Saturday, July 21, 2012

The right hand doesn't know the left hand has DRM


One of the stars of SyFy’s Haven tweets that the best short fan video in advance of Season 3 (premiering in September) will get its creator an autographed set of Season 2 DVDs (which will also be released in September). In response to a fan who asks whether the footage should be original, he clarifies “We want a promo trailer like a commercial.”   Legitimately acquired source will have to be from DVD rips (for Season 1) or iTunes/Amazon downloads (for Seasons 1/2).  A few points: (1) nobody, on the show’s side or the fans’ side, is interested in anything but the quality of the resulting video, which includes both content and form and therefore requires high-quality source; (2) this contest presumes that fans will have ready access to clip-making software (or unauthorized downloads), and it’s doubtful that the people behind it gave a moment’s thought to that background reality; (3) this contest also celebrates the underlying truth that creative, engaged fans are a huge benefit for a mass media production, not a detriment.  So tell me again what’s wrong with a remix video exemption?
PS: Haven is fun and sf/fantasy fans should give it a try!
HT GK.

1 comment:

  1. Haven is great fun - a well-written, character and relationship-driven series with a growing fan base - their panel and post-panel autograph session at Comic-Con was SRO.

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