Outside Resources
Lynda.com
Lynda.com is an online instructional video and guide library. All NYU students have free access to Lynda.com through NYU Home. To log into Lynda:
- Log into home.nyu.edu using your net ID and password
- In the “Academics” tab, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on the link to Lynda.com
Lynda has hundreds of guides, including:
- Video editing programs like Final Cut, Adobe Premiere and Avid Media Composer
- Photoshop
- How to use DSLR cameras
- How to light and record an interview
If you can think of a media-related search term, it’s likely that Lynda features a course on the subject.
Archival Sources
Note: the following should not be construed as legal advice – these are general guidelines for understanding the use or reproduction of copyrighted material. If you have specific copyright/intellectual property questions, consult a legal adviser. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the right to make use of archival material. See these resources for more details regarding the use of copyrighted material:
http://www.nyu.edu/footer/copyright-and-fair-use.html
http://guides.nyu.edu/friendly.php?s=copyright
Students working on non-fiction multimedia projects often will need access to archival images. Conducting a simple image search in a search engine, downloading media, and reproducing it without permission can consitute a violation of copyright. Everyone who seeks to use media that someone else owns must get permission to use the media from the copyright holder unless the material is not subject to copyright.
Major news organizations and documentary producers will sometimes reproduce copyrighted material without permission using an argument called fair use. These producers often have access to legal experts who can help them determine whether their fair use arguments are valid. Most students don’t have access to that kind of expertise and should not assume that they can make fair use arguments. Instead, you should choose archival material that:
- Is not subject to copyright
- You have written permission from the copyright holder to use (this often involves money)
- Is released for free use by the copyright holder with certain restrictions (i.e. a Creative Commons license)
commons.wikimedia.org is the repository of all images that are uploaded to wikipedia.org. Many images uploaded to Wikimedia Commons have been released into the public domain (they can be used for free without attribution), and many more can be used for free with attribution. Every image’s licensing agreement can be found by clicking on it and following the “more details” link below the image. It’s your responsibility to determine and meet whatever licensing conditions may apply to an image you choose to reproduce.
Royalty-Free Music
As is true with archival images, many non-fiction multimedia producers have a need for music for use in their projects. There are many resources online that offer music that can be purchased for use in a project, but there are also free options:
If you use music from these or any other sources, it is your responsibility to determine that you have not committed copyright infringement. Carefully check the licensing agreement of any piece of music you want to reproduce.