[1] Brickfilms.com community questions
--------
[1] Brickfilms.com community questions
[1-1] Where do I find these movies?
[1-2] Are they safe for general viewing?
[1-3] Where do I post my movies?
[1-4] What information do I provide when I submit a movie?
[1-5] Should I be concerned about copyrighting my films?
[1-6] What about The LEGO Group's copyrights?
[1-7] How do I check on the necessary credits for music?
[1-7] How long does it take for my movie to be listed?
[1-8] How popular are brickfilms?
[1-9] How do I become a member of the Brickfilms community?
[1-10]How can I contact a fellow "brickfilmer"?
[1] Brickfilms.com community questions
[1-1] Where do I find these movies?
There are several places online that feature links to the hundreds of brickfilms online. A good start is of course the directory at the Brickfilms.com website.
Each of the sites listed will have movies on them and many sites have listings of other films that the director has made. In combination with your favorite search engine, with these links you should be able to find just about any brick movie on the net...
Another great source for brickfilms, especially test shots, shorts, and movie-related still pictures, is Brickshelf. Browse the "recent uploads" section and look for folders called movies or animation.
Last but not least. there is the official LEGO Studios website:
http://www.lego.com/studios
[1-2] Are they safe for general viewing?
You should preview them first and decide for yourself. What some may find inappropriate and offensive, others may not. The vast majority are good, clean fun - but there are those that push the boundaries of taste, just like in any medium.
[1-3] Where do I post my movies?
Firstly, Brickfilms.com does not host movies, it is only a resource for those us involved in the hobby. Brickfilms.com's forums are a great place to announce the creation and posting of your films. We are more than happy to link to a web page with your movie on it. There are several places on the internet where you can create a website.
Once you have the page created, send the link to submit_brickfilms@yahoo.com. Please note that if you are using a free web address, send the link to the webpage and not the link to the movie. Too many sites have been shut down because of excessive bandwidth.
***
Brickshelf is a popular place to host your movies. Provided your files are LEGO-related, Brickshelf offers unlimited space to upload movies, pictures, and any other LEGO related material that you would like to share.
Due to current changes in the brickshelf uploads moderating policies, your files and folders are not immediately made public for viewing. You can't make it public, it's up to the moderators at brickshelf to first view the film and other files in that folder and if deemed within their guidelines, it will be made public.
In the meantime, when you are logged in, right-click on your film(s) and choose "Copy shortcut" or "Copy link location". This will place the direct URL to the film on the clipboard. Then post here in the forums and paste it in.
***
Other free-hosting sites include: Angelfire, Geocities, and Tripod, among others. Each has various limitations and conditions; check the fine print carefully! Also check with your Internet Service Provider, many offer several Megabytes of space to their customers along with their account.
[1-4] What information do I provide when I submit a movie?
What you need to submit along with your movie is what your name is for the directors spot. Most often, people do not want their real names on the internet as an added precaution. Please be respectful when choosing a name (no curses or other inappropriate words), and please stick to this name, as all of your movies will hopefully be under a searchable database in the near future.
[1-5] Should I be concerned about copyrighting my films?
The following link should answer your questions about copyrights and your legal ownership of your films:
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
In summary:
These days, almost all things are copyrighted the moment they are written, and no copyright notice is required.
Copyright is still violated whether you charged money or not, only damages are affected by that.
Postings to the net are not granted to the public domain, and don't grant you any permission to do further copying except perhaps the sort of copying the poster might have expected in the ordinary flow of the net.
Fair use is a complex doctrine meant to allow certain valuable social purposes. Ask yourself why you are republishing what you are posting and why you couldn't have just rewritten it in your own words.
Copyright is not lost because you don't defend it; that's a concept from trademark law. The ownership of names is also from trademark law, so don't say somebody has a name copyrighted.
Fan fiction and other work derived from copyrighted works is a copyright violation.
Copyright law is mostly civil law where the special rights of criminal defendants you hear so much about don't apply.
Watch out, however, as new laws are moving copyright violation into the criminal realm.
Don't rationalize that you are helping the copyright holder; often it's not that hard to ask permission.
Posting E-mail is technically a violation, but revealing facts from E-mail you got isn't, and for almost all typical E-mail, nobody could wring any damages from you for posting it.
The law doesn't do much to protect works with no commercial value.
[1-6] What about The LEGO Group's copyrights?
While LEGO (or any other toy-brick manufacturer) can not stop you from making and distributing films made with their products, you should not present your film as their product.
A few things to avoid to prevent any confusion:
1. Showing the brick brand name "LEGO" or "MegaBlok" etc.. Those blocks could be made by anyone. Think the tops of the studs. Try to make sure that the logo is not clearly visible in your movie.
