Consent on camera
Consent on camera is the set of rules that Storytelling and Content, a Logos Circle training course from 2026, gives for filming people in Circle videos. The rules cover what people are told before recording, how their agreement is recorded, how their identity can be protected and what Circle videos leave out. They apply to every video format described in Circle storytelling.
The basics
The course says that anyone interviewed, and anyone whose name or face appears in a video, agrees to it first. The agreement is given on camera and in the person's own words.
The rules sit close to the privacy rule in the Logos field guide. The field guide says "No faces or names without consent". It also says "Privacy is the default. Always ask people for consent to show their face. If not, blur." The course has a similar effect for video: anyone whose name or face appears must agree first.
Before recording
The course lists four things a person is told before the camera starts:
- what the video is for and where it will be posted
- that anyone in the movement, and anyone outside it, may see it
- that they can stop at any time
- that once it is online, it cannot be taken back
The person then explains back what they have agreed to, and this is recorded too. A short signed consent form is optional. The course suggests it for Circles that want a written record as well.
The same section of the course covers interview practice, such as asking open questions and leaving silence after each answer. Consent sits alongside it because a lot of a Circle story comes from what people say on camera.
Protecting identity
Each person is asked whether they want their identity protected. The course describes three ways to do this. The camera shows only their hands. The camera puts them against the light. Their face is blurred in the edit. The field guide also names blurring, as the fallback when a person does not consent to showing their face.
The course also sets a limit. If it is not clear that a person understands what they are agreeing to, they are not filmed.
The course also gives safety advice for the people filming. It warns that filming in public, especially around police or officials, can bring trouble. Circles check the local law on filming, work in pairs so one person can keep watch, and send footage to someone they trust before leaving the site.
What is left out
The course's editing section lists what Circle videos leave out.
- Graphic images. Wounds, blood and dead bodies are left out. The course calls such images disrespectful and says they can harm viewers. It also argues that a video showing only suffering starts to look like a charity appeal, when the story is about people doing something.
- Faces of people put at risk. Anyone who could be put at risk by being identified does not have their face shown.
- Children without a guardian's agreement. Any child whose parent or guardian has not agreed to them being filmed is left out.
- Anonymous people. The name of anyone who asked to stay anonymous is left out, and their voice too where needed.
- Hard content without warning. If something hard to watch has to stay in, the video warns viewers at the start.
The course asks Circles to keep the focus on what people are doing about the problem. Its checklist for reviewing a finished video includes "no suffering shown for its own sake".
See also
Sources
- Storytelling and Content, Logos Circle training course, 2026
- Logos Field Guide, 2026