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Film-making, internet and the law
Bristol Stories resources page
Everyone’s heard of copyright law, but did you know that copyright is just one of a whole range of “Intellectual Property Rights”?
Did you know that putting your film online counts as broadcasting it, and you can wind up in lots of trouble if you haven’t taken care about what’s in your film?
Imagine winning first prize in a film festival, then being disqualified, or being removed from film websites (like this one) because some of the material in the film is not your own. There is already software being used by YouTube.com which scans films for copied material and automatically bans them.
Did you know that you need permission from everyone in your film that they’re happy to appear in it (that’s why feature films use “extras” for crowd scenes instead of real crowds)?
Help is here!
The people at BristolStories.org have provided a resources page with links to music, sounds, film and photographs, all of which you can use without breaking copyright law. There is also some straightforward information about copyright, public domain and creative commons media licences. There’s hints and tips and links for free software. And, of course, lots of great short films about Bristol by people attending the Bristol Stories workshops.