From pagelipp at usc.edu Fri Sep 19 20:44:01 2014 From: pagelipp at usc.edu (Kathryn Page-Lippsmeyer) Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 17:44:01 -0700 Subject: [KineJapan] CFP: Memory, Moment, and Mobility in East Asia Message-ID: Graduate students of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at USC are delighted to welcome papers from KineJapan members on Memory, Moment, and Mobility in East Asia in April 2015. Deadline for paper proposals is November 30. Please see the CFP below and feel free to circulate widely. Best, Kate Page-Lippsmeyer, PhD candidate Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures University of Southern California _____________________________ Call for papers: Memory, Moment, and Mobility in East Asia East Asian Languages and Cultures Graduate Student Conference University of Southern California April 11-12, 2015 *Proposal Submission Deadline: November 30, 2014* The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Southern California Graduate Student Conference invites graduate students from around the world conducting research in all disciplines related to East Asia to submit abstracts for our 2015 conference, to take place April 11 - 12, 2015. This conference aims to investigate and formulate new theorizations of memory, moment, and mobility as well as rethink how communities and individuals construct narratives in the context of East Asia. All three topics can be interpreted widely in relation to various fields, including linguistics, history, religion, literature, visual studies, new media, and cinema. Topics can include but are not limited to: - The role of mobility in second language acquisition - Constructed narratives of history or remembering in film, literature, and/or language - Intersection between transpacific movement and religion - Construction of memory in transnational cinemas - The interplay between memory and moment in literature - Representations of memory and history in East Asia - Examining local communities in relation to global migration The conference will provide an interdisciplinary forum for graduate students to exchange ideas and discuss current research on East Asia with each other and invited faculty panelists. All panels will be moderated by USC faculty. The keynote panel will address the topic of ?Memory, Moment, and Mobility in East Asia.? The conference provides a venue for participants to meet other scholars in their fields conducting similar research and to forge new professional relationships. Submissions are welcome from graduate students in all disciplines. Papers should be related to East Asia, including East Asian interactions with the wider world. Applicants should submit an abstract (max. 300 words) and a short biography (max. 150 words) to uscgsea at gmail.com by November 30, 2014 (5:00 p.m. PST). Timeline: Proposals due: November 30, 2014 (5:00 p.m. PST) Notification of acceptance: January 17, 2015 Acceptance response due: February 1, 2015 Full papers due: March 11, 2015 Conference date: April 11-12, 2015 Memory, Moment, and Mobility in East Asia East Asian Languages and Cultures Graduate Student Conference University of Southern California April 11-12, 2015 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From jasper_sharp at hotmail.com Fri Sep 19 07:18:36 2014 From: jasper_sharp at hotmail.com (Jasper Sharp) Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 11:18:36 +0000 Subject: [KineJapan] question about Japanese film and Mark Cousins' series In-Reply-To: References: <49159.453d9ece.414b5cf5@aol.com>, Message-ID: Cousins' Story of Film is written in superlatives rather than factual details. He makes a similar claim about Japanese cinema in the 1970s as being the most exciting and innovative in the world, an assumption he seems to base largely on the (TV!) documentaries of Imamura rather than the main output of Nikkatsu Roman Porno and Toei yakuza films. The series is not without a considerable merit in its expansive scope, but most with knowledge of the national cinemas he discusses may find themselves cringing at some of his claims. The Creeping Garden - A Real-Life Science-Fiction Story about Slime Moulds and the People Who Work With them, directed by Tim Grabham and Jasper Sharp. "...one of the year's most original and bizarre documentaries", James Marsh, Twitch. The Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema (2011) is out now from Scarecrow Press Midnight Eye - Visions of Japanese cinema http://www.midnighteye.com To: kinejapan at lists.osu.edu From: Quentin.Turnour at nfsa.gov.au Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 20:16:07 +1000 Subject: Re: [KineJapan] question about Japanese film and Mark Cousins' series Hi William, I'll have a go at this. All IMHO, of course... You are not the only one to be irritated with Cousin's sloppy film historiography and grandiose leaps of assumption; Jonathan Rosenbaum's piece for Film Comment is a good example: http://filmcomment.com/article/mark-cousins-the-story-of-film-an-odyssey. But as Rosenbaum also makes clear, you often need to tear the at times 'wrongheadiness' of THE STORY OF FILM as film history apart from where Cousin's "...keeps things fresh even when they?re contrived". The late 20s and 30s was a period when filmmakers across the world were working either under authoritarian situations of poltical and economic control and censorship (in Hollywood as well as Soviet Russia or Fascist Europe) - or lived in the bubble of oppositional filmmaking movements that reacted to authoritarianism by making films (for example Popular Front and other leftist documentary of the period) whose texts are now a little hard to take for all their radical hyperbole and naivety. But cinema scholarship often passes over these period-piece annoyances of film's texts, to concentrate instead on the brilliance of the form, the breakthroughs in visual style or in sound. And we often explain this by writing about how the times, the political constraints and even peer self-censorship may have contributed to this brilliance. Precisely because official constraint can often encourage creative subtexts and creative work-arounds. Or because authoritarian governments can have reasons to turn a blind eye to certain filmmakers or types of filmmaking. Or because there can be a systemically blindsides - that allow a kind of sly, implicit creativity - within the "vanity" systems of artistic production authoritarian governments liked to indulge in. I think Cousins' is assuming that something of the later, "Genius of the System" was at work here. Just as we accept that something similar allowed the creativity of Hollywood in the 1930s and the post-war "Golden Ages" in Mexican and Argentina national studio filmmaking, or Iranian cinema in the 1980s and 90s. His mistake is to be way too quick to assume that the quality of the filmmaking proves what the system's genius was: it let its most creative filmmakers alone. Whereas we all know that English-language Japanese classical cinema scholarship accepts the axiom of the greatness of the filmmaking, but is far more cautious, contentious about the difficult issue of why it came about; highly aware, for example of the complex, paradoxical socio-cultural motivations betwen the apparent self-censorship of many filmmakers from the late 1930s to 1945; or of the complex business, production, labour and distribution structures of post war Japanese studios; or the deeply coded way in which Japanese narrative art forms and genre are practiced and make meaning. Indeed, this contextual, industrial (?), or sociological (?) "why" Japanese classical cinema achieved what it did is maybe the long standing core issue of some much of this scholarship, at least in English-language studies - perhaps because some of the lead scholars in English (Richie, Bordwell, Burch) were ahead of the time in their degree of their interest in the socio-economic and other historical context in which these feature films got made. (Those who know the Japanese language scholarship will be better equipped to comment on what its primary concerns are, by comparision) It's just that this scholarship community also knows the historiography grey areas a bit too well to risk jumping to the conclusion that Cousins has for the "why". However, that bad scholarship doesn't have to negate the "what" that was achieved. Or negate that an 'introductory' film history like THE STORY OF FILM is doing a significant thing when it's maker is willing to put out there to his audiences the premise that pre-war Japanese classical cinema has a global peer of the 20s and 30s cinema art of Western Europe and the US. In that context of Japanese cinema studies, its so interesting that Rosenbaum draws a comparison between Cousin's work and Noel Burch's; in that Burch's work was also "... littered with factual errors but often much more imaginative and fruitful than the correct but boring academic writing of others during the same period". qt Best wishes Quentin Turnour, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, From: ReelDrew at aol.com To: kinejapan at lists.osu.edu, Date: 18/09/2014 07:55 AM Subject: [KineJapan] question about Japanese film and Mark Cousins' series Sent by: "KineJapan" Although I've written a number of articles on early Japanese cinema, I value the expertise of others on the subject, including those here who have made a particular study in this field. I'm currently writing an analysis of Mark Cousins' documentary series, "The Story of Film." Those who are familiar with it will recall that Cousins places the Japanese cinema of the 1920s and 1930s in the forefront of what has been described as a radical reinterpretation of world film history. He appears to believe that Japanese cinema surpassed all others in those years in terms of artistic maturity. While for many years I have sought to bring greater recognition to the once-neglected field of early Japanese cinema, often in the face of considerable indifference on the part of the film history establishment, I never did so with an eye to diminishing the pioneering cinematic achievements of other countries or regions. Some of Mark Cousins' reading of Japanese film history thus arouses questions in my mind, particularly in comparison to those of other countries. Did Japanese directors of the '20s, '30s and '40s enjoy as much creative freedom as he states, seemingly unhampered by the kind of commercial and political constraints that filmmakers elsewhere experienced in those years? I recall that toward the end of his life, Daisuke Ito stated in an interview that the political censorship the Japanese government then imposed on filmmakers was terrible. Also, due to less-than-supportive studio executives at Shochiku, Mikio Naruse in the mid-1930s left the company and went to Toho. I believe the proper appreciation and understanding of Japanese cinema can be best served, not by indulging in dubious theories of cultural superiority as I think some writers have done with respect to Japan, whether consciously or not, but by viewing it within the context of world film history. Hence, I'd be interested in the views of others here concerning the degree to which Japanese filmmakers did or did not work under conditions similar to cinema artists elsewhere in the world in those years. William M. Drew_______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From Quentin.Turnour at nfsa.gov.au Fri Sep 19 06:16:07 2014 From: Quentin.Turnour at nfsa.gov.au (Quentin Turnour) Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 20:16:07 +1000 Subject: [KineJapan] question about Japanese film and Mark Cousins' series In-Reply-To: <49159.453d9ece.414b5cf5@aol.com> References: <49159.453d9ece.414b5cf5@aol.com> Message-ID: Hi William, I'll have a go at this. All IMHO, of course... You are not the only one to be irritated with Cousin's sloppy film historiography and grandiose leaps of assumption; Jonathan Rosenbaum's piece for Film Comment is a good example: http://filmcomment.com/article/mark-cousins-the-story-of-film-an-odyssey. But as Rosenbaum also makes clear, you often need to tear the at times 'wrongheadiness' of THE STORY OF FILM as film history apart from where Cousin's "...keeps things fresh even when they?re contrived". The late 20s and 30s was a period when filmmakers across the world were working either under authoritarian situations of poltical and economic control and censorship (in Hollywood as well as Soviet Russia or Fascist Europe) - or lived in the bubble of oppositional filmmaking movements that reacted to authoritarianism by making films (for example Popular Front and other leftist documentary of the period) whose texts are now a little hard to take for all their radical hyperbole and naivety. But cinema scholarship often passes over these period-piece annoyances of film's texts, to concentrate instead on the brilliance of the form, the breakthroughs in visual style or in sound. And we often explain this by writing about how the times, the political constraints and even peer self-censorship may have contributed to this brilliance. Precisely because official constraint can often encourage creative subtexts and creative work-arounds. Or because authoritarian governments can have reasons to turn a blind eye to certain filmmakers or types of filmmaking. Or because there can be a systemically blindsides - that allow a kind of sly, implicit creativity - within the "vanity" systems of artistic production authoritarian governments liked to indulge in. I think Cousins' is assuming that something of the later, "Genius of the System" was at work here. Just as we accept that something similar allowed the creativity of Hollywood in the 1930s and the post-war "Golden Ages" in Mexican and Argentina national studio filmmaking, or Iranian cinema in the 1980s and 90s. His mistake is to be way too quick to assume that the quality of the filmmaking proves what the system's genius was: it let its most creative filmmakers alone. Whereas we all know that English-language Japanese classical cinema scholarship accepts the axiom of the greatness of the filmmaking, but is far more cautious, contentious about the difficult issue of why it came about; highly aware, for example of the complex, paradoxical socio-cultural motivations betwen the apparent self-censorship of many filmmakers from the late 1930s to 1945; or of the complex business, production, labour and distribution structures of post war Japanese studios; or the deeply coded way in which Japanese narrative art forms and genre are practiced and make meaning. Indeed, this contextual, industrial (?), or sociological (?) "why" Japanese classical cinema achieved what it did is maybe the long standing core issue of some much of this scholarship, at least in English-language studies - perhaps because some of the lead scholars in English (Richie, Bordwell, Burch) were ahead of the time in their degree of their interest in the socio-economic and other historical context in which these feature films got made. (Those who know the Japanese language scholarship will be better equipped to comment on what its primary concerns are, by comparision) It's just that this scholarship community also knows the historiography grey areas a bit too well to risk jumping to the conclusion that Cousins has for the "why". However, that bad scholarship doesn't have to negate the "what" that was achieved. Or negate that an 'introductory' film history like THE STORY OF FILM is doing a significant thing when it's maker is willing to put out there to his audiences the premise that pre-war Japanese classical cinema has a global peer of the 20s and 30s cinema art of Western Europe and the US. In that context of Japanese cinema studies, its so interesting that Rosenbaum draws a comparison between Cousin's work and Noel Burch's; in that Burch's work was also "... littered with factual errors but often much more imaginative and fruitful than the correct but boring academic writing of others during the same period". qt Best wishes Quentin Turnour, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, From: ReelDrew at aol.com To: kinejapan at lists.osu.edu, Date: 18/09/2014 07:55 AM Subject: [KineJapan] question about Japanese film and Mark Cousins' series Sent by: "KineJapan" Although I've written a number of articles on early Japanese cinema, I value the expertise of others on the subject, including those here who have made a particular study in this field. I'm currently writing an analysis of Mark Cousins' documentary series, "The Story of Film." Those who are familiar with it will recall that Cousins places the Japanese cinema of the 1920s and 1930s in the forefront of what has been described as a radical reinterpretation of world film history. He appears to believe that Japanese cinema surpassed all others in those years in terms of artistic maturity. While for many years I have sought to bring greater recognition to the once-neglected field of early Japanese cinema, often in the face of considerable indifference on the part of the film history establishment, I never did so with an eye to diminishing the pioneering cinematic achievements of other countries or regions. Some of Mark Cousins' reading of Japanese film history thus arouses questions in my mind, particularly in comparison to those of other countries. Did Japanese directors of the '20s, '30s and '40s enjoy as much creative freedom as he states, seemingly unhampered by the kind of commercial and political constraints that filmmakers elsewhere experienced in those years? I recall that toward the end of his life, Daisuke Ito stated in an interview that the political censorship the Japanese government then imposed on filmmakers was terrible. Also, due to less-than-supportive studio executives at Shochiku, Mikio Naruse in the mid-1930s left the company and went to Toho. I believe the proper appreciation and understanding of Japanese cinema can be best served, not by indulging in dubious theories of cultural superiority as I think some writers have done with respect to Japan, whether consciously or not, but by viewing it within the context of world film history. Hence, I'd be interested in the views of others here concerning the degree to which Japanese filmmakers did or did not work under conditions similar to cinema artists elsewhere in the world in those years. William M. Drew_______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From ReelDrew at aol.com Wed Sep 17 17:53:57 2014 From: ReelDrew at aol.com (ReelDrew at aol.com) Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 17:53:57 -0400 Subject: [KineJapan] question about Japanese film and Mark Cousins' series Message-ID: <49159.453d9ece.414b5cf5@aol.com> Although I've written a number of articles on early Japanese cinema, I value the expertise of others on the subject, including those here who have made a particular study in this field. I'm currently writing an analysis of Mark Cousins' documentary series, "The Story of Film." Those who are familiar with it will recall that Cousins places the Japanese cinema of the 1920s and 1930s in the forefront of what has been described as a radical reinterpretation of world film history. He