FAQ
The WGBH Lab
Q. What is the WGBH Lab?
A. The WGBH Lab is an online destination for independent media
makers. Its mission is to produce and showcase innovative content for public media
outlets with a focus on short duration and small formats. The Lab is a production
of WGBH's Boston Media Productions.
Q. I'd like to share my work with the WGBH Lab. How can I do that?
A. We'd like to see what you have created. You can share your work via one of our three principal programs, Open Call, Filmmakers in Residence, or Sandbox. Each program is a little different, so check out each program page to see where your work fits best. If none of the programs are a good match for your work, feel free to send us a proposal or finished program via our Produce for WGBH section.
Q. What about rights to work submitted to the WGBH Lab?
A. If you are submitting to one our of our three main programs, you must consent to the WGBH submission release agreement. For works or proposals submitted via our Produce for WGBH area, you must own the rights or have cleared the rights to the media you are submitting and agree to our submission release.
Q. I like one of your videos but I can't download it. Why?
A. While we make every attempt to make content available in all manner and media, some of the content that we host cannot be downloaded. We do, however, have a number of Sandbox clips and finished works that are available for download. We ask that you adhere to the attached Creative Commons license, which accompanies each downloadable segment. If you have any additional questions, please review our terms of use.
Sandbox
Q. What is the Sandbox?
A. The Sandbox is a place within the WGBH Lab to watch and download free, rights-cleared video footage from WGBH's extensive archives. This footage is raw material for your own creativity: use our clips and cut, loop, and mash them. Let us know what you make!
Q. What kind of content will I find in the Sandbox?
A. You’ll find a selection of short video clips ranging from scenes of daily life along the Nile River to life-giving blood cells flowing through veins. These clips are from the archives of various WGBH productions, including American Experience, Frontline, and Nova.
Q. What can I make with Sandbox clips?
A. Use Sandbox video clips to create your own montages, mashups, music videos, animation, personal stories, video blog content–anything you can imagine–so long as it’s for non-commercial use. See our licensing agreement for more information.
Q. What is a video mashup?
A. A video mashup is the creative result of mixing archival footage, shared rights-cleared video, previously edited footage, or original video. What emerges is a unique, original work that can be personal or journalistic, art or entertainment. Mashups are also known as a montage or a remix.
Q. Do I have to pay to view or download Sandbox video clips?
A. No, Sandbox video clips are free. If you are interested in purchasing high resolution Sandbox clips or additional video from the WGBH archives, visit the WGBH Media Library and Stock Footage Sales at www.wgbhstocksales.org.
Q. How can I share the videos that I make with the WGBH Lab?
A. New places to upload and share your video are cropping up all the time. Submit your video to the Lab Sandbox, or check out the "Where to Share" section in our Resources page for some recommendations.
Q. How do I properly attribute a work licensed via the Creative Commons license Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 2.5? And what is attribution?
A. Under the license, you are required to attribute or credit the sources of material you have used in your work. Attribution is another way of saying “giving credit.”
The proper way of accrediting your use of a work when you’re making a verbatim use is:
- to keep intact any copyright notices for the work;
- credit the author, licensor and/or other parties (such as a wiki, blog, or journal) in the manner they specify;
- include the title of the Work; and
- include the Uniform Resource Identifier (”Uniform Resource Locator” AKA Web address) for the work if specified by the author and/or licensor.
You also need to provide the license itself, or the URL (a.k.a. Web address) for the license, with each copy of the work that you make available.
If you are making a derivative use of a work, then in addition to the above, you need to identify that your work is a derivative work, e.g. “This is a Finnish translation of the [original work] by [author],” or “Screenplay based on [original work] by [author].”
How you credit your source depends on what it is that you make and how you present it. For example, if you make an audio mashup and put it on your Web site for download, then you might want to add a short introduction or conclusion that states that you made it and names the source material. If you put it into a visual presentation, you may want to add a slide that names your sources.
If you are making a video, you will probably have a credit section in which you can simply add the sources into your credits, e.g. “Archival footage provided by WGBH Educational Foundation.”
Q. What if I want to use some Sandbox clips in my documentary?
A. You can license clips and lots more from www.wgbhstocksales.org. WGBH Stock Sales licenses footage, stills, text, and information for all kinds of TV, film, exhibit, online, and publishing projects. The quality of WGBH Stock Sales footage is consistent with our leading public television productions such as NOVA, Frontline, American Experience, and Antiques Roadshow.
Website Technology
Q. What do I need to play Lab videos?
A. You will need QuickTime 7 or higher to play all videos that are hosted by the WGBH Lab. Free downloads of QuickTime 7 are available for Mac and Windows users.
Q. What browser should I use to view this site?
A. The Lab strongly recommends the use of either Firefox or Safari when viewing the WGBH Lab website. Both are available as a free download for Mac and PC.
Q. What is a direct link?
A. If you happen to have a web server or blog, or have uploaded
your work to a video sharing website, you may have the ability to share
your sample reel or finished work with us via a direct link. A
direct link is a url that allows us to pull your video from your
hosting website provider. Our media partner, OMN, also has a video
uploader that allows you to upload your content directly to us.
Q. I tried to register and I didn't receive an e-mail with my password.
A. If you did not receive an e-mail with your password, then you may
have used an invalid e-mail address. Try to re-register with the WGBH
Lab. If your still experience problems, send us a note via our feedback section.
Q. I'd like to vote on a pitch or video, is there a submit button?
A. No, If you have clicked on the stars next the pitch or video, your vote has been tallied, provided you are a registered WGBH Lab community member and are signed in. The number you see under the stars is the number times registered users have voted or clicked a star. This system is more of a rating system where you can rate how much you like a pitch or video from 1 to 5 stars. 5 stars being highest. As other community members rate, the system keeps a running tally and provides an average. It will only tally your "vote" if you are registered. While not scientific, it's a way to get feedback and encourage conversation in the community. Even if your visiting the WGBH Lab site to rate a particular pitch or video, we encourage you to review and rate all the pitches and videos. Also, feel free to leave a comment, we want to know what you think about the work that is being presented and to give the filmmakers an opportunity hear and respond to an audience of their peers.
Have any unanswered questions? Let us know!