Skip to Main Content

Streaming Video

Provides descriptions and links to licensed, internet, and pay-per-view streaming video resources

How can I show feature films as part of a class?

Feature films present unique problems for instruction as few film companies offer streaming rights for their films.

Digitizing a film from DVD produces a complete copy of the film and is thus - without permission from the copyright holder - a violation of copyright law. The Iwasaki Library has no provision for digitizing and hosting unlicensed content.

Solutions for incorporating feature film into your courses include:
  1. Licensing films through Swank Digital Campus (always click student!):
    • contact Coordinator of Media Resources Maureen Tripp, 617-824-8407.
  2. Placing Library collection DVDs on course reserve:
  3. Pay-per-View options for students.
  4. Applying fair use and the TEACH Act to use portions of films.

Criterion Pictures

Criterion Pictures offers legal access to major motion pictures for the college campus. Search the films offered by Criterion Pictures here. Note that Criterion Pictures and Swank Motion Pictures are not competitors, but represent different studios, so if you can't find a film at one site, it may be at the other!

Swank Digital Campus

Swank Digital Campus is a company that provides legal access to feature films for instructional use.  Swank is a long-established provider of feature film to schools and other organizations and has exclusive rights to distribution of the titles in its collection.

Search the list of titles licensed by Swank Digital campus here:  http://library.emerson.edu/databases/swankfilms.html

Emerson College has a license with Swank Digital Campus.  Cost of the license is the responsibility of the academic program and is not covered by the Iwasaki Library.  Pricing varies depending on the number of titles licensed and the length of the license.

Once licensed, however, any program in the University may use the film within the curriculum without additional cost.

Films provided by Swank Digital Campus are limited to curricular use and must be linked from within Canvas or another course management shell. Recreational or entertainment viewing outside of course use is not permitted.

Contact Media Librarian Maureen Tripp for access to the link to currently licensed Swank Digital Campus film.

Related Resources

  • Film
    Last Updated Feb 26, 2024 151 views this year