illegal). Enforcement (if youre prepared to throw out paying audience members and take the disruption that doing so will cause--which will probably be worse than the screen light!).
But in fact the technology has outstripped either the law or reasonable enforcement, just as the proliferation of copy machines did 40 years ago. iPhones now produce better videos than very obvious, large cameras on tripods did just a generation ago. And too many grownups grew up in a culture in which they absolutely KNOW that they are entitled to download music and movies and take videos just because they WANT to. We've fought a slow and at least partically successful battle against copyright violation with copy machines, although when CHURCHES feel that it's perfecty all right to make copies that are illegal, immoral, and unethical you have to wonder about those churches! But it takes at least a generation to change ingrained habits.
We've been putting on properly licensed summer musical productions for over two decades. We used to routinely video one night, and make copies available to company members--never for sale, never for wider distribution. No more. Not only is it specifically forbidden in every contract we sign, but there are severe penalties if we got caught. But there's no way we can stop the amateurs from videoing their little darlings.
All the best,
John
Applauded by an audience of 1
on January 18, 2013 10:57am
John,
I'm putting on a licensed musical for the first time this spring with my middle schoolers, and our contract forbids videotaping. If I put a notice in our program and make an annnouncement, but people ignore me and videotape things anyway, is our school still liable? How should I approach parents about this?
(Note - this is my first time directing, but it's also the first time the school has had a musical.)
Rebecca
on January 18, 2013 3:24pm
Rebecca: Our community Summer Musical organization (NOT affiliated with a school, although there are plenty of public school, private school, and university people involved) handles it as part of our pre-recorded introduction. This also includes information on emergency procedures that we're required to give the audience, and anything else that's necessary for them. And we do it in a friendly and sometimes humorous way.
You can also include it in your printed program, of course, and you should, but if it's a verbal announcement that your contract does not allow recording or videotaping you've given them the information they need.
Is your school sill liable? Well, someone had to SIGN than contract, and I would assume that person is associated with your school, so yes, I would say that it definitely IS. (I'm not a lawyer and that is not a legal opinion. But if this is your first year you might make sure that your principal understands the problem and the liability, and I'm sure that he or she can consult the school system's lawyer to get an opinion. But contract law probably assumes that contracts will be complied with, and probably accepts no excuses.)
You can then, if it still turns out to be a problem, have your ushers ask politely that anyone still taping please stop, and if they persist have them escorted out, but of course that will create a stir and scofflaws are betting that you won't want that. But if they are CLEARLY warned in advance they certainly can't complain that they were NOT warned!
The problem, I suspect, is partly the fact that a lot of today's parents grew up in the '60s and '70s, the generations that wanted what they wanted when they wanted it, and felt completely entitled to it. And calling it the "informational age" doesn't change that. And sometimes you just have to get the mule's attention first!!! But since your school may be liable, this is a policy that your principal needs to determine and then you need to follow.
All the best,
John
Applauded by an audience of 1
on January 21, 2013 7:22am
A little communication ahead of time will help. Are you sending out any newsletters or information sheets with the thespians, regarding make-up, costuming, etc? Include a blurb that says "our contract with MTI (or whatever company) forbids videotaping the performance, so please leave your recording equipment home." If you are taping the show "for archival purposes" (acceptable!), do mention that. You can also check with the contract company about selling copies of your archival video. Last year, I did a production with the "no videotape" clause, but the company (Hal Leonard) asked just $1/copy for selling. (Elementary school.)
Donna
on September 27, 2012 6:54am
Why do you want to stop them? Are you selling DVDs of the performance? Then make that known. Are you concerned about copyrights? That's not really your problem. You mentioned audience complaints.
If you are dealing with K-12 education, I feel you need to let Mom's and Dad's record their children. It is part of our informational age. If you are making a special YouTube video, make the case to the audience about how they would be taking away opportunities for the children to be successful. If you have a choice of performance space perform where the audience is on a rake.
on January 17, 2013 1:50pm
A crazy suggestion, which might work since I think your choir is a youth choir.
Begin the concert with an announcement: We are having this concert professionally taped. See your program for ordering information. For those of you who prefer to make videos with your own equipment, you may do so by standing at the back of the audience. This way everyone can see the concert. Thank you.
And encourage ushers to tap offenders on the shoulder, and whisper that the video zone is at the back. Anyone with a video including a whispering usher will remember next concert.
Gail
Applauded by an audience of 1
on January 19, 2013 6:11pm
We didn't want parents videoing because:
1. We didn't want the people sitting behind someone to have to stare at a glowing screen while watching the concert.
2. All parents signed a media release to the organization, but anyone with a camera or phone could post to YouTube without other parents' permission.
3. The organization may release videos in the future, but only of a certain quality. We want to be able to determine our standards.
As it turned out, we made an announcement and we printed at the top of the program: Video is prohibited.
That pretty much took care of it. Most parents purchased (in advance) a video that was being made by a videographer and sat back and enjoyed the concert.
on January 20, 2013 12:47pm
Julia: Thanks for that summary. And certainly a professional videographer should have the equipmet to do the job with the least disruption for other audience members. But that videographer would have responsibility for obtaining clearance for every copyright involved, which would then fall on you or your school district if it is NOT done (as I suspect it is often not done at ACDA and MENC district, state and honors choir concerts when copies are made and sold).
And don't forget that Rebecca's situation was one involving Grand Rights (which you will NOT find spelled out in the U.S. Copyright law because there are NO restrictions and NO Fair Use provisions that permit exceptions to the copyright owner's complete control of performances), and for which a legally-binding contract has been signed and accepted.
And to Phyllis, I'm a little surprised that you would be so willing to ignore and break one facet of the U.S. law just because "any publicity is good publicity"--an argument likely to be laughed out of court in any copyright infringement suit. Do you also believe that it's perfectly all right to perform from illegal photocopies of copyrighted music because "any performance is a good performance"?
Just asking. The law is what it is. You can choose to observe it or to ignore it. And people do.
All the best,
John
on January 20, 2013 7:01am
I'm unclear on why you would want to prevent. Maybe embrace the fact, designate a technology users section, and know that any publicity is good publicity.
on January 22, 2013 7:17am
this is now so pervasive at most public events that it seems impossible to stop. People just feel free to record events on their phones. Pop acts see their last concert posted to youtube within hours of the concert's end. The legalities of all of this have fallen away to the ease of use of the tools and the sheer volume of people doing it.
It is annoying to sit in an audience and have to watch the event through someone else's phone screen as they are holding it up in front of you. A lot of this gets policed by audience members themselves but what a pain.
Applauded by an audience of 1
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