2. Using LEGO characters, such as the Bionicle guys, Galidor, Jonny Thunder, or Jack Stone as the names of your movie's characters.
3. Using the word "LEGO" anywhere, like titling your film "Lego Wars".
4. Generally, diluting LEGO's brand name in any way by trying to pass off your film as made by them. Thnk of the bricks as a medium. Use other things besides just bricks in your films if you can.
On your personal website, you may want to consider adding the following text (or something similiar) to your LEGO-related pages:
[i] LEGO is a registered trademark of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, endorse, or authorize this site. Visit the official Lego website at http://www.lego.com.[/i]
Also take a look at the LEGO Fair-Use Policy page for more details. http://www.lego.com/eng/info/fairplay.asp
[1-7] How do I check on the necessary credits for music?
This site,
http://www.marklitwak.com/music_mpsound.htm
has information that refers to using copyrighted music in a movie. You may want to consider using something in the public domain which is free to use.
http://www.pdinfo.com
There you'll find a search engine which will tell you what versions (if any) of a song are in the public domain.
[1-8] How long does it take for my movie to be listed?
It could take a week or longer. Since this is a free hobby site, it might be a week, it might be a day. If you would like an email sent to you regarding when your movie will be listed, please note this in your submission email.
[1-9] How popular are brickfilms?
This hobby has been around for decades; since the 2000 release of LEGO Studios however, the popularity of brick films has grown dramatically. Estimates range from 1000 - 2000 people are interested in the world of stop motion and animated bricks not counting those who have made their presence known online or to the public. It is estimated there are 100-200 people who make brick films as a hobby.
[1-10] How do I become a member of the Brickfilms community?
Registration is required to post messages to the brickfims.com forums, registering makes posting much easier because you only need to log in once per visit (only once ever if your browser is accepting cookies) Your registration applies to all EZBoards, many of which also require that you are registered to post there.
To register for free go to
http://www.ezboard.com/create_join.html to get started
[1-11] How can I contact a fellow "brickfilmer"?
The brickfilms.com forums are not the place to ask for e-mail addresses. Find a message by a registered member and click on their name on the left hand side of the posting. You will go to a profile page with some personal details about this person. There may also be links to their personal webpage(s) and/or an e-mail address. If no e-mail address is provided, they have set up an option to send them a message anonymously through the EZBoard system.
--------
[1] Brickfilms.com community questions
[1-1] Where do I find these movies?
[1-2] Are they safe for general viewing?
[1-3] Where do I post my movies?
[1-4] What information do I provide when I submit a movie?
[1-5] Should I be concerned about copyrighting my films?
[1-6] What about The LEGO Group's copyrights?
[1-7] How do I check on the necessary credits for music?
[1-7] How long does it take for my movie to be listed?
[1-8] How popular are brickfilms?
[1-9] How do I become a member of the Brickfilms community?
[1-10]How can I contact a fellow "brickfilmer"?
[1] Brickfilms.com community questions
[1-1] Where do I find these movies?
There are several places online that feature links to the hundreds of brickfilms online. A good start is of course the directory at the Brickfilms.com website.
Each of the sites listed will have movies on them and many sites have listings of other films that the director has made. In combination with your favorite search engine, with these links you should be able to find just about any brick movie on the net...
Another great source for brickfilms, especially test shots, shorts, and movie-related still pictures, is Brickshelf. Browse the "recent uploads" section and look for folders called movies or animation.
Last but not least. there is the official LEGO Studios website:
http://www.lego.com/studios
[1-2] Are they safe for general viewing?
You should preview them first and decide for yourself. What some may find inappropriate and offensive, others may not. The vast majority are good, clean fun - but there are those that push the boundaries of taste, just like in any medium.
[1-3] Where do I post my movies?
Firstly, Brickfilms.com does not host movies, it is only a resource for those us involved in the hobby. Brickfilms.com's forums are a great place to announce the creation and posting of your films. We are more than happy to link to a web page with your movie on it. There are several places on the internet where you can create a website.
Once you have the page created, send the link to submit_brickfilms@yahoo.com. Please note that if you are using a free web address, send the link to the webpage and not the link to the movie. Too many sites have been shut down because of excessive bandwidth.
***
Brickshelf is a popular place to host your movies. Provided your files are LEGO-related, Brickshelf offers unlimited space to upload movies, pictures, and any other LEGO related material that you would like to share.
Due to current changes in the brickshelf uploads moderating policies, your files and folders are not immediately made public for viewing. You can't make it public, it's up to the moderators at brickshelf to first view the film and other files in that folder and if deemed within their guidelines, it will be made public.
