Question about a family DVD website, can anyone help?

[gurneyhalleck1]

Hi Everybody,

I saw this website about a year ago or so that takes movies, edits the inappropriate scenes, language, etc. out of the movie, and makes it family-friendly. I’m a teacher and I wanted to use the website to help clean up a couple of small scenes in a movie so I can show it in my classroom. I thought I had bookmarked it but I guess I didn’t? Has anyone been to the website I’m talking about? I can’t remember the name of it and have googled the heck out of it!? Help! I can’t remember where it was or what it was called?

 

[MercyMia]

is it decent films?

 

[Bluegoat]

It strikes me that for the purposes of showing in the classroom, this may well be illegal. Even if you have permission to show the film publicly, you cannot change or edit someone elses work under any circumstances (unless you have permission) without violating copyright.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Ay yay yay, Bluegoat, are you shadowing and trolling me? Nothing I do in a classroom is illegal. I have edited videos before with my principal’s permission and I’m not going to lose sleep because I taped it off cable. Sheesh

It strikes me that for the purposes of showing in the classroom, this may well be illegal. Even if you have permission to show the film publicly, you cannot change or edit someone elses work under any circumstances (unless you have permission) without violating copyright.

 

[purplesunshine]

What you’re doing isn’t illegal but it is quite foolish. If a video is SO bad that a scene needs cleaning up so that its classroom ready then you shouldn’t have a “clean” version shown to your class. Chances are a parent knows the content of the film and will be appaled their child watched it nevermind that you used a “clean” version. Secondly, a child will believe you approve of this movie and may try to rent it or watch it online.

As far as what bluegoat said, it IS boarder line legal as far as copyrights. But its not so much to worry about. Decieving the students, however, with an edited version is not right.

 

[kalerumi]

Most of the pre-edited rental sites have been shut down, because it IS illegal to edit the films and charge other people to purchase them.

Clearplay is a DVD player that edits movies that you download filters for. www.clearplay.com is the URL - this is different than the movie sites because you purchase the actual DVD, intact, and then download a filter that skips content that you select (as the owner of the DVD, which is considered software, you’re able to do this as long as it’s personal use only). My family loves it.

I see nothing wrong with cleaning up language, random sex scenes that have nothing to do with the plot, etc. . .sometimes things are thrown into movies just to score a higher rating (with sadly, equals a larger audience than a G or PG rated film).

 

[purplesunshine]

I see nothing wrong with cleaning up language, random sex scenes that have nothing to do with the plot, etc. . .sometimes things are thrown into movies just to score a higher rating (with sadly, equals a larger audience than a G or PG rated film).

For personal use, yes, for showing in a classroom I think its wrong becuase it gives a kids an edited version which, ratings or not, is not how the final movie was cut.

 

[Bluegoat]

For personal use, yes, for showing in a classroom I think its wrong becuase it gives a kids an edited version which, ratings or not, is not how the final movie was cut.

The artist always has final control over the content. You can’t change a painting, piece of music, etc, and show it, without the artists permission. Even if you own the rights to it.

Personal use is different, you can FF through movie scenes or put a leaf over Venus privy parts in your own home if you want.

But I think a classroom counts as a public viewing.

 

[that_name]

Fair use permits teachers to show parts of movies for educational purposes.

The problem with showing a “cleaned up” version is when little Johnny goes home and says “we watched - insert title of movie here - at school today”. Mom either has a fit because she knows it is inappropriate and calls the school, causing grief OR mom thinks “then this is a good family film”, picks it up at Red Box and turns on language or sex scenes in front of little Johnny and little Suzie.

Best advice, do a send home slip “I will be showing x minutes of film blah blah for the purpose of teaching blah. The scene shown will be edited free of foul language, violence and sexual comment. Should you have any concerns…”

 

[purplesunshine]

Best advice, do a send home slip “I will be showing x minutes of film blah blah for the purpose of teaching blah. The scene shown will be edited free of foul language, violence and sexual comment. Should you have any concerns…”

Which then turns the “original” movie into forbidden fruit.

How old are the kids in question…not that it matters…I can’t imagine showing a movie with questionable content to kids 3rd grade and under and I can’t imagine 4th grade and up not knowing that there was different content.

As a child I discovered that closed caption didn’t bleep (or silence) out the swears when movies played on network TV. So I told all of my friends. None of the parents had a clue why we liked closed captioning. An older brother ratted us out because he figured it out.

 

[Bluegoat]

Which then turns the “original” movie into forbidden fruit.

How old are the kids in question…not that it matters…I can’t imagine showing a movie with questionable content to kids 3rd grade and under and I can’t imagine 4th grade and up not knowing that there was different content.

As a child I discovered that closed caption didn’t bleep (or silence) out the swears when movies played on network TV. So I told all of my friends. None of the parents had a clue why we liked closed captioning. An older brother ratted us out because he figured it out.

