What is the easiest and most reliable way of incorporating movie clips into a PowerPoint presentation? I have a number of clips between 20 and 50 MB I would like to include in a presentation. On previous occasions, when I ran the show on my laptop alone the clips can be seen and heard. But when I play them through the projector, the videos don't always play although the audio tracks do! Any ideas?

I have a related question. Is using a clip from a movie or TV show in a PowerPoint presentation a violation of copyright. My knowledge of copyright light would fit in a thimble!

Janette Ansolabehere
DPS

Your question may be that "one too many!!!" You make a good point though. Many people incorporate clips in presentations these days, and the clips do help jazz up a program. If there is a violation, I suspect using less than a 1 minute clip from a 1-2 hour movie is not too serious. But I join you in wanting to learn the reality.

This information confirmed my understanding about copyright law (which involved nothing more than speculation). Do you think using clips in government work for educational purposes qualifies under "fair use?"

Fair Use


One of the rights accorded to the owner of copyright is the right to reproduce or to authorize others to reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords. This right is subject to certain limitations found in sections 107 through 118 of the copyright act (title 17, U.S. Code). One of the more important limitations is the doctrine of �fair use.� Although fair use was not mentioned in the previous copyright law, the doctrine has developed through a substantial number of court decisions over the years. This doctrine has been codified in section 107 of the copyright law.

Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered �fair,� such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

the nature of the copyrighted work;

amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and

the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The distinction between �fair use� and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission.

The 1961 Report of the Register of Copyrights on the General Revision of the U.S. Copyright Law cites examples of activities that courts have regarded as fair use: �quotation of excerpts in a review or criticism for purposes of illustration or comment; quotation of short passages in a scholarly or technical work, for illustration or clarification of the author�s observations; use in a parody of some of the content of the work parodied; summary of an address or article, with brief quotations, in a news report; reproduction by a library of a portion of a work to replace part of a damaged copy; reproduction by a teacher or student of a small part of a work to illustrate a lesson; reproduction of a work in legislative or judicial proceedings or reports; incidental and fortuitous reproduction, in a newsreel or broadcast, of a work located in the scene of an event being reported.�

Copyright protects the particular way an author has expressed himself; it does not extend to any ideas, systems, or factual information conveyed in the work.

The safest course is always to get permission from the copyright owner before using copyrighted material. The Copyright Office cannot give this permission.

When it is impracticable to obtain permission, use of copyrighted material should be avoided unless the doctrine of �fair use� would clearly apply to the situation. The Copyright Office can neither determine if a certain use may be considered �fair� nor advise on possible copyright violations. If there is any doubt, it is advisable to consult an attorney.

FL-102, June 1999


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I'm sure glad the federal government feels comfortable enough to take a strong stand.

"The safest course is always to get permission from the copyright owner before using copyrighted material. The Copyright Office cannot give this permission.

"When it is impracticable to obtain permission, use of copyrighted material should be avoided unless the doctrine of ?fair use? would clearly apply to the situation. The Copyright Office can neither determine if a certain use may be considered ?fair? nor advise on possible copyright violations. If there is any doubt, it is advisable to consult an attorney."

FL-102, June 1999

Using a couple of minutes or less of video is fair use when coupled with an educational (and not a profit) purpose. You are supposed to show the copyright and give credit to the creator.

The National College of District Attorneys has some very specific guidelines. I am sure they would be glad to share them with anyone who requests them.

As for the technical aspects, I use an Apple computer with all the connected software. Beginning with a digital camera or a piece of digital equipment called Dazzle, I download the video or DVD clip onto a laptop into iMovie. Then, I edit the clip and export it into a Quicktime format (PC users would be using AVI format). Then, you open a slide in Powerpoint, insert the clip, and indicate how you want the clip triggered to play (usually, by a click of the mouse).

Of course, all of this is subject to disk space, quality of digital transfer, etc. But, I have found the results to be pretty good.

John B.

Thanks for explaining the practical aspects and the technique for employing videos. For those of us without ready access to an apple, what recommendations do you have (besides getting one!).

The process with a PC is the same. You just use software that is PC compatible. Dazzle works with both PC and Mac. So does Quicktime. But you still need some PC-based software that imports, edits, and exports the digital data because iMovie is only good on Mac OS. But, Powerpoint works on both PC and Apple.

Nonetheless, I still recommend that the whole world go Apple.

For PC users that do manage to get their videos into avi format and into their powerpoint presentations, i have found it necessary to have the videos in the same folder as the powerpoint presentation. why? when you go on the road with your presentation burned to a disk and load it onto someone else's laptop, the powerpoint always wants to look back and see the clip itself. i have seen countless speakers show up at a seminar only to find out their video clip doesn't work. Burn it all to a disk or thumb drive.

Sincerely, A/V Guy here at TDCAA.

The AV guy makes a very good point. For sound files, they become imbedded into the powerpoint when they are inserted. Therefore, the software does not need to go "look" for the original sound file to play the audio. But, for a video file, the software (Powerpoint) must reference the original digital file to play it. Sometimes, if you copy the Powerpoint and associated video files to another drive, you need to "reattach" the video files.

AV guy knows of what he speaks. Honor the AV guy.

Wonderful help John B. and AV guy. Thanks.

It seems my clips overwhelm PowerPoint's ability to properly function. Anyone have experience with using hyperlinks between PowerPoint and another folder containing the clips?

Is it that no one has attempted using hyperlinks or that it should be avoided?

Using a hyperlink to start up a separate application and view a clip is the long way around the block. I don't know why that would be easier or more reliable than inserting the clip into the Powerpoint and having it play with a click of the mouse.

Apparently, PowerPoint is unable to handle the length of some clips--it gets hung up. Others have related the same story to me. If I could avoid hyperlinks I would. Maybe PowerPoint has some as yet undiscovered features to reveal to me!!