The film brought up a great point when it comes to music. I sometimes hear a song and could swear I had heard it before. At times I have taken the time to think about it, at pinpoint what part of the song I recognized in the other song. They use such similar elements that it has to be so complicated to make a copyright infringement decision.
That being said, how much more recognizable would our work be, and how more into our work would our students be, if we could use samples of music that they can relate to? Not saying we should or could use them, but I think as far as education goes, it would be extremely useful if we could. For my screenflow videos, I use the tools taught to me in Music Theory and try to create my own music. In theory this is a great idea, but it’s time consuming and not always what I want.
I have to look a little more into artwork copyright laws at least for my students sake. My students aren’t obviously trying to steal anything from other artists, but are trying to emulate them to learn their techniques.
Oh how I have a soft spot in my heart for Art Teachers. My wife is an art teacher and I truly love seeing pictures of the finished products that her students complete.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites that she has her students do is to have a grade level create a wall sized version of "Starry Night". It was your final question of looking into artwork copyright that brings this particular project to my mind. Copyright for individual work is lifetime + 70 years. Not being up on art history I think she's in the clear on that particular work. However, can the same be said for having students attempt to replicate the styles of say Salvadore Dali or Andy Warhol?
Valid questions indeed when trying to teach students certain genre/artists and keeping the copyright law on your side.
Meghan, I tend to believe that what Steve Jobs said in 1994 in this video.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU
"Good Artists Copy and that Great Artists Steal."
I know that on its face sounds horrible. However, this is what made the Mac platform what it is today. The incorporation and emulation of all the best ideas available. In the art and computer programming world when you see something amazing, elegant, or efficient it is just human nature to try and understand the technique and incorporate it into your own style.
We are all influenced by someone or something. Sadly, "there is nothing new under sun" and in the computer world we have a saying, "better emulate than never" which is a play on "better late than never".
Somehow we have to find a way to balance emulation, remixing, and copyright. It is the only way will be able to the next golden age of expression. And, it has to be open to everyone, not just those that can afford costly copyright attorneys.
Good thoughts, thank you for sharing!
Meghan, I get that same feeling all the time, especially as I listen to pop music today and there always seems to be one or two songs that sound like something I listened to when I was a teenager. I also agree with you that it would be really nice to be able to use whatever we needed to use to get our students' attention and captivate them with music/art that speaks to them.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as I watched this week's videos, I felt that maybe things were not as hopeless as they seemed. There are some ways to share ideas, emulate others and incorporate other people's creative works into our own. We just have to be smart about how we go about doing that.
Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI tend to use music samplings in videos and projects I do with my students and don't think twice about it. The videos on copyright and fair use got me thinking along the same lines that you are. Why can't we use this music if it is educational and helps us identify with our students? Making our own blips IS time consuming. Why recreate the wheel?
Meghan-
ReplyDeleteGood questions. I mentioned to Jim Farmer that we talk so much about Copyright when it deals with media, music and movies, but very little seems to be discussed dealing with art. I am not sure if you read that article on the Obama poster, or about how everyone creates art based on Wahol's 4 color pop art. Is that copying the technique or the art? And like music or movies, can we take parts of art, and piece them together and say it s our own work?
Creativity and using original characters is something I use in my classroom as well. some students tend to look at their neighbor’s paper and do what they are doing. This would be a great time to discuss copyright issues to them, but first, we must understand them ourselves. As you well know, artists are notorious for “liberating” ideas from other artists, yet many do create something truly original.
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