Some creators allow their work to be used for free without attribution. This is known as putting your work in the public domain. If you are looking for historical footage for documentaries or narrative videos, you can often find what you are looking for in the public domain.
What is the Public Domain?
Material that is in the public domain is essentially free for anyone to use. It is more the absence of a license than a type of license, but it is important to understand the limitations of the public domain. There are three ways for material to enter the public domain:
- Copyrighted material can enter the public domain when the copyright expires, but this can be difficult to check on because the laws are not consistent from country to country.
- Video or photographs shot by a federal employee as part of a job assignment are in the public domain.
- The creator of the content can designate it as public domain.
If none of these apply, the material is probably under copyright.
What is Copyright?
Copyright is a legal distinction that means that creative work is the intellectual property of the author or creator unless they have designated otherwise. This means that the creator maintains control of how their work is used, and no one has the right to use it without their permission. A work like a video is protected under copyright law from the moment it is created. Unfortunately, there are several issues that make copyright a complicated subject.
One of the issues that complicate the situation is the country where the work was created. In the United States, a work is protected by copyright from the time it is created until 70 years after the author or creator dies. Copyrights may be left to heirs in a will, and they will have control over the work for the 70-year period. They may also apply for extensions of the copyright.
Another problem with copyright is that there is no one law that is recognized all over the world. This is an issue because the internet makes sharing content so easy, and when there are different laws governing the use of videos and footage in individual countries, this becomes very confusing. The US does have agreements with many countries concerning copyright infringement, but not all countries are covered.
Although creative work is automatically covered by copyright, it is still a good idea to register work with the US Copyright Office. This way if someone does use intellectual property without permission, it makes it easier to win a case for copyright infringement. However, there are a few cases where it is permissible to use copyrighted material without the creator’s permission. This is called fair use.
What is Fair Use for Online Video?
Copyright law has exceptions for what is known as fair use. There are three distinct instances where copyrighted material can be used without the express permission of the creator. They are:
- Reviews: If someone is reviewing a video or film, they are permitted to use short scenes in the review.
- Humor: People who are parodying a work are permitted to use parts of it without getting the creator’s permission.
- Illustration: It is permissible to use short sections of a work as examples when discussing it. An example might be in a lecture or commentary.
If you are making a video and the instances above do not apply, get permission from the creator of the work you want to use to make sure you are not violating the copyright. Some creators license their work under Creative Commons and allow it to be used as long as they are given credit.
What is Creative Commons?
Creative Commons is an organization that enables creators to license their work and allow free use of it under certain circumstances. A Creative Commons license allows for collaboration between creators and users. Creators can decide whether their work will be limited to non-commercial use or if others can use it for ads and other commercial purposes. Most uses stipulate that credit still needs to be given to the creator and a Creative Commons license does not negate the copyright.
Some Common Sources of Public Domain Content
It can be tedious to check on copyrights all of the time, so the best thing to do is use a curated list of public domain content. Organizations put together collections of content that they own and make it available through the web for free. Here are a few places to find content that is in the public domain:
The Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Institution is a collection of museums, archives, research centers, libraries, and the National Zoo. More than 2 million high-resolution images from the collection are now available for free download.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress has a collection of both still and moving images in the public domain.
The League of Moveable Type
This group is dedicated to improving the way the web looks by providing free fonts. Check out the font foundry for some unusual and beautiful typographic examples.
The Museums of the City of Paris
This is a collection of over 150,000 images from fine art to advertising posters from 130 museums in Paris, France.
Yale Center for British Art
Yale University has a large collection of British works is in the public domain, including images of paintings, drawings, sculptures, rare books, prints, and manuscripts.
Rawpixel
Rawpixel has a large collection of rare books and lithographs that are available through a Creative Commons license.
Prelinger Archives
New York’sPrelinger Archives offers over 60,000 films from advertisements, to educational films, to amateur movies that are available to be repurposed in new works.
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a collection of millions of books, movies, photos, and websites available to be used for free.
The Open Video Project
The Open Video Project is a collection of digital videos from TV commercials to NASA footage.
Public Domain Review
ThePublic Domain Review keeps track of works of art and literature that have entered the public domain. It’s a large collection that can be used by anyone.
Learn Video Editing
If you are thinking of pursuing a career in video editing, it is a good idea to take some classes to learn where to find and use the material effectively. While you can watch tutorials and work through trial and error, the quickest way to learn video editing is by taking a class.
Some people prefer in-person classes when learning new information, but that isn’t always available. Live online classes have a similar set-up with a real-time, remote instructor who can answer questions and take control of your monitor—with permission—to show you how to do things. Training is part or full-time and available weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.
The best way to prepare for a career shift to a technical field like video editing is to enroll in a bootcamp or certificate program. These are intensive training courses that run for a few weeks to a few months and will cover video editing in much more depth than tutorials can. Another plus of training is that you will leave class with a professional-quality sample video portfolio that you can show to prospective employers.
Video editing is a rapidly growing field with many career opportunities, so check out Noble Desktop’s video editing courses. Choose between in-person sessions in NYC at Noble’s location or sign up for live online video editing courses and attend from anywhere. Use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me to find other courses in video editing in your area.