Re-edited film
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A re-edited film is a film that has been edited from the original theatrical release.
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[edit] Types of re-editing
Films edited for format, length, and content.
- Format: movie theaters typically show films in either a 1.85:1 aspect ratio or 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Television currently has two screen formats. There is the more standard 1.33:1 (or 4:3) aspect ratio, and the growing standard of 1.78:1 (or 16:9) aspect ratio.
- Length: Films may be shortened for television broadcasting or for use on airlines. DVD releases of films may also contain longer cuts. In a growing trend, more and more films are being released in an Unrated cut of the film.
- Content: Some films have content objectionable to "family audiences": sexual content, obscene language, and graphic violence. To make these films suitable for younger or more conservative audiences, alternative versions are created with such content removed. Often, profanities are replaced with minced oaths. For example, in the edited version of Pulp Fiction, Samuel L. Jackson uses the minced oath "screw" instead of "fuck".
[edit] History
The first theatrical film to be re-edited for television was the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch.[citation needed]
Re-edited films have existed for several decades for broadcast television and on airlines. Since the advent of VHS films being readily available in the mass consumer market, some consumer groups have asked films studios to make the airline version of films available for wide release.[citation needed]
[edit] Re-editing techniques
There are two main techniques for re-editing films:
[edit] Manual re-editing
Purchased film content is downloaded onto an editing work station hard drive and third-party editors manually re-edit the video and audio tracks, removing objectionable content. The re-edited version is then copied onto media (VHS or DVD) and made available for rental or purchase provided an original version has been purchased in correlation with the re-edited copy. Some manual re-edits are done by fans (see The Phantom Edit) to cut a film to their own -or their peers- specifications.
[edit] Programmed re-editing
Programmed re-editing occurs when software (such as that employed in a DVD player) is used to skip portions of the video and/or audio content on-the-fly according to pre-programmed instruction sets which are knowingly used by the consumer.
[edit] History of manual re-editing
In response to consumer demand, families began to re-edit purchased VHS tapes literally by making cuts and splices to the tape. A hotbed for this activity has been Utah with its conservative yet entrepreneurial population. When "Titanic" was released on VHS, a video store owner in Utah began offering to re-edit purchased copies of the movie for a $5 service fee. The service became very popular. Before long, several video rental businesses purchased VHS tapes and had them re-edited for their rental club/co-op members to watch.
When DVD technology emerged, the re-editing industry began offering for sale or rental a disabled DVD accompanied by a re-edited version of the film on a coupled DVD-R. Several companies attempted this business. First, some tried to do it via physical brick and mortar stores, the most successful being the deal model and proprietary stores owned by CleanFlicks, Inc. of Utah. CleanFilms later became the largest and most successful company in the business by employing an online rental model (similar to Netflix) and avoiding any physical stores. CleanFlicks and CleanFilms were recently sued and have stopped offering the rental service. Some argue that the rental companies were clearly violating copyright law since the original was not sent with the edited version.
As soon as the DVD aspect of the re-editing industry emerged, the Directors Guild of America and the Motion Picture Association of America sued most of these industry players for copyright infringement and claims regarding derivative works. In 2006, Judge Richard P. Matsch of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado ruled that unauthorized manual re-editing constituted copyright violation.
Although the lawsuit in United States federal court affects companies located within the United States, there is no such ruling of law in other countries. Canadian companies, such as Clean DVD Edited Movies and FamilySafe Movies, are still in operation since the U.S. lawsuit does not affect them.
[edit] History of programmed re-editing
Nissim Corp., through its subsidiary CustomPlay Inc., is developing a DVD player to implement programmed re-editing. Nissim Corp. possesses a growing patent portfolio claiming many important parts of this technology. Parts of this portfolio are widely licensed within the consumer electronics industry. Of note among licensees is ClearPlay, Inc., who was the first to bring a DVD player capabable of programmed re-editing to market.
ClearPlay was sued by the DGA and MPAA, but the case was rendered moot by the The Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005, which made programmed re-editing legal and an exception to copyright law.
[edit] Future of the industry
It is unclear where this industry is headed. There is demand for the product. One survey found that almost 40% of Americans said they might rent re-edited films. A majority, however, said re-editing should not be allowed.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ "ABC News Poll". (2005, April 22). Poll: Mixed Reviews for 'Sanitized' Movies.
