How far will a projector reach?

[SHARYNF]

Here is a link Annual License to Show Multiple Movies | Public Performance Site License | School Movie Night

There is some latitude for showing movies in a "Classroom type setting with a teacher present etc" that allow for an ability to show them

I have seen schools set up a class (no one says how big or small the class needs to be) assign a teacher to be there, set up a general curriculum ie "Cinema as an art form in our digital society" and hold a pre/ post showing discussion... all perfectly legal with no license required as long as all attendees are members of the class.



Sharyn

 

[museav]

Sharyn,

What really concerned me was the comment "Well for a thing our town has "The Chain of Lights", one of the towns clubs want to have a couple movies in our theatre, so I am transforming our theatre into a movie theater for a day...". That does not sound at all like an educational application and much more like entertainment or fund raising. If the "movies" are original content those groups produced themselves then that is one thing, however since the school is apparently providing the venue, equipment and operator they could definitely be the party liable if there are any problems.

I also want to go back to the brightness issue. With movies, between the actual image format, losses from a long throw lens, reduction in output due to lamp age, etc., you could have an effective brightness on the screen that is well below what you might get with an image matching the native projector format, a standard lens and a new lamp. The actual media or content will also be a factor. I believe that the 16ftL level mentioned for the SMPTE standard is for film projection, the digital cinema standards actually allow for a slightly lower image brightness. However, those criteria are addressing the actual brightness reflected off the screen and they tlso identify very low ambient light levels in order to maintain good image contrast at that brightness. By the time you factor in any optical and other losses and the actual ambient light levels found in many venues, in order to get the desired result you typically need much more projector output than you would calculate based solely on the 16ftL number and the screen size.

 

[MillburyAuditorium]

Well, I will be getting the projector model and everything, and trying it in person, I was simply wondering if a standard school quality projector would have good enough quality to be shown from the rear of the house. Will probably make the image smaller for better quality. All lights will be off, and there is no windows, etc, in the theatre, if thats what you meen by ambient light.



As for copyright and what not, I have been told they will not be charging to get it, so its free. Thats legal right? If you don't charge to get in, and buy the DVD?


As for eduational,
It is not during school hours, weekend, and the school lets the town use the gym for a little, market type place, so if any group wants to book the auditroium, they are free to do so. I am thinking there want be many people there anyways : P

 

[fredthe]

As for copyright and what not, I have been told they will not be charging to get it, so its free. Thats legal right? If you don't charge to get in, and buy the DVD?

Unfortunately, no. This is a common misconception with copyright, just because you aren't charging for it doesn't make it legal. A DVD you buy at the store is licensed for home use, showing it to an audience in a theater is not covered. Now, the fact that you are not charging admission may reduce the cost of the license, but it doesn't eliminate the need.

Think of it this way... don't you think that Disney would get upset if you were producing High School Musical without their permission, even though you weren't charging admission?

-Fred

 

[fredthe]

I was simply wondering if a standard school quality projector would have good enough quality to be shown from the rear of the house.

Back when we still had 16mm films in schools, projectors were pretty "standard" (most schools had Bell & Howell projectors )

With video projectors, there is a wide range in brightness and quality, and with technology getting better and cheaper, a projector bought last year will likely be better than one bought 5 years ago. So, tell us the model, and go try it out.

-Fred

 

[ruinexplorer]

Search this forum as we have discussed public viewing of films as an option for fund raising. One of the most often used services for film release (provide the DVD as well as the rights to show it) is through Swank:Public Performance License | Obtain a Public Performance License to Show Movies Legally.
There are very few ways to publicly show copywrited material that does not involve a fee. That includes public showings of sporting events as well as television shows, not just movies.

 

[museav]

If you read the FAQs on the site that Sharyn and ruinexplorer referenced you will find that the Public Performance license they do offer for K-12 institutions requires that no admission fee be charged other than to cover costs, if you did charge admission then there would be a different license required.

