Please note: You must contact the HUPD directly to arrange for an officer.
Commercial films and videotapes/DVDs have copyrights that restrict the manner in which they can be shown. Two specific restrictions raise issues for students wishing to show films on campus. The first is more commonly an issue with videotapes/DVDs but also applies to films. This is the issue of "home" versus "public" viewings. If you rent a film or a videotape/DVD, you always have permission to show it in your home. The General Counsel's Office feels that Harvard dorms meet the requirement as homes. However, no other Harvard buildings qualify. For more information on this distinction, please contact the General Counsel's Office.
The second issue is the charging of an admission (or viewing) fee. This always requires an explicit public performance right. Thus if you wish to show a film or video tape/DVD outside your dorm and/or charge money, you must have an acceptable public performance right. There are several ways to obtain these rights:
The projectionist cannot show the film unless you have obtained the
appropriate performance rights. In the
When movies are shown for a course, different rules apply. Please
contact the Science Center Media (prep@fas.harvard.edu
or 495-5357) if you need information regarding applicable copyright regulations
for courses in the
The following rules are quoted from the 2003-04 Handbook for Students (look-up Motion Pictures in the index):
• Any student group or organization in the College and the Houses borrowing commercial films must follow all copyright regulations as outlined below.
• If admission is charged, any surplus revenue shall be used to further the educational goals of the sponsoring organization, as outlined in its charter.
• The showing of commercial films in the College and its Houses is subject to the following regulations: (a) advertising must be restricted to the Harvard community; (b) the House Committee, recognized student organization, or other appropriate committee will ordinarily be responsible for the screening of films and for financial arrangements.
• Organizations showing films must conform to all applicable city and state fire regulations.
Copyright Regulations
The federal Copyright Act makes it unlawful to show a film in public without the explicit permission of the film's copyright owner. Renting or purchasing a cassette at a local video store or elsewhere gives the customer the right to view the film but not to show it in public. The Copyright Act defines "public" in this context as "any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered."
Several major production and distribution companies-Columbia, MGM, Paramount, Orion, and others-have given notice that arrangements to show their films publicly on university campuses can be made by calling Swank Motion Pictures of St. Louis (314) 289-2102 (Swank Motion Pictures, Inc.). All students who wish to show films under circumstances that are likely to be considered "public" are urged to call this organization to arrange for appropriate permission.
The procedure for showing films in the
If money changes hands at the
To sign-up to show a movie, visit the on-line form at www.fas.harvard.edu/~scdiroff/movies/signup.html.
After you receive email confirmation of your reservation, go to the
Scheduling Office (Room 123) during office hours,
It requires some time to arrange a film, typically three weeks or more. The greater the notice that the film distributor has, the greater the chance they will be able to supply the film you want on the date you have selected. Therefore we discourage bookings with less than three weeks' notice.
The
Projection Costs - approximately $215 before discount
Equipment costs (only) are subject
to a 50% discount if paid in person by 5pm on Tuesday following your show date.
If you require us to bill your group, you will not receive the discount.
Our charges cover the rental of the equipment and cost of an operator. This
normally comes to about $215 before discount for 8 and
Film Rentals - $200-$1000
The cost of the film rental depends on the popularity and age of the film.