Need input.

[pasithea]

Eepers. I got the following letter. What do you guys think? Look kosher?

Please advise

Hi Samantha

I watched your animation "Free as a Bird" and wish to use it as part of a
DVD product that ZERO DB Studios is producing. Would you be kind enough to
let me know if you are interested, by replying via e-mail?

I would also very much like to see some of your animations/videos. If they
are suitable then they will also be selected to be part of a DVD product
that we will produce and sell. You will receive a percentage of the money
from the DVD products that are sold.

The material must be your own original work. It can be any style you wish
and any reasonable length from a few minutes to a full feature length DVD
film. It can be silent or have a sound track. If it is silent or just
dialogue then we will produce the sound track. If there is a sound track it
must be composed exclusively of original material. One criteria of the final
DVD product is that it is packed full of entertaining, original and creative
content. We are looking for a wide range of content. For example: comedy,
techno, sci-fi, art, dance, drama and music, etc. In various formats: "real"
video/film footage, conventional cartoon animation, stop motion animation,
computer generated animation or mixtures of the above.

Below is one of our standard advertisement reply letters, it contains more

Regards Gary Feinmesser

gary@feinmesser.freeserve.co.uk





Thank you for your interest in our advert. We are currently looking for
original video program material. If we like the material and think we can
sell it, then it shall be used as part of a DVD product. We will produce the
entire product and sell it.

You will receive a percentage of the money from the products that are sold
which contain your material. You will keep the copyright to your own
material. The material must be exclusively your own original work.

We are currently accepting for review, a wide range of material: short
films, plays, comedy sketches, animation, dance routines,
stunts-skateboarding/BMX etc, or any other form which is imaginative,
original and entertaining. The material can be any reasonable length from a
few minutes to a full feature length DVD film. It can be silent or have a
sound track. If it is silent or just dialogue then we will produce the sound
track. If there is a sound track it must be composed exclusively of original
material.

Please send your demo in the following format:

Standard VHS videotape (PAL), CD (data in a common file format such as AVI,
MPEG, etc.), DVD video (any basic DVD disc that will play on a regular
set-top DVD player or PC based DVD player, [PAL, UK - Region 2]).

to:
ZERO DB Studios,

Stonefold, Hamstead Road,

Cranmore, Yarmouth,

Isle of Wight, UK,

PO41 0YA.

Comments

[jinx-mouse.livejournal.com]

You dont get big profit (or hardly any for that matter) til you get publishing credit and people know you are out there. You have to put your name out there all the time so people are aware of you. How much would it cost to mail a DVD (VHS or whatever) overseas, $10? $15? (less.) thats nothing.

Aside from obvious red flags, like them asking for a sizable amount of money up front for doing this, there is little risk and much benefit. Regardless if this particular compilation they are doing pays off to the artists. Anyone who gets it, gets a chance to see that cartoon and like it and look for more of them.

It might of been the qt format to reduce size, I would say it could have done with some cleaning up... but it is really good work and Im not surprised at all that Samantha Patterson has someone asking for permission to use the cartoon. I said the day she posted the link on Usenet it wouldnt be out of place in an animation showcase or a time filler between blocks of cartoons.