appears to believe that Japanese cinema surpassed all others in those years in terms of artistic maturity. While for many years I have sought to bring greater recognition to the once-neglected field of early Japanese cinema, often in the face of considerable indifference on the part of the film history establishment, I never did so with an eye to diminishing the pioneering cinematic achievements of other countries or regions. Some of Mark Cousins' reading of Japanese film history thus arouses questions in my mind, particularly in comparison to those of other countries. Did Japanese directors of the '20s, '30s and '40s enjoy as much creative freedom as he states, seemingly unhampered by the kind of commercial and political constraints that filmmakers elsewhere experienced in those years? I recall that toward the end of his life, Daisuke Ito stated in an interview that the political censorship the Japanese government then imposed on filmmakers was terrible. Also, due to less-than-supportive studio executives at Shochiku, Mikio Naruse in the mid-1930s left the company and went to Toho. I believe the proper appreciation and understanding of Japanese cinema can be best served, not by indulging in dubious theories of cultural superiority as I think some writers have done with respect to Japan, whether consciously or not, but by viewing it within the context of world film history. Hence, I'd be interested in the views of others here concerning the degree to which Japanese filmmakers did or did not work under conditions similar to cinema artists elsewhere in the world in those years. William M. Drew -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From Quentin.Turnour at nfsa.gov.au Tue Sep 16 19:43:49 2014 From: Quentin.Turnour at nfsa.gov.au (Quentin Turnour) Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 09:43:49 +1000 Subject: [KineJapan] Samurai X / Rurouni Kenshin The Movie (1997) US Distributor In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I work regularly with Paul Tonta at Madman in Melbourne. Although the anime catalogue is not his area, he might be able to suggest some leads, at least for who in Japan they licensed with initially. pault at madman.com.au, qt Best wishes Quentin Turnour, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, quentin.turnour at nfsa.gov.au Fax: +61 2 6249 8159 Ph +61 2 6248 2054 Mob: + 61 4 428 368908 [Please note that I am often absent Mondays] All mail and freight shipments to: att: Cinema Programming (Quentin Turnour), Loading Dock, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, McCoy Cct, Acton, Canberra, ACT 2601, AUSTRALIA. From: Rob Buscher To: Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum , Date: 17/09/2014 02:19 AM Subject: [KineJapan] Samurai X / Rurouni Kenshin The Movie (1997) US Distributor Sent by: "KineJapan" Hello All, Does anyone happen to know who has the US theatrical rights to the 1997 Samurai X / Rurouni Kenshin feature length anime? I see that Madman has DVD rights in UK/AUS, but can't seem to find the distributor stateside. Much thanks in advance. Best regards, Rob Buscher Festival Director Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival www.paaff.org Sent from my iPhone _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From robbuscher at hotmail.com Tue Sep 16 17:48:53 2014 From: robbuscher at hotmail.com (Rob Buscher) Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 17:48:53 -0400 Subject: [KineJapan] Criterion Collection US Distribution Contact In-Reply-To: <5A194C7E-5A27-4AB0-B0CD-9C987F7CA3E0@earthlink.net> References: , <5A194C7E-5A27-4AB0-B0CD-9C987F7CA3E0@earthlink.net> Message-ID: It's for a non-theatrical museum screening, but I reckon this would be the same contact. Thanks Marc! Best,Rob CC: kinejapan at lists.osu.edu From: marcwalkow at earthlink.net Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 17:38:35 -0400 To: kinejapan at lists.osu.edu Subject: Re: [KineJapan] Criterion Collection US Distribution Contact For theatrical exhibition? Try belovarac at janusfilms.com. MW Sent from Satan's bosom On Sep 16, 2014, at 5:02 PM, Rob Buscher wrote: Hi All, Does anyone know the current US Distribution contact for Criterion Collection? I tried emailing Jon Mulvaney (mulvaney at criterion.com) a couple weeks ago and still haven't heard back. Thanks, Rob BuscherFestival DirectorPhiladelphia Asian American Film Festivalwww.paaff.org _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From marcwalkow at earthlink.net Tue Sep 16 17:38:35 2014 From: marcwalkow at earthlink.net (Marc Walkow) Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 17:38:35 -0400 Subject: [KineJapan] Criterion Collection US Distribution Contact In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <5A194C7E-5A27-4AB0-B0CD-9C987F7CA3E0@earthlink.net> For theatrical exhibition? Try belovarac at janusfilms.com. MW Sent from Satan's bosom > On Sep 16, 2014, at 5:02 PM, Rob Buscher wrote: > > Hi All, > > Does anyone know the current US Distribution contact for Criterion Collection? I tried emailing Jon Mulvaney (mulvaney at criterion.com) a couple weeks ago and still haven't heard back. > > Thanks, > > Rob Buscher > Festival Director > Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival > www.paaff.org > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From robbuscher at hotmail.com Tue Sep 16 17:02:10 2014 From: robbuscher at hotmail.com (Rob Buscher) Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 17:02:10 -0400 Subject: [KineJapan] Criterion Collection US Distribution Contact Message-ID: Hi All, Does anyone know the current US Distribution contact for Criterion Collection? I tried emailing Jon Mulvaney (mulvaney at criterion.com) a couple weeks ago and still haven't heard back. Thanks, Rob BuscherFestival DirectorPhiladelphia Asian American Film Festivalwww.paaff.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From mstchin at yahoo.com Tue Sep 16 15:45:04 2014 From: mstchin at yahoo.com (TRAN, Si Bang) Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 12:45:04 -0700 Subject: [KineJapan] Samurai X / Rurouni Kenshin The Movie (1997) US Distributor In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1410896704.51020.YahooMailNeo@web142604.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> I am not sure, but I suspect that either Aniplex Of America/Aniplex USA, or Sony or some Sony subsidiary, currently, holds the North American rights to *Rurouni Kenshin*. As Aniplex Of America/Aniplex USA is a sub-sub-division of Sony, it maybe all one and the same. Michael ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Rob Buscher > To: Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum > Cc: > Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 12:18 PM > Subject: [KineJapan] Samurai X / Rurouni Kenshin The Movie (1997) US Distributor > > Hello All, > > Does anyone happen to know who has the US theatrical rights to the 1997 Samurai > X / Rurouni Kenshin feature length anime? I see that Madman has DVD rights in > UK/AUS, but can't seem to find the distributor stateside. > > Much thanks in advance. > > Best regards, > > Rob Buscher > Festival Director > Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival > www.paaff.org > > Sent from my iPhone > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan > > _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From robbuscher at hotmail.com Tue Sep 16 12:18:16 2014 From: robbuscher at hotmail.com (Rob Buscher) Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 12:18:16 -0400 Subject: [KineJapan] Samurai X / Rurouni Kenshin The Movie (1997) US Distributor Message-ID: Hello All, Does anyone happen to know who has the US theatrical rights to the 1997 Samurai X / Rurouni Kenshin feature length anime? I see that Madman has DVD rights in UK/AUS, but can't seem to find the distributor stateside. Much thanks in advance. Best regards, Rob Buscher Festival Director Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival www.paaff.org Sent from my iPhone _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From jmhall at pomona.edu Mon Sep 15 11:39:16 2014 From: jmhall at pomona.edu (Jonathan M. Hall) Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 15:39:16 +0000 Subject: [KineJapan] The Thin White Line Message-ID: <0C1B0776F73740408427FF290C97926CFD529377@EXCHANGE10.campus.pomona.edu> Dear KineJapanners, If you are in the LA area and with some spare time this afternoon, please consider joining us at Pomona College for "The Thin White Line." With best regards, J.M. Hall THE THIN WHITE LINE: (JAPANESE) FILM SUBTITLE LAB It?s a battle of time, fought with the passions of movie characters and wrought through words into a single white line at the bottom of the screen ?the subtitle. In association with LA EigaFest 2014?LA's premiere Japanese film festival? and the Japan Visual Media Translation Academy?a leading onscreen translation school, Pomona College invites you to two (Japanese) Film Subtitle Labs on Monday, September 15th, in Claremont, California. With a computer, it?s not too hard these days to attach words to an image. But, it?s also easy to distinguish professional from amateur subtitles. What are the principles and techniques behind professional subtitling? Come test your own skills at creating subtitles! Join us for two hands-on workshop subtitle labs, conducted by Pomona College Assistant Professor of Media Studies Jonathan M Hall and JVTA Director Ishii Kiyotake. No knowledge of Japanese is needed as all participants are provided with a ?raw translation.? The principles of onscreen translation into English apply broadly to many languages. Join us for either or both sessions. Monday, September 15th Subtitle Lab 1: 4:30 to 5:15 pm Subtitle Lab 2: 5:30 to 6:15 pm 101 Hahn, 420 North Harvard Ave. Pomona College Claremont, California 91711 Pomona College is a 40-minute ride from LA Union Station via Metrolink?s San Bernardino Line. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact: jmhall at pomona.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From tkarsavina at yahoo.com Sun Sep 14 02:57:13 2014 From: tkarsavina at yahoo.com (Maria Jose Gonzalez) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 23:57:13 -0700 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> Message-ID: <1410677833.24495.YahooMailNeo@web140903.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> Japanese media informed today of the passing of Yamaguchi Yoshiko. Yamaguchi Yoshiko-NHK News On Thursday, 11 September 2014, 23:19, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: Thank you, Markus. However, in Italy we have very strict rules on the matter, since we have to demonstrate that we actually got the permission to publish a still. Best, Roberta 2014-09-11 2:16 GMT+02:00 Markus Nornes : From the POV of North American publishing, the question of frame grabs (from video or film) appears settled. There are good posts on the background for this on the SCMS website and Bordwell's blog. They consider it the equivalent of a quote, so no need to contact rights holders. Obviously, NHK is taking this position. Good for them! > > >(This has, by the way transformed book design. Now many publishers use page layouts that accommodate small images, since DVD grabs pixel out when blown up.) > > >So I would assert fair use and let the publisher lead the way. If they balk, you could try showing them the websites above, although they are aimed primarily at American publishers. > > >I once worked with a press that was sitting on the fence. I pointed out that if anyone is going to get sued over this, it'd be Thompson and Bordwell. Their textbooks make a lot of money and they've never paid for frame blow ups. > > >As for the photo from the children's book, you couldn't claim fair use unless the book itself was the object of analysis. > > >Markus > > >PS: Covers are another matter. As PR instruments, they are not covered by fair use principles. > > > > > > > > >On Thursday, September 11, 2014, Mark Roberts wrote: > >Dear Roberta, >> >> >>On Sep 10, 2014, at 10:01 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: >> >>I would use some stills taken from DVDs, but I wonder if the rights belong to the producers of the DVDs or to the original production companies, if still existing. >> >>My understanding has been that the production company is the rights holder, not the distributor. There is, as you note, a question in the case of production companies that no longer exist. I gather that the rights often go to the director or his/her family, but I am not sure about the law on this. For example, the ATG films are not old enough to be public domain, but the production company is defunct. What is their status? >> >> >>There is thus a lingering question in my mind about whether it is really necessary to go through the formality of contacting the rights holder. I have heard via the Copyright Research and Information Center of Japan (http://www.cric.or.jp/), that this is "recommended", even if it merely to inform them that you intend to use DVD stills in a publication. Of course, if the production company no longer exists, it may not be so simple to do this. >> >> >>It would be helpful to know how to handle this situation, and especially what to tell a publisher. >> >> >>I hope somebody on KineJapan more knowledgable than I can weigh in on this. >> >> >>Mark > >-- > >Markus Nornes >Chair, Department of Screen Arts and Cultures >Professor of Asian Cinema, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures >Professor, School of Art & Design > > >Department of Screen Arts and Cultures >6348 North Quad >105 S. State Street >Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285 > > > >_______________________________________________ >KineJapan mailing list >KineJapan at lists.osu.edu >https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan > > > -- Maria Roberta Novielli Professore Associato Universit? Ca' Foscari Venezia Dipartimento di Filosofia e Beni Culturali Malcanton Marcor?, Dorsoduro 3484/D - 30123 Venezia Tel. 041 234 6244 Fax: 041 234 6210 cell. 335 5463556 _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From tkarsavina at yahoo.com Sun Sep 14 00:45:04 2014 From: tkarsavina at yahoo.com (Maria Jose Gonzalez) Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 21:45:04 -0700 Subject: [KineJapan] Rest in Peace, Ri Koran/Shirley Yamaguchi/Yamaguchi Yoshiko Message-ID: <1410669904.91420.YahooMailNeo@web140901.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> Japanese media informed today of the passing of Yamaguchi Yoshiko. Yamaguchi Yoshiko-NHK News -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From novielli at unive.it Thu Sep 11 10:11:43 2014 From: novielli at unive.it (Maria Roberta Novielli) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 16:11:43 +0200 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> Message-ID: Thank you, Markus. However, in Italy we have very strict rules on the matter, since we have to demonstrate that we actually got the permission to publish a still. Best, Roberta 2014-09-11 2:16 GMT+02:00 Markus Nornes : > From the POV of North American publishing, the question of frame grabs > (from video or film) appears settled. There are good posts on the > background for this on the SCMS website and Bordwell's blog. They consider > it the equivalent of a quote, so no need to contact rights holders. > Obviously, NHK is taking this position. Good for them! > > (This has, by the way transformed book design. Now many publishers use > page layouts that accommodate small images, since DVD grabs pixel out when > blown up.) > > So I would assert fair use and let the publisher lead the way. If they > balk, you could try showing them the websites above, although they are > aimed primarily at American publishers. > > I once worked with a press that was sitting on the fence. I pointed out > that if anyone is going to get sued over this, it'd be Thompson and > Bordwell. Their textbooks make a lot of money and they've never paid for > frame blow ups. > > As for the photo from the children's book, you couldn't claim fair use > unless the book itself was the object of analysis. > > Markus > > PS: Covers are another matter. As PR instruments, they are not covered by > fair use principles. > > > > > On Thursday, September 11, 2014, Mark Roberts > wrote: > >> Dear Roberta, >> >> On Sep 10, 2014, at 10:01 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: >> >> I would use some stills taken from DVDs, but I wonder if the rights >> belong to the producers of the DVDs or to the original production >> companies, if still existing. >> >> >> My understanding has been that the production company is the rights >> holder, not the distributor. There is, as you note, a question in the case >> of production companies that no longer exist. I gather that the rights >> often go to the director or his/her family, but I am not sure about the law >> on this. For example, the ATG films are not old enough to be public domain, >> but the production company is defunct. What is their status? >> >> There is thus a lingering question in my mind about whether it is really >> necessary to go through the formality of contacting the rights holder. I >> have heard via the Copyright Research and Information Center of Japan ( >> http://www.cric.or.jp/), that this is "recommended", even if it merely >> to inform them that you intend to use DVD stills in a publication. Of >> course, if the production company no longer exists, it may not be so simple >> to do this. >> >> It would be helpful to know how to handle this situation, and especially >> what to tell a publisher. >> >> I hope somebody on KineJapan more knowledgable than I can weigh in on >> this. >> >> Mark >> > > > -- > *Markus Nornes* > Chair, Department of Screen Arts and Cultures > Professor of Asian Cinema, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures > Professor, School of Art & Design > > *Department of Screen Arts and Cultures* > *6348 North Quad* > *105 S. State Street* > *Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285* > > > > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan > > -- Maria Roberta Novielli Professore Associato Universit? Ca' Foscari Venezia Dipartimento di Filosofia e Beni Culturali Malcanton Marcor?, Dorsoduro 3484/D - 30123 Venezia Tel. 041 234 6244 Fax: 041 234 6210 cell. 335 5463556 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From amnornes at umich.edu Wed Sep 10 20:16:06 2014 From: amnornes at umich.edu (Markus Nornes) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 09:16:06 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> Message-ID: >From the POV of North American publishing, the question of frame grabs (from video or film) appears settled. There are good posts on the background for this on the SCMS website and Bordwell's blog. They consider it the equivalent of a quote, so no need to contact rights holders. Obviously, NHK is taking this position. Good for them! (This has, by the way transformed book design. Now many publishers use page layouts that accommodate small images, since DVD grabs pixel out when blown up.) So I would assert fair use and let the publisher