Forum - Competitions, Events & News - To the community at large - Messages http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Forum - Competitions, Events & News - To the community at large - Messages en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Jitbit AspNetForum Sun, 14 Apr 2013 20:49:46 GMT Sun, 14 Apr 2013 20:49:46 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from theKodu urbanlamb wrote:


There is logic behind haveing commercial content and its this.

I only put in the asset gallery simple assets because like with muvizu my time costs money. At the moment assets in muvizu are extremely limited. Anyone creating anything complex in muvizu is already in some cases purchasing content from places like renderosity and daz and even iclone and importing it into muvizu. So muvizu is in fact throwing away a market and giving it to those other companies. There are a couple of us that actually make money on content (but elsewhere so we are already selling our content and people purchase it for use inside muvizu or something else). So that market already exists muvizu should capitalize on it. Not to mention I would be able to release content I already create with a pricetag directly on muvizu and it would be optimized and converted and people would not have to muddle through optimizing and converting it from another format. I actually dont want to be seen as a content creator on this site I am a director, but unfortunately its happened anyhow.

Asking content creators to give all their content away for free is just as bad as asking muvizu to take the watermark and give their software away for free.



My take on it is this with the stuff I've done mostly.

I made this due to being part of a video. I've already made that content as such and sometimes I really did just do it as a one off thing because I needed it. Its my video that's the product and often the texture files models etc are by products of it.

I have no use for some of them.
Other people might have use for them though hence I'm happy to see it put to use more.
However if all the packs were being charged for, I'd feel I'd have to charge too just to make sure I can then invest in the extra packs as such.
The idea for me of charging for something that's normally a throw away by product of my stuff while financially it sounds good, I just don't feel I should charge as its no use to me why not let someone else use it as a resource now.

The thing I question is if its the right direction to go to allow people to charge for their produced content in such a way as will Muvizu become less about making films and more like a Team Fortress 2 hat store.

As you've said there are already other ways to monetise content produced this way.
I'd rather see a fixed cost as such for the program for commercial use than it suddenly allow commercial use and all the content be sold in packs.


I guess it comes down to the question mainly of what Muvizu is or should be commercially. Is it a video creation tool or a sales library for 3D objects ?]]> Sun, 14 Apr 2013 20:49:46 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from urbanlamb theKodu wrote:
my 2p on the matter / ideas


As far as the sharing of ideas and creations. I want to see that remain free, sorry I know it sounds bad and the idea of charging for content packs and stuff sounds good with people getting cuts, but it harms everyone in the community in the end. I'm more than happy to create a character texture and have others use it free in return I get to do the same. This means as a community we all get the chance to use creations and improve our videos etc not simply those who can buy the packs.

.


There is logic behind haveing commercial content and its this.

I only put in the asset gallery simple assets because like with muvizu my time costs money. At the moment assets in muvizu are extremely limited. Anyone creating anything complex in muvizu is already in some cases purchasing content from places like renderosity and daz and even iclone and importing it into muvizu. So muvizu is in fact throwing away a market and giving it to those other companies. There are a couple of us that actually make money on content (but elsewhere so we are already selling our content and people purchase it for use inside muvizu or something else). So that market already exists muvizu should capitalize on it. Not to mention I would be able to release content I already create with a pricetag directly on muvizu and it would be optimized and converted and people would not have to muddle through optimizing and converting it from another format. I actually dont want to be seen as a content creator on this site I am a director, but unfortunately its happened anyhow.

Asking content creators to give all their content away for free is just as bad as asking muvizu to take the watermark and give their software away for free.]]> Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:35:25 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from theKodu
While I know I came loving the idea of Muvizu being free to use for everything I can see the reality as you essentially need someone to pay at some point for it and you can't simply sell your services as a company making videos out well enough to maintain this idea especially when others using your program essentially become your own competition this way.


creates some tiers for people.

