Showreels and Copyright

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GrahamDonnelly
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Showreels and Copyright

Post by GrahamDonnelly » May 31st, 2014, 11:55 pm

Hey all,

So I am in the process of putting some new showreels together and was just wondering what everyone;s thoughts are regarding, "redesign" and re-cutting sounds into film scenes etc - but in terms of copyright.

The majority of my best and commercial work is tied into contracts with the last company that I worked for and they will not allow me to post any work that I did for them on my site or in any reels for self promotion, the company name taking all the credit for everyone's work. It is their way of branding the company - which I understand. But this has left me lacking in terms of content for my reels. I do have useable stuff, but a lot of it is early work. So I was looking into creating new reels with footage from films.

I know that by displaying any work without permission is not a good idea, but it seems that youtube and most sound editors and designers use visuals from well known films and games etc. I am guilty of this too - having uploaded a few videos with re-designed audio. My main concern is how possible employers will view this, will they think that I have disregard for copyright and not take any application further because of it?

I read the article posted in designing sound about audio showreels etc and the author does mention re-working film scenes etc for your reel - http://audiocookbook.org/guidelines-for ... demo-reel/

I am sure he is not advocating the use of copyrighted material etc, but I was just wondering what people's thoughts are regarding this?

MY rationale behind using film scenes is that I wish to show my sound editing skills in a professional manner and allow possible clients/employers to see what I am capable of, creature design for example, there's no way I can gain a visual like the Kaiju from pacific rim without actually using footage from the film.

As people say, the visuals do have an impact on how people perceive a showreel and obviously we all want the best looking and sounding reel. Obviously there would be no financial gain, but I would still benefit from the visuals etc and getting a green light from a major studio to use their footage is not very likely.

So yeah, let me know your thoughts on this, as I have re-worked a fair amount of material already and wonder if it's worth continuing.

cheers all

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MikeQuell
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Re: Showreels and Copyright

Post by MikeQuell » June 1st, 2014, 6:25 pm

I think you have the benefit in that anyone interested in employing you will request demo reel material. With that, you can always direct them to a private page (or file through FTP) with those videos you are concerned about putting up on a public site.

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Re: Showreels and Copyright

Post by studio13 » June 4th, 2014, 7:28 pm

Re-design videos are in my experience are confusing to use as examples of your work with potential clients & employers. I feel like they are actually only useful to other sound designers who understand the context and know what they are listening for. So although you're benefitting from the polished visuals I feel like the overall effectiveness of a re-design video is actually very limited. The only re-design videos I do now are at the request of larger studios as part of an application process.

Not being able to use past work is a real drag, sorry to hear you're cut off from using this material in self promotion. I think you should re-consider the business environment around your previous work. If you were someones personal assistant and the work was going out without your name on it then yeah it's not really fair for you to claim it as yours. However if you're able to find examples from this previous gig where the work is easy to explain IE : 'I was the lead sound designer' then I feel like it's fair for you to capture clips from the final game distro and use those captures in a private reel. I have a few private reels on vimeo just for this reason. It sounds ridiculous that this previous company won't allow you to take credit for your work but I can understand they don't want people splattering YouTube with demo reels creating confusion over who's doing the work.

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GrahamDonnelly
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Re: Showreels and Copyright

Post by GrahamDonnelly » June 5th, 2014, 5:23 am

Thanks for the replies guys.

The main reason for the use of "redesigning" scenes was to allow film makers and other sound pros an insight into skills etc. I have one reel almost ready go that focuses on atmos and Foley only. I have more that I am currently putting together but they are in different categories and each one focuses on a specific area of sound editing and design. Short clips that allow me to showcase a certain aspect of sound etc.

I guess these will be used more for critique and feedback purposes though.

With regards to my previous work - I have found the videos online in vimeo and youtube and they are there for public viewing. Each project, I was the lead sound designer on, and also assisted in final mix for broadcast. I didn't compose any music for the pieces though and the final mix decisions came down to someone else, but all the design work was mine. However if i link to them, then I am in breach of my contract and the contract specifically states that I am not able to attach my name to any of the work - as the company don't want clients etc to register the work to an individual and, I guess, stay with the company for future work, rather than poach an employee or assume if that person is not with the company, then the work won't be up to scratch etc etc.

