Not just Cinema Sins but also WatchMojo.com and HISHE and probably bunches more… They make money by using clips of movies made by other people to create original content that people watch. Is that kind of thing okay as long as they don’t pretend to have made the movies themselves, or as long as they get money only from YouTube/Google (and from things like T-shirt sales off the website, and from doing commercials for Audible and Nature Box)? You don’t have to pay money to them for the content.
I am not that familiar with sites listed, but a VERY quick look suggests that at least one is a criticism site. You get a decent amount of leyway there.
I’m a fan of all of those, and I’m fairly certain that they’re generally protected under fair use as far as criticism and parody go. You also don’t often see them doing content on films still in the theaters, so perhaps another part of the idea is that even if it were infringement, it isn’t costing them enough to make it worth challenging them legally.
Parody and criticism are fair use.
HISHE don’t use clips from the film, they make their own animated versions.
Yep.
Cite: Fair use - Wikipedia
It’s also free publicity.
And there’s no such thing as bad publicity. People will see Cinema Sins and then see the movie again to catch them.
That doesn’t stop aggressive IP “protectors” from suing or issuing takedowns. Cheaper to comply than to fight a bad takedown.
You rarely see them going after sites like this. They’re more likely to go after somebody just posting clips for people to watch rather than a site which is commenting on the movies they’re showing clips of.
The one I’m surprised is still in business is Mr Skin.
I’m pretty sure that Mr Skin is actively subsidized by the movie companies.
I can believe that he’s getting paid by some of the soft-core companies to run their clips and promote their products.
But I have a harder time buying the idea that companies like Lightstorm Entertainment or Lionsgate would be doing this. And I have an even harder time accepting the idea that established actresses like Kate Winslett or Halle Berry would consent to a scheme to use their nude scenes as publicity promotions. They’d be in a position to have it included in their contracts that the studio can’t release their nude scenes to websites or magazines.
And the publicity would seem like a wash for the studios anyway. For every ticket or dvd they might sell to a guy who’d watch Titanic or Monster’s Ball for the nude scenes, they’re going to lose ticket and dvd sales on the guys who figure they’ll just skip the movie and catch the “good parts” online.
Oh, and if anybody is interested, I went back and watched some cinema sins videos. By far, Film Junkies “Honest Trailers” series is far superior. They often get lumped together, but everything about Film Junkies is way better.
Yeah, I can’t stand Cinema Sins because so many of their “sins”… actually aren’t. (Apparently Tony Stark “being a dick” to Pepper in IM3 is… a movie sin? Huh?)
Honest Trailers and How It Should Have Ended are hilarious, though.
Oops, Screen Junkies.
Yeah the sense of humor of the Cinema Sins guys is a little more… silly than the others. They often offend people that way, but it’s all in good fun.
I don’t think Sins is very funny, that’s all. After this post, I watched a few of their videos (including the ones where they calculate real-world damage during action films, and they were all pretty boring. Like amateur writing, untrained delivery, and no timing whatsoever. I couldn’t even hear what’s going on half the time.
I really like CinemaSins videos. I haven’t watched the damage calculations ones since they don’t interest me but the “Everything wrong with …” are fantastic. Funny, insightful, and well made.
The “being a dick to [whatever]” is kind of a running joke (like “Scene ends without a lap dance” when there’s a hot girl). I like both EWW and Honest Trailers. I find both funny.
I agree. They have two different approaches and they’re both good. I don’t see any need to pick one or the other.
Interesting, maybe they are beginning to crack down, but they haven’t challenged any of the other movies they own. Yet.