Q. The videos aren't playing for me! What's wrong?
A. Try these things first:
1. Ensure that you are using the most up-to-date version of a supported browser. On a Mac, Firefox is the only supported browser. PC users can use either Firefox or Internet Explorer, although the site will work best with Firefox. Download the latest version of Firefox here.
2. Check your internet connection. Can you stream videos at other sites?
3. Try another video on our site, to double check that it's not just a faulty file. (If it is a faulty file, please email help@mediaburn.org and let us know so we can fix it!)
4. If you are on a Mac, the Quicktime version of the videos usually plays more smoothly than the default Clipstream version. Click "switch to Quicktime version" below the video.
5. Try downloading or updating Quicktime.
6. If the video shows an "x" or is not loading, you may need to download or enable Java. (Most regular internet users will not have this problem, as Java is used by many other websites and applications). Learn how here.
7. If none of these things help, email help@mediaburn.org and do your best to describe what happens when you try to view the videos. Please state what browser version you are using (ex. Firefox 2.0.0.11) and your operating system (ex. Mac OS 10.3.9).
Q. Where did you get these videos?
A. The archive has been accumulated over the 40-year career of videomaker Tom Weinberg, who has produced many TV shows featuring the work of independent producers, such as Image Union and The 90's. The tapes came from these shows, from work by friends, or from people who donated them to the archive. We have received large donations of videos from Bill Veeck and Studs Terkel. A few random tapes have slipped through the cracks as well.
Q. Is this stuff public domain?
A. No. All these videos were made by talented independent videomakers, and these people retain the copyright to their work.
Q. Can I use footage for free in my documentary?
A. Nope. You need to license this footage for any use, just like you would anywhere else. Because the work in the archive was made by so many different people, rates and permissions are going to vary based on which pieces you pick. If you are interested in purchasing stock footage, please email us and we'll talk. We're reasonable about working with independents on limited budgets.
Q. Can I download these videos?
A. Not at this point.
Q. Are you making any money off this site?
A. No way. mediaburn.org is a project of the Fund for Innovative TV, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We manage to keep it all together through the generous contributions of individuals, corporations, and foundations. Please consider donating in order to allow us to keep this up.
Q. Where did you get my video?
A. If you're wondering about this, you must be one of a tiny number of people who we couldn't find. Before we went online, we made a concerted effort to find all the producers whose work is on the site, but some couldn’t be found…they moved, were unlisted, or one thing or another. Or maybe we just messed up. As mentioned above, we aren't making any money off of your video, but if you don't like it streaming here, please contact us and we'll take it down. Please understand that FITV is a non-profit and we do not have enough money for what we want/need to do, much less pay big bucks for lawyers. So, accept our apology, let us know, and we’ll remove it. We don't want to upset anyone, we just want people to get to see good video.
(To answer your original question, we probably got your work because you submitted it for Image Union, The 90's, Chicago Slices, or some other independent producers show.)
Q. How did you make this happen?
A. It hasn't been easy! We started working on the database, digitizing, fundraising, and systems in 2001. It took five years to get to the Beta release. We accomplished it with the extraordinary creative vision, advice, help and dedication of dozens of people. We were vastly undercapitalized, so even though we were among the first to start on streaming video, we couldn't afford to move nearly as quickly as YouTube, Google Video, and others with tens of millions of dollars for their start-up. We were able to raise (and quickly spend) about $250,000 from family, friends, small foundations, and the Illinois Arts Council. We weren't anywhere near the scale of the commercial world. But, we have unique content - some 5,000 independently produced videos - most of which is not found anywhere else.
Q. What is the "Documents tab" that I see next to the video player for?
A. We are in the process of encoding historically significant documents that give historical context to the videos. They include press, newsletters, correspondence, flyers, or just doodles. Check for them anytime you want to learn more about a video. We're adding more all the time!
Q. Is mediaburn.org strictly an archive of old video?
A. No. Our current focus is on preserving the endangered old videos in our archive, but as funding allows, we do plan to expand to new works. We want to be the online place to go for "our kind of video."
Q. Can I send you a video?
A. Yes. On a limited basis, we will put a few “new” videos in the collection and on the website. Here’s how it works:
1. Email us at info@mediaburn.org. with your name; a bio; description and running time of the video and any other info you want to include.
2. We will email you back to tell you if we’re interested. If we are, we will request that you send your video to us in Chicago, or send a link where we can preview it online.
3. As quickly as we can, we’ll screen it and let you know if we will put it in the collection. Most likely, the easiest thing will be for you to send us a tape of your work, so that we can digitize to our unique Clipstream format and put the video on the site.
4. You will agree to allow mediaburn to stream your work over the internet. If someone were to buy a dvd of your work, you would share in the revenue. We would contact you before proceeding with stock footage negotiations.
Please understand that our capability for expansion is limited and at the moment we will not be able to accomodate everyone with good stuff, and we probably won't do it in a timely manner.
Q. Why should I register?
A. It only takes a few seconds to register for a free account, and then you will be able to save videos and clips to a playlist, comment on videos, participate in the forums, and create custom dvds for purchase. Check it out!
Q. How did you choose your links?
A. We picked sites that we find interesting and useful, and we hope you do, too! We have no formal connection to the organizations listed.
Q. What is Channel 500?
A. channel500.tv will be an interactive online TV channel showcasing new independent work. It will be fresh, global, and unlike anything on the internet. It will include some of the archival material from mediaburn.org, but it will be an entirely separate entity. It is in the early stages of development. Look for it in the coming months!
Q. Why are so many of the videos credited to Tom Weinberg?
A. He is the founder of mediaburn.org and many of the videos that he produced were the first to be preserved and digitized. They were available without major complications. We definitely plan to expand the variety of videos available as soon as the budget permits.
Q. What is the Teachers’ Lounge?
A. The Teachers’ Lounge will be the center of the in-school educational applications of mediaburn.org. We are working with universities, colleges, high schools and middle schools to develop curricula and interactive methods for teachers to share their uses for the video archives in classes. We know that this part of our work will take some time to develop, but, with some support, it can evolve into one of the most important uses of the site.