lead the way. If they balk, you could try showing them the websites above, although they are aimed primarily at American publishers. I once worked with a press that was sitting on the fence. I pointed out that if anyone is going to get sued over this, it'd be Thompson and Bordwell. Their textbooks make a lot of money and they've never paid for frame blow ups. As for the photo from the children's book, you couldn't claim fair use unless the book itself was the object of analysis. Markus PS: Covers are another matter. As PR instruments, they are not covered by fair use principles. On Thursday, September 11, 2014, Mark Roberts wrote: > Dear Roberta, > > On Sep 10, 2014, at 10:01 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: > > I would use some stills taken from DVDs, but I wonder if the rights belong > to the producers of the DVDs or to the original production companies, if > still existing. > > > My understanding has been that the production company is the rights > holder, not the distributor. There is, as you note, a question in the case > of production companies that no longer exist. I gather that the rights > often go to the director or his/her family, but I am not sure about the law > on this. For example, the ATG films are not old enough to be public domain, > but the production company is defunct. What is their status? > > There is thus a lingering question in my mind about whether it is really > necessary to go through the formality of contacting the rights holder. I > have heard via the Copyright Research and Information Center of Japan ( > http://www.cric.or.jp/), that this is "recommended", even if it merely to > inform them that you intend to use DVD stills in a publication. Of course, > if the production company no longer exists, it may not be so simple to do > this. > > It would be helpful to know how to handle this situation, and especially > what to tell a publisher. > > I hope somebody on KineJapan more knowledgable than I can weigh in on this. > > Mark > -- *Markus Nornes* Chair, Department of Screen Arts and Cultures Professor of Asian Cinema, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures Professor, School of Art & Design *Department of Screen Arts and Cultures* *6348 North Quad* *105 S. State Street* *Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From mroberts37 at mail-central.com Wed Sep 10 19:42:02 2014 From: mroberts37 at mail-central.com (Mark Roberts) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 08:42:02 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> Message-ID: <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> Dear Roberta, On Sep 10, 2014, at 10:01 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: > I would use some stills taken from DVDs, but I wonder if the rights belong to the producers of the DVDs or to the original production companies, if still existing. My understanding has been that the production company is the rights holder, not the distributor. There is, as you note, a question in the case of production companies that no longer exist. I gather that the rights often go to the director or his/her family, but I am not sure about the law on this. For example, the ATG films are not old enough to be public domain, but the production company is defunct. What is their status? There is thus a lingering question in my mind about whether it is really necessary to go through the formality of contacting the rights holder. I have heard via the Copyright Research and Information Center of Japan (http://www.cric.or.jp/), that this is "recommended", even if it merely to inform them that you intend to use DVD stills in a publication. Of course, if the production company no longer exists, it may not be so simple to do this. It would be helpful to know how to handle this situation, and especially what to tell a publisher. I hope somebody on KineJapan more knowledgable than I can weigh in on this. Mark -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From gsjohnson at otsuma.ac.jp Wed Sep 10 10:42:42 2014 From: gsjohnson at otsuma.ac.jp (gsjohnson at otsuma.ac.jp) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 23:42:42 +0900 (JST) Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: <10AF1FAA-198A-4E38-818F-6EB25BC50571@yale.edu> Message-ID: <20140910.231221.91565202.gsjohnson@otsuma.ac.jp> This is an issue I'm also interested in so I'll add perhaps irrelevant comments. Irrelevant because I was pursuing permission to publish screenshots of wartime footage NHK has posted on its web archives (not on DVD), the only version of the video NHK will allow to me for free. I asked NHK if I could use screenshots in an academic article. I was told that under the copyright law art. 32 ?????????, which covers quotations, I was permitted to use screenshots of that material to the extent necessary and justifiable by the contents of the article. They said nothing about the age of the video. However, I also contacted a book editor to ask whether I could take a photo of a wartime children's drawing in a book he published ten years ago and use it for the same purpose. He asked the publishing company and told me it might not be permissible. I'm now seeking clarification from the publisher on that. Greg Johnson Professor Faculty of Comparative Culture Otsuma Women's University Tokyo _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From novielli at unive.it Wed Sep 10 09:38:41 2014 From: novielli at unive.it (Maria Roberta Novielli) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 15:38:41 +0200 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: <10AF1FAA-198A-4E38-818F-6EB25BC50571@yale.edu> References: <10AF1FAA-198A-4E38-818F-6EB25BC50571@yale.edu> Message-ID: Thank you, Aaron. Best, Roberta _________________________ Maria Roberta Novielli Associate Professor Japanese Cinema and Literature Artistic Direction and Overall Organization Ca? Foscari Short Film Festival http://cafoscarishort.unive.it Ca' Foscari University - Venice Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage Palazzo Malcanton-Marcor? Dorsoduro 3484/d 30123 VENEZIA e mail: novielli at unive.it cafoscarishort at unive.it 2014-09-10 15:29 GMT+02:00 Gerow Aaron : > Roberta, > > I have not heard anyone talk about 1978 as a cutoff year for Japan. The > current copyright law went into effect in 1971, so in some cases, the > question of whether a work was produced before that has been an issue (the > Kurosawa court case), but in general, stills are treated like other > photographs: they are in copyright for 50 years after the death of the > author. They changed the period in 1997, so 1957 is now the crucial year > for photos (before that, it was 50 years after release, and since the 1997 > revision did not revive works that had become public domain, most things > before 1957 are thus public domain). See here for the Bunkacho summary: > > http://chosakuken.bunka.go.jp/naruhodo/outline/4.4.html > > Note that Wikipedia treats 1957 as the cutoff year for images from Japan. > > The problem with stills is that there often is no author. I believe in > those cases of corporate authors, it is 50 years after release. > > Frame grabs from DVDs are another matter. Stills are individual works, but > screenshots are not. I and others have argued that recent court cases in > Japan--such as the one that validated the quotation of manga images in > academic works without permission--the definition of quotation (which is > allowed by law) includes frame grabs. I don't think that has come to court > in Japan. Many foreign publishers treat frame grabs as quotations, and thus > allow them, but not all do. > > This is not the most authoritative of answers, but I hope it helps. > > > Aaron Gerow > Professor > Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures > Director of Graduate Studies, EALL > Yale University > 320 York Street, Room 311 > PO Box 208236 > New Haven, CT 06520-8236 > USA > Phone: 1-203-432-7082 > Fax: 1-203-432-6729 > e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu > website: www.aarongerow.com > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From novielli at unive.it Wed Sep 10 09:01:12 2014 From: novielli at unive.it (Maria Roberta Novielli) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 15:01:12 +0200 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> Message-ID: Dear Mark, Thank you for your prompt reply. I?m afraid that my book would not be completely considered as ?academic?, since the publisher is a big company in Italy, not only related to academic works. I would use some stills taken from DVDs, but I wonder if the rights belong to the producers of the DVDs or to the original production companies, if still existing. Roberta _________________________ Maria Roberta Novielli Associate Professor Japanese Cinema and Literature Artistic Direction and Overall Organization Ca? Foscari Short Film Festival http://cafoscarishort.unive.it Ca' Foscari University - Venice Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage Palazzo Malcanton-Marcor? Dorsoduro 3484/d 30123 VENEZIA e mail: novielli at unive.it cafoscarishort at unive.it 2014-09-10 14:46 GMT+02:00 Mark Roberts : > Dear Roberta, > > Are you using stills from DVDs? > > While there is no "fair use" per se in Japan, my understanding has been > that use of DVD stills in academic works is covered by article 32.1 > of the Japanese > copyright law (?????32?). The main issue seems to be the formality of a > "permission request", i.e., whether or not you need to contact the rights > holder to "ask" if you may follow the law. > > If anybody else has further thoughts about this, I too would be curious to > hear them. > > > M. Roberts > Research Fellow, University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy > http://utcp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/blog/mark_roberts/index_en.php > > > > On Sep 10, 2014, at 9:30 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: > > > Dear Friends, > > I have just completed my new book, an history of Japanese animated movies, > to be published next January in Italy. I know each country has different > laws regarding the publication of copyright-free stills. I think in Japan > one can freely use pictures from a movie if it has been produced before > 1978. Can anybody confirm or help me finding out the exact low? > > > Thank you in advance. > > Best regards, > > Roberta Novielli > > > > _________________________ > > Maria Roberta Novielli > Associate Professor > Japanese Cinema and Literature > > Artistic Direction and Overall Organization > Ca? Foscari Short Film Festival > http://cafoscarishort.unive.it > > > Ca' Foscari University - Venice > Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage > Palazzo Malcanton-Marcor? > Dorsoduro 3484/d > 30123 VENEZIA > > e mail: > novielli at unive.it > cafoscarishort at unive.it > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan > > > > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From mroberts37 at mail-central.com Wed Sep 10 08:46:08 2014 From: mroberts37 at mail-central.com (Mark Roberts) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 21:46:08 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> Dear Roberta, Are you using stills from DVDs? While there is no "fair use" per se in Japan, my understanding has been that use of DVD stills in academic works is covered by article 32.1 of the Japanese copyright law (?????32?). The main issue seems to be the formality of a "permission request", i.e., whether or not you need to contact the rights holder to "ask" if you may follow the law. If anybody else has further thoughts about this, I too would be curious to hear them. M. Roberts Research Fellow, University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy http://utcp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/blog/mark_roberts/index_en.php On Sep 10, 2014, at 9:30 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: > > Dear Friends, > > I have just completed my new book, an history of Japanese animated movies, to be published next January in Italy. I know each country has different laws regarding the publication of copyright-free stills. I think in Japan one can freely use pictures from a movie if it has been produced before 1978. Can anybody confirm or help me finding out the exact low? > > > Thank you in advance. > > Best regards, > > Roberta Novielli > > > > _________________________ > > Maria Roberta Novielli > Associate Professor > Japanese Cinema and Literature > > Artistic Direction and Overall Organization > Ca? Foscari Short Film Festival > http://cafoscarishort.unive.it > > > Ca' Foscari University - Venice > Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage > Palazzo Malcanton-Marcor? > Dorsoduro 3484/d > 30123 VENEZIA > > e mail: > novielli at unive.it > cafoscarishort at unive.it > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From novielli at unive.it Wed Sep 10 08:30:21 2014 From: novielli at unive.it (Maria Roberta Novielli) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 14:30:21 +0200 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images Message-ID: Dear Friends, I have just completed my new book, an history of Japanese animated movies, to be published next January in Italy. I know each country has different laws regarding the publication of copyright-free stills. I think in Japan one can freely use pictures from a movie if it has been produced before 1978. Can anybody confirm or help me finding out the exact low? Thank you in advance. Best regards, Roberta Novielli _________________________ Maria Roberta Novielli Associate Professor Japanese Cinema and Literature Artistic Direction and Overall Organization Ca? Foscari Short Film Festival http://cafoscarishort.unive.it Ca' Foscari University - Venice Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage Palazzo Malcanton-Marcor? Dorsoduro 3484/d 30123 VENEZIA e mail: novielli at unive.it cafoscarishort at unive.it -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From amnornes at umich.edu Mon Sep 8 07:03:36 2014 From: amnornes at umich.edu (Markus Nornes) Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 20:03:36 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] =?utf-8?q?Yoshima_Shunya=27s_online_course=3A?= =?utf-8?q?=E3=80=90Visualizing_Postwar_Tokyo/MOOC_edX=E3=80=91?= Message-ID: Dear Friends and Colleagues ?Please circulate this announcement to your friends and students.) I am Shunya Yoshimi from the University of Tokyo. Please excuse me for contacting you suddenly. This autumn, my courses, "Visualizing Postwar Tokyo, Part 1 & 2" will be released on edX, a massive open online course (MOOC) platform where the University of Tokyo recently joined. Visualing Postwar Tokyo Course Websites: https://www.edx.org/course/utokyox/utokyox-utokyo001x-visualizing-postwar-1545 https://www.edx.org/course/utokyox/utokyox-utokyo002x-visualizing-postwar-1546 These courses are in the series, Visualizing Japan, and will be offered immediately after the first course in the series, Visualizing Japan (1850s - 1930s): Westernization, Protest, Modernity, by Professors John W. Dower (MIT) and Andrew Gordon (Harvard U). In the "Visualizing Postwar Tokyo, Part 1 and 2" which last 8 weeks in total, I tried to show many documentary films and other insightful/exciting visual materials for visualizing the historical events and places in Tokyo. Many of them are not available outside Japan, and I believe these courses are useful for teaching and understanding contemporary Japan and Tokyo. I would really appreciate it if you could circulate the course information and recommend people around you to register in these courses. They are free of charge. Thank you very much for your help in advance. With My Best Regards, Shunya Yoshimi The University of Tokyo Details are as follows: ??? Visualizing Postwar Tokyo, Part 1 ??? by Shunya Yoshimi, University of Tokyo ?Starts November 4, 2014? Analyzes the history of change and development in postwar Tokyo from different perspectives using archived photographs, films, and TV programs. The modules include, for Part 1: 1. Occupation and Americanism; 2. Imperial Gaze and Royal Wedding; 3. The Olympic City; 4. Economic-cultural Clash in Shinjuku. https://www.edx.org/course/utokyox/utokyox-utokyo001x-visualizing-postwar-1545 ??? Visualizing Postwar Tokyo, Part 2 ??? by Shunya Yoshimi, University of Tokyo ?Starts January 6, 2015? Presents the city as a place of visualities. In postwar Tokyo, countless gazes fell upon others: gazes from and upon Americans and the Emperor, gazes going up skyscrapers or rushing aggressively through the cityscape, and gazes twining among classes, genders, and ethnic groups in downtown Tokyo. The modules include, for Part 2: 5. Technologies for Visualizing; 6. The Poor and the Margins of Urban Society; 7. University Students and Knowledge Industry; 8. Postwar Tokyo and the Limits of Visualization. https://www.edx.org/course/utokyox/utokyox-utokyo002x-visualizing-postwar-1546 ??? Visualizing Japan (1850s-1930s): Westernization, Protest, Modernity ??? by John Dower, Andrew Gordon, Shigeru Miyagawa, Gennifer Weisenfeld ?Starts September 3, 2014? A first-time MITx/HarvardX collaboration, VJx opens windows on Japan?s transition into the modern world through the historical visual record. The modules cover: Use of visual records as primary sources for the study of history; Black Ships & Samurai -- Commodore Matthew Perry's 1853-54 expedition to force Japan to open its doors to the outside world; Social Protest in Imperial Japan: The Hibiya Riot of 1905. The first major social protest in the age of "imperial democracy" in Japan. Modernity in Interwar Japan: Shiseido & Consumer Culture. Exploring the vast archives of the Shiseido cosmetics company opens a fascinating window on the emergence of consumer culture, modern roles for women, andglobal cosmopolitanism. https://www.edx.org/course/VJx/vjx-visualizing-japan-2331 -- Shunya Yoshimi yoshimi at iii.u-tokyo.ac.jp Professor Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies University of Tokyo -- *Markus Nornes* Chair, Department of Screen Arts and Cultures Professor of Asian Cinema, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures Professor, School of Art & Design *Department of Screen Arts and Cultures* *6348 North Quad* *105 S. State Street* *Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From amnornes at umich.edu Sun Sep 7 20:22:40 2014 From: amnornes at umich.edu (Markus Nornes) Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2014 09:22:40 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] CFP: JJKC Special Issue Vol.7 Iss.1 References: Message-ID: <22EFAF21-1BB4-4D32-A9B9-0AAEF7BF9F27@umich.edu> JJKC Special Issue Vol.7 Iss.1 Hye Seung Chung and David Scott Diffrient Co-editors, Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema The Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema (Taylor & Francis/Routledge) is planning to run a special issue on space in Korean cinema based on the UC-Berkeley Korean Film Workshop that was held in June 2014. The journal editors and the special issue guest editor are calling for 1-2 additional paper(s) that fit with the theme of the special issue. The deadline for manuscript submissions is November 1, 2014, and the special issue is expected to be published in the first half of 2015. The possible topics of papers include, but are not limited to: ? New dynamics of urban and rural landscape ? Co-production of cinematic and urban space ? Imagery of neoliberal city and places ? Territory, periphery, border-crossing and dwelling ? Fringe cinema and fringe places ? Tourism and traversing ? Location of film and media (co-)production ? Trans-regional cinema and moving image culture ? Spatial contour of multi-ethnic, multi-racial Korea ? Chronotope and spatial iconography of genre films ? Terrain of the protracted Cold War ? Spatial imagery and imaginary of Korean blockbuster/genre films ? Affect, emotion and experience of space ? Ludic space of Korea?s computer games ? Monuments, architecture and ruins in historical drama ? Spatial dynamics of colonial representation ? Virtual ground of fantasy and enchantment ? Spatial orientation in documentary films ? Network imagery and imaginary of media technology Essays should be 6,000-8,000 words. Include an abstract of 150-200 words and a list of three to six keywords. Also include a separate, short biography in the third person. Do not put identifying information in your essay, but include your full name, affiliation, postal address, telephone number, and e-mail address on the cover page of the manuscript. Text, including notes, should be in Times New Roman, 12 point. Everything must be double-spaced. Quotations must be in English. The first mention of a film should include its original title, director?s name, and year of release. In all subsequent references, the title should be translated into English, unless known by the original title in all markets. Use explanatory endnotes, not footnotes. Use MLA style for references and works cited. All submissions should be sent to the editors (Dr. Hye Seung Chung and Dr. David Scott Diffrient) as e-mail attachments in Microsoft Word format to Journal_JKC at hotmail.com as well as to the special issue editor Dr. Jinsoo An (anjinsoo at berkeley.edu) For more information about the journal, now published by Taylor & Francis/Routledge, see http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjkc20#.U8RPyvmuSyU. