As a film-maker, it is your responsibility to think very carefully about all your filming requirements and, whenever possible, anticipate in advance any potential problems or risks that there may be for you, your crew, your contributors and anyone else eg members of the public. You owe all those people a duty of care and you must ensure that you are not by your activities putting anyone at risk. Think carefully about the locations where you are intending filming. Are there any dangers in filming there? If you are filming in a derelict property, are the structures safe? If you are filming on a street, always be conscious of passing traffic. Your contributors are likely to be concentrating more on the camera than they are on what’s going on around them. You (or an assistant or friend) need to be looking out all the time for potential hazards. If filming at night, particularly in rural or unknown environments, think about your personal safety and that of your contributors. Remember you might be carrying expensive pieces of equipment e.g. camera and possibly lighting. In short, use your common sense and avoid danger or risk at all costs.
Similarly, think about what you are filming in relation to your environment. Is the activity that you are filming dangerous in any way? For example, you might be filming young people showing off their prowess at skateboarding. Furthermore, because you are filming them, they may be tempted to take more risks than they are used to and attempt stunts that are dangerous. You must think about the risks and act responsibly. If you feel that any contributors you are filming are taking risks that you are uncomfortable with you should stop filming and make it clear that you are unwilling to continue until they comply with your requests to act responsibly.
Consider any equipment you may have with you, any lighting, your camera, any wires that people could trip over. Think about your contributors, are they young, are they old, are they disabled? Do they have any specific requirements? What's the weather likely to be like when you are filming? Are contributors and crew appropriately dressed? You don't want them catching frostbite!
Filming any criminal activities is likely to involve danger and risk of some sort both to you and those you are filming. This needs very careful thought. See Criminality Section for more information regarding filming criminality.
Filming abroad
FourDocs is a UK-based documentary website community. However, as it is internet-based, it can be accessed, used and enjoyed by film-makers around the world. Indeed, we actively wish to encourage foreign film-makers to get involved.
Because the site is UK-based though, you should remember that the advice contained within these pages is based on UK laws and broadcasting best practice. For this reason, if you are based outside of the UK or are a British film-maker but are intending to undertake some filming abroad, you must have regard to the particular laws and customs of the country in which you are filming. Don't assume the rules will be the same as they are in the UK. For example, many Middle Eastern countries have religious laws that have no counterpart in Western societies and even neighbouring Western European countries have quite different legal systems, e.g. France and Germany have much more developed laws of privacy than say the UK or the USA. Research your location and country and, again, above all, use your common sense.