Using Photos from Shows and Movies?

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   Jada Stuart Clarkposted 6 years ago

   Hello, I am interested in writing articles about TV shows and movies, but I do not know the rules surrounding photos like that. For most of my articles I just use free photos from various stock photo websites, but for these kinds of articles I would need pictures from the shows and movies themselves. So how do I go about this?

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      EricFarmer8xposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      You should be fine showing pictures from media since this is covered by fair use.
      
      As for getting specific screen shots that gets hard. The only thing I can think of is to take a screenshot from the TV show or movie while it is playing on a computer.

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         Jada Stuart Clarkposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I would just want any picture to represent the show. I'm not looking for any particular shot. Thank you for your help

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

            You need to read ALL of this article  https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/copy
            
            The information Eric posted is from Wikimedia.  This article goes much farther and clearly states that if you are going to use an image to "pretty up a post", you had better get permission  to do so.  Gives lots of explanations.  I have always felt it is dangerous to use these types of images because our work is commericial, not personal.  That means we would be using somebody else's work to make money for ourselves.  This clearly is illegal and could be grounds for a lawsuit.  Last year two of our writers actually did get sued for significant amounts of money for posting images without permission, so tread carefully.

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               EricFarmer8xposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               I was referring only in the context of writing reviews or expressing an opinion. You need to provide a voice or opinion on the content you are writing about or else you are just showing off work that is not your own.
               
               If it was not legal then like every YouTuber and video game reviewer would be breaking the law. Since in those mediums you have show what you talking about for it to make sense. Even more so in video game reviews.
               
               For example I dont need a video game publishers or developers permission to take screenshots and use them in a review of a video game. If video game developers could prevent this then nobody would ever write a negative review for fear of repercussions.

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                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

                  I'm not a lawyer, but the article I linked to was pretty explicit about this.  Of course lots of people use the work of others in their posts without problems...but only because they haven't been caught doing it.  It's up to each writer to interpret the info in the link, but the wrong interpretation can lead to a big financial risk. To me it's just not worth it.

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      TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      The safest thing to do is to write to the producer of the show and ask permission.  Make sure he gives it to you in an email and save it.  Those types of images are all copyright protected so you have to be careful because you don't want to get sued.  I'm not sure about what is covered under "fair use" in this instance, so read those rules carefully before proceeding.  One of the problems with writing on these topics is that they're generally not evergreen, which means they might be popular for a short time only.  Also, there likely is a lot of competition that would keep you from getting good views.  Personally I think you'd do better to find something else to write about.

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      1. 68

         Jada Stuart Clarkposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I guess I will look into the fair use rules and see. I doubt a producer would ever get back in touch with me.
         
         Also I am just trying to write about anything I have knowledge of. I just started writing on hubpages so I am trying to figure out what will get readers as I go.

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            TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

            I totally understand, but the point you have hit on is a touchy one.  I would hate to see you run into problems, which is why I posted as I did.  Surely there are other things you know about that you can create posts for.  It's a big world!  Read what others are writing and maybe you can get some ideas for your own work.

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         Jada Stuart Clarkposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         

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            Jada Stuart Clarkposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            
            
            Based on the article you linked, it seems like it is ok for reviews because the photo isn't the product itself.

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               TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

               Read the rest of it.  The catch is whether you use it for commercial purposes or not...we write for commercial purposes..ie...we make money with our writing.

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   Kenna McHughposted 6 years ago

   I write about movies and some TV shows for quite some time. I get images and raw footage from the studios or distributors (PRs). I don't worry about copyrights because I have their permission to use their stuff. Some times, especially the raw footage, I have a limited time to use the videos.  In a nutshell, if the fair use is not in place for the image, you will need permission.  The studio has every right to contact you and ask you to take down the image or video. It's rare but happens.   If you are planning on writing about TV and movie on a long-term basis, I highly recommend you contact the studios directly for images.

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   1. 68

      Jada Stuart Clarkposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I'm just looking to use images with the title on it. I don't need to use shots or videos from the show. These would mostly be "best so and so" lists and reviews.

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3. 82

   Kenna McHughposted 6 years ago

   I link images from other articles that I mention in my article. I don't do that with my movie and TV show articles, though.  I never had a problem with it.

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