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From sbklein at uci.edu Fri Sep 5 17:24:04 2014 From: sbklein at uci.edu (Susan B Klein) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2014 14:24:04 -0700 Subject: [KineJapan] UC Irvine Modern-Contemporary Japanese Lit & Culture position Message-ID: <540A29F4.3070600@uci.edu> Dear KineJapan folks, I'm pleased to announce that at long last the EALL department at UC Irvine is accepting applications for an open-rank Modern or Contemporary Japanese Literature and Culture position. Because of technical issues, the application process is split into a senior level (associate/full professor ) and junior level (assistant professor ) component, but these are for a single search. A description follows, along with links to the applications. If you have any questions about the job or application process, feel free to contact me directly. yours, ~~Susan Blakeley Klein Associate Professor Japanese Literature and Culture East Asian Language and LIteratures Department University of California, Irvine CA 92697 sbklein at uci.edu ________________________________________________________________________ Recruitment Period Open Aug 15, 2014 through Nov 1, 2014 Next review date: October 31st, 2014 Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee DESCRIPTION Japan Position 2015-16: Modern/Contemporary Japanese Literature and Culture The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of California, Irvine, invites applications for an open rank position in Modern/Contemporary Japanese Literature and Culture, to begin July 1, 2015. We welcome applicants from a broad range of specializations (literature, popular culture, critical theory, intellectual history, performance, [post]colonialism, gender studies, religious studies, cultural anthropology, ecocriticism, and film and visual studies, to name a few) whose work accommodates diverse geographical and disciplinary interests. Applicants should be committed to enhancing our programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The department values interdisciplinary approaches to research and teaching, and it would welcome applicants whose interests overlap with other units in UC Irvine's School of Humanities, including Comparative Literature, History, Religious Studies, Asian-American Studies, Visual Studies, and Gender Studies. The department will begin reviewing applications November 1, 2014. See below for separate application links for assistant professor level and associate/full professor level. Candidates should submit a letter of application that describes research and teaching interests; a statement addressing how past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion will advance UC Irvine's commitment to inclusive excellence; a current CV; and 3 letters of recommendation. The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to excellence through diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy. Direct questions about the electronic submission procedure to Michelle Hu (mahu at uci.edu) and any other questions about the search to Search Committee Chair, Susan Blakeley Klein (sbklein at uci.edu). To learn more about the Department, visit our website at http://www.humanities.uci.edu/eastasian/. Please find the following links below: . Assistant Professors Modern/Contemporary Japanese Literature and Culture https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF02571 . Associate & Full Professors Modern/Contemporary Japanese Literature and Culture https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF02508 -- Susan Blakeley Klein Associate Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture HIB 479 Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures University of California Irvine, CA 92697-6000 Office: 949-824-8165 email: sbklein at uci.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From mstchin at yahoo.com Fri Sep 5 16:38:06 2014 From: mstchin at yahoo.com (TRAN, Si Bang) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2014 13:38:06 -0700 Subject: [KineJapan] Princess Mononoke US Distribution contact In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1409949486.26259.YahooMailNeo@web142603.mail.bf1.yahoo.com> I am not sure, but I suspect that GKIDS Films is, currently, handling the North American distribution of some of the Studio Ghibli library. Michael > >________________________________ > From: Rob Buscher >To: "kinejapan at lists.osu.edu" >Sent: Friday, September 5, 2014 3:36 PM >Subject: [KineJapan] Princess Mononoke US Distribution contact > > > > >Hi All, > > >Does anyone have a current US distribution contact for Princess Mononoke? I thought that Disney owned those rights, but their licensing contact just told me that Studio Ghibli is representing that title themselves currently. > > >Thanks in advance. > > >Rob Buscher >Festival Director >Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival >www.paaff.org >_______________________________________________ >KineJapan mailing list >KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu >https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan > > > > _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From brianruh at yahoo.com Fri Sep 5 16:30:14 2014 From: brianruh at yahoo.com (Brian Ruh) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2014 13:30:14 -0700 Subject: [KineJapan] Princess Mononoke US Distribution contact In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1409949014.12596.YahooMailNeo@web181002.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> Hi Rob, I think the folks over at GKids might be who you're looking for - http://www.gkids.tv/films/ At the very least, they should be able to point you in the right direction. Best, Brian On Friday, September 5, 2014 2:36 PM, Rob Buscher wrote: Hi All, Does anyone have a current US distribution contact for Princess Mononoke? I thought that Disney owned those rights, but their licensing contact just told me that Studio Ghibli is representing that title themselves currently. Thanks in advance. Rob Buscher Festival Director Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival www.paaff.org _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From robbuscher at hotmail.com Fri Sep 5 15:36:12 2014 From: robbuscher at hotmail.com (Rob Buscher) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2014 15:36:12 -0400 Subject: [KineJapan] Princess Mononoke US Distribution contact Message-ID: Hi All, Does anyone have a current US distribution contact for Princess Mononoke? I thought that Disney owned those rights, but their licensing contact just told me that Studio Ghibli is representing that title themselves currently. Thanks in advance. Rob BuscherFestival DirectorPhiladelphia Asian American Film Festivalwww.paaff.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From eija at helsinkicineaasia.fi Fri Sep 5 00:26:45 2014 From: eija at helsinkicineaasia.fi (Eija Niskanen) Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2014 07:26:45 +0300 Subject: [KineJapan] Samurai Chronicle sneak at FCCJ Message-ID: Dear KineJapanners, On September 18, the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Yurakucho is screening Takashi Koizumi?s first film in five years, ?A Samurai Chronicle,? followed by a Q&A with the writer-director and his star, Koji Yakusho. Based on the Naoki Prize-winning novel by Rin Hamuro, it is the elegiac story of a samurai?s final three years before he must keep his promise to commit harakiri, with strong messages about fatherhood, community and honor. Koizumi was the longtime assistant to Akira Kurosawa and the director of the award-winning ?After the Rain? (2000). Since FCCJ is a private club, you must reserve your seats through Screenings Curator Karen Severns: kjs30 at gol.com. *FCCJ SNEAK PREVIEW SCREENING * *Thursday, Sept. 18, 6:30 pm* *A SAMURAI CHRONICLE (Higurashi no Ki)* Japan, 2014 129 minutes Japanese with English subtitles Directed by: Takashi Koizumi Cast: Koji Yakusho, Junichi Okada, Maki Horikita, Mieko Harada, Munetaka Aoki, Shinobu Terajima, Shiro Mifune, Hisashi Igawa, Kazuyoshi Kushida For more on the film: http://higurashinoki.jp/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.service.ohio-state.edu https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From mroberts37 at mail-central.com Wed Sep 10 08:46:08 2014 From: mroberts37 at mail-central.com (Mark Roberts) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 21:46:08 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> Dear Roberta, Are you using stills from DVDs? While there is no "fair use" per se in Japan, my understanding has been that use of DVD stills in academic works is covered by article 32.1 of the Japanese copyright law (?????32?). The main issue seems to be the formality of a "permission request", i.e., whether or not you need to contact the rights holder to "ask" if you may follow the law. If anybody else has further thoughts about this, I too would be curious to hear them. M. Roberts Research Fellow, University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy http://utcp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/blog/mark_roberts/index_en.php On Sep 10, 2014, at 9:30 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: > > Dear Friends, > > I have just completed my new book, an history of Japanese animated movies, to be published next January in Italy. I know each country has different laws regarding the publication of copyright-free stills. I think in Japan one can freely use pictures from a movie if it has been produced before 1978. Can anybody confirm or help me finding out the exact low? > > > Thank you in advance. > > Best regards, > > Roberta Novielli > > > > _________________________ > > Maria Roberta Novielli > Associate Professor > Japanese Cinema and Literature > > Artistic Direction and Overall Organization > Ca? Foscari Short Film Festival > http://cafoscarishort.unive.it > > > Ca' Foscari University - Venice > Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage > Palazzo Malcanton-Marcor? > Dorsoduro 3484/d > 30123 VENEZIA > > e mail: > novielli at unive.it > cafoscarishort at unive.it > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From aaron.gerow at yale.edu Wed Sep 10 09:29:07 2014 From: aaron.gerow at yale.edu (Gerow Aaron) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 09:29:07 -0400 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <10AF1FAA-198A-4E38-818F-6EB25BC50571@yale.edu> Roberta, I have not heard anyone talk about 1978 as a cutoff year for Japan. The current copyright law went into effect in 1971, so in some cases, the question of whether a work was produced before that has been an issue (the Kurosawa court case), but in general, stills are treated like other photographs: they are in copyright for 50 years after the death of the author. They changed the period in 1997, so 1957 is now the crucial year for photos (before that, it was 50 years after release, and since the 1997 revision did not revive works that had become public domain, most things before 1957 are thus public domain). See here for the Bunkacho summary: http://chosakuken.bunka.go.jp/naruhodo/outline/4.4.html Note that Wikipedia treats 1957 as the cutoff year for images from Japan. The problem with stills is that there often is no author. I believe in those cases of corporate authors, it is 50 years after release. Frame grabs from DVDs are another matter. Stills are individual works, but screenshots are not. I and others have argued that recent court cases in Japan--such as the one that validated the quotation of manga images in academic works without permission--the definition of quotation (which is allowed by law) includes frame grabs. I don't think that has come to court in Japan. Many foreign publishers treat frame grabs as quotations, and thus allow them, but not all do. This is not the most authoritative of answers, but I hope it helps. Aaron Gerow Professor Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures Director of Graduate Studies, EALL Yale University 320 York Street, Room 311 PO Box 208236 New Haven, CT 06520-8236 USA Phone: 1-203-432-7082 Fax: 1-203-432-6729 e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu website: www.aarongerow.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From gsjohnson at otsuma.ac.jp Wed Sep 10 10:42:42 2014 From: gsjohnson at otsuma.ac.jp (gsjohnson at otsuma.ac.jp) Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 23:42:42 +0900 (JST) Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: <10AF1FAA-198A-4E38-818F-6EB25BC50571@yale.edu> Message-ID: <20140910.231221.91565202.gsjohnson@otsuma.ac.jp> This is an issue I'm also interested in so I'll add perhaps irrelevant comments. Irrelevant because I was pursuing permission to publish screenshots of wartime footage NHK has posted on its web archives (not on DVD), the only version of the video NHK will allow to me for free. I asked NHK if I could use screenshots in an academic article. I was told that under the copyright law art. 32 ?????????, which covers quotations, I was permitted to use screenshots of that material to the extent necessary and justifiable by the contents of the article. They said nothing about the age of the video. However, I also contacted a book editor to ask whether I could take a photo of a wartime children's drawing in a book he published ten years ago and use it for the same purpose. He asked the publishing company and told me it might not be permissible. I'm now seeking clarification from the publisher on that. Greg Johnson Professor Faculty of Comparative Culture Otsuma Women's University Tokyo _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From mroberts37 at mail-central.com Wed Sep 10 19:42:02 2014 From: mroberts37 at mail-central.com (Mark Roberts) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 08:42:02 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> Message-ID: <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> Dear Roberta, On Sep 10, 2014, at 10:01 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: > I would use some stills taken from DVDs, but I wonder if the rights belong to the producers of the DVDs or to the original production companies, if still existing. My understanding has been that the production company is the rights holder, not the distributor. There is, as you note, a question in the case of production companies that no longer exist. I gather that the rights often go to the director or his/her family, but I am not sure about the law on this. For example, the ATG films are not old enough to be public domain, but the production company is defunct. What is their status? There is thus a lingering question in my mind about whether it is really necessary to go through the formality of contacting the rights holder. I have heard via the Copyright Research and Information Center of Japan (http://www.cric.or.jp/), that this is "recommended", even if it merely to inform them that you intend to use DVD stills in a publication. Of course, if the production company no longer exists, it may not be so simple to do this. It would be helpful to know how to handle this situation, and especially what to tell a publisher. I hope somebody on KineJapan more knowledgable than I can weigh in on this. Mark -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From amnornes at umich.edu Wed Sep 10 20:16:06 2014 From: amnornes at umich.edu (Markus Nornes) Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 09:16:06 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> Message-ID: >From the POV of North American publishing, the question of frame grabs (from video or film) appears settled. There are good posts on the background for this on the SCMS website and Bordwell's blog. They consider it the equivalent of a quote, so no need to contact rights holders. Obviously, NHK is taking this position. Good for them! (This has, by the way transformed book design. Now many publishers use page layouts that accommodate small images, since DVD grabs pixel out when blown up.) So I would assert fair use and let the publisher lead the way. If they balk, you could try showing them the websites above, although they are aimed primarily at American publishers. I once worked with a press that was sitting on the fence. I pointed out that if anyone is going to get sued over this, it'd be Thompson and Bordwell. Their textbooks make a lot of money and they've never paid for frame blow ups. As for the photo from the children's book, you couldn't claim fair use unless the book itself was the object of analysis. Markus PS: Covers are another matter. As PR instruments, they are not covered by fair use principles. On Thursday, September 11, 2014, Mark Roberts wrote: > Dear Roberta, > > On Sep 10, 2014, at 10:01 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: > > I would use some stills taken from DVDs, but I wonder if the