Confidential presentations and off-record segments

Mark confidential sessions on the run sheet before the event, and decide for each one whether it is not filmed, filmed for internal use, or filmed and shareable. Then name one person who can change that rule on the day.

What are the three levels?

The level belongs to the session, not to the whole event. One programme can have all three.

How do you mark them?

1. Go through the run sheet line by line with your team.
2. Give each session a level. If you are unsure, start with the stricter level and loosen it later.
3. Tell the speakers. A speaker should know whether they are being filmed and how the footage is used.
4. Brief the crew lead in writing, including who on your side may change a level.
5. Agree what to do with slides. Confidential slides on a screen can appear in the background of wide shots. Ask if screens should be avoided or blurred in the edit.

For a session that is not recorded, agree whether microphones are switched off as well as cameras, and note it in the crew brief.

Our run-sheet filming planner is a good place to start.

A worked example: an executive roundtable

This is an illustration, not a real event. A company hosts a roundtable for 12 senior guests from different organisations. The discussion is useful to share, but each guest has their own rules about being quoted.

Before the day, the organiser sends each guest a short note: the session may be recorded, what the recording is for, who will see it, and whether remarks can be attributed by name. Guests reply in writing. The organiser then marks the session as filmed, internal only, with a possible edited version later.

On the day, the crew films with one fixed camera and clean audio. After the event, the organiser reviews the footage and checks with each guest before any quote is shared. Remarks given under a “no attribution” rule are cut or edited so the speaker cannot be identified.

The details of that rule are for the organiser and the guests to settle, with the company’s communications team or an adviser. We film and edit to what they agree.

Who is responsible for what?

• Organiser: decides the levels, informs speakers, names the on-the-day contact.
• Crew: follows the run sheet, stops or leaves when told, and flags any doubt to the contact.
• Both: agree who can open the footage afterwards. See access to footage by editors and cloud tools.

Recording something marked confidential does not make it safe. The risk moves to the files, so limit who holds them and for how long. The guide on retention and deletion covers that.

What we confirm for your event

• How a session that changes from filmed to off-record on the day is handled: the crew lead stops and checks with your named contact.
• Audio-only recording for a chosen session.
• Who sees the footage while we edit.
• Confidential sessions delivered separately from the public edit.
• What we need from you in writing: the marked run sheet and the contact’s name.

For the wider picture, start with permissions to discuss before filming. The filming and publication responsibilities checklist can hold the answers. For corporate events, our corporate event videography service is the place to start.