The type of use noted has several aspects that require some form of license to be obtained. For one, it is a public performance, it is not limited to members of any specific group or organization. For another, it is not academic in nature as it is not part of a class setting nor related to a core curriculum. The fact that it is a City event also does not matter, that is not exempt from Federal copyright laws.

Where this should matter to the school is that they are likely to be liable for what is shown. From the Movie Licensing USA site referenced:

What if an outside organization such as an After School Program or Summer Camp wants to show an entertainment movie in our facility?
This is only legally permitted if the school itself has a Public Performance Site License from Movie Licensing USA. Schools without such a license will be held liable if an outside organization involves them in copyright infringement by permitting movies to be used in their facility.

It is typically the venue that is required to have the appropriate licenses and that is liable for any action or penalties, something the school may want to consider addressing when they let outside groups use their facilities.


On the projector, you have several time mentioned using a smaller image. If you are using a typical portable projector then you will likely have some zoom capability but you can't just put the projector anywhere you want and get any size image you want, the lens will be limited in the image size possible based on the distance the projector is from the screen. Also consider that if the projector was intended for typical classroom use then that is likely the size screen and viewing area it will support. If the Auditorium is darker then you may be able to have a larger usable image than in a classroom, but unless the projector is overkill for the classroom applications or you have very large classrooms, then it may be limited in the image size and projector location possible.

The ambient light levels my require some balance. Not being clear on the application, it sounds like you may have a situation with people coming and going during the event, if so that may require having more ambient light in the space for people to safely enter and exit than you might in a normal cinema application.

 

[MillburyAuditorium]

Thanks everyone~

Well, The Millbury Music Parents Association, who is putting on this movie(s) have always done everything they do lawfully, getting a raffle license when they put on raffles, etc etc, so I am sure they will do right with this as well. I will inform them of it and if any copyright where to be ensued then charges would be against them. But first I would ask nicely if they have the license
But either way it really isn't up to me what the school lets people do in the theatre, although I have some say, the school wont pass up the money offered to rent the facility
I just need to do what I am told

Museav,
The projectors aren't made for the classroom, classrooms are supplied with Over-Head projectors, so the couple media cart projectors we have, one of which I will be using, are intended for the auditorium or even the gym. We project videos etc. on the walls of the gym if a school wide "concert" is to be held.

I will have to ask the association putting it on if they are closing doors when the movie starts, etc.

 

[museav]

Thanks everyone~

Well, The Millbury Music Parents Association, who is putting on this movie(s) have always done everything they do lawfully, getting a raffle license when they put on raffles, etc etc, so I am sure they will do right with this as well. I will inform them of it and if any copyright where to be ensued then charges would be against them. But first I would ask nicely if they have the license
But either way it really isn't up to me what the school lets people do in the theatre, although I have some say, the school wont pass up the money offered to rent the facility
I just need to do what I am told

Personally, I would feel it was my role to inform the school of the situation rather than dealing directly with the User as it is the school that you represent and who will be liable unless they are otherwise covered by their agreements. Many schools that rent out facilities will have agreements or contracts for rentals that address issues such as licensing as well as liability for personal or property damage, supplied personnel and so forth. If you currently have no such existing agreements then this might be a good opportunity to pursue the school developing them.

 

[SHARYNF]

Typologically the fee is about 100 dollars or 50 percent of the gate. (this is why most folks make sure to just as for DONATIONS. Some movies are restricted over 200 people etc.

It is the venue that ultimately has the responsibility.

Fact is that it is only in rare instances that this gets enforced, usually instead of someone like SWANK going after the venue it is the original copyright holder.
From a legal standpoint the reason these are not widely litigated is that the law only allows a penalty of up to 5000 dollars so it is in a different ball game than illegal downloading with its huge penalties and high visiblity

Most organizations are not aware of the issues, and also that there is an organization that can handle the licensing etc. Just because a group makes sure they have gambling or alcohol licensing in place does not mean they are aware of the other issues. Since public exhibition penalties are civil based on suite, and not criminal and not locally enforced they do tend to get overlooked.

Certainly not trying to induce anyone to do the wrong thing, but at the same time I do think it is important to present a bit more information on the topic.

Sharyn