Recording an event versus publishing it publicly

Recording is capturing an event on camera. Publishing is showing it to people who were not there. A guest who agrees to the first has not necessarily agreed to the second, so decide each one on its own.

What are the four kinds of audience?

Think of every video version by who will see it.

The same footage can feed all four, but not as the same file. A public cut often needs fewer faces, no confidential slides and different music from the private one. Our private and public video version planner helps you list each version and its viewers.

Why does the difference matter?

People accept being filmed for the purpose they were told. A parent at a school concert expects the school to keep a record, not to see their child in an advert. A guest at a wedding expects a keepsake, not a clip used to promote us or anyone else. Telling people the purpose up front avoids unpleasant surprises later.

There are also rules outside the people. Malaysia’s Personal Data Protection Act 2010 was amended in 2024, and the amendments are published as Act A1727. Whether it applies to your event depends on the facts, so ask a qualified adviser about your case.

Music is another area where one licence does not settle everything. The MACP says in its FAQ that a licence does not automatically stop a takedown when other rights or platform rules remain unresolved.

How do you decide what to publish?

1. List the audiences you hope to reach, now and later.
2. List the people and content in the footage that need care: children, speakers under restrictions, confidential slides, private ceremonies.
3. Match each audience to a version. Decide what each version includes and leaves out.
4. Decide who approves each version before it goes out.
5. Write it into the booking, including what we may and may not do with the footage ourselves. Our guide on portfolio permission covers that last point.

A worked example

This is an illustration, not a real client. A company holds an annual dinner for 300 guests. The organiser wants a full recording for the directors, a two-minute highlight for staff, and a short clip for LinkedIn.

The full recording goes to the directors only. The staff highlight is shared on an internal channel. The LinkedIn clip uses only the stage, the venue and guests who agreed to appear, with music cleared for online use. One shoot, three audiences, three files, three sets of approvals.

Where does the responsibility sit?

The organiser usually decides the audiences and tells guests. We film and edit to what is agreed. If a version needs a different edit, we make it. Rights that belong to someone else are cleared by the rights-holder, and we film to what you confirm.

For music, see music permissions for social posts, advertising and livestreams. For how people are told, see participant notices and filming preferences. If someone later asks for a published video to come down, see requests to remove or revise a video.

What we confirm for your event

• Separate private and public versions from one shoot, each listed in the quote.
• The full recording kept apart from the public cut.
• How a new use is agreed and approved if you decide on one later.
• Who can see the raw files while we edit.

For the wider list of questions, start with permissions to discuss before filming. When you are ready, ask us about event videography and list the versions you want.

For a legal question about your event, ask a qualified adviser.