Using Film for teaching

If you’re wanting to use film for teaching, here’s a couple of hints….

1) You can use commercial copies of films to show in class.

Commercial copies of films (i.e. the copy you purchased from a retailer) are fine to show in class, but just be aware that if you’re recording or filming your lecture, you’ll need to remove the film content from your recording.  You can get around this by sourcing an broadcast copy (i.e. recorded from TV) because they’re okay to use in recorded lectures.

Sometimes it’s hard to get students to class for the screening and with so many people living so much of their life online, sometimes it’s just easier to make a film available through the LMS….

2) If you want to make a film available via the LMS, you’ll need to use a broadcast copy of the film.

As Seen on TV by lucianvenutian (CC-BY-SA 2.0)

We cannot make commercial copies available via the LMS without permission.  There are other options though!  Contact Digital Media Solutions and find out if they’re able to source a broadcast copy for you – DMS have a large network and are often able to find what you’re after.

If a broadcast copy isn’t available – don’t despair!  Contact our office and we can find out if the film you’re looking for is available for purchase via a streaming service or alternatively we can request permission.

It’s always a good idea to get on to this sort of thing early.  Sourcing a broadcast copy can take time and permission requests can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months.

Don’t avoid using film for your students because you think the copyright “stuff” is going to be too hard.  Contact us and find out what we can do for you and your students.