Open Letter - Please Show Linux Credit at Movie Endings
To: Filmmakers that use GNU/Linux
Dear Respected Filmmaker.
I was recently reading an article about how your company uses the GNU/ Linux Operating System to create movie content. I was happy to learn of this because I myself am a dedicated GNU/Linux user/enthusiast, and I'd like to see GNU/Linux gain more market share so that more people everywhere can enjoy this wonderful software. The truly awesome thing about GNU/Linux is the potential and framework it has to continuously become an even more stellar Operating System for into the future of humanity.
So I'm writing to ask that you give credit to GNU/Linux during the time when the credits roll on films you make with GNU/Linux. I usually see some credit given to lots of things in films(and seemingly weird things sometimes at that), but I don't recall any mention of the GNU/Linux Operating System in films I've seen recently. So, to see a nice little Tux Logo and words, "Made with the GNU/Linux Operating System" would not only pay some much due respect to the great masses of developers(and many others) who make GNU/Linux possible everyday, but would promote the ideals of the "Free as in Freedom" Operating System that is known as GNU/Linux. Perhaps even more people could benefit from GNU/Linux if major filmmakers were to mention it during the credits for films that use it.
Thank you for helping GNU/Linux and promoting freedom for the future of computing technology.
Respectfully,
Shannon VanWagner
Linux Enthusiast and IT Professional
(updated 04-11-8 to include reflect all mention of Linux as GNU/Linux)
Update: The Filmakers Respond
(Looks like only the guys from UK are up to responding so far)
--
Dear Shannon, I am sorry to say your e-mail has not reached its intended recipient as I do not make films, perhaps this should be addressed to someone else? I project films and very rarely do I receive a credit for my work so I appreciate the frustration.
Best wishes for your campaign.
**** ********
The Screening Room at MPC
MPC
--
Hi Shannon,
Thank you for your interest on both BUF's work and GNU/Linux community.
Be sure we will consider your suggestion for the next credits. You are totally right, GNU/Linux is a very convenient environment to work with and we really appreciate it. As far as we can include more credits in our coming projects, we will try to add an annotation about GNU/Linux. But you have to know that a company as small as BUF doesn't decide how many lines or space we can use in the credits. Very often the allowed space is proportional to the number of shots in charge to the company, whereas a lot of people were involved. It is very common that we don't have the opportunity to credit all our guys.
Thank you again.
Best regards,
****** ***
Head of R&D
--
Dear Shannon,
As a post production company, we focus mainly on visual effects and do make extensive use of GNU/Linux as well as quite a few other open source projects, a large number of closed source commercial software packages and lots of proprietary in-house software. It would be great if we could credit this technology but credits are controlled by the film studios
and they have strict rules about who gets on the official list. Our priority is to make sure the people who work long and hard on each project get a credit before any technology and sadly this is not possible given the limited number of lines we can submit for inclusion.
We do contribute to the open source community in other ways which I believe has more of a direct benefit to the open source community than a film credit that few people will take notice of.
Kind regards,
****
--
**** ******
Chief Technology Officer
MPC
Dear Respected Filmmaker.
I was recently reading an article about how your company uses the GNU/ Linux Operating System to create movie content. I was happy to learn of this because I myself am a dedicated GNU/Linux user/enthusiast, and I'd like to see GNU/Linux gain more market share so that more people everywhere can enjoy this wonderful software. The truly awesome thing about GNU/Linux is the potential and framework it has to continuously become an even more stellar Operating System for into the future of humanity.
So I'm writing to ask that you give credit to GNU/Linux during the time when the credits roll on films you make with GNU/Linux. I usually see some credit given to lots of things in films(and seemingly weird things sometimes at that), but I don't recall any mention of the GNU/Linux Operating System in films I've seen recently. So, to see a nice little Tux Logo and words, "Made with the GNU/Linux Operating System" would not only pay some much due respect to the great masses of developers(and many others) who make GNU/Linux possible everyday, but would promote the ideals of the "Free as in Freedom" Operating System that is known as GNU/Linux. Perhaps even more people could benefit from GNU/Linux if major filmmakers were to mention it during the credits for films that use it.
