Sandman0077 said:
They're both RPF members. So Jinyo is either mad at you now or telling her "See?" :lol
FX Lightsabers at noon! First person who's knuckles are accidentally hit wins. :lol
SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay
- Thread starter Art Andrews
- Start date
They're both RPF members. So Jinyo is either mad at you now or telling her "See?" :lol
FX Lightsabers at noon! First person who's knuckles are accidentally hit wins. :lol
I saw her or someone dressed like her at MegaCon. When I first saw her I thought, "Ugh, someone else using sex to win", but when the judges asked questions about how she made it I felt better about how she does in the judging. But I guess this weeks episode will show how much work she actually did. Oddly enough, thinking back to it the only questions that stick out in my mind were towards the cast from the show. They may have asked questions of other contestants but I do not remember.
Also, I seem to recall the top prize at MegaCon was $1000 which would barely cover the travel expenses for people who traveled to compete (which is one of the reasons I only go to the local stuff). But it's possible it was more.
tk1055
Sr Member
http://bgzstudios.com/blog/photogra...ent-the-photographer-litigation-against-syfy/ WOW I am just going to leave this here.
It appears that SyFy has been using copyrighted photos for the show itself, as well as online and real-world promotion, without getting a proper license from the photographers.
They are also supposedly trying to put the blaim on the cosplayers in the photo, first saying they were co-creators of the photos (which is impossible under US copyright law, unless the photos were work-for-hire, which is unlikely at a convention) and that the cosplayers had permission to use the photos, although the latter is only true for self-promotion per the model-release forms that had been signed (which I'm sure makes it very clear who is the sole copyright owner).
I fear that the cosplayers in question have signed contracts saying that they are responsible for the rights to any material, such as these photos, they give the production team. While this is speculation on my part any production company with a legal team, and any contract worth the paper it is printed on, would make damn sure to protect SyFy from liability for materials provided by others, so unless SyFy were stupid enough to take their word for it, or they found the photos on their own, the cosplayers would legally be responsible.
They are also supposedly trying to put the blaim on the cosplayers in the photo, first saying they were co-creators of the photos (which is impossible under US copyright law, unless the photos were work-for-hire, which is unlikely at a convention) and that the cosplayers had permission to use the photos, although the latter is only true for self-promotion per the model-release forms that had been signed (which I'm sure makes it very clear who is the sole copyright owner).
I fear that the cosplayers in question have signed contracts saying that they are responsible for the rights to any material, such as these photos, they give the production team. While this is speculation on my part any production company with a legal team, and any contract worth the paper it is printed on, would make damn sure to protect SyFy from liability for materials provided by others, so unless SyFy were stupid enough to take their word for it, or they found the photos on their own, the cosplayers would legally be responsible.
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Oh, snap!
Sandman0077
Sr Member
They're both RPF members. So Jinyo is either mad at you now or telling her "See?" :lol
It might just be the editing, but holy crap. It seemed like he was doing all the work, and that was somewhat proved when she got called out on it on stage. He seems like a cool guy, idk why he would put up with her treating him like that all the time.
ghostryder
Legendary Member
SyFy must have obtained signed releases for the photos - NO network or production company is going to blindly air any photograph without clearance. They have entire legal departments to prohibit that very thing. If the cosplayers provided the pics along with a release, things could get squirrely.
MFP 2020
Sr Member
Never underestimate the power of the P.
Yeah, chances are that this whole thing comes down to the cosplayers themselves handing over rights they don't actually own. Probably a basic misunderstanding about the limited license they do have (such as not realizing that national television isn't "self-promotion" as defined in the model-release agreement), or outright ignorance of copyright laws. Either way, chances are that SyFy will have covered their asses, making the cosplayers legally responsible. Lets just hope the cosplayers won't end up paying for SyFy's legal costs as a result of breaking their contract (for example, by explicitly stating they own the rights in question).
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I am all for photographer's copyright, but talk about going about something in completely the wrong way. I know, based on that diatribe, we would never intentionally help or promote this individual in any way.
ghostryder
Legendary Member
Kind of off-topic, but If I take a photo of a Superman statue, am I allowed to sell that photo for profit to a for-profit entity (say a magazine or tv show)? Does D.C./Warner have any rights in that situation?
Yeah, you can bet a corporate entity like NBCU is going to clear its broadcast photography - WHO gave permission is another story, but it may fall on who signed the release forms.
Yeah, you can bet a corporate entity like NBCU is going to clear its broadcast photography - WHO gave permission is another story, but it may fall on who signed the release forms.
I can't tell you if it is legal or not, but I have done it with a number of Star Wars licensees and even with Lucasfilm itself.
