Handing Students Footage at DVinfo.net

Peter Friedlander · October 15th, 2015, 04:38 PM

Hello,
I founded and hosted a video production class with about eight high school students for six months. Within this six months we did anything from music videos to short films. One of the final projects was developing a short five minute film where each student had a part to play in storytelling to on set roles.
Graduation is in a week and as part of graduation gifts Im handing each of them a thumdrive in which I hope to include all the edited footage from this short film for them to tinker with.
But one thing is I'm submitting this to traildance film festival in the student category.

Would I safely be able to give students this footage even if I rendered all to a lower res even 420 format, nothing to be actually usable with?

Mike Watson · October 15th, 2015, 04:51 PM

I don't understand the last line of your question, or your goal. (Or what it has to do with the film festival.) You want to make sure the footage is editable, or make sure it is not editable?

Peter Friedlander · October 15th, 2015, 04:58 PM

I want to give students some material for them to play around with that they had a hand in making, but then I dont want to release the footage "straight from the camera" making it easy for them to re-claim or say its their own work if it got into the wrong hands

Steven Digges · October 15th, 2015, 06:15 PM

They are kids.....the first place that footage is going is all over the internet!

Steve

Mike Watson · October 15th, 2015, 10:20 PM

I'm not sure if I don't like it that you don't want to release to them the footage they shot for their class project (that seems to have something to do with you winning an award with it), or whether I don't like it that you presume they will lie and cheat with it, but since you asked for opinions, I think you should release their footage to them unmodified if they ask for it.

Josh Bass · October 16th, 2015, 12:26 AM

I guess you run your program differently than college video production class? To me it would have been very weird, and probably pissed me off, if we hadn't been able to do whatever we wanted with the projects WE made in school. We wrote/shot/edited them, how were they NOT ours? If you run your program differently though, then that's a different story.

Peter Friedlander · October 16th, 2015, 06:42 AM

The thing is also, we shot on location where we had property release waivers, and used upcoming professional cast we were shooting just for the short film,. Not side projects that may come out besides the school.

Mike Watson · October 16th, 2015, 09:03 AM

Oh, you had property release waivers? Then you definitely should watermark the footage before you give it to them. Don't want *that* getting out there in public.

Seth Bloombaum · October 16th, 2015, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Friedlander

The thing is also, we shot on location where we had property release waivers, and used upcoming professional cast we were shooting just for the short film,. Not side projects that may come out besides the school.

Is the footage encumbered by licensing agreements with locations and pro (paid?) cast that actually limits distribution?

I have no idea what's in those agreements, if they exist, but this seems very unusual for a school production.

Regardless, (and I am not a lawyer and don't give legal advice, and you shouldn't trust the internet for your legal advice anyways), it is common in the industry for people to be able to use the projects they've worked on in their portfolios.

Anything further than that really depends on the language of any contracts.

If you are making agreements that restrict distribution, the time to think about your students' use is before the project...

It sounds like you're enthusiastic about this first run of your class - congratulations! It's no small thing to create a high school production class! Good luck on the next run.

Bryan Cantwell · October 22nd, 2015, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seth Bloombaum

Is the footage encumbered by licensing agreements with locations and pro (paid?) cast that actually limits distribution?

If you are making agreements that restrict distribution, the time to think about your students' use is before the project...

Pretty much this.

And you have to keep in mind any distribution limits that your planned festival entries could have as well.

October 15th, 2015, 04:38 PM	#1
Peter Friedlander New Boot Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Moore, OK Posts: 13	Handing Students Footage Hello, I founded and hosted a video production class with about eight high school students for six months. Within this six months we did anything from music videos to short films. One of the final projects was developing a short five minute film where each student had a part to play in storytelling to on set roles. Graduation is in a week and as part of graduation gifts Im handing each of them a thumdrive in which I hope to include all the edited footage from this short film for them to tinker with. But one thing is I'm submitting this to traildance film festival in the student category. Would I safely be able to give students this footage even if I rendered all to a lower res even 420 format, nothing to be actually usable with?

October 15th, 2015, 04:51 PM	#2
Mike Watson Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,082	Re: Handing Students Footage I don't understand the last line of your question, or your goal. (Or what it has to do with the film festival.) You want to make sure the footage is editable, or make sure it is not editable?

October 15th, 2015, 04:58 PM	#3
Peter Friedlander New Boot Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Moore, OK Posts: 13	Re: Handing Students Footage I want to give students some material for them to play around with that they had a hand in making, but then I dont want to release the footage "straight from the camera" making it easy for them to re-claim or say its their own work if it got into the wrong hands

October 15th, 2015, 06:15 PM	#4
Steven Digges Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,828	Re: Handing Students Footage They are kids.....the first place that footage is going is all over the internet! Steve __________________ www.CorporateShow.com Been at this so long I'm rounding my years of experience down...not up!

October 15th, 2015, 10:20 PM	#5
Mike Watson Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,082	Re: Handing Students Footage I'm not sure if I don't like it that you don't want to release to them the footage they shot for their class project (that seems to have something to do with you winning an award with it), or whether I don't like it that you presume they will lie and cheat with it, but since you asked for opinions, I think you should release their footage to them unmodified if they ask for it.

October 16th, 2015, 12:26 AM	#6
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	Re: Handing Students Footage I guess you run your program differently than college video production class? To me it would have been very weird, and probably pissed me off, if we hadn't been able to do whatever we wanted with the projects WE made in school. We wrote/shot/edited them, how were they NOT ours? If you run your program differently though, then that's a different story. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

October 16th, 2015, 06:42 AM	#7
Peter Friedlander New Boot Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Moore, OK Posts: 13	Re: Handing Students Footage The thing is also, we shot on location where we had property release waivers, and used upcoming professional cast we were shooting just for the short film,. Not side projects that may come out besides the school.

October 16th, 2015, 09:03 AM	#8
Mike Watson Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,082	Re: Handing Students Footage Oh, you had property release waivers? Then you definitely should watermark the footage before you give it to them. Don't want that getting out there in public.