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small, unsigned band leverages nanny state and FOI type request to make music video

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  • #1

    small, unsigned band leverages nanny state and FOI type request to make music video

    i didn't see this mentioned on the forums... which is surprising, given that it touches on so many themes that matter to this community: privacy, surveillance, monkeywrenching the government, new ways to create art, etc. i think it's a really neat idea, both for the resultant creative work as well as giving government bureaucrats extra workload for what they might think is a "trivial" purpose.

    Got a band but can’t afford to shoot a video? Use public CCTV cameras and then demand the footage!
    The Get Out Clause are an upcoming UK band who are currently unsigned. They took a brilliant and I’m sure soon to be much copied method to producing their own video. Unable to hire a production crew for a standard 1980’s era MTV music video, they performed their music in front of 80 of the 13 million CCTV “security” cameras available in England, including one on a bus.

    They then used Britain’s Data Protection Act to request the footage that was shot of them. Grab some decent and inexpensive video editing tools (say. . . an iMac) and presto! They got themselves a unique and in my opinion quite interesting music video.
    the above article has the video embedded, but it's also available on YouTube.

    a commenter on the ArsGeek site points to this clip of the video for "Revelate" by irish band The Frames which was also shot with the "security camera" technique... but that appeared to just be in a store somewhere (and thus at the owner's expense, at least as far as the equipment goes) as opposed to leveraging one's own misappropriated tax dollars back into a useful end product like the UK band The Get Out Clause did.
    "I'll admit I had an OiNK account and frequented it quite often… What made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store… iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc... OiNK it existed because it filled a void of what people want."
    - Trent Reznor
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  • #2
    Re: small, unsigned band leverages nanny state and FOI type request to make music vid

    Not sure that would work here in the US. It's well documented and tested in the courts if not the supreme court that the pictures taken belong to the person who owns the camera. Hence why the paparazzi have lucrative careers.

    xor
    Just because you can doesn't mean you should. This applies to making babies, hacking, and youtube videos.

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    • #3
      Re: small, unsigned band leverages nanny state and FOI type request to make music vid

      Originally posted by xor View Post
      pictures taken belong to the person who owns the camera.
      unless it's the government who owns the camera... as in, you know, the above-reported instance.
      "I'll admit I had an OiNK account and frequented it quite often… What made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world's greatest record store… iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don't feel cool when I go there. I'm tired of seeing John Mayer's face pop up. I feel like I'm being hustled when I visit there, and I don't think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc... OiNK it existed because it filled a void of what people want."
      - Trent Reznor

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      • #4
        Re: small, unsigned band leverages nanny state and FOI type request to make music vid

        Originally posted by Deviant Ollam View Post
        unless it's the government who owns the camera... as in, you know, the above-reported instance.
        Right. Under the Freedom of Information Act, you can get most stuff that the government has, unless it is a matter under an active investigation. So if you know that you had been video recorded at a given location and time, you should (in theory) be able to file a FIA request and demand a copy.

        EDIT: I just took a look. It is a rather interesting technique, although their sound left a lot to be desired in my opinion. Also, the report wasn't quite accurate, as there were at least five shots I counted that were obviously not from security cameras.

        The other thing I noticed were some shots that might not have been state-owned video cameras, including what appeared to be within an Austin "London Black Cab". I don't know what Britain’s Data Protection Act covers exactly, but I'm a tad suspicious that the band's promoters may be overstating that this was done with government cameras, especially that in light of the material that couldn't have been done on CCTV cameras.
        Last edited by Thorn; May 22, 2008, 17:40.
        Thorn
        "If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." - Catherine Aird

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        • #5
          Re: small, unsigned band leverages nanny state and FOI type request to make music vid

          Originally posted by Deviant Ollam View Post
          unless it's the government who owns the camera... as in, you know, the above-reported instance.
          I guess they become part of the public record sort of like red light cameras. I just had to shell out $100 for one here in Philly. Amazing resolution on those you can see my plate very clearly. I need to get one of those dirty license plate covers. However, if I had to choose paying a $100 and getting 3 points on my license I would rather pay the $100.

          But back to the topic I wonder if the gov would just turn it over to you or put you through the mill and a court appearance if not many. Actually trying to get the video from the government mite cost you more than if would have it you paid a professional to film it.

          xor
          Just because you can doesn't mean you should. This applies to making babies, hacking, and youtube videos.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: small, unsigned band leverages nanny state and FOI type request to make music vid

            Originally posted by xor View Post
            I guess they become part of the public record sort of like red light cameras. I just had to shell out $100 for one here in Philly. Amazing resolution on those you can see my plate very clearly. I need to get one of those dirty license plate covers. However, if I had to choose paying a $100 and getting 3 points on my license I would rather pay the $100.

            But back to the topic I wonder if the gov would just turn it over to you or put you through the mill and a court appearance if not many. Actually trying to get the video from the government mite cost you more than if would have it you paid a professional to film it.

            xor
            I wonder what a shit-ton of ir leds around the plates would look like?

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            • #7
              Re: small, unsigned band leverages nanny state and FOI type request to make music vid

              Hype or not, that's a pretty brilliant exploit. I've always been a sucker for guerrilla art, but the idea of using The Man to advance your art delights me.

              On a slightly related note-- graffiti animation: http://blublu.org/sito/video/muto.htm
              " 'Yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation' yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation."
              - Willard Orman Van Quine

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