From: Christopher Pavsek (email suppressed)
Date: Thu Jun 12 2008 - 01:21:11 PDT
I feel like I've been through this discussion many times recently.
Obviously this issue is intractable and there is no answer that is
not in some ways full of contradictions. Do we as artists really in
the end want to fight for retrograde principles like property rights?
Or, conversely, is it right that someone essentially expropriates our
right to exploit the products of our labours? I would say the
problem is utterly irresolvable without some sort of sacrifice in one
way or another.
But obviously, in an ideal world, there'd be no property rights, so I
tend to lean in the obvious direction that such a belief leads me.
That said, as a person who doesn't need to make a penny from his film
work (and who doesn't make one, either!), it's an easy stance to take.
But I will say this: Ubu and other similar sites which are "illegal"
have led to dozens and dozens of orders being placed at my university
library in the past 2 years. It's a great way to preview things; a
hell of a lot better than begging this distributor or that for a
preview tape, mailing it back, etc . etc. Especially when shipping
to Canada from the states. Too much work, too much hassle, too much
money. But click "play" at ubu and I see what I need and if it works
and if it meets our needs the order goes out to herrr farocki or
whomever.
Not that it justifies "stealing"; this is just to say that there are
real material benefits to having your work easy to preview. I wonder
if such benefits don't far outweigh any disadvantages to one's
business. I don't know though.
And with budgets tightening, I'm less willing to order many things
without a preview these days.
Chris Pavsek
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For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.