A measured and thoughtful response as usual, Dennis. M-
videolib@lists.berkeley.edu writes: >Just started to pay attention to this discussion and saw my name bandied >about. I once had another distributor who told me he was very proud to spend >$3000 to transfer a film to digital. I didn't have the heart to say that I've >spent that much on >one scene. And when I saw his transfer, the entire film had an unseemly green >tint over the whole film. > > >To put it in context, I was the kind of person with the bad habit of not >knowing who the star of the film is but I inevitably would lean over to Amy >and tell her the year the print was made, what stock was used and at what lab. >After the third >surgery on my ribs, I decided I should stop doing that. :-) > > >To produce a video master properly takes at least $20,000. To clean it of >scratches and dust is another $10,000. To bring it out on BluRay and DVD is >another $15,000. And then there's the bonus features that help educators put >the film and the >creative people into context and provide more and better information than most >text books. (How many text books have a 90-minute conversation with a film's >director?) For Project Shirley Clarke, the bonus features have actually turned >into their >own DVD release with enough short films, home movies, interviews and outtakes >for four discs. So far, that's been a $100,000 investment. (Yes, I'm obviously >nuts, but we've also started a feature doc on her so it's not that stupid...) > > >But I have to say, that I sometimes take my VHS tapes that I have of "lost" >films (those that were never in distribution or were banned) and transferring >to DVD for my own personal use. I mean, it is more convenient then having a >VHS player with >every TV in the place. > > >The real issue is not the law as much as quality. My argument is that students >(and their parents) are paying $60,000 a year tuition (my only child is about >to go to Case Western in two weeks in fact) and they deserve a first-rate >education. And >that includes media. Unfortunately, the A-V department that was once glorified >in Lyndon Johnson's New Society is now considered the bastard child at most >institutions and much of the money for "first-rate" hasn't existed since the >Reagan >administration. > > >I would really love the ALA and VLA to have a section devoted to A-V >preservation (AMIA would provide assistance) at every conference and discuss >best practices for presentation. (Maureen Tripp and I had a lot of fun a >couple years ago presenting a >session at the National Media Market.) > > >Maybe a VHS to DVD transfer is best practice, but I think that we could also >use VidLib more actively for people looking for a filmmaker or distributor who >might be able to provide an upgrade for a poor VHS copy. As for fighting the >administrations >for better budgets, I think we have all be deadened to the war that we lost 30 >years ago. I admire greatly the people still fighting for their departments >and their financial need to provide the services that the students deserve. > > > > > >Best regards, >Dennis Doros >Milestone Film & Video >PO Box 128 / Harrington Park, NJ 07640 >Phone: 201-767-3117 / Fax: 201-767-3035 / Email: [ mailto:milefi...@gmail.com >]milefi...@gmail.com > >Visit our main website! [ http://www.milestonefilms.com/ >]www.milestonefilms.com >Visit our new websites! [ http://www.mspresents.com ]www.mspresents.com, [ >http://www.portraitofjason.com ]www.portraitofjason.com, [ >http://www.shirleyclarkefilms.com/ ]www.shirleyclarkefilms.com, >To see or download our 2014 Video Catalog, click [ >http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0150/7896/files/2014MilestoneVideoCatalog.pdf?75 > ]here! > > > > >Support "Milestone Film" on [ >http://www.facebook.com/pages/Milestone-Film/22348485426 ]Facebook and [ >https://twitter.com/#!/MilestoneFilms ]Twitter! > > > >See the website: [ http://www.amianet.org/ ]Association of Moving Image >Archivists and like them on [ >http://www.facebook.com/pages/Association-of-Moving-Image-Archivists/86854559717 > ]Facebook >[ http://www.amianet.org/ ]AMIA 2014 Conference, Savannah, Georgia, October >8-11, 2014 > > >On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 3:16 PM, Jessica Rosner <[ mailto:maddux2...@gmail.com >]maddux2...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > >If it is an educational doc with little interest in visuals you might get some >people to OK a transfer but it like showing a black and white photocopy of >the Mona Lisa in an art house to dub an old VHS to DVD. It is both deeply >insulting to the >people who made the films and illegal. > > >I would not kill VHS off that fast. As long as players are > > >On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 3:08 PM, Matt Ball <[ mailto:mb...@paceacademy.org >]mb...