USC To Film Students: No YouTube For You!
You see, as a USC film student, Evan had to sign over ownership of everything he produces as a student to USC. Either that or choose another major. And since USC owns all student films, it bans them from the Internet with one exception: students may upload 10% of their work, provided all rights (in most cases, music) are cleared.
Why? Ostensibly its to protect students (and the university) from liability, and to allow students to use Screen Actors Guild members without paying them union rate. The school treats student films like it would treat any scientific discovery made on campus: That is, part of the school's intellectual property.
But in the case of Evan and film students like him, the practical result is they can't show off their films in the way any aspiring auteur typically does. "I just wanted my mom to see them and my friends but I can't put them on YouTube," he says. Evan doesn't know how far the university goes to enforce this; a friend considered posting his film under an assumed identity, but then decided not to risk it.
The school's policy has plenty of campus critics. Keep in mind, tuition at the alma mater of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas is $36,000 a year. Few if any of these films have any economic value other than the possibility they might help Evan, and others like him, get a job. Does anyone think this makes sense?
From USC's School of Cinematic Arts Copyright Policy:
In general, intellectual property in any work produced at USC that uses substantial University resources is owned by USC and protected under a USC copyright. In the context of SCA this applies to most media, films and other audio/visual works produced in courses ("Student-Produced Works") that use SCA funds, equipment, guild agreements or insurance. However, works produced in some advanced graduate courses, such as Production 582, are not owned by USC because such coursework does not require use of such USC resources, such as funds, equipment, guild agreements or insurance.
I strongly support the policy that the school owns all student work, because the school pays for that work. USC provides students (in the production programs upper division courses) with cameras, lights, editing systems, film, sound stages, mixing consoles, sound editing software, foley stages, etc. The 480 projects (senior projects) cost about $20k including the funny money for renting equipment. The school funds the film, they ought to own it.
You learn a lot in the SC production program, stuff that the vast majority of youtubers don't learn. In generally a USC student project is going to look(and sound) much more polished and professional than others.
That said, most student films, even at USC, are complete garbage. Pretty well produced garbage, but garbage nonetheless. Very poor acting, bad writing, and general immaturity. (My films were especially bad.)
Also, in the structure of a class you probably aren't going to make the next hot viral video. There are too many restrictions designed to make the films learning projects, not "great" shorts. If you want mom and dad to see your work burn a dvd and send it to them.
If you want to use what you learned to make the next hot viral, spend your own money and do it. Class projects sucks anyway.
The value of an education at USC is the networking and the skills you learn that can get you a job in one of the "trades" of film. (not including writing/directing). Anything else is going to take what success in a highly competitive field always takes: talent and luck. (or family in the business)
A side note, I am currently a web developer at yahoo, no one from my class in the SC production program only one person that I know of is currently a successful film writer or director. But many have careers in the entertainment industry and others (like me) have gone off to do other things. Evan may be a genius or something, but I suspect he is having trouble escaping the atmosphere at USC, where many people think they are the next big thing, and the chance to direct a 480 is going to make or break their career.
Sure, I can see some reasons why the policy might make sense. But the fact is there are many more reasons why it doesn't. My objections to the policy only go so far as trying to understand why it's still so restrictive in today's technology environment. I doubt I have to remind people who are reading a technology blog that retaining control of your own creative work is a very large issue in the age of the remix; I believe I have the right to allow my creative work to be a contribution to the larger cultural initiative. If people want to remix my films or use them as inspiration, they should be able to (Note: this is regardless of whether or not anyone actually would). Allowing the school to retain the copyright only stifles the potential for further creativity that could arise from my initial work, or that of my classmates. I think a film school of this stature has somewhat of a responsibility to foster this kind of openness because it promotes creative progress in society.
There are also numerous precedents around the country where universities give their students the same privileges we get here, and also let them retain copyright. Most notable is Loyola Marymount University, right down the 10 from here, where the man who authored the USC copyright policy is head of production. They have the exact same provisions - but students own the films. Please see this paper for more information.
A few interested students including myself have been trying to have a dialogue with SCA administrators about this subject for over a year and have been met with only bureaucratic brush-offs. I do not claim to be any sort of copyright scholar or even to be well-read on all the legal issues that come into play with this. It just doesn't seem to make sense to me.
A side note, I'm also not having any trouble escaping the atmosphere here. As I told Michael during our phone interview, there's no other place in the country I'd rather be at school; there are so many great people teaching and creating great things here. The policy is just an unfortunate part of the process. A graduating senior, I've found a niche developing narrative-based interactive content. I don't aspire to be a director; I don't think I'm particularly good at it.
Stephen, I agree with your cynical point, and I think it is a good idea. I like to keep some mysticism around USC film. Because, while there are some great films made here, like Hollywood, there is a lot of shit.
Evan, just wait until you graduate if you are really worried about posting your movie on youtube. Or, get a .Mac account, or some other restricted account, block it with a password, and show it to friends that way.
I am a film student who stands behind the policy.
At some point they will have to consider the broader costs/benefits of these policies. My personal view is that overly-restrictive policies stifle creativity, invention & learning on campus and ultimately amount to a competitive disadvantage for students and the school.
They would be better off embracing openness, encouraging students to experiment with different distribution outlets for their films (or web applications, invention, etc), and generally opening the school up to what technology has to offer.
If they fail to do so, the school might one day find itself known not for its strong academics, but for its 20th c mentality. Hard to see how a school that is presumably trying to move up the rankings can ascend much further with such an old-school strategy.
As per USC's reputation riding on the work its students create, I don't really understand your logic. USC has always stood on the laurels of its alumni (just look at the commercial for the school that aired last year that simply listed Lucas, Neal Armstrong, and others). Bad work posted on YouTube is still bad and won't find popularity.
If anything, allowing applying students to look at student films would give them the confidence of knowing we all start in the same place. I urge you to look in our cinema library (open to the public) and find student work by Zemeckis, Singleton, et al. Or just take my word for it...I'd call it "confidence enhancing."
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Students who upload a film become members of our filmmakers club and can either show their film publicly to a worldwide audience or privately to film club members only. Either way the student can also request a viewing room for their film or films for fast track private viewings.
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