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Licensing old footage
Well gang, I guess you could consider this a Business and Marketing question… It’s not really, other than it has to do with a business deal, but I’m not sure of a more appropriate forum. Anyway, I thought some of you smart guys might know the answer anyway.
We have a client that wants/needs to license some old footage, a short (maybe 3 second) clip from “I Love Lucy” that would appear in a television commercial (it would actually be playing on a television set in a period 1950s scene).
Yep, it’d probably be expensive, but the client can likely easily afford it. Problem is, try as I might I can’t find who presently owns the rights or to whom we can approach about securing those. It’s not like there’s a listing for “DesiLu” in the phone book, and no doubt the actual rights have changed hands many times over 60 years.
Searches have left me nowhere, not even when trying to reach a California ad agency that I know used “Lucy” footage in a commercial campaign a few years ago.
Anyone have any ideas about how to track this down?
Much thanks!
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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8 Replies
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Yes, go ahead and use the footage and I promise you, the rights owners WILL promptly contact you🙂
Well, you wanted the *simple* way, right?;-)
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According to that all knowing source, Wikipedia, the last of the I Love Lucy DVDs were released in 2010 by CBS and distributed by Paramount.
Here in Georgia we have a Film and Video Sourcebook that includes leads for folks who deal with rights. That’s probably where I would start in your state. Let them run down the leads.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author, Chef.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media -
Todd-
Why not just use one of the NY or LA-based clearance houses. BZ Rights and Permissions in NY is (212) 924-3000.Also, Lucy may be one of the many, many shows now owned by Viacom. Then again, they (or whoever) may just own the re-broadcasting rights. Call the clearance company.
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[walter biscardi] “Here in Georgia we have a Film and Video Sourcebook that includes…”
Here next door in Alabama our film commission is a card table and broken folding chair in the basement of some government building. It’s getting a little better, but not much.
[Nick Griffin] “Call the clearance company.”
I’ll give those a shout, thanks Nick.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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I concur with Nick,
This is precisely the kind of bread and butter work that Barbra Zimmerman and her team at BZ have been doing for decades.
Time to buy access to the rolodex of a connected professional. That’s usually the best way to grease those wheels that you didn’t even know existed.
Good luck.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Conner
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Most of those old TV shows are in a vault at UCLA. They are in the public domain and footage is available for a copying charge.
I do not have contact info but it doesn’t take much to find out who to call in the archive department.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD .Ask me how to Market Yourself using Send Out Cards
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Well “Lucy” is definitely not in public domain in any way, shape, or form… I think it’s pretty highly protected.
That might be an interesting resource for other stuff though, if anyone should ever have the need.
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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When you see the rack of old tv shows in the checkout line, this is the group that comes from the vault.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD .Ask me how to Market Yourself using Send Out Cards
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