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Can anyone lend a machine to a TV production company?

Mfresh

Mfresh

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Joined
Oct 7, 2012
Messages
2,215
Location
Marlow on Thames, Bucks
Alias
Paul
Adam Ruben is the chap who is writing a book about the world of competitive pinball, and he is now involved as the presenter for a "big new science/stunt series" for the Science Channel which will be filming around November to March in Suffolk. (Pavlov Pinball did a feature about Adam a while back.)

Anyway, they would like to have a pinball machine on the set, and as Adam is based in the USA he doesn't know anyone with a machine over here.

So he was wondering if anyone would be willing to lend a pinball machine for a few months to be used on the set of the show. It would have to be an unlicensed theme for legal reasons.

Specifically Adam said: "Even if someone has a nonfunctional machine, I'd love to have it flashing its lights in the background. But if it's playable, there may end up being shots in the show of me and the other scientist hosts playing it."

He was once ranked 80th in the world, so he does know his stuff when it comes to playing pinball. The series producer tells me that the location of the set will be very secure, and any machine would be added to their insurance. They also say "there is a good chance that they'll be able to provide the lender a 'with thanks to' credit at the end of each episode, this can be discussed should anyone be able to help."

Anyway, if you have a suitable machine that you would be willing to lend, please let me know. If you have any questions let me know too and I will pass them on.

Cheers,

Paul
 
If no one near by has anything They can have one of mine for a few months although it will need lifted from N. Ireland

I would think you should get sorted nearer though
 
I'm sure I can help, so long as they are collecting. The biggest difficulty is the non licensed theme, as they're not borrowing my MM or my TOTAN, but they can borrow my GORGAR if they like. Give them my email address if you want.
 
Hmm, what's the legal thinking about needing a non-licenced theme?

I get that there's copyright involved for films/music/image use of celebs etc

However, isn't there also copyright involved in the artwork etc for a non-licenced pin.

Why would it be OK to show the backglass for an original Williams game but not one that features a drawing of say James Bond. Both surely would be subject to copyright? WMS would clearly own the copyright in the image for MM etc. They would also own the copyright for the music any original game is playing (or the publisher would)

Surely there is no more infringement of copyright for having a Monopoly machine in the back shot than there would for shooting an outside news item for the BBC which then has a bus going by with an advert on the side of it.

Just wondering really....
 
Been thinking about it a bit more. (God I'm a sad man with nothing exciting to do on a Thursday night)

Is there any difference between showing a machine in the background and someone presenting wearing a band T-shirt etc.

Both would have copyright restrictions on their first use but presumably not on footage of them then being filmed.


What about the design of a car/computer that might feature in the program? Would you not be allowed to show those?

Are the copyright police going to go after Wayne for infringement of the "world poker" organisation for articles about his Olympic record playing?

Anyway, good for them for wanting a pin:)
 
It's probably more to do with the bbc not doing product placement kinda stuff

Eg Monopoly pin would be advertising monopoly for waddingtons, Addams family pin would be advertising Addams family movie etc
 
For the BBC yes, but this is the Science Channel (I'm assuming that's a TV station anyway)
 
Also the BBC isn't really that adverse to advertising. Look at all the films it promotes as part of the news. Not to mention The National Lottery etc.
 
Hmmm why did I think it was for the bbc ?

A quick search suggests the science channel is owned by discovery. They seem to support sponsored product placement but are not keen on advertising products etc for free as its their main revenue source. Probably wouldnt be worth the hassle to try and get the pinball machine prop sponsored to appear on the show.

Yeah the bbc started product placement a few years ago
 
there won't be an issue with placing a licensed pinball machine in the background unless it was something like the domino's one or one that was in somehow competition with the TV channel itself!

been working on something on TV and competition pinball and this was an early concerns which was swiftly found out to be a non-issue.
 
RobZombie said:
Surely just buy one? Presumably this show has a budget.
Click to expand...

I don't know about the specifics of this show or the production company that's making it.

But I do have a friend who has a small TV production company, which sounds very grand but the reality is that he runs it from a shed in has garden. When a tv channel (which may or may not have loads of money) commissions him to do a show he gets a budget to make the show. He can't "just buy" stuff that is non-essential because the budget is insufficient. But some non-essentials make the show better. So he has no choice but to try and borrow/blag non-essential stuff to make the show as good as he can - so viewers enjoy it more and so that his company makes a good show so that he gets future commissions.

Should people have to give away or lend stuff for free so that TV channels can make money by getting good shows while allocating small budgets for them and so my friend can make a living? I don't know enough (anything) about the industry so I have no idea about the hows or whys. But in my friend's case, that's the reality.

Anyway @cooldan has offered his Gorgar, so maybe we will see it on t' telly some time. Three grand by Christmas, or whatever nonsense they say over on Pinside...
 
The world has officially gone mad. I can just see the clamour of restless citizens braying on the doors of Odeon Cinemas up and down the country, trying to go see the Addams Family film on the back of a Pinball machine being featured on a nerd channel. :cuckoo:
 
Mfresh said:
I don't know about the specifics of this show or the production company that's making it.

But I do have a friend who has a small TV production company, which sounds very grand but the reality is that he runs it from a shed in has garden. When a tv channel (which may or may not have loads of money) commissions him to do a show he gets a budget to make the show. He can't "just buy" stuff that is non-essential because the budget is insufficient. But some non-essentials make the show better. So he has no choice but to try and borrow/blag non-essential stuff to make the show as good as he can - so viewers enjoy it more and so that his company makes a good show so that he gets future commissions.

Should people have to give away or lend stuff for free so that TV channels can make money by getting good shows while allocating small budgets for them and so my friend can make a living? I don't know enough (anything) about the industry so I have no idea about the hows or whys. But in my friend's case, that's the reality.

Anyway @cooldan has offered his Gorgar, so maybe we will see it on t' telly some time. Three grand by Christmas, or whatever nonsense they say over on Pinside...
Click to expand...

The point is, you buy one for x amount and then 3 months later you sell it for the same money assuming you haven't broken anything. Which makes it free, or almost free. I understand the concept of budgets and "if you don't ask you don't get", but that doesn't make it any less cheeky. If someone does want to lend them one then good luck, make sure it's insured with plenty of agreed pics of condition it was lent in.
 
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