Dear Patty and Videolibers...
I'm preaching to the choir, once more...
The answer is to push the envelope by striving to have the copyright laws=20
changed (and there has been some victories for the public despite all the pr=
ess),=20
not by breaking them.=20
A more immediate answer is to have the Hispanic Alliance try to work with th=
e=20
Cervantes Institute, the Spanish embassy and consulate's cultural attache,=20
and other similar official Hispanic organizations to bring in films either=20
cheaply or free -- or to find a local sponsor or student organization willin=
g to=20
help foot the bill.=20
Lastly, tell the distributor/owner that 1) we can't afford it, come up with=20
another price please (and I do KNOW you do that, of course, but this is=20
striving to give a complete answer to the group) and if they are unwilling t=
o do=20
this, nicely tell them to **** off and find another film. There's many, many=
=20
wonderful films out there to discover, and many of them could be US premiere=
s.
And once more for newcomers, many can read much more on the subject by going=
=20
to http://www.milestonefilms.com/article.php and downloading "Ideas on Runni=
ng=20
a Film Society."
The comparison I use is when filmmakers want either a piece of music or an=20
elaborate shot they can't afford. Good directors cry. Great directors come u=
p=20
with a cheap alternative that's even better. (The perfect example can be fou=
nd=20
in Tony Buba's LIGHTNING OVER BRADDOCK and the "non-use" of Jumpin' Jack Fla=
sh.=20
Available at Zeitgeist Films...)
Dennis Doros
Milestone Film & Video
PO Box 128
Harrington Park, NJ 07640
Phone: (800) 603-1104 or (201) 767-3117
Fax: (201) 767-3035
Email: milefilms@aol.com
Website: http://www.milestonefilms.com
In a message dated 9/21/05 9:48:36 AM, hornbeck@middlebury.edu writes:
Let's look at the other side of this for a minute. Because we follow the=20
guidelines very closely at Middlebury, the Hispanic Alliance on our campus w=
ill=20
probably not be screening two Spanish-language movies for their group this=20
month. The public performance fee was close to a thousand dollars for the tw=
o and=20
the club doesn't have that much in their budget. It doesn't require too much=
=20
imagination to see this as somewhat of an impediment to learning. Sure, they=
can=20
see the film if it's a part of the Spanish 101 curriculum, but they can't se=
e=20
it as a group unless they=A0are able to=A0shell out $1,000 for the privilege=
.=20
Public performance prices for these sorts of programs are way too high. We e=
xpect=20
to pay those prices=A0for College-wide entertainment-related film series=A0b=
ut=20
shouldn't have to strain our budgets to offer realistic enrichment programs=20=
to=20
language groups. We are being fair to the distributors, but are we being=20
entirely fair to our students? Do we have a responsibility as educators to p=
ush the=20
envelope in favor of more=A0realistic "fair use"?
Patty
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Dear Patty and Videolibers...
I'm preaching to the choir, once more...
The answer is to push the envelope by striving to have the copyright laws ch=
anged (and there has been some victories for the public despite all the pres=
s), not by breaking them.
A more immediate answer is to have the Hispanic Alliance try to work with th=
e Cervantes Institute, the Spanish embassy and consulate's cultural attache,=
and other similar official Hispanic organizations to bring in films either=20=
cheaply or free -- or to find a local sponsor or student organization willin=
g to help foot the bill.
Lastly, tell the distributor/owner that 1) we can't afford it, come up with=20=
another price please (and I do KNOW you do that, of course, but this is stri=
ving to give a complete answer to the group) and if they are unwilling to do=
this, nicely tell them to **** off and find another film. There's many, man=
y wonderful films out there to discover, and many of them could be US premie=
res.
And once more for newcomers, many can read much more on the subject by going=
to http://www.mile=
stonefilms.com/article.php and downloading "Ideas on Running a Film S=
ociety."
The comparison I use is when filmmakers want either a piece of music or an e=
laborate shot they can't afford. Good directors cry. Great directors come up=
with a cheap alternative that's even better. (The perfect example can be fo=
und in Tony Buba's LIGHTNING OVER BRADDOCK and the "non-use" of Jumpin' Jack=
Flash. Available at Zeitgeist Films...)
Dennis Doros
Milestone Film & Video
PO Box 128
Harrington Park, NJ 07640
Phone: (800) 603-1104 or (201) 767-3117
Fax: (201) 767-3035
Email: milefilms@aol.com
Website: http://www.milestonefilms.com
In a message dated 9/21/05 9:48:36 AM, hornbeck@middlebury.edu writes:
Let's look at the other side of this for a minute. Because we follow the g=
uidelines very closely at Middlebury, the Hispanic Alliance on our campus wi=
ll probably not be screening two Spanish-language movies for their group thi=
s month. The public performance fee was close to a thousand dollars for the=20=
two and the club doesn't have that much in their budget. It doesn't require=20=
too much imagination to see this as somewhat of an impediment to learning. S=
ure, they can see the film if it's a part of the Spanish 101 curriculum, but=
they can't see it as a group unless they=A0are able to=A0shell out $1,000 f=
or the privilege. Public performance prices for these sorts of programs are=20=
way too high. We expect to pay those prices=A0for College-wide entertainment=
-related film series=A0but shouldn't have to strain our budgets to offer rea=
listic enrichment programs to language groups. We are being fair to the dist=
ributors, but are we being entirely fair to our students? Do we have a respo=
nsibility as educators to push the envelope in favor of more=A0realistic "fa=
ir use"?
Patty
--part1_60.5e1630cb.3062d219_boundary--