In the meantime, when you are logged in, right-click on your film(s) and choose "Copy shortcut" or "Copy link location". This will place the direct URL to the film on the clipboard. Then post here in the forums and paste it in.
***
Other free-hosting sites include: Angelfire, Geocities, and Tripod, among others. Each has various limitations and conditions; check the fine print carefully! Also check with your Internet Service Provider, many offer several Megabytes of space to their customers along with their account.
[1-4] What information do I provide when I submit a movie?
What you need to submit along with your movie is what your name is for the directors spot. Most often, people do not want their real names on the internet as an added precaution. Please be respectful when choosing a name (no curses or other inappropriate words), and please stick to this name, as all of your movies will hopefully be under a searchable database in the near future.
[1-5] Should I be concerned about copyrighting my films?
The following link should answer your questions about copyrights and your legal ownership of your films:
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
In summary:
These days, almost all things are copyrighted the moment they are written, and no copyright notice is required.
Copyright is still violated whether you charged money or not, only damages are affected by that.
Postings to the net are not granted to the public domain, and don't grant you any permission to do further copying except perhaps the sort of copying the poster might have expected in the ordinary flow of the net.
Fair use is a complex doctrine meant to allow certain valuable social purposes. Ask yourself why you are republishing what you are posting and why you couldn't have just rewritten it in your own words.
Copyright is not lost because you don't defend it; that's a concept from trademark law. The ownership of names is also from trademark law, so don't say somebody has a name copyrighted.
Fan fiction and other work derived from copyrighted works is a copyright violation.
Copyright law is mostly civil law where the special rights of criminal defendants you hear so much about don't apply.
Watch out, however, as new laws are moving copyright violation into the criminal realm.
Don't rationalize that you are helping the copyright holder; often it's not that hard to ask permission.
Posting E-mail is technically a violation, but revealing facts from E-mail you got isn't, and for almost all typical E-mail, nobody could wring any damages from you for posting it.
The law doesn't do much to protect works with no commercial value.
[1-6] What about The LEGO Group's copyrights?
While LEGO (or any other toy-brick manufacturer) can not stop you from making and distributing films made with their products, you should not present your film as their product.
A few things to avoid to prevent any confusion:
1. Showing the brick brand name "LEGO" or "MegaBlok" etc.. Those blocks could be made by anyone. Think the tops of the studs. Try to make sure that the logo is not clearly visible in your movie.
2. Using LEGO characters, such as the Bionicle guys, Galidor, Jonny Thunder, or Jack Stone as the names of your movie's characters.
3. Using the word "LEGO" anywhere, like titling your film "Lego Wars".
4. Generally, diluting LEGO's brand name in any way by trying to pass off your film as made by them. Thnk of the bricks as a medium. Use other things besides just bricks in your films if you can.
On your personal website, you may want to consider adding the following text (or something similiar) to your LEGO-related pages:
[i] LEGO is a registered trademark of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, endorse, or authorize this site. Visit the official Lego website at http://www.lego.com.[/i]
Also take a look at the LEGO Fair-Use Policy page for more details. http://www.lego.com/eng/info/fairplay.asp
[1-7] How do I check on the necessary credits for music?
This site,
http://www.marklitwak.com/music_mpsound.htm
has information that refers to using copyrighted music in a movie. You may want to consider using something in the public domain which is free to use.
http://www.pdinfo.com
There you'll find a search engine which will tell you what versions (if any) of a song are in the public domain.
[1-8] How long does it take for my movie to be listed?
It could take a week or longer. Since this is a free hobby site, it might be a week, it might be a day. If you would like an email sent to you regarding when your movie will be listed, please note this in your submission email.
[1-9] How popular are brickfilms?
This hobby has been around for decades; since the 2000 release of LEGO Studios however, the popularity of brick films has grown dramatically. Estimates range from 1000 - 2000 people are interested in the world of stop motion and animated bricks not counting those who have made their presence known online or to the public. It is estimated there are 100-200 people who make brick films as a hobby.
[1-10] How do I become a member of the Brickfilms community?
Registration is required to post messages to the brickfims.com forums, registering makes posting much easier because you only need to log in once per visit (only once ever if your browser is accepting cookies) Your registration applies to all EZBoards, many of which also require that you are registered to post there.
To register for free go to
http://www.ezboard.com/create_join.html to get started
[1-11] How can I contact a fellow "brickfilmer"?
The brickfilms.com forums are not the place to ask for e-mail addresses. Find a message by a registered member and click on their name on the left hand side of the posting. You will go to a profile page with some personal details about this person. There may also be links to their personal webpage(s) and/or an e-mail address. If no e-mail address is provided, they have set up an option to send them a message anonymously through the EZBoard system.
