Reel Issues

Keeping it Legal

It would be nice to think that buying a DVD or hiring a video would automatically give you the freedom to set up cinema in any room.
Nice idea, wrong conclusion!

The reality is that film copyright is complicated. Most films take months of negotiation, the investment of millions of dollars, and many months of planning, filming and editing. And many of the people who contributed to the process in some way or another are entitled to some remuneration whenever it is publicly shown or broadcast.

This means that to show a film legally in a public place, whether that is showing a clip or a full film, you must seek the film distributor’s permission and this is often a time-consuming and disappointing experience. (Many film production companies just say no to avoid the rights they would have to administer to half the names you see on the film credits.)

But life is becoming easier …

The simplest option is to keep your group (or groups!) small and meet to watch the film or clips in someone’s home (high street videos/DVDs are licensed for home viewing).

If you want to be able to show the film to a larger group, the alternatives are:

1) Register with Christian Video Licensing Europe Ltd (CVLE), part of Christian Copyright Licensing International. For an annual fee related to average aggregate attendance at your church’s main service, churches can buy a video licence to show films from a growing number of producers including Miramax, Touchstone Pictures and Buena Vista Pictures. For example, a church of 50 to 100 members would pay £100 (including VAT). It is also possible for leaders/speakers who work in a variety of locations to be licensed individually. Here the annual fee will depend on the number of showings and audience size. More details from http://www.ccli.co.uk/ or telephone 01323 417711.

2) Hire from Filmbank, an industry-owned company which currently distributes films from 15 major studios for non-theatrical (non-cinema) settings. This involves:
· Opening an account by sending a form and paying a £75 deposit.
· Hiring the film for (typically) £60 +VAT for the first day and £30 +VAT for subsequent days (price varies according to how recent the film is). This entitles you to show the film to audiences up to 250 in number.
Visit http://www.filmbank.co.uk/ or tel. 0207 984 5958/57 for details.
 
With either of these suppliers, you could spread the cost beyond the group by seeing if your church will open the account. This could be viewed as an opportunity to show films to larger audiences in your community. You could then invite them a week later to a Reel Issues discussion. One Stockton-on-Tees church hires films regularly as a service to its community. It is also possible for leaders/speakers who work in a variety of locations to be licensed individually. Here the annual fee will depend on the number of showings and audience size.