Whether you are creating your own video from scratch or repurposing pieces of someone else’s video there are legal and ethical issues you need to consider before using it.
Just like the use of images, if using another content creators’ video, you need to make sure you have permission to do so. You don’t want to be in violation of copyright or intellectual property rights laws.
Get permission
If you are shooting a video at an event it’s quite easy to get permission beforehand from the people attending the event. You can get people to sign a waiver saying that they understand the content may be used for commercial purposes. A simple prepared statement on your invitations and displayed at the event site that states that by attending the event attendees automatically grant permission for the use of any images or video they may appear in might suffice. You should do this even if you are not making money from the video content you create. It avoids the issues of producing great content and having someone turn around and say they don’t want you to use it in your publications.
Music in videos
The music industry is big on copyright violations so you need to make sure that if you intend to use commercial music, you obtain a licence for its use. Sometimes it’s easier just to use music offered by one of the thousands of SoundCloud music creators. Of course, getting permission and letting them know where they can see the finished content still applies. There are also royalty free sites that offer music ideally suited to short video content.
Another thing to be aware of is the accuracy of information. Your content needs to be realistic and accurate. Don’t try to pull the wool over your audiences’ eyes, you will lose their trust.
Other ethical considerations to be aware of are:
- not causing any damage to the environment you are filming in
- making sure you don’t say anything libellous on camera
- don’t spoof someone else’s video for commercial gain
- fair representation to the customer – you should not knowingly misrepresent facts in your content be it about your product or your competitor’s product.
As a video content creator consideration should also be given to copyrighting your work to protect against unlawful duplication. By securing copyright on the material, you protect your work from someone doing any of the following:
- Reproducing the content
- Preparing derivative works
- Performing or displaying the works publicly
- Re-posting the content without proper attribution to the creator
Happy editing!
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