Introduction to Filming Safely and Securely, and Using

Informed Consent

WITNESS invites you to use, remix and share this curriculum. All materials are under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial ShareAlike 3.0 License. 

You can also find more video advocacy training materials at www.witness.org. 

Who’s at Risk Here?

Egypt

Iran

Human Rights Principles for Consideration

Consent ExpressionSecurity SpeechDignity AssociationPrivacy Press

Information

CASE STUDY: YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT ME

Click this link to watch a case study:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpNypfBr_nU

Case Study: HOPS Macedonia• the # of violent incidents committed by police officers against

sex workers

• adequate response by the police when violence against sex workers is committed by a 3rd party.

GOALS:

AUDIENCE: • Law Enforcement• NGOs, Human Rights organizations, CSOs

MESSAGES:

STORY:

DISTRIBUTION:

IMPACT: • A decrease in incidents of police violence against sex workers;• Sex workers more motivated to report violence & initiate court cases;• The media is more respectful in portraying sex workers; • Increased discussion & mobilization to promote the rights of marginalized communities

Step 1: Start by doing a risk assessmentStep 2: Consider the different levels of consent and

establish your own organizational protocols on consent

Step 3: Develop a process for securing informed consent

Step 4: Develop a set of on-camera consentquestions

Step 5: Implement security protocolsStep 6: Protect anonymity – during filming or afterStep 7: Keep safe, secure records, tapes, and

relationshipsStep 8: Ensure that the edit process is ethical Step 9: Maintain all commitments around safety,

security, and consent during distribution

9 STEPS TO IMPLEMENT

• Risk assessment helps us develop initial awareness of both likely hazards and the precautionary measures needed to avoid or reduce them

STEP 1: RISK ASSESSMENT

• WHO: You + your NGO/Group + participants aware of risk during:– The time of filming– Editing– Distribution

• What kind of retaliation may you or others face? Is it worth the potential jeopardy?

• Might your methods backfire in attaining your advocacy goals?

• Is video the best way to obtain the information you need (vs. audio/written etc.)?

INITIAL QUESTIONS

• Threats or violence against filmmakers or people filmed, either during filming or at a later date

• Being discovered while filming covertly or without official permission

• Detention/arrest/kidnap of people filming or people transporting footage

• Failure of security arrangements for information and material during filming and at later point

• Inadequate communication around consent and safety issues of those filmed

LIKELY HAZARDS

• Planning and research • Suitable equipment• Clear protocols for consent• Personal security • Information security • Competent people • Communication arrangements -- before, during, after

filming• Emergency arrangements for yourself and people filmed

-- during and after• Clear entry/exit strategy

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

Three levels of permission and consent:

• The legal paperwork that TV channels (especially in the US) will require.

The legal language and the written nature of these consent forms may be difficult for people with limited literacy or exposure

• The on-camera consents following explanation of a project

• The informed consent that comes from:– understanding possible risks and benefits of being on camera; – making a choice to be there, – stipulating an acceptable level of risk, and – having an option of rescinding permission to use the footage

STEP 2: INFORMED CONSENT

• Disclosure: The purpose of the interview must be fully explained

• Competence: Interviewee must be able to comprehend the implications of his/her participation

• Voluntariness: Interviewee must give permission for the interview/material to be used (including his/her name) Interviewees must be in condition that allow them to give this consent voluntarily

• Comprehension: Interviewee must understand the implications of the interview (the reach of the intended distribution – what about unintended?)

FOUR MAIN ELEMENTS

• Establish the four main elements of informed consent

• Explain the ways in which their identity can be concealed and ask them if they need you to do this

• Explain that they have the right to rescind their permission

• Proceed with an on-camera consent or paper consent

HOW TO OBTAIN IT

• Please state your name and the date of this interview

• Do you understand what we are doing? Please, in your own words, explain.

• Do you consent to your interview being included in this project, including video and [state various forms of media, including print, photos and Internet]?

• Do you know who may see the final video?

• Are there any restrictions to using the information you provide us with or video itself that we need to be aware of?

• Are you aware you can stop the filming process at anytime, in order to ask questions or have a time-out?

ON CAMERA: POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

STEP 5: IMPLEMENT YOUR SAFETY AND SECURITY

PROTOCOLS

The identity of people on film can be deduced from a number of indicators:

• Their face is visible• Their name is provided in the dialogue or on-screen• Their clothing is distinctive• Their voice is recognizable• They refer to places, locations or people who are

identifiable and specific• They are seen in the company of people who can be

identified

STEP 6: CONCEALING IDENTITY

Two points at which you can hide the identity of someone who you have filmed:

- when you are filming

- during the editing process

• More options if you shoot high-quality footage in the field

without any compromises of the image and then alter it in the editing room.

• If the threat of confiscation of original material is high,

conceal identity during the filming process.

STEP 6: CONCEALING IDENTITY

• Option 1: When filming • Option 2: When editing

• Consider–Type of camera you have (manual

focus?)–Risk of losing or footage being

confiscated?

SECURITY IS PARAMOUNT

• Ask the person not to mention specific names or places• Ask them not to wear distinctive clothes• Use strong back lighting to turn the person’s image into

silhouette• Purposefully make the footage out of focus • Not light the person’s face in a scene• Film their hands or other part of their body rather than their

face• Film from behind them so that their face is not visible, or film

them in profile, or from a distance • Film them with a cap shading their eyes• Film in unidentifiable locations (be aware of the background)

TIPS: PROTECT IDENTITY WHILE FILMING

• Obscuring faces in the editing process (digitized effect over the whole face/identifying marks; digital bar over the eyes only)

• Obscuring identifying marks in the foreground, background or on the interviewee (e.g., a logo on a shirt)

• Using sound edits to remove names and place locators.• Distorting voices to make them less identifiable• Using only an audio track• Not showing faces or identifying characteristics, but using

other shots (hands; non-identifiable interview location)

TIPS: PROTECT IDENTITY WHILE EDITING

After Filming: Safe Records, Safe Tapes

• Know where all your copies are, and label them with clear instructions in case they go missing (log your media!)

• Destroy rough cuts of videos where obscuring identities is not complete

• Ensure public scripts do not reference identities• Keep records separate from tapes to protect identities• Label clearly how footage can be used: e.g. only as evidence

or for private screenings• Avoid heat and humidity, and unnecessary rewinding of tapes• Make back-up copies of important material and store them in

a secure location

STEP 7: KEEP MEDIA & DATA SAFE

• Avoid ‘guilt by association’• Remember the power and danger of contrast,

juxtaposition and compression• Avoid emotional manipulation and over-dramatization• Acknowledge impact of violent imagery

STEP 8: ETHICAL EDITING

• Maintain all commitments around safety, security and consent during distribution process– Document your commitments so other allies are

aware– Keep participants informed and up-to-date– Evaluate distribution plan again with a safety

lens (has anything changed?)– Invite questions and dialogue – mitigate

confusion

STEP 9: MAINTAIN COMMITMENTS

Introduction to Filming Safely and Securely, and Using

Informed Consent

WITNESS invites you to use, remix and share this curriculum. All materials are under Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial ShareAlike 3.0 License. 

You can also find more video advocacy training materials at www.witness.org.