Content Guides
Copyright and Intellectual Property
What can you include in your video?
Copyright protects creators by limiting how others may use their work. For Digital Greenroom you must have the right to use any content included in your video. That means you need the right to use any text or choreography you perform, any music in the video, or any images you display.
How do I know that material in my video is okay to use?
Create the content yourself. Any text you write, music you compose, photograph you take, or art you create is your creative content and from the moment you record it you are the copyright holder! You may choose to register your creation with the US Copyright office, but it's not necessary. Anything you create can be included in your video.
Use creative commons material. Some creators choose to license their work under a creative commons license, which means that some types of sharing are permitted. You can search for "creative commons photography" or "creative commons music" to find archives of work that is licensed in this way. Be sure to double check what type of license the creator has chosen. Some creators require that you credit them when you use their work. Others allow you to use their work but do not allow any alterations.
Find work that is in the public domain. No one owns the rights to works in the public domain- they belong collectively to everyone as part of our cultural archive. Work is considered to be in the public domain if its copyright expires, if the creator chooses to gift it to the public domain, or if it was created before the invention of copyright. Anything created before 1925 is considered to be in the public domain in the United States (it varies by country). Check that your content is entirely in this category before using it. Most classical music is in the public domain, but most recordings are the intellectual property of the artist that recorded it.
Obtain permission to use the work. Ask the person who holds the rights (not always the creator) to the content you want to use if you can use it. Be specific about what you plan to do with it, how long your work with be available to the public, and if or how you plan to credit them. Some copyright holders want money to license their content to you, especially larger publishers. Some artists may be happy to share their work for credit, or in a specific way such as for a limited time or if you agree not to alter it. If you obtain permission it is crucial to honor the agreement you made with the artist.
Unlicensed use of copyright-protected material is sometimes allowed if it is used in a limited and is transformed in the new work that you are creating. This is called fair use. It can be complex to determine if your use is fair use, and there's no guarantee that your new work is fair use. It's safer to use materials that you know are clear to use.
Why should I care about copyright or intellectual property?
Due to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act Youtube is vigilant about taking down videos that unfairly use copyright protected works. Some of videos are taken down after a report from the copyright holder, and some are automatically tagged if there's recognizable material such as music.
Additionally, intellectual property is how artists' rights are protected. As theater artists we want our work to to be respected and compensated, and we owe it to our fellow artists in other media to treat their work the same way.
Where can I find material that's okay to use?
You can always search for "creative commons [content]". Here are some great collections to get you started.
Multimedia
Music
Youtube Audio Library (some works require attribution)
iMovie
Images and Videos
Video Tech Specs
The content creator (that's you) will be responsible for editing and formatting their submission so that it meets the following technical requirements:
1. Submissions can be no longer than 18 minutes in length (no minimum required)
2. .MP4 format is preferred, though .MOV or .MPEG4 will be accepted.
3. We recommend a minimum size of 1280 x 720 pixels (16:9) or 640 x 480 pixels (4:3)
Please see Technology Tutorials for guidance on converting file types.
For more in depth explanation of Youtube's ideal specs please read this link.
Content Guidelines
All channel content is a reflection of both the ACC Drama Department and the Austin Community College District; therefore, we ask that any submission align with the mission statement and goals of ACC. (PG-13 CONTENT OR LOWER ONLY, PLEASE.)
The ACC Drama Department does not guarantee that any or all submissions will be included on the Digital Green Room channel. The department reserves the right to decline including any materials that do not adhere to the formatting and specs requirements or are deemed inappropriate for our channel.