Revision of Sue Bait - how do I make a mashup film? from Sat, 10/13/2007 - 05:51
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Making a film about a topic so legally toxic as a mashup presents an interesting problem - by showing the mashups, I'm transmitting them, and therefore I'm breaking the law. So, how will we go about it?
There is an old filmmaking expression - if you can't fix it, feature it. This is what this chapter of the film will begin - my journey as a filammaker to release the music that our characters are creating.
Some of this music will be able to clear with Fair Use - an exception to US copyright that allows . Some will have to be cleared - particularly when we aren't commenting or criticizing the music directly. By showing how much this actually costs, the point will be made that it is financially impossible to clear songs by artists like Girltalk, who feature hundreds of samples in their work.
Finally, some of the work we wish to highlight will be censored by copyright. Either the rights holders will refuse to release it, or it will be prohibitively expensive. Either way, the point will be made: Copyright can threaten creativity when it is applied to tightly - and the fact that I cannot film certain things proves it.