@paceacademy.org> wrote: > > >Libraries don't have VCRs anymore. A video that no one can watch might as >well not exist. I would rather have a crappy VHS-to-DVD copy than nothing at >all. And I'm willing to pay for it. > >Also, it's just a matter of time before VHS is an official obsolete format and >then, as my mom would say, "Katy, bar the door!" It might be to filmakers' >advantage to get out in front of that eventuality. > >Matt > > >[ mailto:videolib@lists.berkeley.edu ]videolib@lists.berkeley.edu writes: >Seriously Matt? Dennis is MUCH better at this. But you have to go back to the >original material often 35mm fillm elements do a decent new transfer, box it, >promote it etc. The whole point of digital is to get high quality looking >material. If one >just took some old VHS master and dubbed it , it would hideous and strange as >it may seem filmmakers and distributors really want their stuff to look good. >Oh and I completely forgot PAYING FOR THE RIGHTS including the possibility of >re licensing >expensive music. Ask Dennis how much has been spent on things like KILLER OF >SHEEP, Shirley Clark films etc. > > >I remember a now forgotten doc I really liked that had long fallen out of >distribution. I asked Kino to check into it, and it was now owned by >reasonably friendly French rights holder but between licensing and production >you were probably looking >at 20 grand and it was a small title but also one that would have been pirated >the day it became available. > > >Imagine trying to put small films out in the increasingly decreasing DVD >market, it almost impossible just to cover costs. > > >On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 2:50 PM, Matt Ball <[ mailto:mb...@paceacademy.org >]mb...@paceacademy.org> wrote: > > > >Just curious about the enormous cost of putting smaller titles out in digital >format, how much does it cost to burn a DVD from one's computer? > >Matt > >___________________ >Matt Ball >Director, Woodruff Library >Pace Academy >966 W. Paces Ferry Rd. >Atlanta, GA 30327 >[ mailto:mb...@paceacademy.org ]mb...@paceacademy.org > > >[ mailto:videolib@lists.berkeley.edu ]videolib@lists.berkeley.edu writes: >the catch 22 is that when institutions make copies of out of print VHS titles >it makes it that much harder for rights holder to justify the enormous cost of >putting smaller titles out in digital format. In theory libraries say they >will be only to >glad to upgrade to a legal copy if one is released but in reality rights >holders can't count on that. Ironically I think this is pushing some rights >holders to have titles only available via stream or download which libraries >hate. > > > Also the law is VERY clear that if you make copies they may not ever be >"checked out" for home use and there is an intense debate ( focusing on the >definition of "premise") if they may in fact ever leave the library to be used >in a classroom. > > > > > > >On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 2:39 PM, Brown, Karen E <[ mailto:kebr...@albany.edu >]kebr...@albany.edu> wrote: > > > > >Thank you, Jessica. I suppose we can also make a case based on age and use >that items in our collection are deteriorating. Our problem is that most of >our patrons don’t have a VHS player at home; there are none in our classrooms. >The material, as >a result, is not being used. Those that are consist of off-beat titles that >aren’t the major candidates for publishers to migrate forward to a more >popular media. These, and the so-called “orphan works”, will be our biggest >challenge in >clearing permissions to reformat. > >Best, Karen > >From: [ mailto:videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu >]videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu [mailto:[ >mailto:videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu >]videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu] On Behalf Of Jessica Rosner >Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2014 2:31 PM >To: [ mailto:videolib@lists.berkeley.edu ]videolib@lists.berkeley.edu >Subject: Re: [Videolib] Copyright searches for videotape > > > > > >Well at the risk of being jumped on VHS does not fit the copyright code >definition of an obsolete format so unless you document that every VHS you are >weeding is literally in the process of deteriorating not just a pain in the >neck to use the >law does not let you make digital copies. I have VHS copies that are 30 years >old and just fine and would a lot worse if I transferred them to digital >format. > > > > > >On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 12:37 PM, Brown, Karen E <[ mailto:kebr...@albany.edu >]kebr...@albany.edu> wrote: > > >Dear colleagues: >The University at Albany, SUNY, is in the process of weeding VHS materials >held in our general collection, all of which was commercially produced. >Regarding those titles for which a more current format is not available we >will need to obtain >copyright clearance before we consider reformatting. >We are wondering if there are other educational institutions that have worked >through a project such as this that have “video copyright searching” >documentation tools or data that they would be willing to share to assist us. >Thank you in advance for your input and advice. >Best, >Karen E.K. Brown >Head, Preservation Department >University at Albany Libraries >1400 Washington Ave, Room SL 310 >Albany, NY 12222 >Tel. [ tel:%28518%29%20437%203923 ](518) 437 3923 > > > > > > > >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. > > > > > >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. > > > > > > >___________________ >Matt Ball >Director, Woodruff Library >Pace Academy >966 W. Paces Ferry Rd. >Atlanta, GA 30327 >[ mailto:mb...@paceacademy.org ]mb...@paceacademy.org > > >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. > > > > > > >___________________ >Matt Ball >Director, Woodruff Library >Pace Academy >966 W. Paces Ferry Rd. >Atlanta, GA 30327 >[ mailto:mb...@paceacademy.org ]mb...@paceacademy.org > > >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. > > > > > >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. > > > ___________________ Matt Ball Director, Woodruff Library Pace Academy 966 W. Paces Ferry Rd. Atlanta, GA 30327 mb...@paceacademy.org
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.
