Using an example of a song written three generations ago, this video shows why it makes sense that the public domain exists and what it means when a song, photo, artwork, document or other creative work is in the public domain. This video teaches:
The basics of copyright law and how it gives creators control
Why copyrights expire over time
How public domain works are available for use without payment or permission
Why creators and organizations contribute to the public domain
For the first time, Lee LeFever will host a free webinar covering Common Craft's entire production process. You'll learn about the "Six Skills of Animated Video Production", from script writing and storyboarding to video editing.
The process Lee will share is the same process he and Sachi use to make Common Craft videos today.
Key details:
Webinar Date: Wednesday, June 21st at 11am Pacific
NOTE: All attendees will receive a coupon for 50% off the Explainer Academy's DIY Media Maker Course, which provides in-depth instructions and resources for every part of the video production process.
If you've worked on a team at work or at school, you've seen how projects can evolve into chaos. Our goal with this video (recommended by Common Craft members) is to outline the basics of how projects are managed by professionals. Using their techniques, almost any project, at school or work, can be more efficient and effective.
This video follows the story of a team who works together to build a prototype for an upcoming meeting at work. Thanks to a project manager, they are able to align their work efficiently and complete the project with limited time, budget and resources. It teaches:
Why project management matters in getting things done
How project managers help plan and align the team’s work
Why project scope (time, budget and resources) matters
How project managers work with stakeholders
How the basics of project management can be applied to other types of projects.
As of tonight, it has been ten years since we published RSS in Plain English on YouTube. I can't believe it's been so long. We owe a debt of gratittude to those of you who were with us in the beginning. It makes our day to know that you've stuck with us. We'd love to hear from you!
To mark the occasion, I wrote about how we came up with the idea for making RSS in Plain English and what happened the day we published it. Here's an excerpt:
YouTube was a year old at the time and growing incredibly fast. Soon, our discussions turned to ways we could ride the YouTube wave to new destinations. But how? We had no background in video production. What kinds of videos could be useful? What could two people and a cheap video camera do?
In 2006 YouTube was not alone in experiencing incredible growth. This was the dawn of the social media revolution and ideas like wikis, blogs and social networking were just starting to become known and adoption was slow. Being a big fan and user of these new tools, I wanted more people to use them. I believed they could be adopted quickly by the mass market.
But I also saw problems. These powerful, free and useful tools all suffered from the same malady: confusion. They were so new and different that most people couldn’t make sense of them intuitively. It was like a huge mountain of value was being obscured by a dense shroud of foggy, technical communication. Clearing that fog was the problem we decided to solve. We set out to make these new tools understandable for people like our parents using the power of YouTube videos. For the first time, we thought about what it means to explain an idea effectively using video.
This video is built for the teachers and students who are on the front lines of this phenomenon. By understanding cyberbullying, we can take steps to reduce the harm it causes.
Using a simple example of a cyberbully in action, this video follows a bully’s tools, motivations and tactics. It also covers what can be done by adults and fellow students to stop the bully and prevent further problems. It teaches:
Why cyberbullying represents a problem
How cyberbullies use the internet to threaten and harass others
What motivates cyberbullies
What adults and students can do to help the bullied students
What adults and students can do to prevent problems
Piracy, in any form, seems like a simple idea. It’s illegal and a form of stealing. But online, it may feel different because it’s so easy to make copies of a song or movie and share them. It’s easy to find pirated software on the cheap. The risks seem low.
Our challenge with this video: How can we explain piracy in a way that goes deeper than simple right vs. wrong arguments? How can we appeal to reason?
Our solution: Focus on understanding why it makes sense that piracy is illegal. Below, we explain the system that makes it possible for creative people to be paid for their work and how piracy breaks that system and directly impacts the creative people who make the music and art we love.
We also worked to make the visuals, especially in the beginning, fun and interesting. I loved animating those pirates!
Piracy, on the open ocean or online, is illegal because it is a kind of theft. By understanding different types of online piracy and why it’s illegal, we can start to see how piracy impacts the artists we love and represents a risk to us as individuals. It teaches:
What piracy is online
Why artists often depend on copyright laws for income
How piracy breaks copyright laws and impacts artists
