Updated: July 21, 2026
The footage belongs to you only if the paperwork indicates as much.
The shoot went well, and the client loved the final cut. Six months later, the video was running as a paid ad. However, someone who appeared in the background for just four seconds saw themselves in the ad and objected. Now there is a problem, and it is not a creative issue. Nobody obtained a signature from the background individual.
Release forms are among the least exciting aspects of pre-production, yet they are one of the few elements that can make an entire shoot unusable. Owning a camera does not inherently grant you the right to use what it records. That right is derived from agreements with the individuals appearing in the footage, as well as the owners of the locations where the filming took place.
This is a practical guide on what to collect and when. It is not legal advice, and if significant money or risk is involved, you should have a lawyer draft your templates.
The two releases that matter most
Talent release
Signed by anyone recognizable on camera, this document grants permission to record them and to use the footage for the purposes described. It is this last part that typically causes most weak releases to fail.
A release that simply states "for promotional use" can be too vague, potentially leading to disputes later. On the other hand, a release that clearly outlines the specific media, territory, duration, and whether it includes paid advertising, does not leave room for ambiguity.
Key things to state plainly:
- What is being recorded and approximately when.
- This may appear on the web, social media, broadcast channels, paid advertisements, or for internal use.
- The territory for anything online is worldwide.
- The duration is typically perpetual, and this should be explicitly stated rather than left blank.
- Whether the footage can be edited, and obviously it will be.
- Whether there has been payment and whether it constitutes full consideration.
Location release
Signed by the property owner or controller, it grants permission to be on the premises with a crew and to use the resulting footage. This permission can apply to various locations, such as a restaurant, an office lobby, a rooftop, or a private home.
This is distinct from a permit. A permit is official authorization from a public authority to use public space. A location release, on the other hand, is permission from a private owner to use their space. A shoot on a Miami street may require the first, whereas a shoot inside a Brickell office would need the second. A shoot on private property that extends onto the sidewalk may require both.
Note that "whoever controls the property" is not always the person letting you in. For example, a shop manager may not have the authority to grant filming rights for a building owned by a landlord. Therefore, it is important to ask who can sign the agreement before the day of filming.
What goes wrong specifically in Miami
Several recurring situations often require planning to address them effectively.
| Situation | The problem | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Public beach with people around | Recognisable strangers in frame | Control the frame, or shoot when quiet |
| Rooftop or condo common area | The HOA controls it, not the resident | Obtain written permission from the association. |
| Restaurant during service | Diners never signed anything | Shoot closed, or sign the room |
| Art or murals in shot | The artwork has its own copyright | Clear it, or compose it out |
| Music playing in the background | Uncleared music on your track | Kill the source audio, add your own |
The mural point catches people constantly. Miami has extraordinary public art, and painted walls are not free set dressing. A mural is a copyrighted work, and prominently featuring it in commercial videos may require permission from the artist. Using it as an incidental background while walking past is quite different from framing your product against it for thirty seconds. When in doubt, it's best to ask or choose a different wall.
The background-diners scenario often triggers the most last-minute panic. If you are filming in an active venue, either the venue must be closed to the public for your shoot, or you need a plan for managing everyone who wanders into frame. Signs at the entrance stating that filming is in progress are common practice but are not a substitute for a release when someone is featured rather than passing through.
Crowds, minors and employees
Three cases with their own rules.
Crowds. You cannot get a signature from four hundred people at a festival. The usual approach is prominent signage at every entrance, notifying attendees that filming is happening and that entry constitutes consent. Whether that holds depends on how someone is used in the final edit. A wide crowd shot is very different from a close-up of one face used to sell something.
Minors. A minor cannot give a valid release. A parent or legal guardian signs, and you should confirm they are actually the guardian rather than an adult who came along. Anything involving children on set brings further obligations around hours and supervision. This is an area to get right rather than improvise.
Employees. A common assumption is that staff appearing in a corporate video are covered by their employment. Frequently they are not, at least not for external advertising. Get releases from employees too. It costs nothing on the day and it removes an awkward conversation if someone leaves the company on bad terms and asks to be removed from the website.
Collect them on the day, not after
Every release becomes harder to obtain as time passes. On the day, people are present, cooperative, and enthusiastic. Two weeks later, they become unreachable, and the person you need the most is the one who has changed their mind.
Practical habits that work:
- Include release forms as a specific responsibility in the call sheet, rather than as a general expectation.
- Sign people before they step in front of the camera, rather than at the end of the shoot.
- Photograph each signed form immediately to prevent loss during transit from the location to the office.
- Keep a checklist of the attendees and mark off their signatures before you leave.
- Store them with the project files, not in someone's bag.
The last one matters more than it sounds. A release you cannot find is a release you do not have. When a question arrives eighteen months later, the answer needs to be a file, not a memory. Our guide to building a call sheet covers where to assign this, and the wider paperwork picture sits in our note on shoot preparation.
Match the paperwork to the risk
A quick internal clip for a team meeting does not require the same level of production as a national ad campaign. It is reasonable to be proportionate. However, being casual about a video that will run as paid media is not advisable. This is because paid media videos are where someone is more likely to notice imperfections. Additionally, since these videos involve spending money, any subpar quality justifies a complaint.
The thoroughness of clearance depends on the distribution and commercial use of the video. The wider the distribution and the more commercial the use, the more extensive the clearance process becomes.
Build it into planning, not the edit
We place releases into pre-production because that is the only stage where they can be integrated. By the time a project reaches the edit phase, the answer to "did anyone sign?" is already determined. If the answer is no, the options are to recut around a person or to reshoot.
If you are planning a Miami shoot and are not sure what you need, ask before the day. It is a five-minute conversation, and the alternative is discovering the gap when a piece of footage you built the edit around turns out to be unusable. Locations and permissions often shape scheduling too, which is covered in our guide to building a shot list.
You can see how we approach planning on our about page, or bring us your locations and cast through the contact page. Tell us where the video will run. That answer determines what paperwork the shoot actually needs.