In short
- Mark three kinds of area: where the crew may work, where parents may film, and where no filming happens.
- For every no-filming area, give a practical alternative, such as a different angle or a different time.
- Mark the areas on a floor plan before the visit, then check them on site with the school.
- The school and venue set the boundaries. The crew follows them and tells you early if one blocks the shot.
Mark three kinds of area on a floor plan: where the crew works, where parents may film, and where no filming happens. For each no-filming area, agree an alternative so the video does not lose an important moment.
Why mark the areas
On the day, nobody has time to decide where the camera may go. Without a plan, a crew may stand in a doorway, a parent may film from a corridor the school wanted left alone, and a pupil may be filmed in a place that should have been private.
Clear areas protect pupils, protect the venue and let the crew work calmly. They also save the school from answering the same question many times on the day.
The three kinds of area
| Area | Who it is for | Typical examples | Alternative if it is too restrictive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crew area | The camera crew and their equipment | A platform at the back, a fixed spot at the side, a cable path along the wall | A different side, a higher position or a longer lens |
| Parent filming area | Parents and visitors filming their own children | The back rows, a standing area at the side | A rotating front-row slot, or an official family copy |
| No-filming area | Nobody | Changing rooms, toilets, sick bay, staff room, private corridors | A different angle that avoids the door, a screen, or a closed curtain |
The school and venue set these, and the crew works within them.
How to plan the areas
- Get a plan. A floor plan, a hand sketch or a photo with notes. Include doors, stage, seating, power points and the route children take.
- Mark the no-filming areas first. These are the fixed limits. Ask your safeguarding lead or principal who should decide.
- Mark the best crew positions. Think about the stage, the speaker and any entrance. Ask if a platform is allowed.
- Mark the parent filming area. Place it so it does not block the crew or the aisles. See coordinating parent filming.
- Walk through it on site. Check what the camera sees from each position, including the background.
- Write the result into the brief. Attach the marked plan, so the crew arrives with the same picture as the school.
An illustrative example
This is an example, not a real school. A school hosts an inter-class sports day on a field with a covered stand on one side and a row of classrooms on the other. The school marks:
- the covered stand as the crew area, with a platform for the main camera;
- the grass behind the finish line as the parent filming area;
- the changing rooms, toilets and the corridor behind the classrooms as no-filming areas;
- one fixed route for the crew to walk to the prize presentation, along the track edge.
The finish line is filmed from the stand, so the changing rooms never appear. The prize presentation uses a second camera near the stage. Because the areas were marked on a photo of the field, the crew and the school work from the same plan.
Responsibilities and limits
The school decides what is off limits and tells staff and families. The venue may add rules of its own. We follow what we are given, tell you early if a boundary blocks the main shot, and propose a workable alternative. Keeping families within the areas is handled by school staff.
If you are unsure about a venue rule on cameras, platforms or cables, ask the venue. Our venue checklist lists the usual points.
For which versions of the video the school may share, see public and family-only versions. For who makes decisions at a student-led event, see student-led event coverage.
What we confirm for your event
- Where the crew stands and how much space the equipment needs.
- For a position that is not allowed, the alternative and what it changes in the shot.
- Whether your floor plan is enough or a site visit helps.
- How a no-filming area right beside the stage is framed.
- Who we check with on the day if something looks different from the plan.
Where we can help
We plan camera and crew positions around your marked areas. Read about school event videography, and draft the details with the event video brief tool.
If you have a rough floor plan of the hall or field, even a hand sketch, we can suggest camera positions and filming boundaries on it. Send us the event, date and venue and we will talk it through.
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