EvilRocketeer
Master Member
Since the mouse owns star wars now, you never know what they will do
I've never shot any photos like that, but I'm fairly sure editorial use would be in the clear, that is assuming they have put the statue on display and made it available to the public. If you see something at for example SDCC, my bet is that they have signed an agreement when getting their booth stating that commercial photography of any materials on display is allowed.
Basic rule, unless you are explicitly told otherwise verbally or via a "No photography" sign, you would be relatively safe to take photos and make commercial use of them, at least in an editorial context, such as a magazine article on a convention. Other commercial use would probably be riskier, but if anything you'd likely get hit with a cease-and-desist as damages would be very hard to prove. The licencee would have to prove that your specific commercial exploitation of the photos of their statue affected their sales of the statue... now that is very tough for that specific example, but obviously much easier if it was pages of a comic or other graphic material (even if presented in an editorial context).
If the cosplayers signed a model-release that was written by someone who has any clue what they were doing (i.e. one clearly specifying that the photographer is sole originator of the copyrights, which cannot be signed away in any way under US law, and that the model/subject has limited, non-transferrable use for self-promotion in reasonable channels) and the cosplayer, who are most likely working as independent contractors for the show, then gave NBCU those photos under a contract stating that any materials provided were cleared in terms of copyright... then the cosplayer alone is 100% at fault from a legal standpoint.
There are currently no legal requirements for NBCU or its subsidiaries to verify that information, which means that this type of thing happens all the time. Usually the threat of up-front legal costs high enough to bankrupt most small-businesses mean that most such cases never go anywhere, if they are lucky the company won't fight the cease-and-desist and stop using the offending material, but there are no guarantees.
Edit: I also have to agree with Art, the statement the photographers made is not very professional. Posting the correspondence publicly is never a great way to behave in a legal situation. Unless they really want to spend tens of thousands of dollars fighting this, which could easily take years, they would have had more success by finding a copyright attorney to go over the process in detail. Once they had made damn sure that their contract was bulletproof, they could go ahead and make a short, public statement clarifying the copyright details of the case and their intent to recoup their losses... then have their attorney get in touch with NBCU to ask for fair compensation, or be forced to seek damages.
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mdb
Sr Member
Ahahahahahahahah! Sorry for the outburst but....tell that to my Hannibal gown which has been more than ten years of searching and gathering of fabrics and hand crafting beaded appliques... has a support skirt of 30yards of netting cut to shape as well as wrestled under my overlocker and sewing machine.
And the red Mina gown which has over 15 yards of full width fabric hand pleated and hand sewn into a skirt including making it lay in a fan over the train, and direct drape the drapery over that which is another 5 yards that has to be draped just so- wasted a lot of test fabric on that one, and then hand make 370 leaves of specific graduated sizes and then all the support layers under it (a cage bustle and a ruffled petticoat at the minimum...
Or how about learning how to fit a late 19thC basque which is totally counter to the modern fitting practice (we fit from a straight centre front line and use positive ease, this is fitting from the sides to create a curvy front and high tight armscye and indeed negative ease but just so and not to much and just here in preference to there).
As with all techniques you can choose simple or complex designs and then choose simple or complex methods to do it.
And yes I make props and armour and latex appliances too. (plug- I have a good cross section of this on my site in my signature- most progress is searchable in the blog.)
Getting hands on with nearly every technique I can has everything to do with me being a cosplay judge myself. Hundreds of entries and thousands of pages of documentation and very little drama in six years. Once we got rid of the cash incentive we got a huge increase in quality costumes- contestants want to know they did good by someone they believe can judge that fairly. Fewer entries but man.. the quality..... Keeps me constantly on my toes- so I do know a lot of the pressure to constantly do more.
Alpha Proto
Sr Member
I clapped for this response, but I know you can't hear it through the internet.
As someone who can't sew I am very impressed.
I made an uneducated presumption about sewing. You have me thinking about pulling out the old sewing machine again. I won't be doing that , because I know only frustration would await me.
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CelticRuins
Sr Member
Damn right, mdb!
I find sewing certain garments can be FAR harder than whipping up a prop. Drafting a correct fitting pattern, the construction process, the fitting process; it takes alot of skill to be able to have a clean looking piece in fabric. It takes alot of time to achieve. Especially historical costumes. From the 15th century onward. Talk about headache. All of my 18th century stuff has been the hardest in the realm of fitting.
I find sewing certain garments can be FAR harder than whipping up a prop. Drafting a correct fitting pattern, the construction process, the fitting process; it takes alot of skill to be able to have a clean looking piece in fabric. It takes alot of time to achieve. Especially historical costumes. From the 15th century onward. Talk about headache. All of my 18th century stuff has been the hardest in the realm of fitting.
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