One of my pet peeves is when a newscast will show some amazing video shot by someone who doesn’t work for them. The news company should be ever so grateful. But what do they do? They call it “amateur video.”
I don’t think it would matter if Orson Wells himself shot some tornado footage and submitted it. It would still get the graphic branding it as “amateur footage.” Or if Steven Soderbergh captured a baby falling into a firefighter’s arms… “home video”. Home video? There’s no home involved. It wasn’t shot at home. What the heck?
Just because they weren’t wearing their company logo-branded windbreaker it’s automatically amateur? Please.
Will you news stations please just use a graphic that says, “Courtesy: Joe Smith” or “Footage provided by: Mary Miller”.
March 22nd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Hey… that’s so true! Think about this… what makes a “professional?” If you make money doing it. I know that often a big TV station will BUY footage from amateurs.. which automatically makes them professionals, eh?
But I really like the “courtesy” idea. That makes so much more sense to give credit where credit is due!