Muvizu basic - Normal Muvizu as is with the watermark removal options and those costs
Free

Muvizu endorser - Muvizu as is now with the watermark removal options etc except commerical use is allowed. so you can make commercial videos but with the watermark still present
£80-£100
That way Muvizu is still getting credited, and getting essentially advertising from people using it and creating things however there's a clear commercial use allowance at a fairly fixed cost maybe possibly a slightly lighter watermark but that's all.


Muvizu Pro standard - No watermark on the standard definition output videos, one still on HD videos. Commercial use allowed with crediting muvizu in the credits
£150

Muvizu pro HD - No watermarks, only obligation is to credit Muvizu in the credits
£200

Muvizu super Pro - No need to credit Muvizu at all and no water marks at all
£500

Those would be more fixed cost sales models.
For recurrent stuff it would be more when Muvizu is seen as "content complete" then rather than small updates larger version updates say once a year but the costs lower say about 1/2 the ones I suggested


As far as the sharing of ideas and creations. I want to see that remain free, sorry I know it sounds bad and the idea of charging for content packs and stuff sounds good with people getting cuts, but it harms everyone in the community in the end. I'm more than happy to create a character texture and have others use it free in return I get to do the same. This means as a community we all get the chance to use creations and improve our videos etc not simply those who can buy the packs.

What it would need for me to give £100 now to say I have a commercial licence ?
Nothing If it were available I'd buy that right now. I mean £100 for essentially commercial use on the present version, bargain. I seemingly regularly buy video editors and that's what £40-£80 a year to keep up to date, £40 if I'm willing to stay about one year behind the present version.

The Watermark removal price could do with looking at I would say as more realistically £1 for SD and £2 for HD would have more people happy to pay it, heck even 10p for SD and 50p for HD per minute would probably still have plenty of people paying. Yes its less per minute of footage but the volume would be greater.
Look at Go-animate, they were raking it in at one point and probably still are. With a lower cost more people are willing to go for it.
Also the lower cost per minute would be more beneficial to start ups wanting to try it.
£10-£15 a minute is a very steep rate and really could only be affordable by those who've made it already by which stage they may have gone off to other packages or be more open to the idea of a commercial use contract.]]> Sun, 14 Apr 2013 15:39:05 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from mos6507 Software MUST improve and evolve. I don't deny the team have worked hard, but the improvements to Muvizu since inception have not been very dramatic as far as what it enables you to do with the software. The prop interaction, better facial expressions, 3rd party asset marketplace (with characters and animations), all these things are not outlandish requests. They are standard in other popular systems. The best way to compensate for not having enough R&D is to crack it open for 3rd party plugins and let that process snowball.
I actually am not aware of a single machinima project that has made a lot of money. I wish there were a central database that kept track of such things. Popularity, yes, many youtube clips have gone viral. But I have not heard of anybody breaking out and making an indie film with machinima that has generated a healthy return. I do think that day will come, but it will only happen when the machinima companies position themselves so that they offer a richer feature-set and don't overly restrict animators with EULAs and TOSs.
There is only one high-profile project in the works I know of, which is someone trying to do a feature-film using Source Filmmaker.
http://screenrant.com/shane-acker-valve-deep-movie-sandy-178699/
Technically speaking, Valve is hands-off people's projects as long they don't use Valve assets, and Deep is all custom-built assets. Nevertheless, I find it hard to believe that Valve doesn't stand to make some money off of the supposed $19 million budget. I haven't heard news about this since then, so he may not even have a go-ahead. However, if you buy something like a seat for Maya, Autodesk doesn't hold their hand out to James Cameron for a percentage cut from Avatar. You offer a tool, and you charge a fixed amount of money, you process the transaction, and you get out of the way. That's how I think most people would prefer it to be.
I do think there are opportunities for machinima companies to find novel revenue streams besides the software, however. If your characters are highly distinctive, then you trademark them, and try to popularize them Hello Kitty or Mickey Mouse style. I haven't seen a lot of that attempted. Even the TF2 characters used in SFM haven't seen the sort of spinoffs that I would have expected. It's a missed opportunity. I think ultimately the most successful machinima company will be one that recognizes that prebuilt assets are exploitable intellectual property and the best way to exploit it is to crossover and be more of a direct content-provider.]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:48:47 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from EEFilmz Sun, 17 Mar 2013 22:58:30 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from fullmetall WozToons wrote:
mysto wrote:
If the new version of Muvizu offers usable features that the free version doesn't then I may consider paying a fee.


