Creative Archive
A report on the pilot of the BBC’s open content initiative
[email address redacted – Section 40 – Personal data]
March 2007
Why?
• BBC: new Charter
• towards an Open BBC
• sound archive: one of
world’s largest. 2m
items. 300,000 hours
• TV archive: major
cultural resource. 1.5m
items. 600,000 hours
• Photo stills. 4m items.
• 1000 hours of TV added
every month
Growing demand
“57% of teens who use the internet could be
considered Content Creators. They have created a blog
or webpage, posted original artwork, photography,
stories or videos online or remixed online content into
their own new creations.”
Pew
Internet and American Life survey November 2005
“The extent of the personal publishing revolution has
been revealed by a Guardian/ICM poll showing that a
third of all young people have launched their own blog
or website.”
The Guardian October 2005
Creative Archive: the proposition
Free access to selected content for learning, for creativity and for
pleasure.
From home, members of the
public will be able to:
•
search for legally cleared TV
and radio content – from
extracts to whole programmes
•
preview and download
•
modify and create their own versions
•
share with others – and with the BBC – on a non-commercial basis
Pilot
To test:
User demand and need (the market)
Understanding of - and compliance with –
the licence (the legal framework)
Market impact on existing and potential
enterprises (the business model)
BBC pilot campaigns
Open Schools
Regions on Film
Archive
Open Earth Archive
Open News Archive
Radio 1
superstar vj
August 2005
Oct 2006
Meeting the challenge of open access
Unique concept - few precedents - major challenges
Main stakeholders:
• BBC
• Opinion formers
• Users
• Rights owners
• Market players
Balancing DRM against creativity
We worked with stakeholders to establish limits to the
pilot and gain their trust.
• Restricted to factual genres.
• Introduction of user registration.
• Sub-commercial resolution levels. (Mpeg1)
• Geo-IP restriction (UK only)
• Trialling of invisible watermarking.
Encoded files used in pilot
Multi-format. Non-broadcast quality.
Format
Total Bit
Video
Audio
Frame
Aspect
Frame Size
Rate
Codec
Codec
Rate
Ratio
(pixels)
(Kbps)
640
WMV 9
WMA 9
25 fps
4:3
384 x 288
Windows
(two-pass
128Kbps
16:9
384 x 216
Media
VBR)
44.1KHz
512Kbps
QuickTime
848
Sorenson 3
IMA 4:1
25 fps
4:3
384 x 288
(two-pass
128Kbps
16:9
384 x 216
VBR)
44.1KHz
720Kbps
MPEG-1
1342
MPEG-1
MP2
25 fps
4:3
352 x 288
1150Kbps
192Kbps
16:9
384 x 216
44.1KHz
The User Licence
We have developed a simple, online Creative Archive licence allowing users
to:
•
view/edit/modify/
adapt/translate
•
publish & distribute
the work (within the UK)
Subject to:
•
no commercial use
or promotional use
•
no illegal, derogatory or
objectionable use which brings
BBC or other content owners into
disrepute
•
share alike under the same
terms
•
credit for all authors and the
BBC
•
no additional imposition of
terms or DRM
No commercial
use
Give credit
UK only
Share alike
No endorsement
Headline results of the BBC pilot
• 500,000 downloads by the end of the
pilot
• 100,000 registered users
• BAFTA for interactive innovation
• Commercial sector endorsement
• International support
• Only two minor breaches of the licence
Creative Archive
Quantitative research carried out for
each campaign.
Sample sizes for each up to 1800 people.
Summary of PVA Scores for Open Earth Archive
AVERAGE SCORE
7.4
Average
7.4
Overall rating of BBC
7.7
BBC approval
7.7
CA is innovative or original
7.9
CA is distinctive or different
7.4
Quality
7.4
CA is excellent
7.0
Change usage of internet for better
6.7
Learned something new
6.8
Personal impact
7.0
Impact on reputation - regard BBC more favourably
7.0
CA is interesting or appealing
7.5
Democratic value - new way to access news etc
7.5
Give people opportunity to be more creative
7.2
Citizen impact
7.3
Helps build knowledge / skills
7.5
Will help society to progress & stay up-to-date
6.9
Worth the BBC providing
8.7
Value
8.7
0
2
4
6
8
10
BBC Creative Archive PVA research – confidential and NOT for external circulation
23
Research
30%
Superstar VJs
To what extent do you feel this
25%
Open News Archive
24%
service is ‘distinctive’ and ‘different’?
