University Film Society

[Dan]

Hi,
We want to show some crap b-movies in a lecture room in our university. The only film society that currently exists shows bulls**t foreign arthouse films about the inner turmoil of a landscape gardner and that kind of crap. We will show the DVDs free and it'll be just run for fun. The pricks at the Univeristy seem to think there are legal issuers with this, what should I do? If I write and ask the guys who I got the DVD off for permission, then that would be OK, right? Any of you guys have experience runnign such a society?

[Ash]

Hmmm....don't know what to tell you there.

If the other society is able to show films then I don't see why yours can't either.
I'm curious to know what these specific "legal issues" are if they really do exist.

I've never been in a film society so I don't know.

[Dan]

you know the usual blurb that comes up with DVDs at the start saying that "this DVD is for private hoem use and not public broadcast" etc. Surely 20-30 people watching a DVD played in a Uni lecture room isn't going to be a problem for anyone though!?!!

[Ash]

I would recommend doing a search online for that specific law...as an example it'll be called something like 14785.2...you know what I'm talking about.

Google it and do some research to see if you can show it or not.
I personally think that if you or one of your buddies owns the DVD then it should be legal.

Now if you were CHARGING people to get in to see it....that would be illegal!

[odinn7]

I take the legal disclaimer at the beginning of a video to mean that you cannot make money off the video by charging others to see it. The public broadcasting part of it I believe refers to actually broadcasting it by whatever means so the masses can view it. Having a group sit around and watch a video should cause no legal issues unless someone is making a profit off the showing...or if one of the people in the group decides to sue you because you picked such a rotten movie ;-)

[The Burgomaster]

You may be safe no matter what.  Many of the B-movies that you will be showing are probably public domain titles anyway . . . so no one owns the rights to them.

[Andrew]

You need to read Title 17, USC.  Here is a link:

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/ch1.html

To be specific, check out section 106.

"Subject to sections 107 through 121, the owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following:

(4)  in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works, to perform the copyrighted work publicly;"

Now, a group of friends getting together to watch some movies is fine.  However, when you open the venue up to anyone you cross over the "public" line.

If the copyright owner gives you permission to show the movie, then you are good to go.  I'd make sure that they have the authority to do so (that they are the actual copyright owner) and get it in writing.  

I think that this issue is what killed NOWFF.

[JohnL]

For what it's worth, I interpret a "public" showing to be one that anyone can attend. If you need to be a member of the film society to attend the showing, then I don't think it really counts as a public showing.

[Dan]

Thanks Andrew that's really helpful man. It seems alll to be a bit of a storm in a teacup really, I mean we're hardly going to be showing cdrs of films that are just released at the cinema (instead, the current planned films are plan 9, army of darkness, braindead, troll 2 etc.). However the guy in charge of clubs and societies at my uni is a right plonker and, despite it (crazily) being a full time paid job - likes to do as little work as possible. That makes what you've put really helpful to us for getting this going. I refuse to let any money be involved in this but instead will make people give a signature when they come to see the films, in this way it will be a private showing rather than public showing (basically what JohnL said).

I will try to get in touch with the copyright owners as a back up, anyhow. How would you fidn out whether a b-movie was public domain title?? Also, what is NOWFF???

I really wanna get this thing going as I think it'll be really popular (Id say we'd get at least 30 people the first film (plan9)). Much more than foreign arthouse s**te!!!

[eeeee5]

.  .  .  .  I'm pretty sure those films mentioned are not public domain titles.  A list of public domain titles .  And look through whatever genre you want to show.  I think they sell a pack of 50 for $30.00, through DVD Megapack, or something like that.
.  .  .  .  NOWFF is the New Orleans Worst Films Festival.  Prof. Borntreger reviewed they’re tenth anniversary exhibition <http://www.badmovies.org/fests/nowff/>.

from "The Lift" (Huub Stapel as Felix Adelaar and the guy named "Jim?"):
Jim:  "Ahh, you know, uhh, you look like you've had a little party yourself?"
FA:  "No, I walked into a door."



Post Edited (03-08-04 12:30)

[Dan]

Hi again,
Does anyone know who now owns the copyright to Plan 9 as Reynolds Pictures certainly doent exist and my web search has thrown up nothing....

[dean]

Wow, we're thinking of starting a film club type thing at our uni too!  But I don't think our uni really cares what we do.  we have an anime club that quite obviously has downloaded a large majority of their shows, yet they continue to screen them.  and you have to pay to be in the club!

Also our cinema studies department holds screenings, obviously, of the films we are studying at the time, and we pay for uni, so we're technically paying for the screening too, and they don't cop any flak [thought they're more likely to have permission.]

If the guy in charge is as lazy as you say, just quote some made up law, like ''just look at section 36 of part B of the public domain clause, and I don't think he'd bother checking up on it.  And besides, 30 people isn't really that much!

Hope it helps.