Showing a film to a group of people legally?

[Scott Walker]

Hi all

I have a super 8 feature I’d love to show and was thinking of doing so in this bar. There wouldn’t be a cost to watch it but aware that doesn’t matter if it’s a public viewing.

my question is what can I do to check if a film is allowed to be shown in public and if I need permission where do I get it from?

best


scott

[Martin Davey]

Someone is going to own the copyright and even a free (to an audience) showing still needs permission and some sort of licence, according to the warnings I've read in the past on prints, catalouges and more recent media. Outside of close friends and family, the people watching it are considered 'public'.
I show short films once every year at a local rail society. It's done behind closed doors to a membership in a meeting hall, and the review of the evening for the monthly news letter is written in a vauge manner so as not to point to any obvious titles or sequences. Probably what I do is illegal, but its not advertised and the public can't just walk in.
There may well be some odd films in existence, out of copyright or designed specifically for the use you intend but I'm assuming what you have to show does not fit that cirteria. Perhaps what you are doing may need to be behind closed doors and just for a few people.

[Steve Klare]

Hi Scott,

The answer is...complicated!

Generally, Super-8 prints are shown licensed for home viewing only. As soon as you get outside your domicile, you have exceeded the license: show it at your house, fine -show it even at the neighbor's next door, technically nope!

I showed many at a house we were renting with a bunch of friends: OK, temporary domicile. I showed a bunch at Church: technically not ok, I don't live there. (I was forgiven...)

There's a debate about whether or not receiving money makes a difference, technically no. -but selling tickets is a lot worse than having a pail there for contributions to a charity or no money received at all.

There have been cases of copyright suits being brought over public showings of super-8 prints, but the one I know of was a restaurant projecting Blackhawks continuously in their dining area. This was a continuing activity for profit, not one guy with a projector one time.

It costs money (LOTS of money) to press legal options. The question often becomes why would the copyright holder spend thousand and thousands of dollars for a nickel and dime offense while millions of dollars of bootleg DVDs and Blu-Rays are landing on the docks daily?

[Mike Newell]

Technically everything outside your home is illegal unless the film isn’t in copyright Night of the Living Dead comes to mind or in public domain older films were copyright has lapsed.

So it’s down to your location and numbers in audience. It should be fine. We can always start a campaign for your release.😳

[Osi Osgood]

I'd agree that you should be AOK, few would ever go after anyone projecting privately owned prints and all they would get in return would be a slew of bad press for being so petty.

[Paul Adsett]

Steve' story reminds me of a really nice San Francisco/Barary Coast themed bar/restaurant on Church Street in Orlando ( Rosie O'Grady's) also used to show 16mm Blackhawk prints on part of the premises . They are out of business now, but the old silent film show was a nice touch and a lot of people liked it.

[Martin Davey]

I'm not sure if the technical quality of whats being shown, or the subject of the presentation itself that may have a deciding factor. If its a battered up red copy of (insert title) on 8mm or a blu ray copy, they may be seen in the same light by the film distributer.

Copyright Guidelines for Showing Movies and Other Audiovisual Works : Washington and Lee University (wlu.edu)

[Ed Gordon]

Most movies are intended for personal, private viewing only. If you're watching a movie in a group with your family and friends in your home, there is no issue under copyright law. Similarly, if you rent out a space for a private party and screen a movie for family and friends, and the party is exclusive to your guests and closed to the general public, there will not be a copyright law violation. However, if your event was open to members of the public outside your small group, the movie showing might be considered a “public performance."

Source:https://info.legalzoom.com/article/c...-group-showing

[Steve Klare]

There used to be a guy down to the west of Philadelphia that ran unlicensed free public screenings of 16mm features. He had a motorcycle with a side-car and he mounted the machine in it, and projected on the side of a suitably-colored building. In order to know what and where the showing was, the audience needed to solve a puzzle and find a small AM transmitter sending the secret access code. (He called it the "MacGuffin".)

This was generally enough to keep him out of trouble, but he got "cease and desisted" at a couple of screenings and had to pack up and go home.

[Antoine Orsero]

For example on Youtube if you put a video made by you and you add music to it, Youtube checks that this music is not copyrighted. If this is the case it blocks the vide

[Dominique De Bast]

I read that in the USA, anything published before the 1st January 1923 is free of copyright, so you may be allowed to project silent films without any trouble. In France, as a general rule, the copyright ends 70 years after the dead of the author but not completely (that would have been too simple).

[Ed Gordon]

It's a Wonderful Life is in the public domain, right?. Wrong:

In short, though the film itself is in the public domain, the story and music are not, making it impossible to show the film in its entirety on television without permission from the copyright holders, in this case, Republic Pictures.

In 1993, Republic Pictures began to send out notice of copyright claim letters to TV networks, cable stations and anyone else who might have sought to distribute or display the film.

In 1994, Republic Pictures signed a “long-term” deal granting NBC exclusive rights to air the film, which the station typically does only a handful of times each year.

Just like that, the era of “It’s a Wonderful Life” TV marathons was over, for better or worse.

Source: https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2013...opyright-life/

[Osi Osgood]

Funny thing ... Keystone pizza and other pizza joints have been showing silent films in they're pizza parlors for years without anyone complaining.

[Scott Walker]

Thanks everyone for your comments and thoughts. It seems to me it’s a bit of a grey area when it’s for a small number of friends/family but in a different place outside your home and it being dependent on how that setup looks or is organized. Very interesting to think about and see people’s takes on such a matter.

[Mark McLaughlin]

Scott. Run it enjoy it!! Nobody’s going to care believe me. I used to show prints in the Beachwood Market right in the heart of Hollywood. Never a peep except for praise. So fun and people loved it. We had many famous actors come down for our shows including for Invasion of the Body Snatchers which had a scene filmed right where we were sitting. Big applause! Show film. Enjoy it and spread the joy! Nobody will care. They would spend more money if it even came on their radar on filing a complaint than what they would ever get from you. Do it. Love it. And keep me posted.