rights belong > to the producers of the DVDs or to the original production companies, if > still existing. > > > My understanding has been that the production company is the rights > holder, not the distributor. There is, as you note, a question in the case > of production companies that no longer exist. I gather that the rights > often go to the director or his/her family, but I am not sure about the law > on this. For example, the ATG films are not old enough to be public domain, > but the production company is defunct. What is their status? > > There is thus a lingering question in my mind about whether it is really > necessary to go through the formality of contacting the rights holder. I > have heard via the Copyright Research and Information Center of Japan ( > http://www.cric.or.jp/), that this is "recommended", even if it merely to > inform them that you intend to use DVD stills in a publication. Of course, > if the production company no longer exists, it may not be so simple to do > this. > > It would be helpful to know how to handle this situation, and especially > what to tell a publisher. > > I hope somebody on KineJapan more knowledgable than I can weigh in on this. > > Mark > -- *Markus Nornes* Chair, Department of Screen Arts and Cultures Professor of Asian Cinema, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures Professor, School of Art & Design *Department of Screen Arts and Cultures* *6348 North Quad* *105 S. State Street* *Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From mroberts37 at mail-central.com Sat Sep 20 22:36:47 2014 From: mroberts37 at mail-central.com (Mark Roberts) Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 11:36:47 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> Message-ID: <3BC427B5-9A1A-4FE0-B168-681D2E56863F@mail-central.com> To resume this thread: while NHK may be taking the position that DVD stills are quotations, a number of other organisations in Japan do not agree. For example, I have been trying to publish several essays with DVD stills through the University of Tokyo. It's a small-format academic booklet, primarily for research libraries. The images are monochrome. The booklet will not be sold for money. Todai's position is that not only must we contact all the rights holders to seek permission, but we must also ID all of the actors/actresses appearing in the DVD stills and absolutely check on ?portrait rights? as well. There are over thirty images total, from eight different production companies, some international, and some of which have been defunct for over fifty years. In the case of the defunct companies, Todai?s position is that we must track down the current rights holders and seek permission from them. I have been through this before, and with the generous help of members of KineJapan, managed to sort it out. From that, I thought Todai had agreed that DVD images may be treated like quotations. However, they changed their position ex post facto, after all the editorial work was done. Although I explained that there is consensus in our field on fair use of DVD images, that section 32 of the Japanese copyright law allows quotations, that the case of Uesugi Satoshi vs. Kobayashi Yoshinori sets a precedent for academic use of images in critical analysis, that NHK supports this policy, and that North American publishers do not require permissions ? in spite of all that, Todai phoned Shochiku to ?check? on the law (even though we are not using images from any Shochiku films), and then contacted CRIC and JCOPY. Their position is that we really do need these permissions and portrait rights. I don?t know how long it will take to track down all of these rights, and I can?t really imagine pestering the families or heirs of directors/talent for such a low-level request. I feel bad that my colleagues are even spending time on this, though it seems to be their conviction that we must. I could understand the rationale for contacting production companies that still exist, but the claim that we need portrait rights as well seems rather excessive. After all, these are images of actors working for production companies, playing fictional characters in narrative films ? not paparazzi photos. It is not clear to me that Todai completely understands they are taking the position that we need permission each time we quote a primary source. Needless to say, in other fields of the humanities, such a stance would likely do immense harm to research. I have tried to explain that imposing such strict requirements on locating permissions could have a glaciating effect on future collaboration with Japanese institutions, but this concern has also been dismissed. Interestingly, Todai says that section 32 of the copyright law may be ?too old?, but no other ?newer? laws are being cited. It?s all about what these other organisations say, starting with Shochiku. At this point, I can?t tell if we?re even operating in the realm of law, or it?s more the say-so of the copyright lobby mixed with institutional paranoia. If anybody has any suggestions about a line of argument against this position, I would be very curious to hear it. I am concerned this could delay publication for months or require that we ask the contributors to rewrite their articles and drop images for which we cannot secure permission. M. Roberts Research Fellow, University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy http://utcp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/blog/mark_roberts/index_en.php On Sep 11, 2014, at 11:11 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: > Thank you, Markus. However, in Italy we have very strict rules on the matter, since we have to demonstrate that we actually got the permission to publish a still. > > Best, > > Roberta > > 2014-09-11 2:16 GMT+02:00 Markus Nornes : > From the POV of North American publishing, the question of frame grabs (from video or film) appears settled. There are good posts on the background for this on the SCMS website and Bordwell's blog. They consider it the equivalent of a quote, so no need to contact rights holders. Obviously, NHK is taking this position. Good for them! > > (This has, by the way transformed book design. Now many publishers use page layouts that accommodate small images, since DVD grabs pixel out when blown up.) > > So I would assert fair use and let the publisher lead the way. If they balk, you could try showing them the websites above, although they are aimed primarily at American publishers. > > I once worked with a press that was sitting on the fence. I pointed out that if anyone is going to get sued over this, it'd be Thompson and Bordwell. Their textbooks make a lot of money and they've never paid for frame blow ups. > > As for the photo from the children's book, you couldn't claim fair use unless the book itself was the object of analysis. > > Markus > > PS: Covers are another matter. As PR instruments, they are not covered by fair use principles. > > > > > On Thursday, September 11, 2014, Mark Roberts wrote: > Dear Roberta, > > On Sep 10, 2014, at 10:01 PM, Maria Roberta Novielli wrote: > >> I would use some stills taken from DVDs, but I wonder if the rights belong to the producers of the DVDs or to the original production companies, if still existing. > > My understanding has been that the production company is the rights holder, not the distributor. There is, as you note, a question in the case of production companies that no longer exist. I gather that the rights often go to the director or his/her family, but I am not sure about the law on this. For example, the ATG films are not old enough to be public domain, but the production company is defunct. What is their status? > > There is thus a lingering question in my mind about whether it is really necessary to go through the formality of contacting the rights holder. I have heard via the Copyright Research and Information Center of Japan (http://www.cric.or.jp/), that this is "recommended", even if it merely to inform them that you intend to use DVD stills in a publication. Of course, if the production company no longer exists, it may not be so simple to do this. > > It would be helpful to know how to handle this situation, and especially what to tell a publisher. > > I hope somebody on KineJapan more knowledgable than I can weigh in on this. > > Mark > > > -- > Markus Nornes > Chair, Department of Screen Arts and Cultures > Professor of Asian Cinema, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures > Professor, School of Art & Design > > Department of Screen Arts and Cultures > 6348 North Quad > 105 S. State Street > Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285 > > > > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan > > > > > -- > Maria Roberta Novielli > Professore Associato > Universit? Ca' Foscari Venezia > Dipartimento di Filosofia e Beni Culturali > Malcanton Marcor?, Dorsoduro 3484/D - 30123 Venezia > Tel. 041 234 6244 > Fax: 041 234 6210 > cell. 335 5463556 > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From gsjohnson at otsuma.ac.jp Mon Sep 22 01:59:16 2014 From: gsjohnson at otsuma.ac.jp (Gregory Johnson) Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 14:59:16 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> <3BC427B5-9A1A-4FE0-B168-681D2E56863F@mail-central.com> Message-ID: Mark, That's University of Tokyo Press???????? Thanks for the warning! I shutter to think of a classroom shot from the 30s or 40s filled with unnamed extras or in my case, real pupils. I haven't asked NHK about DVD stills. I don't have a DVD. I initially wanted to show short wartime newsreels from the NHK online archive at a conference. Having no information on internet availability for a conference room that had not yet been assigned, I was concerned I'd arrive intending to talk about a newsreel but be unable to show it. I asked NHK if I could buy a DVD of the newsreels. I was told ????????????????...?1??12 ?????VTR?????. So I went sans DVD. Fortunately, the internet was connected to the conference room (about 6 minutes before the panel started). The most I can say is that the section of NHK in charge of that material told me the use I described for a journal article was fair use under legal ?? provisions. I also contacted the publisher ???????? about reproducing four photos from two of their books and they also said okay based on ??. I don't know yet what the non-Japanese journal publisher will require because my collaborators and I are still considering where to submit. Speaking of institutional paranoia, I've had Japanese archives place rules on the use of their material that seem to surpass legal requirements. After spending a week at a prefectural archive that had copies of the historical materials held by each school in the prefecture, I was told as I bid the until then very helpful staff farewell that I needed permission from each current principal of the school before quoting or even referring to the material. Some principals wanted to see what I was going to write first. Of course I couldn't do that. A city archive in another prefecture with the same type of historical school material made no such restrictions. An American colleague told me that he hired a Japanese agent to obtain permissions for one of his books and the agent had no trouble doing so. Does anyone have experience doing this? Greg Johnson > On Sep 21, 2014, at 11:36 AM, Mark Roberts > wrote: > >> To resume this thread: while NHK may be taking the position that >> DVD stills are quotations, a number of other organisations in Japan >> do not agree. >> >> For example, I have been trying to publish several essays with DVD >> stills through the University of Tokyo. It's a small-format >> academic booklet, primarily for research libraries. The images are >> monochrome. The booklet will not be sold for money. >> >> I have been through this before, and with the generous help of >> members of KineJapan, managed to sort it out. From that, I thought >> Todai had agreed that DVD images may be treated like quotations. >> However, they changed their position ex post facto, after all the >> editorial work was done. >> >> Although I explained that there is consensus in our field on fair >> use of DVD images, that section 32 of the Japanese copyright law >> allows quotations, that the case of Uesugi Satoshi vs. Kobayashi >> Yoshinori sets a precedent for academic use of images in critical >> analysis, that NHK supports this policy, and that North American >> publishers do not require permissions ? in spite of all that, >> Todai phoned Shochiku to ?check? on the law (even >> though we are not using images from any Shochiku films), and then >> contacted CRIC and JCOPY. Their position is that we really do need >> these permissions and portrait rights. >> >> I don?t know how long it will take to track down all of these >> rights, and I can?t really imagine pestering the families or >> heirs of directors/talent for such a low-level request. I feel bad >> that my colleagues are even spending time on this, though it seems >> to be their conviction that we must. I could understand the >> rationale for contacting production companies that still exist, but >> the claim that we need portrait rights as well seems rather >> excessive. After all, these are images of actors working for >> production companies, playing fictional characters in narrative >> films ? not paparazzi photos. >> >> It is not clear to me that Todai completely understands they are >> taking the position that we need permission each time we quote a >> primary source. Needless to say, in other fields of the humanities, >> such a stance would likely do immense harm to research. I have >> tried to explain that imposing such strict requirements on locating >> permissions could have a glaciating effect on future collaboration >> with Japanese institutions, but this concern has also been dismissed. >> >> Interestingly, Todai says that section 32 of the copyright law may >> be ?too old?, but no other ?newer? laws >> are being cited. It?s all about what these other >> organisations say, starting with Shochiku. At this point, I >> can?t tell if we?re even operating in the realm of >> law, or it?s more the say-so of the copyright lobby mixed >> with institutional paranoia. >> >> If anybody has any suggestions about a line of argument against >> this position, I would be very curious to hear it. I am concerned >> this could delay publication for months or require that we ask the >> contributors to rewrite their articles and drop images for which we >> cannot secure permission. >> >> M. Roberts >> Research Fellow, University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy >> http://utcp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/blog/mark_roberts/index_en.php >>> >>> 2014-09-11 2:16 GMT+02:00 Markus Nornes : >>> From the POV of North American publishing, the question of frame >>> grabs (from video or film) appears settled. There are good posts >>> on the background for this on the SCMS website and Bordwell's >>> blog. They consider it the equivalent of a quote, so no need to >>> contact rights holders. Obviously, NHK is taking this position. >>> Good for them! >>> >>> (This has, by the way transformed book design. Now many publishers >>> use page layouts that accommodate small images, since DVD grabs >>> pixel out when blown up.) >>> >>> So I would assert fair use and let the publisher lead the way. If >>> they balk, you could try showing them the websites above, although >>> they are aimed primarily at American publishers. >>> >>> I once worked with a press that was sitting on the fence. I >>> pointed out that if anyone is going to get sued over this, it'd be >>> Thompson and Bordwell. Their textbooks make a lot of money and >>> they've never paid for frame blow ups. >>> >>> As for the photo from the children's book, you couldn't claim fair >>> use unless the book itself was the object of analysis. >>> >>> Markus >>> >>> PS: Covers are another matter. As PR instruments, they are not >>> covered by fair use principles. >>> >>> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From mroberts37 at mail-central.com Mon Sep 22 08:05:12 2014 From: mroberts37 at mail-central.com (Mark Roberts) Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 21:05:12 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> <3BC427B5-9A1A-4FE0-B168-681D2E56863F@mail-central.com> Message-ID: Hi Greg, Thanks for filling in the details. I?m not dealing with U. of Tokyo Press, just the research center ? can?t speak for the policies of the press on this. However, I?m struck by the variety of responses to the law on iny?. Some parties seem to feel that a DVD still is a quotation and they go with the law. Others want a more literal interpretation, so the law doesn?t speak to them and they follow the interpretation of the rights holders and their representatives. My guess is that this ambiguity will likely persist until such time that the law is amended to define more explicitly what a quotation is, e.g., that a DVD still would unambiguously qualify as a quotation. Given the strength and interests of the rights holders in Japan, I have no reason to believe this change will happen anytime soon. In my experience, at least, the research community here is going to defend the rights holders before it defends the rights of other researchers. This is unfortunate, because it means that collaborative publishing projects with Japanese institutions may be too risky for foreign researchers. I would certainly think twice before ever considering it again. M. On Sep 22, 2014, at 2:59 PM, Gregory Johnson wrote: > > Mark, That's University of Tokyo Press???????? Thanks for the warning! I shutter to think of a classroom shot from the 30s or 40s filled with unnamed extras or in my case, real pupils. I haven't asked NHK about DVD stills. I don't have a DVD. I initially wanted to show short wartime newsreels from the NHK online archive at a conference. Having no information on internet availability for a conference room that had not yet been assigned, I was concerned I'd arrive intending to talk about a newsreel but be unable to show it. I asked NHK if I could buy a DVD of the newsreels. I was told ????????????????...?1??12?????VTR?????. So I went sans DVD. Fortunately, the internet was connected to the conference room (about 6 minutes before the panel started). The most I can say is that the section of NHK in charge of that material told me the use I described for a journal article was fair use under legal ?? provisions. I also contacted the publisher ???????? about reproducing four photos from two of their books and they also said okay based on ??. I don't know yet what the non-Japanese journal publisher will require because my collaborators and I are still considering where to submit. > > Speaking of institutional paranoia, I've had Japanese archives place rules on the use of their material that seem to surpass legal requirements. After spending a week at a prefectural archive that had copies of the historical materials held by each school in the prefecture, I was told as I bid the until then very helpful staff farewell that I needed permission from each current principal of