myclassicfilms.com

Norm Sanders

Norm Sanders

Script Wrangler
Anyone ever heard of this before? I was curious to see what was showing up for my name on Google, and checked both the web as well as images. When looking at images, I saw frame grabs for WITHOUT PROVOCATION, and some other of my shorts out there, but listed on a site called www.myclassicfilms.com

So I checked it out. Pleasantly, I saw that WP was the highest viewed film on this little site, but I'm wondering how they got it. Further search showed they also had R.E.M. uploaded there as well, and even WHERE SILENCE FALLS.

I can't recall this site at all, nor anyone that's apparently associated with it in the CONTACT US section. Looking further, I saw Jack Daniel Stanley's 18 SECONDS up there, and I'm sure there are other DVXuser shorts.

So, is this website a DVXuser member? I KNOW I didn't sign anything for this site, and am wondering how they got the films, unless they downloaded from DVXuser somehow. Looking further, it appears that they've not really had much, if any business, and nothing has been done since at least August, when they've apparently been uploaded.

Thoughts?
 
WOW. This is incredibly stupid. Not only that, they are selling ad space on your stolen shorts and I assume as those with shorts shown havent authorised such use that they are keeping the money they are proclaiming to give to the filmaker if they do sign up.

This is just bad.
 
It looks like there are several films shot by dvxusers on that site. That dude is in for some trouble.
 
Well, I've got three on there, two of which have supposedly been among their most viewed. I've already called & left a VM for the main dude. Then called their "Hollywood Office", and spoke with "Rita". I asked her if she was familiar with the site, and when she said yes, I kind of laid into her about the site. She said that they asked her a couple of years ago if they could attach her name (I asked, "Why, so it would be cool to have a 'Hollywood Office'?"), she said she didn't know, and that she just agreed to be part of the site. I let her know, "Cool, well now you're a part of Copyright Infringement. Pass the word on to your boy, whom I've already left a message for, that if I don't get a reply by the end of the week and/or the entire site is taken down, that there will be legal steps taken with regards to infringement, monies owed, etc.".

She said she'd forward the message.

Not that I'm really going to pursue legal matters over what are probably pennies, if that, but still ... HATE having people use your stuff for profit potential without permission.

Looks like most of the films on their are probably from DVXuser. Shoot, if someone looked hard enough, they could probably have a shopping list from all the past fests, and just download what they want & re-encode it.

The site says last file was updated in August of 2007, so I'm guessing this little site didn't ever really go anywhere, and is likely just stale at this point. Still, the dude needs to learn a lesson.
 
Yeah, most of them are DVXUser shorts from horror, drama and spy-fest.

They have my film, BLOODY MARY up there.
 
They have Rekindled, 18 Seconds, and Schittekatter up there. I think I saw this once meant to look into it and got to busy. I actually thought maybe it was someone who asked me for some stuff once, but it's not them. So yeah we need to figure this out.


They have Hudson's DISSONANCE up there.
With me AND Hudson to answer to ... well, you guys can do the math on that one.

Also
Geoff's HERITAGE
Abelex's NO MIDDLE GROUND
LAKE SIDE
Geoff's CHAOS
Norm's REM
Norm's WITHOUT PROVOCATION
Norm's WHERE SILENCE FALLS
Ralp Oshiro's RUNWAY
Snodart's AFTER CLASS
Deedive's CHECK
Mark's BLOODY MARY
Edgen's THE STARS ABOVE
Edgen's CRISTO
Ben Silker's DEAD INSIDE
Mine and Mark Johnson's REKINDLED,
My SCHITTEKATTER,
Mine and Mac and Zacs 18 SECONDS
 
http://www.myclassicfilms.com/index.php?file=minicms/cms&id=3

Corporate Offices:
Tom Creal, Managing Director
16900 Lathrop - Main Campus
Harvey, IL 60426
312-399-4554
email: tom@rmetrics.net

Hollywood Offices:
Rita or Jon
323-821-1492


I decided to call Tom even though it's 1 AM there. Left a message.


...

I called the L.A. number a few times as well, guess it's what 11:30 or 10:30 there? if it's 2:30 in NY (always forget if its 3 or 4 hours difference)

Anyway, got a message each time that sounded like a landlord. Didn't leave a message because I thought maybe the number had changed hands or the guy had just stuck some random people's number's up there like he stuck our films up there.

After I called twice and hung up about 30 minutes apart, a tired guy called me back sounding somewhat annoyed and asking If I kept calling his number.

Tom creal in Illinois listed above is Jon in Hollywood's father in law. Jon in Hollywood didn't know what I was talking about until I mentioned Tom Creal and he remembered the website which he didn't really have anything to do with and that he thought his father in law had put their names up there "because we're in Hollywood".

He took my number and information and said he would have Tom call me tomorrow, sounding a little embarrased and like what I was saying made sense to him.

I told him he had 3 of my films and about 20 of my friends films up on his website apparently without permission and that it basically looked like he stole almost the entire Sci Fi section of his website from DVXuser.

If you have questions about your films being shown on this site, no reason you shouldn't call the numbers above. They provided them for us after all. __________________
 
The worst thing about this to me.

The worst thing about this to me.

Finally getting around to Sending Rekindled out to some festivals this year.

Most major festivals won't take your film if it's been published long term on line.

I found this site by googling on of my films to see what links were out there. If a festival does with any of our film titles they might disqualify our film because it shows up in google and goes to this site.

Having your film on User won't hurt it's festival chances especially if you take it down or ask to have it taken down after the DVXfest. Most make a provision that the film can have been exhibited temporarily for a fest online, but not on youtube or anything like that.
 
Hmmm. After reading this thread I goggled UNZEIT out of curiosity.

Somehow it made his way to AOL Video.
It links directly to my Exposureroom site so I guess it is
an automatic entry made by a bot or crawler.

AOL is posting ads with my film - can I now sue them or should I be happy that I get free promotion and distribution?

Frank
 
Just googled one of my films... turns out I won the equivalent to our Oscar in Botswana!

jk, but that would be cool.:beer:


This has become a lesson that video files uploaded can appear elsewhere without our knowledge. Imagine if they simply changed the name of the films title and left out director name... Your google searches would not have turned up anything!!!

When it comes to our art being hijacked, putting your films online becomes a scary thought.
 
"Bidding process open to all. Income to film makers."

That's the biggest kicker! Have any of you made any money from that site yet? LOL
 
Smells like a class-action. Or at the minimum a class-action cease and desist. You could probably go for damages too.
 
My thought is that it'd probably be like trying to squeeze blood from a turnip.

He'll stop (well, doesn't look like anything has even happened for MONTHS at best, and can't recall even seeing anyone's ad in the 1st place, so there were probably never any bids). I'm confident the guy will rip the site down ASAP, what with calls from me, Jack, and anyone else, as well as his in-laws riding his tail with calls to them as well.

The other thing I noticed immediately (let me know if this is what you guys are seeing as well) is that none of the films actually play. I clicked on Mark's BLOODY MARY, in both IE and Firefox, and just get a square box. Same with my films.
 
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