Insights on Digital Media and Higher Education

We’re excited to announce the six finalists in our Student Film Competition, which was open to all undergraduate and graduate level student filmmakers. We received submissions from talented and dedicated filmmakers all over the globe, and we were thrilled by the many, many creative ways they found to incorporate our VideoBlocks and AudioBlocks content into their projects while pursuing their unique creative visions. Thank you to everyone who submitted for helping to make the competition a success!

For a long time now Hollywood has branded itself as an industry of artists and risk takers—innovators of art, not science; however, audiences would be surprised by the level of data analysis behind every aspect of film. From highly publicized success stories such as Netflix’s House of Cards to the award-winning film The King’s Speech, commercial success has become more of a numbers game than ever before.

American copyright law is intentionally opaque. Outside of legal departments, few students or faculty members have a thorough understanding of Fair Use. Some studies even support an assertion that "no one" on campus understands it.

While this fog is helpful for courts that must continually interpret and redefine the spirit of copyright in the face of evolving technology (i.e., everything to come along since the printing press), the same gray areas can lead to confusion, intimidation, and widespread noncompliance on campus.

When platforms like Kickstarter initially gained traction in 2008 and 2009, Hollywood and educators both approached crowdfunding with due skepticism. It’s taken several years of testing the waters—and notable victories from industry regulars including Spike Lee (Da Sweet Blood of Jesus) and Zac Braff (Wish I Was Here)—but pursuing crowdfunding for films has finally moved into the mainstream as an accepted fundraising avenue for both big name filmmakers and aspiring students.