What strikes me about this is if you could figure this out, than bleeping it in the first place was of questionable use.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Well thanks so much purple. I appreciate being called foolish. Thanks so much. Did I say it was “soooooo bad?” Your post is absurd not only because it’s insulting and doesn’t answer my question, but because you’re judging my motives and coming up with hypotheticals that are silly. To slightly edit a movie doesn’t mean some parent will be “appauled” and look at me as some inappropriate porn-peddling creep. A good example is the book, “Hatchet.” Have you read it? It’s by Gary Paulsen and it’s an outstanding novel read in the sixth grade all over America. It’s wonderful. There was a movie version of it made in 1991. The movie is very clean with the exception of one scene where the young boy, Brian, runs out into the lake and you can see a tiny bit of his butt cheek. Another scene he says, “damn it!” and another scene he says the s-word once. This movie is fairly true to the book and it’s full of fun, humorous and powerful moments. It’s not worth trashing the whole thing for some small inappropriate scenes that amount to about ten seconds of the whole film. With my principal’s permission, I copied the film and edited out the slightly nude flashed scene and two cuss words and my kids ADORE that film each year when we finish the novel. We compare and contrast the film to the novel. It’s great. Deceiving my students? Are you for real? Do you seriously think that’s deception and somehow immoral? So every time a movie is edited for TV and the f-word is taken out or some sex scene, you’re outraged at the deceptive “foolish” motives and actions of the network showing the film? My class is reading the book “Hoot” which Disney made not too long ago. It’s a fabulous book. The movie had a couple of quick, slightly suggestive moments that could be edited out and the spirit, characters, plot, and joy of the movie could be experienced. You’re being a prude and quite rude. You don’t know me so please, in the future, if you don’t have something nice to say, as my mom always says, don’t say it. I didn’t start this thread to get your moral approval or insights into my pedagogy or teaching, I just was looking for a website. Two cents not appreciated or asked for.

What you’re doing isn’t illegal but it is quite foolish. If a video is SO bad that a scene needs cleaning up so that its classroom ready then you shouldn’t have a “clean” version shown to your class. Chances are a parent knows the content of the film and will be appaled their child watched it nevermind that you used a “clean” version. Secondly, a child will believe you approve of this movie and may try to rent it or watch it online.

As far as what bluegoat said, it IS boarder line legal as far as copyrights. But its not so much to worry about. Decieving the students, however, with an edited version is not right.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Like I said, I originally just asked for a website, not all this insight and debate about censorship and good vs. evil but I do agree with you. I always ok EVERYTHING with my principal and it is school policy and I think the forbidden fruit argument by another poster is silliness. Obviously hasn’t been in the classroom much. Your points are well-taken. Many of the movies we show are no longer available at your typical Blockbuster anyway. We show a DVD copy of the “The Cay” by Theodore Taylor, a very old book, that was taped from Afterschool Specials in 1974!! Try finding that sucker!

Fair use permits teachers to show parts of movies for educational purposes.

The problem with showing a “cleaned up” version is when little Johnny goes home and says “we watched - insert title of movie here - at school today”. Mom either has a fit because she knows it is inappropriate and calls the school, causing grief OR mom thinks “then this is a good family film”, picks it up at Red Box and turns on language or sex scenes in front of little Johnny and little Suzie.

Best advice, do a send home slip “I will be showing x minutes of film blah blah for the purpose of teaching blah. The scene shown will be edited free of foul language, violence and sexual comment. Should you have any concerns…”

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Kalerumi, God bless you and thanks! You nailed it! I think this is the website I had heard about! It’s actually a DVD player that does it, nothing is done to the disc itself!! Thanks so much! You actually answered the OP! Congratulations! Amazing how simple questions can devolve into moral debates needing William F. Buckley! God bless and thanks!

Most of the pre-edited rental sites have been shut down, because it IS illegal to edit the films and charge other people to purchase them.

Clearplay is a DVD player that edits movies that you download filters for. www.clearplay.com is the URL - this is different than the movie sites because you purchase the actual DVD, intact, and then download a filter that skips content that you select (as the owner of the DVD, which is considered software, you’re able to do this as long as it’s personal use only). My family loves it.

I see nothing wrong with cleaning up language, random sex scenes that have nothing to do with the plot, etc. . .sometimes things are thrown into movies just to score a higher rating (with sadly, equals a larger audience than a G or PG rated film).

 

[purplesunshine]

Getting bent out of shape out of the sight of a butt cheek or the f-word is silly. They probably do that in the classroom as it is. You don’t need to edit a movie for that. If you want to then mute it or fast forward. Again…the kids aren’t going to get a edited version at home.

If they can’t handle the way it was made then they shouldn’t be watching it.