22%
20%
15%
15%
14%
12%
Average Score:
7.5
Total % scored 1-4:
4%
10%
9%
Total % scored 8-10:
53%
5%
2%
1%
1%
0%
0%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
How did you find registration process?
18000
16000
16454
14000
12000
10000
8000
6877
6000
4000
2000
452
1054
0
average
bad
long
quick
How did you find the download process?
16000
15945
14000
12000
10000
8000
7661
6000
4000
2000
243
916
0
hard
quite easily
some
difficulty
very easy
Did you understand the Licence?
14000
12000
12172
10000
9125
8000
6000
4000
3032
2000
432
0
aspects
not at all
quite w ell
very w ell
What did you not understand about the Licence?
1800
1600
1616
1400
1200
1000
800
600
437
400
470
297
398
200
0
crediting no endo
non
share
com m
uk
What will you use the content for?
10000
9000
9024
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3845
3000
2766
2000
1634
1000
1631
349
0
arts
com
create
learn
share
w atch
Will you share?
8000
7028
7000
6188
6000
5000
4000
3000
3146
2000
1000
0
not likely
quite likely
very likely
What resolution do you want for video?
14000
13183
12000
10000
8000
6000
5007
5174
4000
2000
0
382x216
384x288
720x576
What kind of clips do you want?
18000
17262
16000
14000
12000
10000
9606
8000
7078
7615
6000
4000
2000
0
TV Prog
Video Clips
Audio Clips
Radio Prog
What kind of content do you want?
sport, 5129
archaeology, 4899
soap, 1159
arts, 6631
science_nature,
10008
comedy, 8315
quizzes, 1902
news, 8386
dramas, 9215
local_programmes,
2530
entertainment, 6281
languages, 10144
history, 11823
Creative Archive pilot
Qualitative research.
Through focus groups.
Creative usage of clips – Initial Mindset
Sample polarised in response to
editing / combining with other material
Some struggle to envisage
Others perceive creative use
use of clips beyond
is integral to the archive
“watching”
Appear to have been driven to site
Mindset to find material to use
through navigational path of
Vs.
creatively is embedded within
interest e.g. a news story or
initial search / use
specific hobby / interest search
NB some creative users
i.e. information driven
question UK only in desire to share
Length of clips affects mainstream interpretation of editing
“They are edited down already!”
The easy edit suite
Seeing it in action = a point of divinity
for some
who could not envisage a benefit of
editing up to that point
Proves the power of prompting /
providing the tools to get creative
Upon prompting
= received acclaim
Depths resulted in
a) usage there & then
b) bookmarking for future
Examples liked, watched and
“But you cant save it!”
applauded for inspiring own
“But you can’t save it”
contribution
Creative usage of clips
- Examples
I used the clips to challenge myself
to write music to them. I used it as
I downloaded the nature clips and used them
practice for the TV Composers
to help teach my son (14yrs) how to edit and
competition the BBC ran.
apply a voice over. So it had a real
educational element to it. But it then got
(Composer)
really fun as we had a laugh putting our own
silly commentary over the top like creature
comforts or Ricki Gervais Animals
(Producer)
I use the clips to download onto my laptop and
then amalgamate them into my lesson plans I
pull them up onto the whiteboard within the
I have used the clips as background to a
lesson itself.
presentation I have pulled together for
work, moving images make it much more
Showing video engages children much more
dynamic and interesting
than a book will.