As far as I could gather from the launch last night you will only pay if you want to remove the watermark on your renders.


also for me is it perfect, logo watermark is not a problem]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 22:20:56 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from WozToons mysto wrote:
If the new version of Muvizu offers usable features that the free version doesn't then I may consider paying a fee.


As far as I could gather from the launch last night you will only pay if you want to remove the watermark on your renders.]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:22:07 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from mysto Danimal wrote:
As the development seems to have been squarely on the heroes and villains pack lately rather than expanding the original and far better characters, charging a fee would probably do me in as well.


It seems most Muvizu users are happy with the "heroes and villains" direction that the developers have taken with the product and that's fine with me. Personally, I would like to see Muvizu develop in a slightly different direction too l but oh well, it's still a nice piece of animation software "as is".

If the new version of Muvizu offers usable features that the free version doesn't then I may consider paying a fee.]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:45:15 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from bigwally fazz68 wrote:
i dunno about most people here but i dont have a pot to **** in, so if muvizu does charge for their software im afraid thats me done. its not that i wouldnt pay because i love messing about with muvizu but at the end of the day i just wouldnt be able to afford it.


I agree.]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 13:52:57 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from fullmetall
une idée de commercialisation de Muvizu reside dans l'accompagnement à la formation des règles de securités dans l'entreprise pour les employés (ISO 9000,IFS, ect..) par exemple évoquer un point critique avec une animation Muvizu de manière humoristique pour mieux capter l'attention des personnes à former.
@+

gogol translate

marketing an idea lies in the Muvizu accompanying training safety regulations in the company for employees (ISO 9000, IFS, ect ..) discuss such a critical point with a humorous animated Muvizu better capture the attention of people to train]]> Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:17:10 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from piquet
Muvizu is not free, it has conditions. Users must advertise the product on every frame of a movie, and in this case, is a distraction, (Advertising usually costs the advertiser!) but if by some great piece of luck someone gets commercial interest from a business company, Muvizu wants a piece of the action. Sooo....not free. It is 'conditionally free'. Conditions that are not upfront on the opening page or even on the download page. That's sneaky. Most other free software that uses a 'watermark' have either a fee that will remove it from all future movies or purchasing the software will not require it. I know of no other 'free' software that wants a 'piece of the action' in addition to the watermark. Don't offer software as 'free' if there is a condition that allows you to demand payment from a user should his/her talent help them to be successful.

Offer a free version, with a fee for removal of the watermark. No free updates, unless bug fixes (One year) and only a basic pack to allow movies to be produced. I suggest £30.

Offer a purchase price for 'Enthusiasts' several packs included, no water mark, no financial requirement to pay anyone, anything once the software has been bought. Free updates for 18 months. I suggest £55

Offer a commercial version, for companies that will use the software to promote/sell or enhance their products/services. All packs available at the time, no watermarks but credit and link to muvizu. 2 years updates. Discount on any further packs purchased. I suggest £95

Charge for extra packs £10-30 depending on quantity and/or quality.
edited by piquet on 09/03/2013
edited by piquet on 09/03/2013]]> Sat, 09 Mar 2013 12:59:11 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from Danimal fazz68 wrote:
i dunno about most people here but i dont have a pot to **** in, so if muvizu does charge for their software im afraid thats me done. its not that i wouldnt pay because i love messing about with muvizu but at the end of the day i just wouldnt be able to afford it.


