Question about film laws

[Yamitron]

What is the name of your state? WI


So I want to make this documentary involving a large scale public event.

I have footage of interviews, everyone I interviewed signed a release form and was over the age of 18.

I was told by the city I filmed in, that I could film anything that was viewable from the public. So I did everything from the sidewalk. I lot of people walk by in the backgrounds of the shots, and sometimes their faces are visible. Should I blur them all out, or leave them in considering it was a public event?

There are also an ungodly amount of people dressed up as characters from cartoons, and if they are shown, how do I go about getting all the trademark issues taken care of? Do I need permission from all of the trademark holders? Could I use a disclaimer in the credits?

And considering it is informational, I read somewhere that it is okay to use small clips of copyrighted works as long as it related to the subject matter and it does not exceed a reasonable amount of air time. Is this true? I don't wanna take my chances.

 

[divgradcurl]

I was told by the city I filmed in, that I could film anything that was viewable from the public. So I did everything from the sidewalk. I lot of people walk by in the backgrounds of the shots, and sometimes their faces are visible. Should I blur them all out, or leave them in considering it was a public event?

If you filmed a public event from a public vantage point, there is no legal reason to blur any faces.

There are also an ungodly amount of people dressed up as characters from cartoons, and if they are shown, how do I go about getting all the trademark issues taken care of? Do I need permission from all of the trademark holders?

Well, it will depend on the context. If you are filming a Halloween celebration, then you probably have nothing to worry about. If, however, you were filiming, say, a Marvel Comics convention, and the characters were all Marvel characters, then maybe you would want to talk with Marvel. But even then, if this is a public event, held in public, then you probably have no problem.

And considering it is informational, I read somewhere that it is okay to use small clips of copyrighted works as long as it related to the subject matter and it does not exceed a reasonable amount of air time. Is this true? I don't wanna take my chances.

Google "fair use." However, since you are putting this into a film that you intend to sell, you might be better off trying to obtain permission rather than relying on fair use.