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Author Topic: Can Oepn Arena be used for TV show on Screen Graphic?  (Read 8302 times)
allucinari
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« on: August 06, 2009, 01:01:16 AM »

Hello - my company does design and visual effects for movies and TV series and sometimes I'm asked to source animations.  This week I need to provide some video footage of first person shooter video game play that's licensable (meaning the person providing the footage has the legal right to provide me with the footage and can grant me the right to grant the company the right to use the footage however they want.  They want to have someone playing a game on the screen.)  They don't want any other right other than usage rights which I'm paying for. 

I remembered playing Open Arena a while back and thought of it.  Is it legal to use it this way?

If so - is there anyone who has developed a mod enough that they can grant usage rights to just the footage (not characters or anything else) that would be interested and able to capture the footage?

Over 18 is preferred, otherwise I might need to go through a parent just to avoid any difficulty.

Just to be clear the steps would be:

The steps will be:

1.  Send a link to images of your mod / game and confirmation that you have the right to license a running video of the game in play and your ability to capture and present it.
2.  If it looks  like a good candidate - capture the footage and we submit it to our client.  (It would be more than 30 seconds and less than 90 seconds needed - the preview could be web quality).
3.  On approval, you upload a high quality version and we send a check.   


We did all the visual effects for shows like "The Bernie Mac Show" and we actually sourced a bunch of animation for the kids on the show to watch.  If you have something built, ready to go and it's legal, it would be worth the time.

Doesn't matter where in the world you are by the way - our company employs people all over the globe daily.

If this is strictly against the open arena agreement - feel free to delete. However, in browsing the GNU license I didn't see anything which forbade this usage, but I'm not a lawyer.

I've checked to be notified of replies.

Mark Allen
Allucinari (inc) - production
Deception Arts - design/fx


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davidd
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« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2009, 06:12:57 AM »

I am not an expert, but ill try to give you as accurate info as i can.
I think the anwser to your questiong is yes.
Openarena and the maps and textures are licensed gplv2 http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html for more info
gpl v2 is very easy to abide by. If you give someone gplv2 software, you must also make the source available.
I dont precisely know how this applies to footage, but as long as anyone you give this footage, is able to download openarena, i think you will be safe.

you can watch youtube videos i made on http://www.youtube.com/user/janusanus#play/uploads

If it is machinima you are looking for, i have no experience with that, but i do have experience of making HD footage of openarena (and its mods).

So be more detailed, what is it that you are looking for? Funny? pro-gaming?
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Udi
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« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2009, 08:53:37 AM »

There was another guy a year ago who wanted to use the game in a TV commercial. Don't know if he really did it, but he was allowed to do so because of the GPL.
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allucinari
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« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2009, 11:02:48 AM »

Thanks for the respopnses.  Actually, I'm just looking for game play footage like the youtube link shows.

Now, I recognize a lot of the elements in them though - does that mean that the maps and characters are not custom?

Second question - with the GNU license would the maps and characters have to be custom anyway or is it okay to just show the game being played in it's native form perhaps against bots (I think that's an option been like a year since I played).

Thanks in advance.
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Marble of Doom
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« Reply #4 on: August 06, 2009, 02:31:19 PM »

It's fine just to show the game as it is. Be warned though, the game does contain blood, gore, and a few scantily-clad models.
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davidd
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« Reply #5 on: August 06, 2009, 08:38:03 PM »

Thanks for the respopnses.  Actually, I'm just looking for game play footage like the youtube link shows.
Tell me which one is closest to what you want?
Quote
Now, I recognize a lot of the elements in them though - does that mean that the maps and characters are not custom?
id software released the software part of quake 3 arena under gpl but not the maps models and textures
openarena is a gpl replacement for the maps models and textures. The color scheme is the same, red=rocket etc, so it is easy recognisable, but put next to eachother it is easy to see that they are completely different. Q3a ammoboxes are square, and OA ammo boxes are pyramids for example.
Quote
Second question - with the GNU license would the maps and characters have to be custom anyway or is it okay to just show the game being played in it's native form perhaps against bots (I think that's an option been like a year since I played).

Thanks in advance.
You can run maps and models that have other licenses in openarena, but those will never be an official part of openarena. rights for those should be discussed with the copyright holder of those maps/models.
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allucinari
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« Reply #6 on: August 06, 2009, 08:57:12 PM »

Thanks so much people.   in the end it turned out that they switched it to a kids game  (like an 8 year old's driving game).... frustrating business...  but this kind of thing most likely will come again, so I appreciate all the info and I'll know next time.  Thanks.
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Cacatoes
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« Reply #7 on: August 06, 2009, 11:06:10 PM »

Thanks so much people.   in the end it turned out that they switched it to a kids game  (like an 8 year old's driving game).... frustrating business...  but this kind of thing most likely will come again, so I appreciate all the info and I'll know next time.  Thanks.

SuperTuxKart ? Cheesy
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