So that work is a write off I guess, hindsight has taught me that for future, I will be considering contracts like this one more carefully and ensuring that I do not end up in the same situation.

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Nick Output
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Re: Showreels and Copyright

Post by Nick Output » June 8th, 2014, 1:08 am

Hi Graham,

Thought i might be able to share some facts about this, having been through quite a few showreel and application processes recently!
getting a green light from a major studio to use their footage is not very likely
Not always true in my experience. I did a showreel a few years back with some Universal footage. Youtube have a copyrights policy. You can indicate material is for educational or demonstration purposes. They contact the copyright holder and seek permission. In this case i was granted use. It took about 2 months to clear. Something i learnt from this experience, host your own video, its quicker.

In my experience, a copyrights holder will only pursue a claim when an interested party is making money from distributing their stuff. If no money is being made, then its usually as waste of peoples time.
they will not allow me to post any work that I did for them on my site or in any reels for self promotion
This sucks big time, and the whole excuse of 'we don't want people to be confused' is rubbish. I work with a lot of different companies on separate projects, all of them outsourced. There is no confusion to create when its quite clear that an individual is working for a studio directly. Providing this is stated clearly in your credits I'm not exactly sure what they have to gain here, apart from a poorly executed staff retention policy.

You should be credited publicly for your work even if you can't sample it. If this is the case i would point people towards official youtube footage of the game and also IMDB credits etc. There should be plenty of information publicly available that relates to your work. If you are credited, theres no reason you can't use this as links.

Also a few points relating to how useful showreels like this are. I would agree and say the have limited use, but its down to how you execute the whole thing. Example, if i want a job at studio X i look for showreel footage to use from that studio. I make it sound pretty badass then send it back to someone who is an audio decision maker at that studio. Someone who creates (and cuts!) the jobs around there. Someone who can take action.

If i did a showreel with loads of really nice looking footage from huge hollywood films I'm sure it would sound great, problem is i don't really apply to jobs in LA and i don't do a lot of work on film mix stages. I work in games largely, so i pick footage that serves this purpose. Having multiple showreels that drag on demonstrating a ton of different stuff is also something i have learned to avoid. My personal rule is no more than 1 minute and make it feel like a finished product.

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GrahamDonnelly
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Re: Showreels and Copyright

Post by GrahamDonnelly » June 9th, 2014, 3:41 pm

Thanks Nick,

Points have been taken on board. There's no way around getting my previous work up or in fact getting credited for it, all of these things were tied into my contract, and being overly excited and eager to gain the position, I overlooked them as having a lasting effect on my career - Hoping to have stayed in house with the company etc - Obviously something that will be considered more carefully in the future, as I now know the pitfalls of this. But hey, you learn from your mistakes right.

I also hear you on the multiple reels that will drag on, I do however want to have enough material that will allow anyone, including possible new employers, to see what I am able to do. My rationale behind having several of these reels, is to allow other pros who may be looking to "outsource" certain areas of a production, say foley and atmos for example, they will be able to see some specific examples of this.

The pieces I have completed so far are short, around 40 seconds each and each one is different in many ways. I am looking to move forward into film sound ideally and this is why I have decided to create these linear reels - although I dabble in game sound and am working on my skills within this area currently too.

I am polishing each piece as best as I can to give the best quality possible. These reels will be a support for my actual reel, that will be built on original work that I do have access too (albeit footage is limited and quite dated) and can display. It is also keeping my skills sharp and allowing me to continue developing in my free time etc. It's also allowed me to learn a decent video editing software, which can't be a bad thing.

I will look into self hosting the videos and see how I go from there.

I am close to finishing the first reel and would love some feedback when I put it up. If I posted a link here (eventually) would you guys consider giving me a critique and feedback?

I appreciate all the input here folks. So thank you all.

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