Do you need Permits?

[The NotARubicon!]

They might be just trying to scare you. You don't need a permit to vlog. But you do need permission if you interviewed someone. The rule tends to be that if you zoom on specific peoples faces, you should get permission. If you're just showing a crowd of people then it doesn't matter.

If you are on private property or government owned property (state, county, city) you may need a permit to Vlog if it's going to be posted publicly or used for anything other than showing to the family in the TV room.
This is a totally separate issue from getting a person's permission to video them.

 

[BrettMikaluk]

So there are times that when recording in public you do need a permit. It depends on your location and how big the shoot is. I've never heard of someone on YouTube get in trouble for filming something for their channel though.

It usually only becomes a problem for films. Sometimes short films, but usually feature length films that are going to be in the same location for a few days

 

[Brandt Prescott]

So there are times that when recording in public you do need a permit. It depends on your location and how big the shoot is. I've never heard of someone on YouTube get in trouble for filming something for their channel though.

It usually only becomes a problem for films. Sometimes short films, but usually feature length films that are going to be in the same location for a few days

Yeah, if you're making a short film on private property or something than definitely get permission. But if it's just vlogging than don't worry about it unless you're grabbing interviews from people or focusing on individual faces other than your own. You can always blur them out though if you don't get permission.

 

[That playdough]

Cities tend to go to town with permits and stuff. Some countries even enforce architectural copyrights -- so sometimes you can't film inside/outside buildings without permission from the architect designer if he/she is still alive (or for however long the building isn't in public domain). I think a similar mentality applies to California's signature Hollywood sign:

Even though it's on display for the entire city to see, I think you're technically supposed to blur it out of pictures and film unless you have a permit.. x_x

If you think you might need a permit, I'd investigate it more. Everyone is always wanting to make us buy permits for filming videos, so it wouldn't surprise me if you needed one in San Francisco... :/

i think its a bit ridiculous to be honest if its in the background of your film it shouldnt be a problem i dont think. I wonder how many youtubers actually get permits for anything they do.

For me when it came to getting permits I would ask the "Mayor" (or office) of a small county and/or the city government. Granted it does take 1-6 months to get a good response. Which depending on the city and what you need this can be free or cost a lot of money. My city allows you to block off streets for filming but would charge a hefty price. But if you just want to film on the corner with permission they don't charge a dime. So it really depends on what you need and/or looking for.

For movies/film production you definitely need permits or make sure no one but people on your talent release forms are in front of the camera. (Same with logos, etc.) For Youtube videos if you are in a public area (at least in the U.S) you can film anything without any kind of permission. But the second you go into certain buildings it's completely different. So just be careful on where you film and who is getting into your shots that seems rude and/or aggressive.

no its just for vlogging or driving around maybe talking to strangers, but thats good to know about youtube this is all for youtube. much appreciated