What He Said

As the development seems to have been squarely on the heroes and villains pack lately rather than expanding the original and far better characters, charging a fee would probably do me in as well. ]]> Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:31:11 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from urbanlamb Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:32:52 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from HayManMarc
So, we would like to ask some questions:

How can we improve Muvizu's terms for commercial projects?

Sell a pro version of Muvizu that includes removal of watermark and a free-use license/TOS.



What features do you need to make money from Muvizu?

Here's a few ideas off the top of my head:


  • Easier importing of custom models.
  • More customization for heads and faces -- shape, size, etc.
  • Holding things
  • Ultra low rez for directing purposes, export to higher rez.


    • If there were premium products which sat alongside the free version of Muvizu - products that were interesting to commercial users - how would you feel about that? Have you got any advice for us around pricing?



  • Set packages (complete with lighting)
  • Costume packages
  • Object packages
  • Effects packages
  • Sound effects
  • Music


    • Base price could be $0.99 per item, depending on complexity.

    Tell us about other software you like, use professionally and applaud their approach.



    The best software approach I've encountered was "Game Maker" by Yoyo Games (http://www.yoyogames.com/). They started out free in their early days, then progressed to a "lite" version for free and a "pro" version for pay. Both versions grant the user complete ownership of their creations. The lite version has a watermark and lacks some of the cooler functions, but is still completely usable to create games. The pro version includes everything. They have recently moved into other areas (OS'es and mobile support) which include different pricing packages. They have a fantastic "terms of service" model.




    How much would you pay for a "Pro" version of Muvizu?




    As it is right now, I'd pay upwards to $100 USD (but that still seems high).


    • A 'Lite' Muvizu package would be free, and include the watermark and have limited options.
    • A basic Muvizu package for $49.95 would include the essentials -- basic characters, sets, object, etc. -- enough to make a good Muvi.
    • Upwards to $99.95 would include much more of the extras.
    • Then you can have a marketplace to sell more extras as you make them available.
    Updates would have to be free for bug fixes, patches, etc. Any major update including any new features or whatnot would probably carry a price tag.



    It's nice to see Muvizu trying to monetize and commercialize more, but kinda scary at the same time. We could reap great benefits from a well-funded Muvizu. However, I've grown attached to our little community and I love the ability to create something so great on a shoestring budget. I'd hate to see that disappear.

    (edited for clarity)
    edited by HayManMarc on 06/03/2013]]>     Tue, 05 Mar 2013 20:49:15 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from WozToons Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:20:52 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from urbanlamb
    WHAT WOULD YOU PAY FOR A PRO-VERSION OF MUVIZU?

    I am sure our answers to this question could have an impact on the future pricing of Muvizu so the more people that responds to that question the easier it is for the team of Muvizu to price accordingly.

    Like I said in all honestly I would pay between $100.00 to $200.00 (USD) for Muvizu Pro-Version.
    and up to $100.00(USD) now as-is.

    $200.00 USD seems about right in the present economy anything less I think would be unfair to muvizu but for that 200.00 USD I would be expecting further development of the product. If the product is going no further well I would put it in the "cute toy" category and pay less but I am under the assumption that muvizu 'is not done yet' . I didnt see this last sentance originally or perhaps it was edited in later and I am just seeing it now

    I guess I should answer also the premium products.

    added content packs (for me I am mostly interested in more animations and character types because we can't import that ^^. Mind you for me its also time saving even though I can make complete characters that work and add the proper skeletons and even create animations. I usually limit myself to clothing meshes and models and leave the animation for some other guy because quite frankly there are only so many hours per day)

    added features - say one day you solve how to get animations in from outside or perhaps you add mocap (the new in thing)

    I am partial to the looks of muvizu characters against real world backgrounds (i think it looks very cool so my interests are limited in the way of most muvizu styled content so your not likely to sell me a lot of that anyhow but you never know I use the lights and chairs and tables a lot so depends what you come up with I suppose ^^)