Thank you for helping GNU/Linux and promoting freedom for the future of computing technology.
Respectfully,
Shannon VanWagner
Linux Enthusiast and IT Professional
(updated 04-11-8 to include reflect all mention of Linux as GNU/Linux)
Update: The Filmakers Respond
(Looks like only the guys from UK are up to responding so far)
--
Dear Shannon, I am sorry to say your e-mail has not reached its intended recipient as I do not make films, perhaps this should be addressed to someone else? I project films and very rarely do I receive a credit for my work so I appreciate the frustration.
Best wishes for your campaign.
**** ********
The Screening Room at MPC
MPC
--
Hi Shannon,
Thank you for your interest on both BUF's work and GNU/Linux community.
Be sure we will consider your suggestion for the next credits. You are totally right, GNU/Linux is a very convenient environment to work with and we really appreciate it. As far as we can include more credits in our coming projects, we will try to add an annotation about GNU/Linux. But you have to know that a company as small as BUF doesn't decide how many lines or space we can use in the credits. Very often the allowed space is proportional to the number of shots in charge to the company, whereas a lot of people were involved. It is very common that we don't have the opportunity to credit all our guys.
Thank you again.
Best regards,
****** ***
Head of R&D
--
Dear Shannon,
As a post production company, we focus mainly on visual effects and do make extensive use of GNU/Linux as well as quite a few other open source projects, a large number of closed source commercial software packages and lots of proprietary in-house software. It would be great if we could credit this technology but credits are controlled by the film studios
and they have strict rules about who gets on the official list. Our priority is to make sure the people who work long and hard on each project get a credit before any technology and sadly this is not possible given the limited number of lines we can submit for inclusion.
We do contribute to the open source community in other ways which I believe has more of a direct benefit to the open source community than a film credit that few people will take notice of.
Kind regards,
****
--
**** ******
Chief Technology Officer
MPC
I don't agree with this request (and I am a loyal Creative Commons videographer releasing my travel videos under the most liberal CC license).
ReplyDeleteYou see, usually, when professionals create a movie in Hollywood, they use a lot of different tools and operating systems. They use from dedicated expensive hardware, to Windows, to MacOS9 and OSX, to Linux, to IRIX. Each device/OS does only a small job of the overall work.
You can't credit all the *tools* you used to create your movie, it would be a killer. While for you Linux has a big place in your heart, others are swearing in the name of Avid, or After Effects, or even their color grading effect machines. As long as Avid or Adobe don't get credited, don't expect Linux to get credited.
While the base OS was free, it was NOT free for them to use the tools they used (usually, these tools are developed in house and they bare a full cost of professional software development), and so they don't feel obligated. Neither the license of Linux obligates them to give attribution.
Besides, Linux is just the OS for them. As far as they are concerned, they would feel more obligated to attribute their software that runs on TOP of Linux, rather than Linux itself. Kind of like they would credit Adobe's After Effects instead of Windows XP.
Sorry, but that's how it is... Personally, I try to give full technical details on how achieved a video, but this is not so in the professional world.
Great Idea
ReplyDeleteno film makers, I know of, use Linux. And the reason is simple... there's no software on Linux appropriate to making films...
ReplyDeleteI am also a linux enthusiast from india. I am planning to conduct workshops on open source in universities and informing people about substitutes of all windows softwares in linux. regarding that i was planning to form a team. if you know any such people in India, kindly let me know.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow enthusiast, I can only wholeheartedly agree.
ReplyDeleteYour business is based, for a large part, on the timeless hard work and passion of others, something the film industry draws a lot of attention to with regards to film makers, directors, etc.
I think the film industry should also credit those who are perhaps ignored by the mainstream, and yet are also indirectly responsible for some of your success.
Keep up the good work!
BRAVO! Yes, I've been saying this for years!
