Do I Need Release Forms For My Documentary? by Kevin Knoblock 

Kevin's advice is sound, but legally, he's not exactly correct. There's no legal requirement of a release... but having one saves you lots of hassle. If there were such a requirement, there'd be no such thing as "unauthorized biography". The right to tell true, factual information about a person, that does not invade their privacy is protected by the First Amendment. Thus, an interview, consensually given, (or not) may be used.. as the fact of the interview and the contents are true (as long as the content is not materially altered to create a false impression). But having the release signed gets you several benefits" 1. The subject's cooperation 2. The subject's promise not to sue 3. The right to embelish,, omit, combine things, and create composite scenes to move story forward more easily. 4. Access to the subject and her memorabilia

Obviously, it's always important to get releases, but to say your film won't get released if you don't, is false. Many quality distrib's don't require E&O insurance or can fold the film in a blanket policy. I've sold films to IFC, Bravo, PBS, Netflix, and TF 1 (Giant French broadcaster) and never had to show a single release... Of course, if you're making films that are going to garner an enormous amt of scrutiny, have a political agenda, etc. you need to dot all the I's and cross the all T's.

I hired a group of crew members and we shot a short film, but I didn't sign any legal forms before rolling the camera... the short film turned out great and I decided to submit the film to some film festivals. What should I do about the legal procedure? Is it too late now to get all the contracts signed?

do i need a release form, if shooting videos for RU-vid?

I’m planning on filming a doc about local bands, and filming them playing gigs where there are small crowds, but they’re playing bars that charge an entrance fee, or other small to slightly bigger events like concerts. Would I need release forms for those occasions?

Not quite true. For example, when filming a busy marketplace and your camera is close enough to not only see faces but also see the trade or business transactions taking place in the moment of the exchange.

How about with 4k technology where you can pick out faces out of thousands of people over 100 sq yds.?