    Lastly a content marketplace is probably a good idea I have not encountered a company that can satisfy the needs of an entire world and so putting in a vehicle for others to sell content on your site (be it muvizu style or not ) and taking a percentage of that for hosting it and giving us a little shop is probably a good thing. I never have used it in iclone because well I hate the hassle of doing business at this level I prefer to work for some guy who asks me to make stuff rather then doing business at this level but I might try. I have done it in the past and eventually stopped but I might give it a go again.
    edited by urbanlamb on 05/03/2013]]>     Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:27:46 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from InsaneHamster KerryK wrote:
    Hi Muvizuers,
    • ? Have you got any advice for us around pricing?
    .


    This is I think a very good question, one that I feel can be a deal breaker for a lot of people. Price it to high and no one will buy it. Price it to low and your not making any money off of it.

    So what do I feel about how much a pro version is worth. Well assuming that there will be an upgrade for a pro-version with added bells and whistles I would say I would spend around $100-$200 (USD) and that is of course with features to make it worth that.

    As of right now where it to be sold as a pro version....well I think i could pay up to $100 (USD)

    Here are my reasonings behind why I would spend this amount.

    1) I love this software and when I like something and I can afford it I will buy it.
    2) It doesn't have alot of features other programs have but it does do something others don't and that is cut the production time down which I love. Cranking out a 2 to 5 minute video in a few hours is awesome and well worth the money. Shoot even cranking out a 30 minute movie is less time then other software.
    3) For the most part it's very user friendly..yes there are a few hang-ups but over all easy to use
    4) This may be last on my list but has one of the biggest impacts. As I also do alot of video game testing, and I have to say that for developers that are a big part of the community as well as trying to develope a product has really impressed me. Muvizu team makes it a point to let you know they are listening and make themselves visible on the forums. It's like going to a store to buy a suit. If I have to walk around and dont get any help from the sales person then I don't care if your the cheapest in town,I will take my business else where. But if you treat me like a valued customer and I will keep coming back even if I do pay more. I hope they keep this attitude when ever they decide to start selling there product. IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE!!

    So with that said and the many fine points alot of you have pointed out, the question is simple.

    WHAT WOULD YOU PAY FOR A PRO-VERSION OF MUVIZU?

    I am sure our answers to this question could have an impact on the future pricing of Muvizu so the more people that responds to that question the easier it is for the team of Muvizu to price accordingly.

    Like I said in all honestly I would pay between $100.00 to $200.00 (USD) for Muvizu Pro-Version.
    and up to $100.00(USD) now as-is.]]>     Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:30:00 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from dwino
    One issue and concern mentioned that I completely agree with is the following. Just do a Ctl F for the word "hold" on this page and it will come up several times. I will quote one of them:

    "One of my hopes is that characters on Muvizu will be able to carry, hold, throw objects one day!"


    I don't know if this would sky-rocket commercial projects for Muvizu, but it would definitely allow that to happen on a base level. If you can't even hold a prop or move something around, 60-70 percent of the stories people want to tell will be out of reach (no pun intended).]]>     Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:13:31 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from EEFilmz Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:36:13 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from toonarama My thoughts on this are the same as ukberty and dylly.
    I am an Iclone user and it is clear that they make a significant amount of money from add-on and resource packs and I think this is the way Muvizu could go.

    I also think it would be a good idea to have a content marketplace as this would encourage more people to develop "muvizu styled" content and therefore add to the resources available. As a person who does not enjoy this part of the process I would have been more than happy to pay for some of the objects/sets I have nicked.

    If they wanted to charge for the product itself I think that as well as losing the watermark it would have to become more "flexible" in terms of character creation and animation to allow people to create more unique films. I also doubt whether it could be used commercially in a "public" way without this as any commercial project would look too similar to the hundreds of muvizu videos already at large.

    Despite all that I would still keep a free version with watermark and with a sufficient amount of resources within it to help "spread the word".]]>     Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:22:27 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from ukBerty
    Looking back on Kerry's initial questions they are three fold.

