On 29th November, we had a lecture on contracts, copyright and music. Again, this is a subject mostly focused on producers and involving finance, which isn't something that generally interests me. However, I appreciated the value in it as something that would help me sell my ideas, assure that I don't get sued and make sure that my work is always protected. So, as much as I would prefer to stay solely creative, this is relevant to me and my professional development, which is extremely, undeniably, unfathomably important.
Copyright is "the monopoly right of a creator to control the future of copying and exploitation of his/her work it's dissemination in public". All rights rest with the creator at the time of creation. This means you need to be extremely careful when using other people's work - even referencing it can be slightly complicated. But why is it so complicated?
It's because copyright in the UK is vested automatically in creative worlds at the moment of authorship/creation but often the rights are licensed away. It also has to do with the fact that some things cannot be copyrighted - ideas, your image, the way you dress, genetic code, buildings or works of art that can be seen from a public space. However, there are ways round this; for example, you cannot copyright a building but you could copyright the blueprints. It's important to know these little loopholes so you can protect your own work.
There is also the issue of formats. For this, it is best to visit ifla.tv - The International Format Association, which begs the question - what is a format? Due to ambiguity of this, it is not possible to copyright a format. There is, however the Law of Copyright and the Law of Passing Off, which can help you get round it.
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Selling Yourself, Selling Ideas
On 15th November I was given a lecture on how to sell my ideas and myself in a professional way. This gave a lot of context to the work I'm currently doing and allowed my to view it in a new way - not just as "art" or "experience" but as something that can be sold as the basis for a business. The lecture was focusing on producing, which is not something I am usually interested in but found to be a fascinating and in-depth subject nonetheless. The main things we were looking at were:
I, in defence of aesthetic experimentation and art, would hope that the answer is no, and for the most part, I believe it is. There is constantly change and new ways of doing things in television and all of this comes from experimentation. For example, HD TV would never have come about if some people, at some point, didn't have the money to experiment in new formats. Clearly, despite their reputations for being money-grabbers who care nothing about the aesthetics of art, companies are quite willing to invest in new forms and technologies. Another great example is the 3D revolution of the past few years (which is debatably slowing down now) - industries were quite willing to invest and sell it as a new technology and aesthetic of film.
This all brings to light a few more questions. For example, what is creativity? It's easy to use this word without really discussing what it means. And what does this mean for a producer? There have been significant technological changes in the last few years, how does this affect a producer role?
Finally, the lecture focused on myself as an individual - a company may not be interested in my ideas but myself and my skills. I am young and born into the technological age, I am much more integrated into new media and I can use it to my advantage better than my older superiors can - even those who have tried to stay up-to-date. I am "full of potential" and this gives me an edge in this technological world.
- Selling culture
- Being a producer
- How to make money out of ideas
- The new and old ways of doing this
- Tips for selling yourself as well as ideas
I, in defence of aesthetic experimentation and art, would hope that the answer is no, and for the most part, I believe it is. There is constantly change and new ways of doing things in television and all of this comes from experimentation. For example, HD TV would never have come about if some people, at some point, didn't have the money to experiment in new formats. Clearly, despite their reputations for being money-grabbers who care nothing about the aesthetics of art, companies are quite willing to invest in new forms and technologies. Another great example is the 3D revolution of the past few years (which is debatably slowing down now) - industries were quite willing to invest and sell it as a new technology and aesthetic of film.
This all brings to light a few more questions. For example, what is creativity? It's easy to use this word without really discussing what it means. And what does this mean for a producer? There have been significant technological changes in the last few years, how does this affect a producer role?
Finally, the lecture focused on myself as an individual - a company may not be interested in my ideas but myself and my skills. I am young and born into the technological age, I am much more integrated into new media and I can use it to my advantage better than my older superiors can - even those who have tried to stay up-to-date. I am "full of potential" and this gives me an edge in this technological world.
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