Filming in airports.

[PieGuy]

Im all set to go to holland tomorow to see the family, and am hoping to get some shots around the airport / terminal building..

 

I've just been told its an illegal terrorist activity and my equipment can and is likely to be confiscated if I do so without a permit (£400's worth..)

 

Now, if i was making a documentary entitled 'Cardiff international airport, the bomb maker's perspective' or 'Jihad and the terminal building', I'd imagine it would be possible my work could potentially be used to assist terrorists, i.e the sort that would choose to terrorise a deserted Welsh airport at around 3:15 in the morning. (Though apparently for £400 im perfectly entitled to do so legally, amazing.)

 

It just so happens that this piece is going to be entitled 'My family', (none of which are particularly bent on the destruction of western civilisation, and most of which are probably sat in Amsterdam getting baked and discussing the meaning of life in a windmill).

 

I can understand they've gone security mad after 9/11 and whatnot, and rightly so i suppose. But wouldn't my imaginary £400 be better spent keeping people genuinely interested in causing damage to things and people, away from the airport, rather than stopping an 18 year old student filming some planes and shit because the look pretty? Apparently not eh.

 

Does anybody have any experience of using any camera equipment at airports, are they really as strict as the websites make out, or can they indeed, go and fuck themselves?

[kiter_ryan]

Landed at Heathrow today, and took a group photo in arrivals with some mates, had to show the camera to a security guard so that he could approve the picture!

 

Dont know why, surely a terrorist would have failed if they actually made it to arrivals...

[carltb]

why not film it like a terrorist would. use a secret hidden camera.and i promise to visit you in g/bay if you get caught!!!!!!!!

[Afro1599968737]

beard?

tan?

robe?

 

if not whichever security guard has to check your footage will probs listen to your reasoning.

[grant965]

why not film it like a terrorist would. use a secret hidden camera.and i promise to visit you in g/bay if you get caught!!!!!!!!

lol, love that idea carl, tries going through security, BLEEP, whats that sir?

(wispers)sssssh its a hidden camera,

(wispers)no terrorist no

and he gets wrestled to the ground

[Guest TonyHolden]

Filming and photography at airports are not illegal acts, nor are they terrorist activities. Having said that, they are private property and the owners can put in place whatever rules they like.

 

I doubt very much that they can confiscate your equipment, even the police have problems doing that, but if a scene is made they can bugger you about a lot and even stop you boarding your flight.

 

Check the place out, see if anyone else is using cameras, if they are you'll be fine and if you're really worried ask a security guard nicely.

[grant965]

Filming and photography at airports are not illegal acts, nor are they terrorist activities. Having said that, they are private property and the owners can put in place whatever rules they like.

 

I doubt very much that they can confiscate your equipment, even the police have problems doing that, but if a scene is made they can bugger you about a lot and even stop you boarding your flight.

 

Check the place out, see if anyone else is using cameras, if they are you'll be fine and if you're really worried ask a security guard nicely.

they can quite easily confiscate you items if they believe it to be a threat

[Guest TonyHolden]

Metropolitan Police guidlines. http://www.met.police.uk/about/photography.htm

 

There has to be a reasonable suspicion that images will be used for terrorist purposes before they can even search you and view the images, let alone confiscate anything. I know Cardiff doesn't come under the Met but their guidelines tend to be a good guide for the rest of us.

[-Olly-]

sounds to me that unless you wear a white robe with the works 'i am a terrorist' on it whilst carrying a bomb you should be fine

 

If in doubt, just ask a security guard nicely

[JohnDave]

Having been through a load of airports in the last couple of years I say take your camera and use some common sense. Stood at the arrivals gate waiting for your family I would expect would be accepted. Seen some problems with people getting their phones out going through security / immigration though.

 

It is easier to seek forgiveness than it is to seek permission. Unless they throw you in jail.

[PieGuy]

I filmed some stuff in the departures hall in cardiff, was approached by 2 security guards when i went to the gate (camera was in my hand but off) who asked if i could show them the footage i'd taken and made me delete it for 'security reasons'.. Though you ask for it, you get it I suppose.

 

Anyway, i got some good stuff on the plane and lots at Amsterdam end, as they didnt really seem to mind all that much

 

Will try and get some more on the way back.

[eifion]

I filmed some stuff in the departures hall in cardiff, was approached by 2 security guards when i went to the gate (camera was in my hand but off) who asked if i could show them the footage i'd taken and made me delete it for 'security reasons'..

 

See this is dumb, either

 

a) I have committed a crime in taking / possessing the footage, in which case the footage is evidence to be used in court against me, so shouldn't be deleted or

 

b) I have committed no crime in taking / possessing the footage, in which case I can go on my way.

 

In either situation, asking the suspected terrorist to delete the footage is not the correct thing to do, however security guards wouldn't think this through, they just like exercising a bit of power.

 

In practice though, just say sorry, delete the pics, then when you get home do the utterly trivial task of recovering the files from the storage media. Lots of free and commercial software available that will let you do that.

[FO Kite]

Just take pictures if you are stopped then apologies, stop taking them when you are told to. Try not to use flash!!

[Crispy]

I completely fail to understand why the government keeps restricting our freedoms in the name of protection from terrorism. Perhaps if our government stopped supplying arms to various countries and organisations, stopped pissing off swathes of people by invading countries which other countries have been supplying with weapons and generally started acting like they are a competent twenty first century government we wouldn't need to put up with this kind of shit.

 

Personally I'd rather have my chances of dying through a terrorist attack increase by one thousand times and have the freedoms that have been taken from us back. I'd still be more likely to die in a car accident.

 

It's lucky the stated aims of terrorists aren't to take away our freedoms. Otherwise they'd be winning.

[angus8ken]

I completely fail to understand why the government keeps restricting our freedoms in the name of protection from terrorism.

 

Simple - its much easier for a government to control a population if they 1. Know everything about everyone and 2. there is a sense of fear of terrorism. Once the government errodes freedoms because of exagerated risks its very difficult to get them back

[Guest TonyHolden]

 

It's lucky the stated aims of terrorists aren't to take away our freedoms. Otherwise they'd be winning.

 

 

I have to disagree, the aim of terrorism is to restrict your freedom through fear.

 

It's not that they are winning though, more like the clowns in Government see it as a handy way to take control through whipping up more fear in the people of the country.

[PieGuy]

Personally I'd rather have my chances of dying through a terrorist attack increase by one thousand times and have the freedoms that have been taken from us back. I'd still be more likely to die in a car accident.

 

Amen to that.

 

Extremism has been around for years - IMO 'Terrorism' is how the government started branding it recently simply to hype it up, and use it as an excuse to force more rules and regulations on us in the hope that eventually nobody will leave the house for fear of being arrested for putting their shirt on inside out.

 

As far as I'm concerned, that causes more opression than the occasional attack on our national security

[Shindig]

Not fully relevant, but I was stopped taking a photo outside the HSBC building in Shanghai. A security guard ran up to me shaking his hand. I got the idea and walked away!