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I've gone so far as to say that *every* product made with Linux's help should proclaim so proudly on the label. Every website powered by a Linux server, every router with Linux inside, cell phones, gaming consoles, etc.
I work freelance, and I point out to every single client and all over my portfolio that every scrap is done on Linux, and I produce ebooks, graphic design, Flash games, and more. Every day I meet people who respond in shock: "I didn't know Linux could do that!"
Penguin Pete
http://penguinpetes.com/
Excellent idea. Linux is used in so many places and by so many people, sometimes without them even knowing. Yet the penetration on the market is made impossible because nobody cares about promoting Linux.
ReplyDeleteShannon, UR a nerd with a capital "N". Nobody looks at movie credits anyway. Why don't you sell Linux bumper stickers to get the news out.
ReplyDeleteYou're right man, I'm a linux user too and I've benefited a lot from it. I really appreciate what they are doing. Too bad, there are few acknowledge the value of their sacrifices.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I use Linux extensively and believe it should be promoted for application where it is suitable I don't necessarily believe they need to acknowledge every tool they use. Linux after all is just a took used during development.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't expect to see Linux credited any more than I would expect to see 3M credited for supplying duct tape. Although it would be nice to see companies recognize the hard work of the 1000s or open source developers. I don't feel it should be expected. Linux after all is just one of many tools used during the production of a film.
Why do you mix GNU/Linux and Linux in your remarks? It is obvious that you know that GNU/Linux is the operating system and Linux is the kernel.
ReplyDeleteWe should be asking filmmakers to reference GNU/Linux, not Linux.
Huh? Linux is almost never used anywhere outside of VFX, and maybe some server stuff for editing. Most often, they used OSX and maybe Windows. Damn near every suit I've seen has a Macbook Pro.
ReplyDelete"But," you might cry, "it's still used in VFX! Let's get some credit there!" If you knew anything about the industry, you'd know that VFX has incredibly little say into such things.
And before that, there's a hundred other logos more integral to the process than Linux. Where's the Autodesk logo? Adobe? Avid? Apple? NextLimit? SideFX? Softimage?
Hell, before any of that, where are the names of all the people who directly worked on the damn movie? Big shows like Narnia routinely leave off hundreds of people because of space restrictions.
Well said Jason! I think people over here to ask for such Linux attribution just don't get the whole picture.
ReplyDeleteIn a perfect world this would nice to do. But as Eugenia above says, it ain't going to happen.
ReplyDeleteI DO work in the movie industry, and we do use Linux for major portions of the film. But should we also give credit to the individual applications we use? What about the in house applications we've written? Should we also give credit to the Windows machine that was used to approve the budget for the movie? Should we give credit to the Mac machine that was used to edit the sound?
Keep in mind too, that the credits also cost a pretty significant amount of money. Crediting applications and Operating Systems would quickly push that cost up.
"And before that, there's a hundred other logos more integral to the process than Linux. Where's the Autodesk logo? Adobe? Avid? Apple? NextLimit? SideFX? Softimage?"
ReplyDeleteThis are all PAYED software and the industry already credit the programmers a lot with their licensing money.
The GNU/Linux they used is free and they should, at least, put a tiny little line saying they used GNU/Linux since they don't pay for it (or at least they pay just a very tiny small fraction and not to all people involved).
Gratitude would be something they could show but the film industry is not known by that, are they?
Baseless...
ReplyDeleteI will never doing this even If i'm a true linux supporter. In film making, tools is not important.
Haven't you noticed? There's an awful lot of penguin movies coming out lately... What more credit would you want.
ReplyDeleteHell if some people would put gnu/linux on the credit list, that's fine with me ("rendered with penguin power"). But it's the choice of the makers to put in there whoever they want. I personally would find it much more creative if they would do it in a less obvious, inspiring way. Like by using references or putting in easter eggs e.g. the lead character's son has a plush tux or a poster of Richard Stallman or Linus, or they have a tux kitchen clock... That way all the geeks/hackers in the audience could get some good laughs out of it.
(I also posted a similar comment on digg)