Event filming consent notice: templates
A good event filming consent notice does not ask every attendee to sign a form. It makes sure everyone knows, before they walk in, what you are filming, why, and how to say no. Below you will find a ready registration text, an entrance sign you can print tomorrow, a coloured lanyard system for people who would rather stay off camera, and a step by step plan for the email that arrives three weeks after the aftermovie goes live.
Key takeaways
- At a conference with hundreds of guests, general footage usually rests on legitimate interests under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, not on consent. The condition is that you inform people in advance and let them object.
- Article 13 GDPR sets out what the notice must say: who is filming, for what purpose, on what legal basis, who receives the footage, how long you keep it and what rights attendees have.
- A close up of one person used in an ad is a different category. Ask for explicit consent. If your event takes place in Slovakia, § 12 of the Slovak Civil Code also protects a person's likeness and recordings of them.
- A coloured lanyard gives people a visible no on site. It only works when the whole crew has been briefed on it that morning.
- When someone objects after publication, GDPR gives you one month at most to respond. In practice, sort it within a few days and swap the shot.
Do you need consent from every attendee to film an event?
No, for a large professional conference you usually do not, but you do have to tell people and give them a real way out of the frame. Article 6 GDPR lists several legal bases. Consent, point (a), is only one of them, and collecting provable consent from 400 strangers arriving throughout the day is hard to do properly. That is why promotional event footage commonly relies on the organiser's legitimate interests, point (f).
The Slovak data protection authority takes a similar line in its recommendation on event photography: legitimate interests are the natural basis where getting everyone's consent is objectively impossible, and the organiser must inform attendees, for example with a sign at the entrance or a line on the ticket. The UK regulator says the same about transparency in its guidance on the right to be informed, which is a clear, practical read even if your event is on the continent.
There is a second layer. Image rights differ by country, and in Slovakia § 12 of the Civil Code says a person's likeness and visual recordings may only be made and used with their permission, with exceptions such as news reporting. So in practice we split footage into two groups. Wide shots of the room, the audience and the talks go under legitimate interests plus a proper notice. A close up of one attendee that you want in next year's ad goes under consent only. We are a production studio, not lawyers, so treat this as a view from the camera side and have your data protection officer or a lawyer check the final wording.
This short piece from The Wall Street Journal explains why GDPR exists and what it gives ordinary people. At a conference, all of that boils down to one question: does the person in row twelve know you are filming, and do they know how to make it stop?
What should the registration form say about filming?
The registration form needs one short paragraph about filming and a link to the full privacy notice. Article 13 GDPR requires you to say who the controller is, why and on what basis you process the footage, who receives it, how long you keep it and what rights the person has. Here is a template you can copy and fill in:
"We will photograph and film [event name]. The controller is [company, registration number, address]. We will use the footage as a recording of the talks, for an aftermovie and to promote the event on [website] and on [social channels]. Our legal basis is our legitimate interest in promoting the event under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. The footage is processed on our behalf by [production studio]. We keep it for [period, for example 3 years]. You can object at any time by writing to [email]. On site, you can pick up a red lanyard at registration and our photographers and camera operators will not take close ups of you. You have the right to access the footage, ask for it to be erased and lodge a complaint with the data protection authority. Full details: [link]."
Below it, add a separate, unticked checkbox for people you would like to film up close: "I agree that the production team may approach me for a short interview or close up shot that may be used to promote the event. I can withdraw this consent at any time at [email]." The people who tick it are gold for a camera operator. We know exactly who we can stop in the hallway with a question, and nobody feels ambushed.
What should the event filming notice at the entrance say?
The entrance sign has to say three things in five seconds: we are filming, why, and what to do if you would rather not be in shot. Put one at registration and one at the door of the main hall, at eye level, at least A2 size. For an international audience, show it in both languages.