the school before quoting or even referring to the material. Some principals wanted to see what I was going to write first. Of course I couldn't do that. A city archive in another prefecture with the same type of historical school material made no such restrictions. > > An American colleague told me that he hired a Japanese agent to obtain permissions for one of his books and the agent had no trouble doing so. Does anyone have experience doing this? > > Greg Johnson > >> On Sep 21, 2014, at 11:36 AM, Mark Roberts wrote: >> >>> To resume this thread: while NHK may be taking the position that DVD stills are quotations, a number of other organisations in Japan do not agree. >>> >>> For example, I have been trying to publish several essays with DVD stills through the University of Tokyo. It's a small-format academic booklet, primarily for research libraries. The images are monochrome. The booklet will not be sold for money. >>> >>> I have been through this before, and with the generous help of members of KineJapan, managed to sort it out. From that, I thought Todai had agreed that DVD images may be treated like quotations. However, they changed their position ex post facto, after all the editorial work was done. >>> >>> Although I explained that there is consensus in our field on fair use of DVD images, that section 32 of the Japanese copyright law allows quotations, that the case of Uesugi Satoshi vs. Kobayashi Yoshinori sets a precedent for academic use of images in critical analysis, that NHK supports this policy, and that North American publishers do not require permissions ? in spite of all that, Todai phoned Shochiku to ?check? on the law (even though we are not using images from any Shochiku films), and then contacted CRIC and JCOPY. Their position is that we really do need these permissions and portrait rights. >>> >>> I don?t know how long it will take to track down all of these rights, and I can?t really imagine pestering the families or heirs of directors/talent for such a low-level request. I feel bad that my colleagues are even spending time on this, though it seems to be their conviction that we must. I could understand the rationale for contacting production companies that still exist, but the claim that we need portrait rights as well seems rather excessive. After all, these are images of actors working for production companies, playing fictional characters in narrative films ? not paparazzi photos. >>> >>> It is not clear to me that Todai completely understands they are taking the position that we need permission each time we quote a primary source. Needless to say, in other fields of the humanities, such a stance would likely do immense harm to research. I have tried to explain that imposing such strict requirements on locating permissions could have a glaciating effect on future collaboration with Japanese institutions, but this concern has also been dismissed. >>> >>> Interestingly, Todai says that section 32 of the copyright law may be ?too old?, but no other ?newer? laws are being cited. It?s all about what these other organisations say, starting with Shochiku. At this point, I can?t tell if we?re even operating in the realm of law, or it?s more the say-so of the copyright lobby mixed with institutional paranoia. >>> >>> If anybody has any suggestions about a line of argument against this position, I would be very curious to hear it. I am concerned this could delay publication for months or require that we ask the contributors to rewrite their articles and drop images for which we cannot secure permission. >>> >>> M. Roberts >>> Research Fellow, University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy >>> http://utcp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/blog/mark_roberts/index_en.php >>>> >>>> 2014-09-11 2:16 GMT+02:00 Markus Nornes : >>>> From the POV of North American publishing, the question of frame grabs (from video or film) appears settled. There are good posts on the background for this on the SCMS website and Bordwell's blog. They consider it the equivalent of a quote, so no need to contact rights holders. Obviously, NHK is taking this position. Good for them! >>>> >>>> (This has, by the way transformed book design. Now many publishers use page layouts that accommodate small images, since DVD grabs pixel out when blown up.) >>>> >>>> So I would assert fair use and let the publisher lead the way. If they balk, you could try showing them the websites above, although they are aimed primarily at American publishers. >>>> >>>> I once worked with a press that was sitting on the fence. I pointed out that if anyone is going to get sued over this, it'd be Thompson and Bordwell. Their textbooks make a lot of money and they've never paid for frame blow ups. >>>> >>>> As for the photo from the children's book, you couldn't claim fair use unless the book itself was the object of analysis. >>>> >>>> Markus >>>> >>>> PS: Covers are another matter. As PR instruments, they are not covered by fair use principles. >>>> >>>> > > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From stephen at asianfilm.info Mon Sep 22 08:00:58 2014 From: stephen at asianfilm.info (Stephen Cremin) Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 20:00:58 +0800 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <666e15e7-fc3d-4e79-8b36-d65f0e3a829c@localhost> This doesn't relate to academic publishing. For Film Business Asia's print magazines, we're often told that we can't reproduce the high-resolution artwork online, even at low resolutions. That's generally for a film's promotional materials, like posters. Only Japanese sales companies demand that we include copyright information alongside stills. For reviewing films, we've had problems securing stills featuring the main actor, often when he belongs to Johnny & Associates. For example, try to find an image online from Miki Satoshi's IT'S ME, IT'S ME showing the face of Kamenashi Kazuya, despite him playing more than two dozen roles in the film. When ETERNAL 0 was the number one film for several months, it took a lot of time every week finding even medium-resolution stills of the film for our weekly box office reports. That means often scouring for images on Japanese websites where higher resolution images have been posted by mistake. There was talk in the discussion below about how book artwork is being designed with small images that can be reproduced from DVDs. The same is true of Japanese films' official websites, where images are deliberately displayed small and at low resolution to stop people "stealing" them. The insanity of it all. For one film review, we had an email demanding how we saw the film, where we got the still, and where we got an English title for the film. The sales company refused to provide an alternate still, confirm the English title, or even confirm whether there is an official English title. This was for a rave 8/10 review. (In that last case, correspondence was only with a Tokyo-based Westerner working at the sales company, who also asked us to remove critical comments in the review about another film-maker's work that the company did not represent. The directors had adapted different novels by the same author.) I won't say that we don't commission Japanese features because of these hassles. But it does make me pause when we include images of Japanese films in product listings guides, etc, because there'll be a crisis if the designer forgets to include the copyright notice and I don't pick that up in proofing. Generally, it's hard to get good quality stills of Japanese films unless one goes through film companies. That isn't the case for images of films from South Korea or China, where - call them crazy - but getting dozens of images out there for a film is considered good for promotion and making money. Much of this is about control. Aren't the studios, for example, selling packages of films to overseas distributors that are out of copyright? Tucker Films in Italy recently picked up a collection of older titles from one of the big studios, and I'm pretty sure some (if not all of them) are in the public domain. What would I like to see? Call me socialist, but I'd like to see a law that for a domestic film to be recognised legally with copyright protection outside Japan, it must deposit high-resolution stills, an English-subtitled screener and complete credit rolls to organisations that represent Japanese films such as UniJapan, etc. What you don't want to do is shift the power to just one organisation, because then it just shifts the centre of control. We saw that with Kawakita in the 1990s, when Japanese directors complained that their films weren't being shown to festival programmers because they were outside Kawakita's taste/agenda. Without that, I can't see there being any major changes, and the industry will continue on its stubborn journey to be positioned outside of world film history. The Cool Japan fund is a lot of money, but it won't have any real impact because the key problems of the Japanese film industry are not money-related. In Cannes, I heard from Japanese sales companies that they can get back half the cost of promoting their films, but the paperwork is so extensive that they often don't bother. Among Asian films, Japanese titles did have the most market screenings, but I think that's more about not wanting to give out screeners. Sorry to take this thread in a different direction. And forgive the Anglo-centrism of English subtitles. Stephen Cremin -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From sfred at bu.edu Mon Sep 22 09:35:39 2014 From: sfred at bu.edu (Frederick, Sarah) Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 13:35:39 +0000 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> <3BC427B5-9A1A-4FE0-B168-681D2E56863F@mail-central.com> Message-ID: <5A2FF820-503E-410F-8FF5-056489BBE697@bu.edu> I don't have experience on this with Japanese publishers, but did discuss this with Shouchiku at one point. For my article on Shashin Shousetsu (in _positions_) the ??????? said the following about the images (they are quotations and OK in that respect, but you need permission from the actors): > ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? > ???????????????????????????????????????????????????? Shouchiku said that since most of the actors were ones for whom they had no contact information and in many cases deceased, they could not help with the permission but that it was required even so. Shouchiku did say that if they had been taken from a movie, the permission _could_ be granted by Shouchiku itself. But if they were taken separately by a photographer as in promotional images or the posed stills I was using, direct permission was needed: These are my question and responses (here in English so the publisher could read them): "1.) In Japan, is it unnecessary to receive permission from a deceased individual's family to reproduce that person's image? Is permission unnecessary in that case? Shochiku? It is necessary to receive permission from a deceased family to reproduce that person's image. For example, whenever we use Yasujiro Ozu's portrait, we ask Ozu's family for permission. 2.) In the case of for example movie stills, is permission from the actor necessary? Or only from the studio or other copyright holder? For example, to show an image in a book from Ozu's Tokyo Monogatari, do we need Hara Setsuko's permission, or just Shouchiku's? Although what I am using are not from movies exactly, it is a similar situation. The people photographed are actors playing roles for the photographer. They also were working for Shouchiku, Toho, and other studios. Shochiku?If the stills are from movies which Shochiku provided, it is unnecessary to receive permission for the actor/director but Shochiku's permission is needed. However, if the stills are not from movies, you have to ask permission from the photographer and actor/actress." --- In the end, I published the images with the following arguments: 1.) I made every attempt to contact the people in the images - and I did look up any I could find 2.) I had permission from the studios who employed the actors where those studios were extant 3.) the issue with images of an individual are about the ?? clause and there was no infringement here. #3 may be shaky but I made the argument after reading the copyright law. There were a few more typical wartime images that I did not use for this reason. Hara Setsuko appeared in shashin shousetsu, but I didn't go there because it seemed like it would be complicated and they were not that exciting beyond stardom. Now that I have discovered the prevalence of shashin shousetsu much earlier in girls' magazines, including a very early Sansho the Bailiff from the Taisho era, I'd love to write more about that. But going through that process again scares me. Good luck to us all! Sarah Frederick On Sep 22, 2014, at 8:05 AM, Mark Roberts wrote: > Hi Greg, > > Thanks for filling in the details. I?m not dealing with U. of Tokyo Press, just the research center ? can?t speak for the policies of the press on this. However, I?m struck by the variety of responses to the law on iny?. Some parties seem to feel that a DVD still is a quotation and they go with the law. Others want a more literal interpretation, so the law doesn?t speak to them and they follow the interpretation of the rights holders and their representatives. > > My guess is that this ambiguity will likely persist until such time that the law is amended to define more explicitly what a quotation is, e.g., that a DVD still would unambiguously qualify as a quotation. Given the strength and interests of the rights holders in Japan, I have no reason to believe this change will happen anytime soon. In my experience, at least, the research community here is going to defend the rights holders before it defends the rights of other researchers. > > This is unfortunate, because it means that collaborative publishing projects with Japanese institutions may be too risky for foreign researchers. I would certainly think twice before ever considering it again. > > M. > > > > On Sep 22, 2014, at 2:59 PM, Gregory Johnson wrote: > >> >> Mark, That's University of Tokyo Press???????? Thanks for the warning! I shutter to think of a classroom shot from the 30s or 40s filled with unnamed extras or in my case, real pupils. I haven't asked NHK about DVD stills. I don't have a DVD. I initially wanted to show short wartime newsreels from the NHK online archive at a conference. Having no information on internet availability for a conference room that had not yet been assigned, I was concerned I'd arrive intending to talk about a newsreel but be unable to show it. I asked NHK if I could buy a DVD of the newsreels. I was told ????????????????...?1??12?????VTR?????. So I went sans DVD. Fortunately, the internet was connected to the conference room (about 6 minutes before the panel started). The most I can say is that the section of NHK in charge of that material told me the use I described for a journal article was fair use under legal ?? provisions. I also contacted the publisher ???????? about reproducing four photos from two of their books and they also said okay based on ??. I don't know yet what the non-Japanese journal publisher will require because my collaborators and I are still considering where to submit. >> >> Speaking of institutional paranoia, I've had Japanese archives place rules on the use of their material that seem to surpass legal requirements. After spending a week at a prefectural archive that had copies of the historical materials held by each school in the prefecture, I was told as I bid the until then very helpful staff farewell that I needed permission from each current principal of the school before quoting or even referring to the material. Some principals wanted to see what I was going to write first. Of course I couldn't do that. A city archive in another prefecture with the same type of historical school material made no such restrictions. >> >> An American colleague told me that he hired a Japanese agent to obtain permissions for one of his books and the agent had no trouble doing so. Does anyone have experience doing this? >> >> Greg Johnson >> >>> On Sep 21, 2014, at 11:36 AM, Mark Roberts wrote: >>> >>>> To resume this thread: while NHK may be taking the position that DVD stills are quotations, a number of other organisations in Japan do not agree. >>>> >>>> For example, I have been trying to publish several essays with DVD stills through the University of Tokyo. It's a small-format academic booklet, primarily for research libraries. The images are monochrome. The booklet will not be sold for money. >>>> >>>> I have been through this before, and with the generous help of members of KineJapan, managed to sort it out. From that, I thought Todai had agreed that DVD images may be treated like quotations. However, they changed their position ex post facto, after all the editorial work was done. >>>> >>>> Although I explained that there is consensus in our field on fair use of DVD images, that section 32 of the Japanese copyright law allows quotations, that the case of Uesugi Satoshi vs. Kobayashi Yoshinori sets a precedent for academic use of images in critical analysis, that NHK supports this policy, and that North American publishers do not require permissions ? in spite of all that, Todai phoned Shochiku to ?check? on the law (even though we are not using images from any Shochiku films), and then contacted CRIC and JCOPY. Their position is that we really do need these permissions and portrait rights. >>>> >>>> I don?t know how long it will take to track down all of these rights, and I can?t really imagine pestering the families or heirs of directors/talent for such a low-level request. I feel bad that my colleagues are even spending time on this, though it seems to be their conviction that we must. I could understand the rationale for contacting production companies that still exist, but the claim that we need portrait rights as well seems rather excessive. After all, these are images of actors working for production companies, playing fictional characters in narrative films ? not paparazzi photos. >>>> >>>> It is not clear to me that Todai completely understands they are taking the position that we need permission each time we quote a primary source. Needless to say, in other fields of the humanities, such a stance would likely do immense harm to research. I have tried to explain that imposing such strict requirements on locating permissions could have a glaciating effect on future collaboration with Japanese institutions, but this concern has also been dismissed. >>>> >>>> Interestingly, Todai says that section 32 of the copyright law may be ?too old?, but no other ?newer? laws are being cited. It?s all about what these other organisations say, starting with Shochiku. At this point, I can?t tell if we?re even operating in the realm of law, or it?s more the say-so of the copyright lobby mixed with institutional paranoia. >>>> >>>> If anybody has any suggestions about a line of argument against this position, I would be very curious to hear it. I am concerned this could delay publication