Press/Photos/Video restrictions

[Dark Tangent]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

OK, here is the gist of the updated policy:

Press are to be treated as humans, no pictures/video in the hallway unless the people being photographed consent, no crowd shots in the speaking rooms except from behind, and I am working with the CTF folks to try and open up access to that room as much as possible.

We will now work to spread awareness of it. Any comments or things we missed?

[dead addict]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

DT - it's been a week now, and with defcon coming up real soon I know a lot of us would like to know what to expect. In the Shoot Press thread there's a lot of talk about Rebecca Wexler trying to create a story, and I'd really like the Goons to be able to kick a misbehaving reporter out (again). Especially if she's caught secretly recording, baiting people, or anything else underhanded.

Kallahar

All reporters try to create stories (well, not true, many are handed stories).

I responded to the Shoot Press thread; https://forum.defcon.org/showpost.ph...5&postcount=30. I'd be happy to address any concerns anyone has with that stance.

We prefer not to credential misbehaving reporters in the first place. Regardless of the rule change of last year, we certainly still will reserve the right (and call upon the security Goons to help if need be) to remove credentials from a reporter behaving inappropriately. If you have concerns about press behavior, please bring it to the attention of the press team. We decredentialed press last year, but try very hard to make this a rare event by being selective who we credential in the first place (eg: local news crews don't get into DEFCON).

And if anyone runs across 'hatchet jobs' that have been done in the past, let us know. By and large we've been extremely pleased with the quality of press that has come out of DEFCON for the past few years; a large part of this is due to the willingness of the attendees, the staff, and the speakers to reach out and be friendly with them.

Please don't confuse this friendly behavior to an attitude that 'the press can do no wrong'; there isn't a single person on the press team with this feeling, and I doubt DEFCON staff (or attendees, or speakers, or hell, even members of the press) holds this belief.

[kallahar]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

DT - it's been a week now, and with defcon coming up real soon I know a lot of us would like to know what to expect. In the Shoot Press thread there's a lot of talk about Rebecca Wexler trying to create a story, and I'd really like the Goons to be able to kick a misbehaving reporter out (again). Especially if she's caught secretly recording, baiting people, or anything else underhanded.

Kallahar

[kallahar]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

DT - has a decision been reached yet? Do the "press can only do good" people you're having the discussion with have any questions that us "press aren't attendees friends" crowd can answer?

Kallahar

[not5150]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

Surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly) broadcast news still uses tape in various forms. DigiBeta and MiniDV are still popular.

Hard drive??? That's so early 2000s.... I've been using flash for the last 3-4 years.

[priest]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

Of course you were dear.

[YenTheFirst]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

Where they put the video tape/DVD they are recording onto.

All the paranoia aside for the most part the mainstream press are pretty good about filming and not filming. Its the indi assclowns who tend to be the problem. Point it out to a Sec Goon and let us handle it.

I was being a bit sarcastic, most new video cameras I've seen these days are HDD only

[priest]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

Tape drawer? what's that?

Where they put the video tape/DVD they are recording onto.

All the paranoia aside for the most part the mainstream press are pretty good about filming and not filming. Its the indi assclowns who tend to be the problem. Point it out to a Sec Goon and let us handle it.

[YenTheFirst]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

Carry a small but powerful flashlight and shine it into their lenses. And if they are close to you and talking, ask them to open the tape drawer. Also I'd threaten to have them banned if they lie.

Tape drawer? what's that?

[not5150]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

not5150 - we all know that when told "turn the camera off" many videographers leave it running and just point it at the ground. How can we ensure the camera isn't recording? Do they have red lights? Should we require them to remove the battery? Is it common for them to cover up the record light if they're trying to "catch" someone?

Thanks! - also great work in the war zone!

Kallahar

This is actually a great point. Recording audio sometimes is just as powerful as recording video and it's very difficult to tell if a camera is recording. Most have red lights, but depending on the model the light may be on the front, back, side, etc. The light may be blinking or solid red. On the Canon DSLRs it's a red light on the back of the camera.

Most professional video guys will tape up the red light with electrical/duct tape.

Having the camera pointed at the ground while recording isn't necessarily a sneaky move... it could be there's nothing interesting and the camera is just getting too heavy to hold up to your chest/shoulder. Cameras also have a slight delay from the time you turn it on and push record to the time it actually starts recording. Myself I always hit the record button way before bringing the camera up to my eyes.

I wouldn't be adverse to wearing a orange safety vest or something as press... but the thing is so many people have cameras these days that aren't press.

[chs]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

It was really frustrating for the press to be unable to visually describe the scope of the event; crowd shots show you the magnitude of the gathering. Given involentary crowd shots are a reality, why not acknowledge it. While at one point in DEFCON's history attendees hid from the world that they attend (their bosses, etc), I'd really be surprised if this is really the case today. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

As a member of the Security Goon staff, I can attest that our team gets SCORES of complaints every single year from attendees who are, in fact, hiding the fact that they go to Defcon from their bosses. Many of these people are government employees. As a solitary Goon, I get at least one complaint a day on average. Multiply that by 50 goons, 3 days, with a little bit of margin of error and that's well over a hundred complaints specifically about press taking pictures of people who CANNOT be photographed. Please note that I'm choosing those words carefully. There is a difference between someone who CANT be photographed, and someone who doesn't WANT to be photographed.

There is a part of Defcon which is still very much "underground".

[astcell]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

Carry a small but powerful flashlight and shine it into their lenses. And if they are close to you and talking, ask them to open the tape drawer. Also I'd threaten to have them banned if they lie.

[kallahar]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

not5150 - we all know that when told "turn the camera off" many videographers leave it running and just point it at the ground. How can we ensure the camera isn't recording? Do they have red lights? Should we require them to remove the battery? Is it common for them to cover up the record light if they're trying to "catch" someone?

Thanks! - also great work in the war zone!

Kallahar

[renderman]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

not5150: Glad to have your input from that side of things. I would agree, you've been one of the good ones. Knowing the motivations helps explain alot.

If it's explained that such b-roll shooting will be curtailed or frowned may cut down on alot of the issue. A more likely solution is to setup a time/place for those wide shots they want where it can be announced that this will be happening and where the cameras are to give people fair warning to GTFO for 5 minutes if they dont want to be shown. I'm thinking contest area or some other area they can get up high so everyone looks like ants and are not distinguishable.

I still want to see them in Gitmo orange jumpsuits though.....

[Dark Tangent]

Re: Press/Photos/Video restrictions

We are in the middle of an internal discussion about reverting the rules, changing, or keeping them based on all that has been said, so hang on! Decision in a day or two.