I strongly agree with Pip's suggestion to get authorization. If it's
for a serious academic book you should want, and surely the filmmakers
would want, a good selection of high quality images to represent the
films. Disney is one thing, but if you're talking about avant-garde
filmmakers, I doubt they would be charging "exorbitant fees". Using
the example of Brakhage films, I don't end up making any money from
stills when all is said and done, but do collect some small fees --
most of which goes (usually) to Fred Camper for the work he does in
providing them. However, we also sometimes waive fees, depending on
circumstances. My concern in the matter of film stills is not making
money, but having the films reasonably well represented. I'm sure
others would feel likewise about their films.
Marilyn Brakhage
On 30-Sep-15, at 4:43 PM, Chuck Kleinhans wrote:
I strongly disagree with Pip’s suggestion to get authorization.
To even make an inquiry reveals an intention and an awareness of
possible legal ramifications that does two things:
1. the rights holder may well demand an exorbitant fee, and there’s
no way to re-negotiate that; you’ve undercut your own position.
(if you don’t believe me, try to get rights by sending a letter to
Disney Corp for one frame grab of any Disney film). The people you
are often dealing with are not artists but low level lawyers whose
job is to extract as much money as possible out of the rights.
—Yes they have a case: you shouldn’t be able to take a frame grab
of a Disney film and put it on a T-shirt and sell it without them
giving permission, forming a contract, and you paying them part of
the proceeds. HOWEVER the exact same procedure is used for someone
wanting to use an image in a critical essay in a film journal or a
PhD dissertation: pay up front or you face endless threats of "cease
and desist” letters, threats of lawsuits, or actual suits (these
people have nothing else to do; they get paid to harass you.)
2. the law on copying of “copyrighted” images varies greatly by
country and jurisdiction. For example, in he USA, the Society for
Cinema and Media Studies has conducted many years of campaigning and
advocacy for the right to use frame grab images in academic/critical
publications without permission or paying for “rights” when the
intent is clearly intellectual and critical. Think Bordwell and
Thompson’s textbook: FILM ART, AN INTRODUCTION.
Details and a position paper on the SCMS website
Also essential: the work of Patricia Aufderheide at American
University’s Center for Social Media.
www.centerforsocialmedia.org
which has worked to fight for the rights of creative people
(especially in documentary forms)—e.g. your are filming/taping an
interview on the street and a passing car goes by with the strains
of a Kanye West or Taylor Swift song being heard….you should NOT
have to pay the “rightsholder” any fee for this accidental
arrival of a thin slice of reality in your environment. But the
above mentioned lawyers want the law enforced so you do have to pay
full freight.
Today most (but not all) US university presses follow the SCMS
guidelines: look at the webistes for ms. submission for Duke,
California, NYU, etc. for a rough guildeline. However, fair
warning, UK publishers tend to be incredibly backward and chicken
about these matters.
I’d say get your images first without asking anyone anything. Then
if your book ms is accepted, negotiate with the press. You may well
have to fight for what you wants to do—university presses often use
the university’s own law office which is filled with experts on the
patents end of “intellectual property” and also real estate
transactions…they do not understand art or the humanities.
On Sep 30, 2015, at 10:06 AM, Pip Chodorov <framewo...@re-voir.com>
wrote:
Dear Jihoon Kim,
안녕하세요
DVDs are not high-resolution. You can only get standard definition
compressed screen grabs.
Moreover as a film distributor I advise you to seek authorization
and high quality stills from the filmmakers or rights holders.
Good luck!
Pip Chodorov
(FrameWorks founder and progessor of film at Dongguk University,
Seoul!)
At 1:44 +0900 1/10/15, Ji-hoon Felix Kim wrote:
Anyone who can advise me how to obtain high-resolution (600dpi)
screen grabs from DVDs? I'm in preparation for my book manuscript
and want to include some frame grabs as its accompanied
illustrations.
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Chuck Kleinhans
Associate Professor Emeritus
Radio/TV/Film Dept.
Northwestern University
co-editor, JUMP CUT: a review of contemporary media
www.ejumpcut.org
chuck...@northwestern.edu
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