Filming workshops/classes & putting them on youtube?

[Eshta]

Hi folks,

Recently back from June's Nile Festival (but that's another story) and wanted to gage your opinion.

At the end of most of the workshops, most teachers allow participants to film them dancing through the choreography they have been teaching as an aide memoire. It's quite funny to see everyone rushing for their video cameras and I know I would personally feel a bit intimidated at the rows upon rows of video cameras pointing in my direction but most of the teachers seem used to it.

I have noticed that many of these end up on youtube. Personally I wouldn't do it as I paid good money to go attend the workshop so why would I give that away free to anyone who does a youtube search, and also I don't feel it is 'my' choreography to distribute freely to the rest of the world either. If I were to perform someone's choreography I am careful to credit the choreographer However, on the other hand a couple of minutes of video don't equate to all the things I would have learnt in the workshop, and I suppose once the choreography is 'out there' in the public domain there is little to stop it being made public eventually.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Aniseteph]

I've found some of these clips interesting when they include the teacher and some of the students and you can analyse the little stylistic differences.

But I'd feel ethically iffy about posting someone's teaching too. Same as if I'd taken detailed notes and posted them on the web somewhere; I don't feel the content is mine to distribute.

I don't quite see why anyone would feel the need to stick footage like this on YouTube anyway, other than to prove they were there , but hey, I don't understand why lots of stuff gets put up there...

 

[da Sage]

Hi folks,

Recently back from June's Nile Festival (but that's another story) and wanted to gage your opinion.

I think that would be very handy! I have never been invited to film a choreography at a workshop, and I think I would find such a video very helpful. I think it's a shame that people go and post it online, though - some dancers will just copy the choreography from that, and that's not fair to the teacher who loses money from potential workshop sales.

I also think that it's not fair to the teacher as a performer...a few months ago someone linked to a demonstration video as an example of the idea that "precision can lessen the dancer's connection with music and the audience". The teacher was doing a demonstration of movements only, and not adding any special stylizations to amp up the moves as one typically would in performance, and she was being criticized for providing this tool.

In short, I don't approve of sharing these uncut online, although a few seconds of footage with relevent context would be fine.

 

[da Sage]

I've found some of these clips interesting when they include the teacher and some of the students and you can analyse the little stylistic differences.

But I'd feel ethically iffy about posting someone's teaching too. Same as if I'd taken detailed notes and posted them on the web somewhere; I don't feel the content is mine to distribute.

I don't quite see why anyone would feel the need to stick footage like this on YouTube anyway, other than to prove they were there , but hey, I don't understand why lots of stuff gets put up there...

Can I say that I personally particularly dislike being filmed? I am telling myself that I have to get used to it in public performance/parties, but once it happened in class and I was not happy about it at all!

 

[Aniseteph]

Can I say that I personally particularly dislike being filmed? I am telling myself that I have to get used to it in public performance/parties, but once it happened in class and I was not happy about it at all!

Good point, me too. No one should be allowed to film fellow students without asking permission, and the teacher and/or workshop organisers ought to be stomping on anyone trying it.

 

[nightdancer]

Most of the sought-after instructors have websites. One option is to load the video to the website, password protect it and let people go to the site to load it. For protection purposes, take it down after a week, or so.

 

[gisela]

An increasing (or am I just getting around more?) number of teachers don't want to be filmed themselves but allows the students to film each other. I am also a teeeeny bit uncomfortable with the possibility of ending up on youtube through someone elses video from a workshop.
I filmed all my workshop-choreos at the nile group last year but I have no intention or need to upload them. Some teachers even asked us, or made us promise (like Khaled Mahmoud) NOT to put it up. I definitely respect that.

 

[Shanazel]

I would have kitty fits if anyone posted anything I did on youtube, but it stands to reason that a teacher who invites students to film part or all of her class knows that one of those videos is bound to end up on youtube someday.

 

[Eshta]

I've found some of these clips interesting when they include the teacher and some of the students and you can analyse the little stylistic differences.

But I'd feel ethically iffy about posting someone's teaching too. Same as if I'd taken detailed notes and posted them on the web somewhere; I don't feel the content is mine to distribute.

I don't quite see why anyone would feel the need to stick footage like this on YouTube anyway, other than to prove they were there , but hey, I don't understand why lots of stuff gets put up there...

Now that's a good point I hadn't thought of - Before I first went to the festival, I did use youtube to find out who was who if I wasn't sure of who they were. :think: So they have some promotional value, but even so, it still feels wrong that people post this footage...

 

[lizaj]

If anyone asks to film a workshop and there's a chance I'll be on that film, I'll protest.
I also do not want to be distracted by someone swinging a video camera around in a workshop I have paid to learn in and want to concentrate.
And if a still photo is to be taken, the entire class should be consulted.
I have been in workshops where the teacher has agreed for the class to be filmed and I didn't like it one little bit..the students were not consulted.
I have also been in workshops where the teacher has agreed to be filmed dancing on their own in the closing minutes of the class and can't see the problem with that but I do hope the photographer is honest if they are gong to put it on Youtube.

 

[Mouse]

I have been in quite a few workshops where the instructor has agreed to allow students to film, but 9 times out of 10 it has been accompanied by the request from the instructor that whoever films it agrees not to put it on youtube and the rest of the students were given the option not appear on the footage if they didn't wish to

While its not something I am overly comfortable with, I have also allowed one of my students to film something we were doing. I did however request that she not put it on youtube or anywhere else on the internet. Granted I have no way of actually making her comply with my request, but I trust that she will be good to her word.