Photo Releases Before putting a video on the Internet, you must make sure that the people who appear in it, including your students, sign releases. Here are some examples from Current TV in the US in English and Spanish. As you can see, the forms are very wordy because they try to cover every possible circumstances. Unfortunately, this makes them appear very intimidating. Besides, legal language is different in each country. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine these forms being used in a country different from the one for which they have been created. At the same time, there are simpler releases. One example is the form for the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest. Another example are Ohio State University's Photo Release forms for adults and minors. The ELT Slideshow Exchange Project does not give legal advice. The site to which you upload your video may require a specific release form. If not, you must reach your own conclusions as to what form suits your situation. However, please make sure you get those forms signed. Also, it is a good idea to give each person two identical copies of the form and ask them to complete and sign both copies. After receiving the forms, you should check that thay have been correctly completed. Finally, you should return one copy to them and keep the other for your records. Copyright Releases The photo releases are fine as long as you film your students, but if you ask them to shoot and/or edit a video as a class assignment the copyright on the assignment belongs to them and you need a copyright release before you can put in on the Web.
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Last modified: Wednesday, 16 January 2008, 12:21 PM