The loaded-sounding title of this post, rather than engaging the subject of consumer choice and historical precedent, simply refers to my latest independent project, a sixty-second video spot warning of the hidden difficulties consumers face when provided DRM-laden files for their media-purchasing dollar.
As for history, though, there is more. The project might have been slightly easier in the execution had it not been for an unfortunate bit of history between an Adobe product and an Apple product:
I had apparently not used my five-year-old version of After Effects since upgrading to Mac OS 10.4. As I would soon find out, in the year-plus period of mutual separation between operating system and software, a schizm had arisen in methodologies for employing audio. OS 10.4 brought with it Quicktime 7, some obscure facet of whose methods would be frowned upon by stodgy old After Effects 5.5.
My first clue of this was when, on attempting to “scrub” audio in the timeline, After Effects complained to me that it could not “open [an] audio component.” Its alibi might have been more convincing had it not just used that “audio component” seconds earlier, but, as Googling quickly revealed, this was in fact a bone of contention between After Effects and Quicktime 7. Rendering the final version would, I was told, prove impossible, a theory proven by an early render test.
My project having just been rendered impossible, I grumpily gave up. Approximately ten minutes after surrender, however, it occurred to me that I could try rendering a silent file from After Effects and then restoring the soundtrack through iMovie.
iMovie obliged. The rest would be, were all this of any note, history.
—Update 3-12-09—
This movie is Creative Commons licensed. So please feel free to copy it, use it, and display it wherever you like! Just mention it’s from ns-ae.net.
11 Comments so far
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I am upset that you have not endeavored to inline your entertaining idea. Are you so determined to avoid substance that you must keep your works of value off your page, or is their clunky player too obtuse to defile your layout with? Or are you simply hoping to send a few microcents YouTube\’s way via their ads on their own page, as some meager thanks for defraying the cost of hosting not one, but two copies of your animation? Still, to give credit where credit is due, Digg has given you the most publicity on this, so why not link to them, then to YouTube? For maximum personal benefit, you could have inlined the video, and Dug your own post. But make sure to install AdSense first! But now the video links to the blog? Infinite loop!
I kid. Either way, I fully expect you to be given a Neuros OSD for this. You deserve it.
Comment by Tim 10.04.06 @ 11:02 amDear Sir,
Good afternoon. I really enjoy your clip. Could I use your clip in my presentation for a company please? Of course, it would be illegal for me if I just download the clip from Youtube and without your consent. Hope to Hear from you. Thank you.
Comment by Jordan 10.07.06 @ 11:39 am[...] And here’s a link to the guy who put this all together. Brilliant. Looks like a YouTube day today. [...]
Pingback by Angry Zen Master » Blog Archive » The History of Recording and DRM 04.26.07 @ 9:40 am[...] What do you get when you enforce trust and take away freedom of choice? Think about it… Then watch this clip by Robert Clayton Miller: [...]
Pingback by Spot — interaktion.info » Blog Archive » Trusted Computing 06.12.07 @ 12:02 pmSir can we use your clip about DRM for our video presentation in school this Thursday? We’ll use it as an introduction to our report. If ever you allow us to use your clip can we edit it?
Comment by David 07.30.07 @ 11:59 amwould it be alright if i use your clip for my presentation at school?
Comment by Seb 03.05.09 @ 9:37 pmА разве это верно ? Мне кажется что тут очень как-то не так.
Comment by Vladislav62 03.23.10 @ 5:35 amразместил на своем народовском сайте ссылку на этот пост. думаю, многим будет интересно!
Comment by Vladislav64 03.23.10 @ 4:34 pmLeave a comment
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