TheatreFace
Putting a Face on Theatre
Hello Friends:
I am writing to see if there is information on any regulations or standards with regards to letting students have access to their scenes that were videotaped in a classroom setting. The issue is students then taking this material and posting it on Facebook or Youtube. Can anyone provide information on this? Thank you for the information and have a good day.
Views: 6
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kevin M Mitchell on -
Hi, Thomas! I know a bit about this and "officially" (i.e. legally) you can't put copyrighted material, even if performed by students, on the youtube. Facebook is way more loose and I know less about that, so I'll focus on youtube.
The reality is if it's not a musical, the odds of something happening are close to nil. Youtube now has "bots" that search out music, and say there's a dance to a Jimi Hendrix song it might sense it and ask you politely first about it and then shut it down (offering you a chance to say hey! it's not what you think it is!).
But a college student doing 30-seconds from a scene from House of Blue Leaves is not going to be a problem. An act from a professional theater ... it'll get shut down.
Your best bet is to hand them a DVD of it and let them put it up. If you consistently put things up it might get you in a tiny bit of trouble. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Thomas Donnarumma on -
Thank you very much, Kevin. Your information is much appreciated. Have a great day.
Sincerely yours,
Thomas.
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Thomas: I would suggest that you consult with an attorney on any legal matters as false or incomplete information could cost you a lot more money in the long run than if you had consulted an attorney in the first place. The copyright laws are changing so rapidly since the push by the RIAA that I wouldn't be comfortable with ANY advice from someone who wasn't an attorney.
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Permalink Reply by Thomas Donnarumma on
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Thank you, Phil. Can you let me know what RIAA is. Have a good day.
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Kevin: Just a friendly reminder that if you are NOT an attorney then it would NOT be wise to give legal opinions and advice. That could also be said to ANYONE giving opinions about OSHA rules or any other regulations that may be asked about in an open forum. Could cost you a serious bundle of $$'s.
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Permalink Reply by Richard T. Young on -
Thomas:
Earlier this year I was at a copyright seminar led by Mel Friesen (I think it was Mel. Mel if it wasn't you, my apologies.) Anyway so long as something is contained within the confines of the class . . . you are okay. As soon as you make it public, even giving it to just one person outside of the class, you are in violation of copyright law. I think that's accurate.
Last year I convinced our Tech people to give me space on the campus net work to post the scenes. Because anyone could access those, I was probably in violation. Because my students could only access them from on campus computers only one student took the time to look at his scene.
I now tell them if they want their scenes they can give me a jump drive. I warn against posting in a public space. If they do, as I understand the law, they are the ones at fault. Not me.
Are having fun yet?
RTY
RTY
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Permalink Reply by Thomas Donnarumma on
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very good. covering bases. thank you for your response.
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Permalink Reply by Kristi R-C AKA MissWisc on -
Just a caveat... to assist someone in committing an illegal act is also an illegal act. Use in-class video in class only. (Not a lawyer, don't play one on TV, just want folks to follow the law so the creative folks can make a living.)
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Dorf on -
I would definitely consult an intellectual property attorney before putting copyrighted material online in any way. Keep in mind that when it comes to play production, making a video of the performance is not part of virtually any license, which typically covers only "live stage rights." You need a separate permission for video, and you definitely cannot take that that performance or any part of it and share it online through your own website, social media, etc. without having specific permission to do so.
In-class use is something of a different animal, in that it's a small portion of the work and done only in a closed classroom setting for very specific educational purposes, but once you take that material out of the classroom, those protections vanish. Often, you'll hear the term Fair Use bandied about, but be very careful with that, as Fair Use operates very much on a case by case basis, and should you be sued, keep in mind that it's an affirmative defense (it's up to you to prove it's Fair Use, rather than up to them to prove it isn't).
Cheers,
Jonathan
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