for months or require that we ask the contributors to rewrite their articles and drop images for which we cannot secure permission. >>>> >>>> M. Roberts >>>> Research Fellow, University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy >>>> http://utcp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/blog/mark_roberts/index_en.php >>>>> >>>>> 2014-09-11 2:16 GMT+02:00 Markus Nornes : >>>>> From the POV of North American publishing, the question of frame grabs (from video or film) appears settled. There are good posts on the background for this on the SCMS website and Bordwell's blog. They consider it the equivalent of a quote, so no need to contact rights holders. Obviously, NHK is taking this position. Good for them! >>>>> >>>>> (This has, by the way transformed book design. Now many publishers use page layouts that accommodate small images, since DVD grabs pixel out when blown up.) >>>>> >>>>> So I would assert fair use and let the publisher lead the way. If they balk, you could try showing them the websites above, although they are aimed primarily at American publishers. >>>>> >>>>> I once worked with a press that was sitting on the fence. I pointed out that if anyone is going to get sued over this, it'd be Thompson and Bordwell. Their textbooks make a lot of money and they've never paid for frame blow ups. >>>>> >>>>> As for the photo from the children's book, you couldn't claim fair use unless the book itself was the object of analysis. >>>>> >>>>> Markus >>>>> >>>>> PS: Covers are another matter. As PR instruments, they are not covered by fair use principles. >>>>> >>>>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> KineJapan mailing list >> KineJapan at lists.osu.edu >> https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan > > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From baird at umass.edu Mon Sep 22 10:40:47 2014 From: baird at umass.edu (Bruce Baird) Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 10:40:47 -0400 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: <5A2FF820-503E-410F-8FF5-056489BBE697@bu.edu> References: <5AEC9A58-C657-48CA-8836-F7641B9E79DE@mail-central.com> <94612BE9-125E-48BA-A250-78EF919CED84@mail-central.com> <3BC427B5-9A1A-4FE0-B168-681D2E56863F@mail-central.com> <5A2FF820-503E-410F-8FF5-056489BBE697@bu.edu> Message-ID: I have two points to add to this discussion. I have had the similar experience with Japanese photographers or archives owning the rights to pictures of butoh artists, but wanting me to ask the dancer for permission to use the photo as well. I have tried to resist this, but I have to admit that at the end of the day, I leave and go back to the states for my teaching job, while they stay in contact with each other. So that makes things a little more delicate from their side, because they want to maintain good relationships all around. As far as non-Japanese publishers go, I did run into one sticking point with my book (which came out from Palgrave Macmillan--a UK/Germany publishing house). When I proposed a cover with only a single individual on it (Hijikata Tatsumi), the publisher demanded that I get an extra permission (in addition to the one from the photographer) from his descendants for his likeness to appear on the cover. Apparently, there would be no extra permission needed if it was a group shot on the cover, but the fact that it was only a single individual necessitated the extra step in the eyes of their legal dept. I echo Sarah in wishing us all further good luck! Bruce On Sep 22, 2014, at 9:35 AM, Frederick, Sarah wrote: > I don't have experience on this with Japanese publishers, but did discuss this with Shouchiku at one point. > > For my article on Shashin Shousetsu (in _positions_) the ??????? said the following about the images (they are quotations and OK in that respect, but you need permission from the actors): > >> ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? >> ???????????????????????????????????????????????????? > > Shouchiku said that since most of the actors were ones for whom they had no contact information and in many cases deceased, they could not help with the permission but that it was required even so. Shouchiku did say that if they had been taken from a movie, the permission _could_ be granted by Shouchiku itself. But if they were taken separately by a photographer as in promotional images or the posed stills I was using, direct permission was needed: > > These are my question and responses (here in English so the publisher could read them): > > "1.) In Japan, is it unnecessary to receive permission from a deceased individual's family to reproduce that person's image? Is permission unnecessary in that case? > Shochiku? It is necessary to receive permission from a deceased family to reproduce that person's image. For example, whenever we use Yasujiro Ozu's portrait, we ask Ozu's family for permission. > > > 2.) In the case of for example movie stills, is permission from the actor necessary? Or only from the studio or other copyright holder? For example, to show an image in a book from Ozu's Tokyo Monogatari, do we need Hara Setsuko's permission, or just Shouchiku's? Although what I am using are not from movies exactly, it is a similar situation. The people photographed are actors playing roles for the photographer. They also were working for Shouchiku, Toho, and other studios. > > Shochiku?If the stills are from movies which Shochiku provided, it is unnecessary to receive permission for the actor/director but Shochiku's permission is needed. However, if the stills are not from movies, you have to ask permission from the photographer and actor/actress." > --- > > In the end, I published the images with the following arguments: 1.) I made every attempt to contact the people in the images - and I did look up any I could find 2.) I had permission from the studios who employed the actors where those studios were extant 3.) the issue with images of an individual are about the ?? clause and there was no infringement here. #3 may be shaky but I made the argument after reading the copyright law. There were a few more typical wartime images that I did not use for this reason. Hara Setsuko appeared in shashin shousetsu, but I didn't go there because it seemed like it would be complicated and they were not that exciting beyond stardom. > > Now that I have discovered the prevalence of shashin shousetsu much earlier in girls' magazines, including a very early Sansho the Bailiff from the Taisho era, I'd love to write more about that. But going through that process again scares me. > > Good luck to us all! > > Sarah Frederick > > > > > > > > > On Sep 22, 2014, at 8:05 AM, Mark Roberts wrote: > >> Hi Greg, >> >> Thanks for filling in the details. I?m not dealing with U. of Tokyo Press, just the research center ? can?t speak for the policies of the press on this. However, I?m struck by the variety of responses to the law on iny?. Some parties seem to feel that a DVD still is a quotation and they go with the law. Others want a more literal interpretation, so the law doesn?t speak to them and they follow the interpretation of the rights holders and their representatives. >> >> My guess is that this ambiguity will likely persist until such time that the law is amended to define more explicitly what a quotation is, e.g., that a DVD still would unambiguously qualify as a quotation. Given the strength and interests of the rights holders in Japan, I have no reason to believe this change will happen anytime soon. In my experience, at least, the research community here is going to defend the rights holders before it defends the rights of other researchers. >> >> This is unfortunate, because it means that collaborative publishing projects with Japanese institutions may be too risky for foreign researchers. I would certainly think twice before ever considering it again. >> >> M. >> >> >> >> On Sep 22, 2014, at 2:59 PM, Gregory Johnson wrote: >> >>> >>> Mark, That's University of Tokyo Press???????? Thanks for the warning! I shutter to think of a classroom shot from the 30s or 40s filled with unnamed extras or in my case, real pupils. I haven't asked NHK about DVD stills. I don't have a DVD. I initially wanted to show short wartime newsreels from the NHK online archive at a conference. Having no information on internet availability for a conference room that had not yet been assigned, I was concerned I'd arrive intending to talk about a newsreel but be unable to show it. I asked NHK if I could buy a DVD of the newsreels. I was told ????????????????...?1??12?????VTR?????. So I went sans DVD. Fortunately, the internet was connected to the conference room (about 6 minutes before the panel started). The most I can say is that the section of NHK in charge of that material told me the use I described for a journal article was fair use under legal ?? provisions. I also contacted the publisher ???????? about reproducing four photos from two of their books and they also said okay based on ??. I don't know yet what the non-Japanese journal publisher will require because my collaborators and I are still considering where to submit. >>> >>> Speaking of institutional paranoia, I've had Japanese archives place rules on the use of their material that seem to surpass legal requirements. After spending a week at a prefectural archive that had copies of the historical materials held by each school in the prefecture, I was told as I bid the until then very helpful staff farewell that I needed permission from each current principal of the school before quoting or even referring to the material. Some principals wanted to see what I was going to write first. Of course I couldn't do that. A city archive in another prefecture with the same type of historical school material made no such restrictions. >>> >>> An American colleague told me that he hired a Japanese agent to obtain permissions for one of his books and the agent had no trouble doing so. Does anyone have experience doing this? >>> >>> Greg Johnson >>> >>>> On Sep 21, 2014, at 11:36 AM, Mark Roberts wrote: >>>> >>>>> To resume this thread: while NHK may be taking the position that DVD stills are quotations, a number of other organisations in Japan do not agree. >>>>> >>>>> For example, I have been trying to publish several essays with DVD stills through the University of Tokyo. It's a small-format academic booklet, primarily for research libraries. The images are monochrome. The booklet will not be sold for money. >>>>> >>>>> I have been through this before, and with the generous help of members of KineJapan, managed to sort it out. From that, I thought Todai had agreed that DVD images may be treated like quotations. However, they changed their position ex post facto, after all the editorial work was done. >>>>> >>>>> Although I explained that there is consensus in our field on fair use of DVD images, that section 32 of the Japanese copyright law allows quotations, that the case of Uesugi Satoshi vs. Kobayashi Yoshinori sets a precedent for academic use of images in critical analysis, that NHK supports this policy, and that North American publishers do not require permissions ? in spite of all that, Todai phoned Shochiku to ?check? on the law (even though we are not using images from any Shochiku films), and then contacted CRIC and JCOPY. Their position is that we really do need these permissions and portrait rights. >>>>> >>>>> I don?t know how long it will take to track down all of these rights, and I can?t really imagine pestering the families or heirs of directors/talent for such a low-level request. I feel bad that my colleagues are even spending time on this, though it seems to be their conviction that we must. I could understand the rationale for contacting production companies that still exist, but the claim that we need portrait rights as well seems rather excessive. After all, these are images of actors working for production companies, playing fictional characters in narrative films ? not paparazzi photos. >>>>> >>>>> It is not clear to me that Todai completely understands they are taking the position that we need permission each time we quote a primary source. Needless to say, in other fields of the humanities, such a stance would likely do immense harm to research. I have tried to explain that imposing such strict requirements on locating permissions could have a glaciating effect on future collaboration with Japanese institutions, but this concern has also been dismissed. >>>>> >>>>> Interestingly, Todai says that section 32 of the copyright law may be ?too old?, but no other ?newer? laws are being cited. It?s all about what these other organisations say, starting with Shochiku. At this point, I can?t tell if we?re even operating in the realm of law, or it?s more the say-so of the copyright lobby mixed with institutional paranoia. >>>>> >>>>> If anybody has any suggestions about a line of argument against this position, I would be very curious to hear it. I am concerned this could delay publication for months or require that we ask the contributors to rewrite their articles and drop images for which we cannot secure permission. >>>>> >>>>> M. Roberts >>>>> Research Fellow, University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy >>>>> http://utcp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/blog/mark_roberts/index_en.php >>>>>> >>>>>> 2014-09-11 2:16 GMT+02:00 Markus Nornes : >>>>>> From the POV of North American publishing, the question of frame grabs (from video or film) appears settled. There are good posts on the background for this on the SCMS website and Bordwell's blog. They consider it the equivalent of a quote, so no need to contact rights holders. Obviously, NHK is taking this position. Good for them! >>>>>> >>>>>> (This has, by the way transformed book design. Now many publishers use page layouts that accommodate small images, since DVD grabs pixel out when blown up.) >>>>>> >>>>>> So I would assert fair use and let the publisher lead the way. If they balk, you could try showing them the websites above, although they are aimed primarily at American publishers. >>>>>> >>>>>> I once worked with a press that was sitting on the fence. I pointed out that if anyone is going to get sued over this, it'd be Thompson and Bordwell. Their textbooks make a lot of money and they've never paid for frame blow ups. >>>>>> >>>>>> As for the photo from the children's book, you couldn't claim fair use unless the book itself was the object of analysis. >>>>>> >>>>>> Markus >>>>>> >>>>>> PS: Covers are another matter. As PR instruments, they are not covered by fair use principles. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> KineJapan mailing list >>> KineJapan at lists.osu.edu >>> https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan >> >> _______________________________________________ >> KineJapan mailing list >> KineJapan at lists.osu.edu >> https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan > > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan Bruce Baird Associate Professor Asian Languages and Literatures University of Massachusetts Amherst But?, Japanese Theater, Intellectual History 717 Herter Hall 161 Presidents Drive University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA 01003-9312 Phone: 413-577-4992 Fax: 413-545-5876 baird at umass.edu For information about my book Hijikata Tatsumi and Butoh see: http://us.macmillan.com/hijikatatatsumiandbutoh/BruceBaird -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From mroberts37 at mail-central.com Tue Sep 23 05:01:50 2014 From: mroberts37 at mail-central.com (Mark Roberts) Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 18:01:50 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: <666e15e7-fc3d-4e79-8b36-d65f0e3a829c@localhost> References: <666e15e7-fc3d-4e79-8b36-d65f0e3a829c@localhost> Message-ID: <3D50324E-FE9C-400B-BA99-F8ACE9407E43@mail-central.com> Hi Stephen, I appreciate hearing about your experiences. True, it?s not directly about academic publishing, but it gets back to the same root cause: the policies and attitudes of rights holders in Japan. Out of curiosity, do you know if there are any laws in Japan that support these policies against the reproduction of high-resolution artwork? Where does this come from? I am curious because the last time I had to deal with this whole issue, it started when the typesetter claimed we did not have the right to print full-sized DVD stills, and that we ?had" to reduce them to 30% size. Again, this is for the low end of academic publishing, so we are not even talking about something as posh as a magazine format. For the publication I was doing, ?full-sized? meant 10.5 cm wide on matte-finish paper. The first galleys came back from the typesetter with tiny thumbnail-sized images, which I would have been embarrassed to send to the authors for proofreading, let alone to publish. Imagine the author is discussing a wide-screen landscape shot, both author and editor took pains to get the best resolution possible from a DVD, and then the proofs come back with dinky 2 cm tall images. The captions were dialled down to a 6 point typeface so they would fit. The people in the images were a few mm tall. I asked the typesetter what this was all about but he never came back with any explanation based on law. It was claimed that this was some kind of ?industry practice? but it seemed totally arbitrary. I was finally able to overrule this, but now, two years later, it may be necessary to go through the whole discussion again. Next, I am curious to hear more about your ?socialist? idea for copyright protection outside of Japan. Do such policies exist in other countries, either formally or informally? Any that you cover in Film Business Asia? Do other East Asian countries have organisations that provide what you describe to industry media and/or researchers? Thanks, Mark On Sep 22, 2014, at 9:00 PM, Stephen Cremin wrote: > This doesn't relate to academic publishing. > > For Film Business Asia's print magazines, we're often told that we can't reproduce the high-resolution artwork online, even at low resolutions. That's generally for a film's promotional materials, like posters. Only Japanese sales companies demand that we include copyright information alongside stills. > > For reviewing films, we've had problems securing stills featuring the main actor, often when he belongs to Johnny & Associates. For example, try to find an image online from Miki Satoshi's IT'S ME, IT'S ME showing the face of Kamenashi Kazuya, despite him playing more than two dozen roles in the film. > > When ETERNAL 0 was the number one film for several months, it took a lot of time every week finding even medium-resolution stills of the film for our weekly box office reports. That means often scouring for images on Japanese websites where higher resolution images have been posted by mistake. > > There was talk in the discussion below about how book artwork is being designed with small images that can be reproduced from DVDs. The same is true of Japanese films' official websites, where images are deliberately displayed small and at low resolution to stop people "stealing" them. The insanity