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Author Topic: Who is MPLC? Peter Castle Expert Film Handler Posts: 220 From: Wollongong University, NSW ,Australia Registered: Oct 2003 posted 10-31-2011 12:22 AM                     Posted this in another thread but it was lost in the major topic. Has anyone dealt with a company called MPLC (Motion Picture Licensing Corporation) who supposedly provide blanket licenses for screening from DVD (and I presume BluRay). They seem international (they have their own UK website version) and provide coverage for non-profit and for paying presentations. I'd like to be able to show movies that are no longer available in Australia on 35mm or DCP, but which can be purchased on disc, perhaps even from Warner Archive. I don't really want to charge for these screenings, but sometimes we have short (admission charged) movies which we'd like to turn into double bills by having a free show, after a suitable intermission. We do not advertise off-campus, although our website is read by non-university people who do come to our screenings. This company seems to be a very inexpensive way of screening from digital media - not from DCPs.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 11-01-2011 08:29 PM                     Well, at least here in Germany, the license is only for 'public, but not commercial showings'. That is - all showings out of a private context, but without advertizing, selling tickets, etc. That means, their license is of little use for a typical cinema. It's more for companies, other legal entities, etc. that want to show movies in a non-personal-use context as normally only allowed for these media types. If e.g. someone 'books' one of your screens for a company event, etc,, they could use an MPLC licence, which could be cheaper than a 'normal' cinema licence. However, this screening should not be advertized to the public and no tickets could be sold. http://www.themplc.co.uk/page/faqs - Carsten  |  IP: Logged William F Green Film Handler Posts: 84 From: Brighton, East Sussex, UK Registered: Jun 2005 posted 11-02-2011 02:48 PM                     MPLC do exist in the UK but as far as I know only represent a limited number of content providers - i.e not the major titles. We use a different non-theatrical supplier in the UK which does have many of the major titles and/or some UK distributors handle DVD bookings themselves. Just as a side-note, although it is possible to get licenses to screen DVD content publicly here (and charge for it) sometimes it actually works-out more expensive than booking theatrically with the original theatrical distributor. So although there is a convenience issue with DVD's and BD's it's not always cheaper. We are currently adopting a mixed approach to all titles and booking whatever format works out most convenient/more economical. Sometimes it's 35mm and sometimes it's DVD/BD and sometimes DCP. Peter, make sure you double-check that MPLC (or whoever you use) does have the rights to a particular DVD you want to screen. Even if somebody is hiring your auditorium to screen something themselves you have a duty to check it's legit to avoid 'secondary copyright infringement'. Never, ever take anybodies word for it that they have the rights to screen something without seeing it in writing - I've seen so many situations where people think it's ok to lie about this sort of thing.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 11-03-2011 08:20 AM                     Well, on first sight the MPLC umbrella license looks very interesting because it's a yearly one time fee and then you can play any content under their contract without any individual booking, unlimited. However, the fact stays there that this is no model for a normal cinema with a general paying audience and advertizing. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged William F Green Film Handler Posts: 84 From: Brighton, East Sussex, UK Registered: Jun 2005 posted 11-04-2011 10:37 AM                     You can book commercial screenings but the major disadvantage to MPLC & other agencies like this is that if you want to book a title (even using your own DVD) you have to pay a minimum guarantee on each and every SCREENING rather than the minimum guarantee paid only at the start of a run when booking theatrically. So that means if you have two screenings in one evening using your own DVD you need to pay 2 x minimum guarantee or %. So as I mentioned before there is certainly a convenience to booking with DVD but in our experience in most cases it can be more costly than booking theatrically with the original distributor.  |  IP: Logged Jamie Glossop Expert Film Handler Posts: 100 From: Nottingham Uk Registered: Jan 2004 posted 12-06-2011 05:32 AM                        I use the mplc for my license, I have the film club license which enables me to screen unlimited movies. They provided me a list of studios im allowed to screen, which is about 7-10 pages long, and we charge a yearly membership to our members and charge for food and drinks. You could do a film club which even if its one film for the film club a month it'll benefit. even with cinemas, they could still do normal film showings and do a film club played by DVD a month and do a film club pass Carsten Kurz Im not sure if a screen rental by having the people booking to rent the screen to view films is legal as they might not allow one film club/cinema to have 2 licenses for one club. There is away around it tho, Instead of charging admissions, charge them for food and drink.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 12-06-2011 11:49 AM                        I'll have to look into the "Film Club" license for my so-far private screenings with a local meetup group. Here's an older short thread where MPLC was mentioned: Ponyo library screening - question about licensing  |  IP: Logged

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