Tweet Clip Rights For Talk?

[Mike Gebert]

You'd think with all the time I've spent around you folks, I'd know the answers to these kinds of rights questions, but I really don't. Here's the situation:

• Quasi-academic conference, held under the aegis of an institution but really put on by a historical/cultural group partly founded by some of the profs there and elsewhere

• Talk by me on an aspect of the movies, illustrated with a few clips

• Those were clips, not entire features-- literally a minute or so at a time

• Technically open to the public. Mostly people who belong to the organization, but not strictly so

• Podcasts of the group's events are typically recorded and posted on the website of a local public radio station.

So, here are the questions:

1) All of this constitutes public performance, I'm sure

2) How do I even clear clips from anything Hollywood I show for my talk? What does it cost and who do I do it with?

3) And the podcast-- what additional wrinkles does that add to clearance issues?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[silentfilm]

Check to see if the school has purchased a blanket public performance rights license. That means that they have the rights to show clips from almost any film with no further payment. Our church has one of these, and can show clips from films for teaching and during church services and events.

I'm not sure about the clips being seen in the podcast though.

I would look at www.corbisimage.com to get an indicator of rights fees and limitations on those rights for film clips. I don't know what movie clips you are showing, but they have everything from Chaplin to Matt Damon. The fact that your presentation will be run on Public Radio, a non-profit venue, wll have an impact on rights fees as well. I wish you luck with this project, and hopefully, this not-for-profit wrinkle won't get expensive.