(Management Consultant)
(Primary Teacher)
Creative usage of clips
- Examples
I downloaded the clips and used a new
I used the plant germination clip but it
programme we have where I can
was too long so we chopped it down
superimpose myself into the footage
and showed a combination of video
narrating the video for the kids
clips in amongst some stills
(Secondary School Science teacher)
(LEA Learning Consultant)
I put some footage onto a power presentation to show teachers
how video, along with other media, can be harnessed in lessons
(Secondary School IT Co-ordinator)
We used the footage of the great whale trying to catch a seal on the beach as an
example of predators and the hunted in a biology lesson. It really brought the subject to
life for the children
(Secondary School Biology Teacher)
Response to Licence
Licence recalled by all,
Headline = not for commercial gain
Some also recall give credit,
Simplified licence enhances
awareness & is applauded
Response to Licence
Upon discussion within the research process:
Range of perceptions revealed
Some ignored completely
Some understand that it is
a) For personal use anyway
the cornerstone of why clips chosen
b) illegal attitude to internet per se
- which helps to manage their expectations
“Almost all the software and music content I
have is illegally downloaded, so I didn’t really
Some aware that licence extends beyond
bother with the licence it is one of those
BBC’s involvement to other broadcasters
things that you simply click yes to”
- esp. teachers
Some confusion exists:
e.g. Not for profit a grey area
for some e.g. composers gaining
inspiration from nature clips
Contribution toward future of BBC
While some not sure
Depends upon the positioning BBC adopts
- just allocating clips dictates viewing only for some
Ability to digitise from TV increasing
- archive the right terminology
Already multiple video sources (Google / YouTube etc.)
Its behind schedule anyway!
- should have been implemented years ago
Expectations need to be managed
- It is not whole programmes, will it ever be?
Many extremely positive
Converging
Future is about
TV with internet
choice of information
channel
Moving with
Allowing creative
+ve
education needs
use of its content
What else have we learnt?
• Every archive item has value for
someone
• Applications are as broad as human
communication needs – many cannot be
predicted
• Need to develop a “pull through” model,
where users tell us what they want
• Most people are responsible most of the
time
“Creative Archive UK” research
• 91% of respondents agreed that the concept of
a Creative Archive UK website made the
service more interesting/appealing to them
than the BBC’s Creative Archive website on its
own
• 91% agreed that it was important to them that
the BBC should take part in the Creative
Archive UK project
Vision: Creative Archive UK
a Creative Archive for the nation, drawing on moving images, stills
and sound content from a range of public and commercial sources
Founding members:
Public Value:
home use/learning/creative
applications
Commercial Value:
Wider publicity/profile
“Upgrade path”/commercial
licensing/investment opportunities
BFI online
New members
International response
• US: PBS stations are working with the Library
of Congress to develop “America’s Archive”
• Open Content Alliance supported by Internet
Archive, Yahoo and Prelinger Archive
• Japan: NHK seeking government permission
to provide downloading for creativity
• Australia: project in development at National
Film and Sound Archives
Resident Artists
ULIMITED DISTRIBUTION
Chris Dorley-Brown
UNLIMITED ACCESS
Vicki Bennett
“People Like Us”
Whitechapel 1971
People Like Us
Beyond the Pilot
Late 2007: Public Value Test
Mid 2008: Build phase: a scalable
editorial, ingest, and distribution system
to feed into bbc.co.uk and into a national
Creative Archive
Late 2008: Launch of full service: 10,000
hours over 10 years
The Public Value Test framework
Public Value
Public Value
Market Impact
Test (PVT)
Assessment
Assessment
(PVA)
(MIA)
Net Public Value
Public Value
Market Impact
PV Methodology
MI Methodology
1
2
3
4
5
Value for
Fit with BBC
Quality and
Impact
Reach
Money and
Econ
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V l
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Cr
C owdin
r
g Out
Purposes
Distinctiveness
Cost
Servi
e
ce Assess
ce Asse
me
m n
e t
Assessment ag
ainst
s altern
e
ative BBC i
v
nvestment o
pti
t ons
First
Purpose alignment
hurdle
and Q / D hurdle
Second
Public Value
hurdle
(VFM) hurdle
Full PVT
Third
Hurdle (PV
hurdle
and MI)
Rights strategy
• All Creative Archive content will be
cleared and – where necessary – paid
for
• Develop new pilot phases for specific
genres (e.g. drama) in partnership with
rights holders
• We will maximise commercial
opportunities, including “upgrade”
purchases and new entrepreneurial
activities
David Puttnam
The Creative Archive exists to ensure public access to
public archives is optimised in the digital age. It’s
quite simple, we all pay for the upkeep of the material
in these archives – we should all be able to access
them. If we are unable to access most, if not all, of the
riches locked up in these treasure troves, then it quite
naturally begs the question, ‘why are we paying for
them to be preserved in the first place’?
The objective of universal access to that material won’t
be achieved overnight, or even within a few years, but
surely within a couple of decades at most, it ought to
be an achievable objective.
Thank you
[Name and email address redacted – Section 40
– Personal data]
Document Outline
