January

What was accomplished in January of my 2012 list:

-12 pages of my Moleskine Folio Sketchbook

-


-Tangled Garden, my longest and most ambitious videopoem to date. Tangled Garden encompasses a lifetime of reflection on Nature, natural processes, and our lives and deaths in the midst of those ongoing natural processes.



Some emails dealing with 'issues' - I retrieved a file from Podbean; successfully dealt with a nonsense Copyright Violation notice from YouTube. I wrote a review of Pierre-Marie Coedes Concerto No9; and wrote some VidPoFilm articles (though I have suspended all activity on that site until I determine how or even if I want to continue with the project).

It does not seem like much, but, in my own world, certainly a fruitful month. Traditionally February and August are my lowest months, so we'll see.

February has begun with an email to Jamendo that I hope successfully deals with a longstanding issue and which I will share soon, and some personal experiences and decisions that are very positive.

                              

Resolution to Rumblefish Copyright Notice from YouTube

For those of you following my story about YouTube sending me a "Copyright Violation" notice because Rumblefish claimed copyright content on the soundtrack for 'Videopoetry: Voicings,' (which I had made in GarageBand from a voice recording, a midi file generated from the text of the poem, and some small GarageBand loops, all absolutely legal):

5:54 PM (today)

Hi Brenda,

I have released this claim. Apparently is has been misidentified by the YouTube content matching system.

Best,

-Ben

****|Catalog Manager
****@rumblefish.com |

My original post with all the emails is here:
http://brendaclews.blogspot.com/2012/01/rumblefish-copyright-notice-from.html

Nice of him to 'blame' YouTube. YouTube had originally written that: "Your video, Videopoetry: Voicings, may have content that is owned or licensed by rumblefish." Yesterday, I wrote back to Rumblefish, and registered a Dispute over this claim with YouTube, and they have backed off.  YouTube gives you only 48 hours from the time the notice is sent out to dispute a claim - then YouTube puts an advertisement on your video which generates money for Rumblefish (or whoever's made the claim) and YouTube.

While I am glad this issue was resolved quickly, it does make me wonder how many artists get hit like this and don't fight back.

                              

Rumblefish Copyright Notice from YouTube

Sent from YouTube at 5:38am Sunday morning (and apparently you only get 48 hours to dispute a claim against your work):

 Dear brendaclews,

Your video, Videopoetry: Voicings, may have content that is owned or licensed by rumblefish.

No action is required on your part; however, if you are interested in learning how this affects your video, please visit the Content ID Matches section of your account for more information.

Sincerely,
- The YouTube Team

So I sent rumblefish an email at 8:52am:

Dear Rumblefish,

I have received copyright notice from YouTube that I've used your music.

I am in shock.

No, I have not used your music, nor violated any copyright as far as I know. Reciting a poem I had written (which I can prove), I generated a midi file on-line with text from the poem (which is entirely legal and free, I know one of the creators of that site), and looped a few seconds of some garageband sounds in the distant background. I've scoured GarageBand and do not see anywhere that using a short loop of a few seconds is illegal.

So I am *very* confused.

I can send a .jpg of my GarageBand track.

YouTube is going to put an ad on a video that I slaved over - making that track was a lot of work!

Can you explain to me why you are claiming my voice track as yours? The commercial world can be befuddling to a poet.

http://youtu.be/cj4wdx03Lhk

Thank you,

Brenda Clews


At 11:10am, I sent a second email:

Please Note: I made the sound track myself - from my own voice recording of me reciting my own poem and using a midi file that I generated from my own text and a few small GarageBand loops, as my screen capture of my GarageBand file shows. I've lodged a Dispute Claim with YouTube.

Thank you so much for your kind attention to this matter.

I hope it is resolved soon.

regards,

Brenda

Using GarageBand loops as part of your mix, even for commercial use, is legal and free. From Apple Support http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2931:

"The GarageBand software license agreement says:

"GarageBand Software. You may use the Apple and third party audio loop content (Audio Content), contained in or otherwise included with the Apple Software, on a royalty-free basis, to create your own original music compositions or audio projects. You may broadcast and/or distribute your own music compositions or audio projects that were created using the Audio Content, however, individual audio loops may not be commercially or otherwise distributed on a standalone basis, nor may they be repackaged in whole or in part as audio samples, sound effects or music beds."

So don't worry, you can make commercial music with GarageBand, you just can't distribute the loops as loops."

I definitely did not infringe on any copyright by using GarageBand loops, then.

Click here to see my next post for the resolution to this issue.

                              

I thought no-one would take the time to watch Tangled Garden

I am humbled and amazed by these responses to my latest and most ambitious and longest videopoem, Tangled Garden. I thought no-one would take the time to watch it, and I am still taken aback that anyone has. I have a confession to make, I save these comments for bleak days. You have no idea how you inspire me and how much I love you all.

Francois Caroline writes: "Yes this film is good, I am a French poet, writing all day long, but I have never seen such a beautiful creation."

Pierre-Marie Cœdes writes: "I am astounded by so much intelligent creativity : poem, recitation, body performance, imagery, effects, editing, the music with entrancing voice ... all this has led me into an hypnotic voyage, guided by an entrancing voice depicting a world of sensations, inside invisible universal actions, kaleidoscope beings... I just could not take my eyes off the rapture of the incessant movements of the beautiful energized figures in motion ... and ... and ... this is a real masterpiece of art in motion, the expression of a human spirit entangled in so many nature forces, creating, destroying, returning ...

Read the explanation of the author, Brenda Clews, if you do not want to lose your senses ...

Awesome and astounding ..."

Bill Sprague writes: "I just finished watching it. Oh My God, Brenda !! -- That was AMAZING.. I have not had the pleasure to absorb anything so powerful in at least a dozen years. Spiritual, mystical, classically timeless... flowers fly with my standing ovation. Excellent Work !!!"



direct link: Tangled Garden

Tangled Garden is a triptych of nature poems (by me):

-A Floral Opera (2011)
-In the Hands of the Garden Gods (1979)
-Slipstream, the Tangled Garden (2006)

(with impromtu speaking between the poems, which each end with ~~~ in the subtitle track.)

Beautiful singing by the musician, Catherine Corelli from her album, Seraphic Tears (2010) (with her permission).

Note: This video is subtitled. Click on the CC on the play bar to activate or de-activate the subtitles. YouTube will also automatically translate the subtitles into 25 languages if English is not your main language and you would like to get the gist of the poetry.

A blog post describing the making of Tangled Garden.