How blurry does a background have to be in order to avoid a lawsuit?

harmonica44 · Sep 24, 2014

A lot of people say that if you are shooting in public places without permission, that you could be sued, if you are aiming for distribution. I was told to blur out the background in order to make the locations unrecognizable. However, you can only blur out the background so much. Here's a shot with the aperture at f1.4 on a 50mm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuxSYp3rbEM&feature=youtu.be

As you can see the background is still somewhat recognizable at least, and in order to make the background more blurry, I would have to bring footage into after effects, rotoscope actors out, and then blur the background even more, with the actors in focus, over top after.

If I want to do shots like this one, or even with actors further back in the shot, than this one, what can I do to either blur the background out more, or make it unrecognizable through other means? I asked a VFX artist, and he said that I could always recolor the buildings in the background, which would help a lot. However, I have to shoot on a deep DOF in order for him to recolor them properly with VFX, but by doing that, they are not blurry, and can therefore still be more recognizable.

What should I do for those kind of shots? Thanks.

DeJager · Sep 24, 2014

The sample you posted is fine. In the US you would not have to worry about blurring out the building in the background....

harmonica44 · Sep 24, 2014

Oh okay, what do you do in the U.S. then?

Sweetie · Sep 24, 2014

Anyone who could read English would read what DeJager posted. In English. You'd have your answer.

WalterB · Sep 28, 2014

LOL, if you blur the background even more, you don't need to shoot on location anymore.
Just a wall with colored tape would by enough. Make sure it's gaffer tape, so you can easily change patterns for different shots.

BTW, the above shot is irony.

DeJager said:
The sample you posted is fine. In the US you would not have to worry about blurring out the building in the background....

+1

Besides that:
I'd focus on getting a project done, instead of thinking of non-existent problems.

People's faces can be a problem sometimes.
Brands can be a problem.

The idea to rotoscope every actor to turn the background in a blurry fuzzfest is pure lunacy.

Stop panicing.
Stop inventing non-existent problems to keep you from shooting.

Go shoot.
Fail.
Learn.

BTW,
how was you documentary trip?

A.D. · Sep 28, 2014

harmonica44 said:
if you are aiming for distribution

Caveat - If

If you can't even finish a project for your own enjoyment, there's really no risk of distribution being a limiting factor yet. :hmm:

WhiteOpus · Sep 28, 2014

WalterB said:
Besides that:
I'd focus on getting a project done, instead of thinking of non-existent problems.

Stop panicing.
Stop inventing non-existent problems to keep you from shooting.

Go shoot.
Fail.
Learn.

BTW,
how was you documentary trip?

I am also wondering about the documentary trip. Actually to be honest I am curious to see any work of yours because it seems like you're constantly working on projects but never posting any finished work.

harmonica44 · Sep 28, 2014

The producer (who is also the production manager, and host), of the documentary, was not able to get enough people or equipment in time and cancelled it, till further notice. He said he will attempt to recast and recrew it again in the future.

I have been working on a lot of other people's projects, but they will not allow me to post the work on here to show others. Otherwise I would

. But I posted the one a while ago which I was allowed to.