Okay, okay, okay. I think everyone has e-mailed me about Sci-Fi’s Galactica Videomaker contest about three times apiece now. The thought has occurred that if Olivia can beat the Daleks, surely it’s time for Oberon to take on the toasters. But, while this may be disappointing, the thought has also occurred that I may be a little top-heavy with other projects-in-progress and might not make it in under the wire.
What really got me, though, in reading over the terms & conditions on Sci-Fi’s site, was this clause – let’s call it the “Star Wars Kid Clause”.
YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE DEPICTION AND PORTRAYAL OF YOU AND YOUR SUBMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH ANY WEB SITE OR PROGRAM MAY BE DISPARAGING, DEFAMATORY, EMBARRASSING OR OF AN OTHERWISE UNFAVORABLE NATURE, MAY EXPOSE YOU AND YOUR SUBMISSION TO PUBLIC RIDICULE, HUMILIATION OR CONDEMNATION, AND MAY PORTRAY YOU AND YOUR SUBMISSION IN A FALSE LIGHT.
Jesus, people. That’s the nature of art. Any time you put your work out there, with your name on it or not, you run that risk. I seem to remember pointing this out years ago – ah, wait, here it is – but ya know, I didn’t expect to ever see a legal clause warning people that putting their work out there might just result in someone saying it’s not up to par, and not being particularly gentle in saying so.
On the flipside, I’d argue that there’s a mindset in America, spawned by the likes of Jerry Springer and brought to fruition by the anonymity of the ineternet, that can be summed up as “if you can’t say anything nice…you get top billing.” Artists and others who, for lack of a better way to put it (and believe me, I wish I could find a better way to put it), folks who expose themselves to the public may be getting too thin-skinned, but the other end of the equation – folks who produce little themselves and seem to live to bash everything in sight – is getting a little overbearing too. And in the middle…you wind up with legal clauses warning you that someone, somewhere, might not like your work and might just say so.
It’ll be interesting to see what comes out of this contest entry-wise. I expect both humdingers and howlers, but when you have people asking for rules definitions about original 3-D animation generated with accurate fan-made replicas of the show’s ships and settings, it’s clear that the playing field is changing significantly, if indeed it hasn’t already been leveled (see our fan film section if you haven’t already). Again, we’re entering an age when Hollywood with all of the talent its money can buy is about to be standing toe-to-toe with Guys Who Have A Lot Of Time And Talent On Their Hands.
In the face of that, I’m not sure what I could add to that contest that isn’t a parody. Something with cats and daggits. (Hey, one has to work with the volunteers available…as amusing as it might be to try to come up with something using a remote control Dalek or two.)
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