As someone who works with independent documentary filmmakers, let me tell you they would be THRILLED to sell their films at $25 or $30 if they had a chance in hell of selling 5 times as many as they would at $250. The subject matter is generally geared towards the academic community or at least not to the popular topics that sell in the thousands and they have a lot of expenses to recoup and it is a bitch to distribute. These are simply not the same as the more popular $19.95 to $29.95 videos you will find at the retail level and keep in mind the distributor only gets back 60% or so on thing sold through third parties like Amazon. I assure you if 1500 institutions would actually buy a wonderful series of films on the post genocide justice system in Rwanda or even one on Gerrymandering ( to plug the ones I deal with) the directors would be over the moon to sell them for $25 knowing more people could see them. When good documentaries are carried by public libraries at a fraction of the rate of bad action movies then you will see a huge drop in prices, heck if just one in every 500 university libraries bought them you would see the same.
On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 7:31 PM, <ghand...@library.berkeley.edu> wrote: > > > ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- > Subject: Re: [Videonews] How do you know when you’ve become an artist? > From: ghand...@library.berkeley.edu > Date: Fri, June 24, 2011 4:31 pm > To: "Video Library News" <videon...@lists.berkeley.edu> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Problem isn't solved if the expensive title they've taken out and lost is > out of distribution. > > All depends on the mission of your collection (and whether preservation > for long-haul to support teaching and research is part of it) > > Gary (who's cool in Berkeley) > > > > > > > At the University of Southern California we have in our collection > > at least 750 documentary films costing $250 or more. And no effetism > > here. All such films fully circulate. And if a student happens > > to lose such an item then said student is fully obliged to reimburse the > > costs of the film. Problem solved--and it is a policy that seems > > very much to work for us. > > > > And greetings from ALA and New Orleans! > > > > Cheers! > > Anthony > > > > ******************************* > > Anthony E. Anderson > > Social Studies and Arts & Humanities Librarian > > Von KleinSmid Library > > University of Southern California > > Los Angeles, CA 90089-0182 > > (213) 740-1190 antho...@usc.edu > > "Wind, regen, zon, of kou, > > Albert Cuyp ik hou van jou." > > ********************************* > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: jwoo <j...@cca.edu> > > Date: Friday, June 24, 2011 12:33 pm > > Subject: Re: [Videonews] How do you know when you’ve become an artist? > > To: Video Library News <videon...@lists.berkeley.edu> > > > >> I like this video a lot, but because the institutional price is > >> $250, it's in the "rare book" section of my library and students > >> never bother to page it for in-library viewing. If the library > >> were able to purchase a home-use copy for $30, the video could be > >> placed in the circulating section, and I'm sure many more students > >> would enjoy and benefit from the production. IMHO, this is how > >> filmmakers shoot themselves in the foot. Very few people are going > >> to see their work if it's priced for effetes only. > >> > >> > >> On Jun 23, 2011, at 1:54 PM, Working Title Info wrote: > >> > >> >WORKING TITLE: Career, Identity and the American Artist > >> > > >> >WORKING TITLE offers insight and inspiration to students of all > >> ages who aspire to follow the courageous path to professional > >> careers in the arts. By offering a rare and honest glimpse into the > >> daily lives of five diverse visual and performing artists, the film > >> asks important questions, from the practical (how do you support > >> yourself as a professional artist?), to the personal (how might > >> this career choice affect your personal relationships and other > >> life choices?) to the philosophical (how do you know you are an > >> artist, and how do you make peace with that knowledge and come to > >> embrace it as central to your identity?). This film is a "must- > >> have" for arts educators, and it gave the undergraduate students at > >> my university new-found confidence to nurture and celebrate their > >> artistic aspirations. ~ Paula Birnbaum, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, > >> Department of Art + Architecture, University of San Francisco. > >> > > >> > > > > VIDEONEWS is an electronic clearinghouse for information about new > > services, products, resources, and programs of interest to video > > librarians and archivists, educators, and others involved in the > > selection, acquisition, programming, and preservation of video materials > > in non-profit settings. The list is open to all interest individuals and > > list submissions are unmediated. However the list owner reserves the > right > > to revoke subscriptions to the list in cases where the intent of the list > > is routinely violated or where general listserv etiquette and protocol > are > > infringed. > > > > > Gary Handman > Director > Media Resources Center > Moffitt Library > UC Berkeley > > 510-643-8566 > ghand...@library.berkeley.edu > http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC > > "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." > --Francois Truffaut > > > Gary Handman > Director > Media Resources Center > Moffitt Library > UC Berkeley > > 510-643-8566 > ghand...@library.berkeley.edu > http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC > > "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." > --Francois Truffaut > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. > -- Jessica Rosner Media Consultant 224-545-3897 (cell) 212-627-1785 (land line) jessicapros...@gmail.com
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