    How can we improve Muvizu's terms for commercial projects?

    No watermark. No ownership claims. Maybe insist on a credit.

    The watermark is a real pain as it gets in the way when doing post production. You can't pan/zoom/overlay etc - you always have to re-shoot. This slows down production. As I've said before, sometimes I end up shooting wide, zooming to cut out the watermark then added it back in later- what a faff.

    What features do you need to make money from Muvizu?

    We all bang on about the features we want, but they're not really going to make any money for us. I have looked into this and have concluded that Muvizu is not something that will ever make me money and am not giving up the day job. I'd be interested to see if any productions using any of Muvizu's competitors has ever made any money?

    When I started using Muvizu their income model seemed to be to take a cut of productions that started to earn revenue - but I really don't think that's ever likely to happen. Looking at the most popular Muvizu videos they would pretty much all have copyright infringement claims made against them if they ever started to make any decent money.

    Personally I think they need a different model, which brings us to.....

    If there were premium products which sat alongside the free version of Muvizu - products that were interesting to commercial users - how would you feel about that? Have you got any advice for us around pricing?

    We, the community, are the users and benefit from the software for our hobby, so there's no real way round the fact that Muvizu need to get their revenue from us. Sorry guys, but unless one of us creates an original idea that makes skip loads of cash, this is the reality of the situation.

    Creating two versions with different features is possible. I would tolerate a free version with a watermark and premium version with no watermark. This would involve a one off payment as I don't see how a subscription model would work.

    Like Dylly, I've also thought that Muvizu should consider the DAZ model so they can start making some money. They could have a market place where they sell objects, actions and possibly characters. So if you want a train you can buy and download one - $20. You want your character to do the Macarena then you buy and install that action - $10. You want one legged character, you buy and download one - $35.

    I think they would have to leave the ability to import your own ASE files for objects but the actions and characters would have to be developed within strict guidelines so they could keep a monopoly on these. They release an SDK so anyone can create these actions/characters but they will only be install-able through the approved marketplace where Muvizu would take a hefty cut. This would also enable them to do some QA on others work.

    Muvizu would have to keep updating the core product, as do DAZ - interacting with objects, separate eye controls, better walking control etc - but the market place and SDK would speed up the development of the actions and characters which we're all crying out for (when was the last action added to the standard characters - at least 12 months ago)

    This model would satisfy all parties. Users that wanted to use it free could still do so. Users that wanted to pay for the watermark to go could do so. Importantly Muvizu would not limit their income to the handful of one off payments they would get for the premium licence.
    edited by ukBerty on 04/03/2013]]>     Mon, 04 Mar 2013 08:56:26 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from EEFilmz Mon, 04 Mar 2013 03:26:32 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from Dylly Am I excited or what! Now don’t all faint at the shock that I’m posting again, but this news has certainly jiggled my brain cells.

    Ever since I first saw Muvizu on the BBC I was enraptured by this insane, whimsical, simple yet powerful (to half inch the Muvizu blurb) animation tool. What an amazing learning curve it has been...and I am amazed at the range of skills I have learned through using Muvizu...from animation to 3D model making, direction, sound recording and editing...and what fun the ride has been too! I have learned so much with Muvizu for four reasons. Muvizu is easily accessible, it’s adaptable in terms of props, it enables innovation and finally the community of Muvizu staff and users is such a helpful and happy place. There are no prima donnas, I’ve never come across anyone yet that has ‘spat their dummy’ or ‘launched their teddy’.

    Now over the last couple of months I’ve been tinkering, those that know me know I never damned well stop, with every animation package I could get my hands on. I’ve tried them all. Why? Because I wanted to make a feature film. But there is nothing out there that is as simple and intuitive as Muvizu.