"Filming and photography in progress. Footage from this event will be used as a recording of the talks and to promote [event name]. Prefer not to be filmed? Pick up a red lanyard at registration or sit in the area marked [sign]. Questions and objections: [email]. Full privacy notice: [QR code]. Controller: [company]."
A sign alone is not enough, because half the room walks past it holding a coffee. Have the host repeat it in one sentence at the opening, right after the wifi password. In our guide to writing an event script and host briefing we show where that line fits in the programme.
How do coloured lanyards for no photography work?
Anyone wearing the red lanyard must not appear in a close up or in any shot where they are the recognisable main subject. They may pass through a wide shot of the hall, but the camera does not settle on them and the edit never puts them in the foreground.
Three things make it work. Before the doors open, the whole photo and video crew gets a briefing and sees what the lanyard looks like. The colour must not clash with your other lanyards, so if VIPs already wear red, pick something else for no filming. And during audience questions, when the microphone goes to someone with the lanyard, the camera stays on the speaker.
Be careful with a livestream. With a recording you can cut a shot in the edit. With a live broadcast you cannot. If you stream, the director has to watch for lanyards in real time, and the no filming seating area should sit outside the camera axes. We cover the technical side in our article on what an event livestream needs.
Speakers are a separate matter. A conference recording is built on their talks, so agree in writing to the recording and its publication before the event, ideally in the email confirming their slot, not with a lanyard on the day.
What do you do when someone objects after the video is published?
Thank them, agree and replace the shot, quickly. GDPR gives the controller one month at most to respond to a request, and the UK regulator's guidance on the right to object to processing explains that where you rely on legitimate interests, you have to stop unless you can show compelling grounds that override the person's interests. For a face in an aftermovie, you will practically never have them.
The routine that works for us:
- Acknowledge it the same day. One sentence saying you are on it and when you will get back to them.
- Ask for a screenshot or a timestamp. Hunting for one face in a three minute edit without help wastes everyone's time.
- Take down the photos and posts where they are recognisable. Edit or replace a published post, do not just hide it.
- Have the production team swap the shot. If the studio has archived the project, a new export takes hours, not days.
- Write it down. Who asked, when, and what you removed. If the matter ever escalates, this is your evidence.
Agree point four with your production team before the event: ask them to keep the project and raw footage for at least a year. We do that by default for every event aftermovie.
Isn't all of this a bit much?
A little, and we are happy to admit it. Lanyards, signs and a paragraph in the registration form are one more thing to think about in the week when everything else is on fire. People tuck the lanyard under a jacket, forget about it, or take one out of curiosity.
We still do it every time, because the whole system costs a few euros in lanyards and half an hour of writing. One badly handled objection after publication costs more: an annoyed attendee, a re-edited video and an awkward email to your boss. And to say it once more, this article does not replace a lawyer. If you film children, patients or other sensitive settings, the rules are stricter and it belongs with a specialist.
If you are planning a conference and want filming sorted from the entrance sign to the final cut, start with our conference video checklist and have a look at our production services. And if you would like us to adapt these templates to your event and film it too, drop us a line.
Frequently asked questions
Can I publish conference photos without attendees' consent?
For general shots of a public professional conference, usually yes on the basis of legitimate interests, provided you informed people in advance at registration and on site and gave them a way to object. Publish a close up of a specific person in advertising only with their explicit consent.
Do I have to use coloured lanyards?
No, the law does not require lanyards, they are a practical tool. A sticker on the badge or a marked seating area works just as well. What matters is that people have a visible way to say no on site and that the camera crew knows it.
Do the same rules apply to speakers and panellists?
No, agree with speakers in writing beforehand, ideally in the email confirming their slot. Their talk is the core of the recording, so you need clear agreement to both recording and publication, not just a sign at the door.
How long can I keep event footage?
As long as you need it for the purpose stated in your notice, and write that period down there in concrete terms. For a recurring event, a few years is common, forever is not. When the period ends, delete the raw footage.
