Dance DVD and USB

[Steven Davis]

I've been approached about filming a dance and selling the DVDS. I've done one before, but I sold the DVDs to the director. I was thinking about USB delivery, but there are copying and sharing issues, since I don't think they make a lockable USB. I know they make encrypted ones, but not lockable. As far as I know, if you can play it, it can be copied via USB.

I'm more comfortable making a master and charging a flat fee. I've read over the threads on dances and such and didn't know if anyone had updated information on what the market wants regarding parents-dvd-usb-dance.

Thanks in advance.

[Chris Harding]

Steven

Whether it's DVD or USB they can still be copied! My mate was working for a guy that produced USB's on the night! As each dance was complete his assistant copied USB drives to waiting parents ...Costs more than a blank DVD but it's quick and easy and no printing needed either. He was doing mainly individual performances so copying was not an issue as each parent had their own child's dance.

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Most if not all want a dvd so they can watch it on their large screen tv. Besides they wouldn't know what to do with a usb. In the past I've tried on a number of occasions I've offered hd version but I've never had any interest except for weddings.

If you want to you can add a usb distribution option on your video order form. I would also suggest you put the usb in a package that has art work and title on. It be unprofessional to sell a consumer memory stick by itself.

Like Chris said both dvd and usb can be copied but who cares what they do with it once you've met your minimum sales requirement.

[Taky Cheung]

There is a way to protect DVD. And its been proven working. A little bit ghetto but it works.


Adding Copy Protection to DVD | L.A. Color Pros Blog

[Roger Gunkel]

I film a number of school productions every year and work on a very straight forward arrangement with the school. I don't have any direct contact with the parents at all, instead, the school has to purchase a minimum quantity of dvds at £10 each, which they usually sell to parents at cost price. Any quantity above the minimum is sold to the school at £5 each, but the school continues to sell them at £10. This means that the school has total control over distribution and sales, which they like, and always make a profit on total sales. The parents are also aware that the school are raising money and are less likely to copy their own. I always supply a case and sleeve with very quick and easy artwork on disc and sleeve, which again makes it more attractive to parents and less likely to be copied.

DVD is the most universally playable format and I have never been asked for anything else on school productions. I would though be prepared to offer an hd version on usb on a special order and price basis if requested.

Roger

[Nathan Buck]

Hi,

I filmed a university dance show for a number of years on the trot, 3/4 camera edit. I was still very new to shooting back then, so I charged £125 in total for the first one, before charging £250 by my last one - they were once a year. That included filming a 2hr show and providing 50 burned DVDs. I didn't actually put copyright protection on, I don't think. I have no idea how much they sold the DVDs for, but I bet they made more than me :p

If I were to do it again (I would be charging a lot more hah) I wouldn't provide DVDs. I feel like the world needs to move to better formats! Shooting in HD then converting down to SD for DVD was painful. Especially as the show was so long and you had to cram it into 4.7GB (although I would go dual layer now) there was a huge sacrifice in quality.

I personally would be pushing for BluRay now :)

[Roger Gunkel]

I would love to deliver copy on HD, but I have found that bluray is not common in most households, and even when they are available there are sometimes incompatibility problems. Most BR players will upscale dvds anyway and to be honest, parents are only interested in seeing their kids perform and would be happy with vhs quality if that was all that was available. Apart from BR, what other format would you deliver on for HD? Usb is not economical to supply and many tvs will struggle with some usb HD formats. It's not really about what we woild like to deliver, more about what parents are happy with and what the market will bear.

I steered away from charging for filming, as these days most schools have no budget for filming projects, but they do like the idea of raising funds, so a unit cost sems easier to sell to them. A typical schools project for us would be shooting up to 1 hour with 3 or 4 cameras, an evening editing and 50-85 copies. That would bring in around £375-500 for a midweek easy shoot.

Roger

[Taky Cheung]

There is no standard on TV usb port of what can play. Many TV (even newer ones) don't play video at all from the USB port.

Vimeo has On Deman feature. It could be a good way to secure income.

[Taky Cheung]

Originally Posted by Nathan Buck

I didn't actually put copyright protection on, I don't think.

... Especially as the show was so long and you had to cram it into 4.7GB (although I would go dual layer now) there was a huge sacrifice in quality.

I personally would be pushing for BluRay now :)

There is no way you can put copy protection to DVD. Even if the authoring program allow you to do so. You will need to export as master to tape. Then bring it to facility to have DVD replicated. Press type of DVD instead of home burn type of DVD. The type of DVD you buy in store with micro pits on the surface. Those you burn at home are using dye changed. You can't add copy protection that way at all.

Even if you decided to have it pressed. You will need to have minimal quantity.

Even if you have enough quantity to justify the cost to replicate, DVD protection can be hacked easily. Hollywood tried so far to add copy protection to their movies, all failed. In about year 2000, a high school kid wrote 4 lines of code to break Hollywood DeCIS encryption.

Dual layer is problematic. Many settop home DVD player can only read the first layer of home burn DVD.