of it all. > > For one film review, we had an email demanding how we saw the film, where we got the still, and where we got an English title for the film. The sales company refused to provide an alternate still, confirm the English title, or even confirm whether there is an official English title. This was for a rave 8/10 review. > > (In that last case, correspondence was only with a Tokyo-based Westerner working at the sales company, who also asked us to remove critical comments in the review about another film-maker's work that the company did not represent. The directors had adapted different novels by the same author.) > > I won't say that we don't commission Japanese features because of these hassles. But it does make me pause when we include images of Japanese films in product listings guides, etc, because there'll be a crisis if the designer forgets to include the copyright notice and I don't pick that up in proofing. > > Generally, it's hard to get good quality stills of Japanese films unless one goes through film companies. That isn't the case for images of films from South Korea or China, where - call them crazy - but getting dozens of images out there for a film is considered good for promotion and making money. > > Much of this is about control. Aren't the studios, for example, selling packages of films to overseas distributors that are out of copyright? Tucker Films in Italy recently picked up a collection of older titles from one of the big studios, and I'm pretty sure some (if not all of them) are in the public domain. > > What would I like to see? > > Call me socialist, but I'd like to see a law that for a domestic film to be recognised legally with copyright protection outside Japan, it must deposit high-resolution stills, an English-subtitled screener and complete credit rolls to organisations that represent Japanese films such as UniJapan, etc. > > What you don't want to do is shift the power to just one organisation, because then it just shifts the centre of control. We saw that with Kawakita in the 1990s, when Japanese directors complained that their films weren't being shown to festival programmers because they were outside Kawakita's taste/agenda. > > Without that, I can't see there being any major changes, and the industry will continue on its stubborn journey to be positioned outside of world film history. The Cool Japan fund is a lot of money, but it won't have any real impact because the key problems of the Japanese film industry are not money-related. > > In Cannes, I heard from Japanese sales companies that they can get back half the cost of promoting their films, but the paperwork is so extensive that they often don't bother. Among Asian films, Japanese titles did have the most market screenings, but I think that's more about not wanting to give out screeners. > > Sorry to take this thread in a different direction. And forgive the Anglo-centrism of English subtitles. > > Stephen Cremin > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From stephen at asianfilm.info Tue Sep 23 11:50:58 2014 From: stephen at asianfilm.info (Stephen Cremin) Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 23:50:58 +0800 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: <3D50324E-FE9C-400B-BA99-F8ACE9407E43@mail-central.com> References: <3D50324E-FE9C-400B-BA99-F8ACE9407E43@mail-central.com> Message-ID: <14f1fdcb-5670-40aa-b10e-0eed814bedda@localhost> Everything I know about Japanese copyright law I learnt on this mailing list over the past 15 years. Film Business Asia is legally established in Hong Kong, and other than the one time we published a magazine in Japan, I don't feel the need to follow Japan's copyright laws. But we need to pay attention to the concerns of Japanese film companies for business reasons. For example, TBS gave me huge (100MB+) stills of LUPIN THE THIRD for our Cannes magazine, but I still asked permission to reproduce one image online. A lot of it comes down to corporate culture and the person currently handling international sales. Now is a great time to work with Nikkatsu, for example, but that may not be the case in five years time. On the socialist question.... The most organised film industry in Asia is that of South Korea, which at one time was backing the Korean Film Council with US$40m of annual funding. That was a three year contract about a decade ago; I don't know it's current funding level, but it must be at least half that. But it also manages a (non-annual) US$430 film development fund, half from the government, half from a 3% tax on ticket sales. Here are a handful of related/interesting things that KOFIC (or KoFiC) does: + It set up a national box office system. Numbers are provided throughout the day in real time to the local film industry and nightly on a publicly accessible website (in Korean only). Cinemas that complied with updating their box office systems to provide timely data received tax deductions. (Note that KOFIC isn't quite a government agency, but it had this support.) Nationwide coverage is at around 99% now, and if there are a handful of stragglers, they aren't key cinemas. If I was in charge of the US$300m Cool Japan fund, I'd give US$1m a year to Tokyo-based Kogyo Tsushin to open up its current and historical data. I don't know how you can have a professional film industry without timely box office data. The last time I talked to Kogyo Tsushin, they were providing daily numbers for a fee but only by mail delivery on printed paper, not by fax or email. I think there's an understanding in Japan that magazines/websites can publish weekend/weekly numbers but not in full and that they must not use the addition button on their calculators to work out total box office so far. + Sales companies must report all foreign sales by film by country to KOFIC, on the agreement that the information will only ever be published in aggregate form. This doesn't just include sales prices for films, but also the overages they are paid when the film makes money down the road. (Hong Kong sales companies informally share these numbers between themselves; I suspect Japanese companies do also.) It's somewhat frustrating that KOFIC don't break the figures down more, because the US sale of SNOWPIERCER has distorted last year's numbers. But one can see how sales to China are going up each year, what percentage of income is from minimum guarantees or overages, how much the VoD market is growing. While this information is primarily published in Korean only, for Cannes this year KOFIC published a 57-page English-language version of their statistics handbook with numbers for 2013. The book hasn't been posted as a PDF to my knowledge - a common practice at KOFIC - but they have published a condensed version with the cover image. I guess they were okay with Cannes market guests picking up copies at their pavilion booth, but not with making it too public: http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/kofic_news.jsp?blbdComCd=601007&seq=1622&mode=VIEW + It set up a DVD viewing room for festivals. Although KOFIC recently relocated to Busan, they still have a Seoul office where festival programmers can watch screeners. I don't know if there are subsidies for English subtitles, but I would estimate that somewhere between 95-99% of Korean films are subtitled. In the past 15 years, there are very few examples of Korean-language narrative feature films on DVDs that don't have English subtitles. In Korea, domestic films do not screen with English subtitles in cinemas, except at special screenings, as in Japan. I don't know if sales companies are required to submit their screeners to KOFIC, but I can't imagine a situation of one refusing to send them the DVDs of their lineup. A lot of that comes down to the trust built up between KOFIC and the industry, and how much they are intertwined throughout the year. I don't know to what degree sales companies restrict which films are shown to festival programmers; I suspect they are some restrictions for forthcoming titles but not for films that have already had a public screening anywhere in the world. Note that there is a law for half-a-century that film producers must submit a print of their film to the Korean Film Archive, a separate entity to KOFIC, which is why they have a fairly comprehensive collection. Like any Asian archive, it can be difficult to get access if you're not "famous" from an American/European institute, but it's more accessible than the NFC. Like Japan and elsewhere in Asia, at least among the larger scale film industries, Korean audiences are watching more local films and less foreign films. And I see signs that Korean sales companies are cutting back on their international promotion, but we'll have a clearer idea after a few more markets. But the outward-facing nationalism of Korea is quite distinct from the inward-facing nationalism of Japan. I don't think Korean film companies need much encouragement to subtitle their films in English, even if/when the DVD market collapses completely. Note that in Beijing and Shanghai, most local films have English subtitles in the cinema, on DVD and on VoD. I don't think that would be possible in South Korea and Japan for cultural reasons: audiences would reject it. In China, English subtitles are increasingly considered something that boosts a film's domestic box office. The argument that I've pushed - and am hearing repeated back to me more and more - is that audiences perceive the film is better quality if it has English subtitles. It has parallels with the trend to put English-language voiceovers on Taiwan film trailers a decade ago, which played a part in the mid-2000s domestic success of local films (that also saw the wider introduction of English subtitles). Of course, one can never just follow the Korean example, because Korean politicians/bureaucrats/etc are unique. What works as an agreed industry practise in South Korea could only work in Japan as a policy change. Even then it would need someone heading an organisation like UniJapan to enforce these policies, and not just let them be ignored. That happened in the Philippines, where the Film Development Council of the Philippines' Briccio Santos used long-standing laws to force companies and individuals to hand over films against their will for the forthcoming archive, etc. But for a maverick like that to emerge in Japan, s/he needs to be supported by policy to fight through the stagnation. In Japan, the exhibitors and agencies are too powerful and are holding back the Japanese film industry, to the great frustration of film producers and sales agencies. But I also think that the Japanese media must take a large share of the blame. Press should refuse to promote films that don't give them access to stills, that ask them not to photograph the third guy from the left at a press conference, etc. In the past twelve years, I've lived in countries with a very competitive press - Taipei and Beijing - who would be fired if they obeyed such instructions. Japan forgot that films, audiences and film culture come first. Stephen On 23 Sep 2014 17:01:50, Mark Roberts wrote: Hi Stephen, I appreciate hearing about your experiences. True, it?s not directly about academic publishing, but it gets back to the same root cause: the policies and attitudes of rights holders in Japan. Out of curiosity, do you know if there are any laws in Japan that support these policies against the reproduction of high-resolution artwork? Where does this come from? I am curious because the last time I had to deal with this whole issue, it started when the typesetter claimed we did not have the right to print full-sized DVD stills, and that we ?had" to reduce them to 30% size. Again, this is for the low end of academic publishing, so we are not even talking about something as posh as a magazine format. For the publication I was doing, ?full-sized? meant 10.5 cm wide on matte-finish paper. The first galleys came back from the typesetter with tiny thumbnail-sized images, which I would have been embarrassed to send to the authors for proofreading, let alone to publish. Imagine the author is discussing a wide-screen landscape shot, both author and editor took pains to get the best resolution possible from a DVD, and then the proofs come back with dinky 2 cm tall images. The captions were dialled down to a 6 point typeface so they would fit. The people in the images were a few mm tall. I asked the typesetter what this was all about but he never came back with any explanation based on law. It was claimed that this was some kind of ?industry practice? but it seemed totally arbitrary. I was finally able to overrule this, but now, two years later, it may be necessary to go through the whole discussion again. Next, I am curious to hear more about your ?socialist? idea for copyright protection outside of Japan. Do such policies exist in other countries, either formally or informally? Any that you cover in Film Business Asia? Do other East Asian countries have organisations that provide what you describe to industry media and/or researchers? Thanks, Mark -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From stephen at asianfilm.info Tue Sep 23 11:57:23 2014 From: stephen at asianfilm.info (Stephen Cremin) Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 23:57:23 +0800 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: <3D50324E-FE9C-400B-BA99-F8ACE9407E43@mail-central.com> References: <3D50324E-FE9C-400B-BA99-F8ACE9407E43@mail-central.com> Message-ID: <595a1e9d-18d8-4e4f-b8e2-fcd1a0de616e@localhost> Correction. The 57-page English-language South Korean film industry statistics book is available on KOFIC's website to download: http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/publications/books.jsp?catCd=640106 Stephen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ KineJapan mailing list KineJapan at lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan From mroberts37 at mail-central.com Wed Sep 24 01:09:45 2014 From: mroberts37 at mail-central.com (Mark Roberts) Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 14:09:45 +0900 Subject: [KineJapan] Copyright-free images In-Reply-To: <14f1fdcb-5670-40aa-b10e-0eed814bedda@localhost> References: <3D50324E-FE9C-400B-BA99-F8ACE9407E43@mail-central.com> <14f1fdcb-5670-40aa-b10e-0eed814bedda@localhost> Message-ID: <7F2C099C-B0D1-44F0-ACC3-01400218092F@mail-central.com> Thanks, Stephen, for this very interesting post. [?] > Of course, one can never just follow the Korean example, because Korean politicians/bureaucrats/etc are unique. What works as an agreed industry practise in South Korea could only work in Japan as a policy change. Even then it would need someone heading an organisation like UniJapan to enforce these policies, and not just let them be ignored. I think you?re absolutely right about this. It is for this reason that I have been trying to determine if there are any laws to cover the present industry policies, or if there are points of conflict with the law. A next question would be: who could take the initiative to revise the laws? I don?t see that it would come from the academic side ? on the whole, we are too conservative ?, but is rather more likely to come from somebody on the business side who sees that the current policies are failing the industry, or that there is some opportunity to profit from opening the market. There seems to already be ample evidence that the current policies don?t work, but either it is being ignored, or else the major stakeholders have no serious aspirations beyond the domestic market (check the performance of Sony, Panasonic, and Sharp in the TOPIX index to see how well that plan is working out), or perhaps they are simply in denial. > In Japan, the exhibitors and agencies are too powerful and are holding back the Japanese film industry, to the great frustration of film producers and sales agencies. But I also think that the Japanese media must take a large share of the blame. Press should refuse to promote films that don't give them access to stills, that ask them not to photograph the third guy from the left at a press conference, etc. In the past twelve years, I've lived in countries with a very competitive press - Taipei and Beijing - who would be fired if they obeyed such instructions. This also makes sense to me. So, how about Film Business Asia? You are part of the industry media. It sounds like the Japanese policies are already costing you and your staff a disproportionate amount of time, so why not pass that back to the people who are responsible? I understand you are trying to build your brand, but if they refuse to deliver materials the way the Chinese, Korean, or Taiwanese companies do, then it would be reasonable to demote their presence in your publication, or simply stop covering them, no? M. > Japan forgot that films, audiences and film culture come first. > > Stephen > > > > > > On 23 Sep 2014 17:01:50, Mark Roberts wrote: > Hi Stephen, > > I appreciate hearing about your experiences. True, it?s not directly about academic publishing, but it gets back to the same root cause: the policies and attitudes of rights holders in Japan. > > Out of curiosity, do you know if there are any laws in Japan that support these policies against the reproduction of high-resolution artwork? Where does this come from? > > I am curious because the last time I had to deal with this whole issue, it started when the typesetter claimed we did not have the right to print full-sized DVD stills, and that we ?had" to reduce them to 30% size. Again, this is for the low end of academic publishing, so we are not even talking about something as posh as a magazine format. For the publication I was doing, ?full-sized? meant 10.5 cm wide on matte-finish paper. The first galleys came back from the typesetter with tiny thumbnail-sized images, which I would have been embarrassed to send to the authors for proofreading, let alone to publish. > > Imagine the author is discussing a wide-screen landscape shot, both author and editor took pains to get the best resolution possible from a DVD, and then the proofs come back with dinky 2 cm tall images. The captions were dialled down to a 6 point typeface so they would fit. The people in the images were a few mm tall. I asked the typesetter what this was all about but he never came back with any explanation based on law. It was claimed that this was some kind of ?industry practice? but it seemed totally arbitrary. I was finally able to overrule this, but now, two years later, it may be necessary to go through the whole discussion again. > > Next, I am curious to hear more about your ?socialist? idea for copyright protection outside of Japan. Do such policies exist in other countries, either formally or informally? Any that you cover in Film Business Asia? Do other East Asian countries have organisations that provide what you describe to industry media and/or researchers? > > Thanks, > > Mark > > > _______________________________________________ > KineJapan mailing list > KineJapan at lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/kinejapan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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