From the hilarious "Bed", by Rhian and Jo, to the wonderful "Immortality", by Brenna, music videos are fast becoming one of the most popular forms of creative expression in fandom. Sometimes called songvids, these carefully compiled clip montages set to song are a fairly recent invention, and are borne entirely from Internet fandom culture. Literary fan fiction has been around for many years, both in printed format and on the Net, but the availability of PC video capture cards and downloadable "squinty" episodes have helped boost video creation into the mainstream.
Whilst this type of entertainment is growing in popularity amongst the fans, the usage of TV episode clips and MP3s within their creation means they hover on the ethical boundary. Copyright issues leave a sour taste in the mouths of some Web host providers who feel compelled to pull down sites that harbour them.
But are they doing any harm? The best music videos make you want to see the show. They use carefully selected snips together with an appropriate piece of music to tell a story and describe the emotions of the characters involved (from the point of view of the creator). Fans are not seeking to destroy the show they love but to enhance the experience of enjoyment for themselves and others. I have not seen music videos anywhere that cast bad light on any show or the companies involved. So then does it really matter? If no harm is done, is it just the principle of ownership? Do people really even care? Copyright appears to be a measure of protection in these instances should something prove to be harmful. Most of the time, it's not worth the inconvenience. The full episode squinties themselves are continually on the move, for fear of prosecution or shutdown by companies who own them and fear reduction in sales of actual VHS or DVD compilations. Music videos don't appear to have that effect not being commercial entities. So, in essence, that boundary has been crossed, but it is a widely accepted one.
Almost always, creating something within fandom is going to use trademarked names and copyrighted characters and images. Controlling such creations to the point where fans cannot use what they love would reduce interest and even kill a following. Fans want to be fans. The loose reign that television companies appear to have on artistic multimedia and fan fiction go some way to show their acceptance of this fact. After all, it's much more fun to go with the flow, than against it.
If you click on the banner below, you will get to "What ever dials your gate", a fantastic site which will lead you to music videos galore. Happy dialing! |
