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In a post on my flist (which is locked, so no link or discussion of the specifics) the subject of clip theft came up. For those not au fait with vidding conventions, this refers to the practice of taking bits out of other people's vids and sticking them in your own without permission. It is strongly frowned upon.
(Before someone asks: there are big, important differences between taking a clip out of a TV show or film and taking one out of someone else's vid. If you do not understand why, try reading this.)
In any case, somebody brought up the argument that campaigning against clip theft disadvantages poor vidders. Not everybody can afford piles of DVDs to rip for source, or a fast internet connection for downloads.
I have heard this theory before, and it annoys me mightily. Not only because I'm a vidder who doesn't want her clips taken without permission, but because when I started vidding I was unemployed, stuck on dial-up and couldn't afford to buy all the DVDs I wanted. Yet, somehow, I managed to get by without stealing the hard work of other vidders. What did I do instead? What are things other vidders could do?
1. Use bargain bin source.
Not all DVD source is super expensive. The first vids I made were for the X-Men movies, which can often be found on sale for AUS $10 or so. If you keep an eye out for sales and are prepared to be patient, TV box sets can often be had for 50% off RRP. Obviously this isn't always going to be an option. Maybe there's a particular show you want to vid and it's really long and expensive to buy. Don't despair! There are more options.
2. Borrow DVDs
It's not as though you have to purchase a DVD in order to have it in your possession long enough to rip clips from it. (This puts you on shaky legal ground vis a vis vidding being fair use, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.) In my vids, there are clips from DVDs I rented, or borrowed from the library. Some of them are from DVDs owned by my friends or my family. Generally speaking, I only do this when I need a very tiny percentage of the source - All I Want For Christmas is a kitchen sink video with clips from all over the place, including a couple of sources I don't even want to own. I don't have every single Doctor Who serial used in Bicycle Race on the shelf. Then again, my Crusade vid Holy Grail was made entirely with rented source. (In the years since I have purchased the box set.) It can certainly be annoying if you return the DVD and then find you need to get another clip, but it's a possible solution.
3. Turn to the kindness of fandom.
If there's one thing fandom is truly excellent at, it's illegally distributing TV shows. (Once again, we're on shaky legal ground here, but I'll leave it to you and your conscience to decide if you're OK vidding with downloaded source or not.) Back when I was poverty-stricken and stuck on dial up, I had incredibly kind friends who would burn things to disk for me and mail them across the world.
4. JUST ASK
If you really need a clip from a vid and you can't get it from the original source, here's a radical idea: ask the vidder who made it if she'd mind you taking it out of her vid. She might say yes! If anyone asked to take one of my clips, I'd be happy to upload an unedited version for them. (Assuming I still had the clip somewhere). If you've got permission, it's not theft any more.
In conclusion: there are several viable alternatives to clip theft if your reason for doing it is that you can't afford the source. I think all of them are more moral than stealing work from other vidders. This is not rocket science. If you're just ignorant or lazy, I'm afraid I cannot help you.
(Before someone asks: there are big, important differences between taking a clip out of a TV show or film and taking one out of someone else's vid. If you do not understand why, try reading this.)
In any case, somebody brought up the argument that campaigning against clip theft disadvantages poor vidders. Not everybody can afford piles of DVDs to rip for source, or a fast internet connection for downloads.
I have heard this theory before, and it annoys me mightily. Not only because I'm a vidder who doesn't want her clips taken without permission, but because when I started vidding I was unemployed, stuck on dial-up and couldn't afford to buy all the DVDs I wanted. Yet, somehow, I managed to get by without stealing the hard work of other vidders. What did I do instead? What are things other vidders could do?
1. Use bargain bin source.
Not all DVD source is super expensive. The first vids I made were for the X-Men movies, which can often be found on sale for AUS $10 or so. If you keep an eye out for sales and are prepared to be patient, TV box sets can often be had for 50% off RRP. Obviously this isn't always going to be an option. Maybe there's a particular show you want to vid and it's really long and expensive to buy. Don't despair! There are more options.
2. Borrow DVDs
It's not as though you have to purchase a DVD in order to have it in your possession long enough to rip clips from it. (This puts you on shaky legal ground vis a vis vidding being fair use, but that's a whole other kettle of fish.) In my vids, there are clips from DVDs I rented, or borrowed from the library. Some of them are from DVDs owned by my friends or my family. Generally speaking, I only do this when I need a very tiny percentage of the source - All I Want For Christmas is a kitchen sink video with clips from all over the place, including a couple of sources I don't even want to own. I don't have every single Doctor Who serial used in Bicycle Race on the shelf. Then again, my Crusade vid Holy Grail was made entirely with rented source. (In the years since I have purchased the box set.) It can certainly be annoying if you return the DVD and then find you need to get another clip, but it's a possible solution.
3. Turn to the kindness of fandom.
If there's one thing fandom is truly excellent at, it's illegally distributing TV shows. (Once again, we're on shaky legal ground here, but I'll leave it to you and your conscience to decide if you're OK vidding with downloaded source or not.) Back when I was poverty-stricken and stuck on dial up, I had incredibly kind friends who would burn things to disk for me and mail them across the world.
4. JUST ASK
If you really need a clip from a vid and you can't get it from the original source, here's a radical idea: ask the vidder who made it if she'd mind you taking it out of her vid. She might say yes! If anyone asked to take one of my clips, I'd be happy to upload an unedited version for them. (Assuming I still had the clip somewhere). If you've got permission, it's not theft any more.
In conclusion: there are several viable alternatives to clip theft if your reason for doing it is that you can't afford the source. I think all of them are more moral than stealing work from other vidders. This is not rocket science. If you're just ignorant or lazy, I'm afraid I cannot help you.