    I would of course like there to be a free version of Muvizu available. Something to get people started with the basic characters, sets etc. I would also like to see a Pro version of Muvizu. Minus the watermark, with a few extra bells and whistles such as additional animations, higher resolution, slightly more realistic props, manual puppeteering? I don’t mind paying for it...it’s worth it!

    I would also like to see a Muvizu Market where additional characters, animations, prop sets could be purchased for the Pro version of Muvizu. Music and dialogue we can buy for our productions, backdrops...the list is endless. I would also like the free props section to remain on the website. I would also like an opportunity available to sell props through a Muvizu Market even on a 50/50 split. However I would like this to be done in a way that ‘keeps’ the feel and high quality of the Muvizu product. A set of developers guidelines and quality assurance measures in place. Perhaps a chance to receive instruction on ‘Muvizu Styling’ or a developers course with Muvizu accreditation...once again something I would be willing to pay for.

    With the likes of products like Daz Studio or Poser or iClone...the money is in the add ons...the new characters...the new props. The software is something to save up for...or use the older free version...but the pocket money priced props are what makes the money. As both a purchaser and through products I make and sell through the likes of Renderosity, Daz et al I know the amounts of money that can clatter into the cash drawer.

    A big thank you to all at Muvizu and all the fellow nutters that inhabit the forums...it’s been amazing up to now and I’m sure the future will be just as brilliant!]]>     Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:37:19 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from urbanlamb fazz68 wrote:
    i dunno about most people here but i dont have a pot to **** in, so if muvizu does charge for their software im afraid thats me done. its not that i wouldnt pay because i love messing about with muvizu but at the end of the day i just wouldnt be able to afford it.



    Yes dont worry I would be very surprised if they removed the free version they just have a lot of people asking for a "smalltimers" commercial use version as well so for lack of a better word me thinks they are trying to keep everyone happy

    InsaneHamster wrote:
    I also was thinking 200 bucks. I can't see it going much higher than that. Not without major tweeks and addons. I am curious as to if it was 200 dollars will that include free updates or will you have to pay for an update that cost less then what you paid for Muvizu orginally. Hmmmm...



    Yes I see great minds think alike or in this case mine and Mr hamsters

    *whispers okay my sense of humour is getting a bit offbeat I better go eat some food my low blood sugar is making me a bit more dippy then usual*
    edited by urbanlamb on 03/03/2013]]>     Sun, 03 Mar 2013 23:36:18 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from InsaneHamster Sun, 03 Mar 2013 22:43:33 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from fazz68 ]]> Sun, 03 Mar 2013 21:53:55 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from InsaneHamster Sun, 03 Mar 2013 21:17:09 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from urbanlamb
    Now I should hide but realistically speaking this seems like a fair price to me given the potential and power behind it. Its very versatile now & it occupies a niche of silliness (ignore my stuff I am not quite sane with my half hour epics lol) and people will pay for that niche for sure!]]>     Sun, 03 Mar 2013 18:12:36 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from InsaneHamster
    They may just leave Muvizu free and have you buy a license for a set fee, which would be okay for them as long as people buy a license after all they need to make money also.

    BUT, here is the only major problem with MUVIZU, that will keep the price low I think. As you use MUVIZU and your putting together your short film you really need a certain action lets say for example eating, or a tripping action. As it is now you have to do camera tricks and such to make it look like this has happend which sometimes takes away from the film. YOU as a director is very dependant on the people at MUVIZU to create the actions and characters needed to keep making great films. This is where the trouble lies. People already want tons of stuff, like holding items, hand gestures with conversations, etc. etc, etc, this makes us very dependant on Muvizu, we cant create these things like in other software.
    In return this should keep the price of MUVIZU fairly cheap.

    If at some point your able to make custom actions or something like that then I can see the price going up. but for now I can't see it going to high.

    The question is where do they want to make the bulk of their earnings? Is it from the sales of a pro-version which could allow people to use MUVIZU as a money maker or off of just selling licenses to people to allow them to make money off there films.

    I personally think the smartest idea and most profitable for them will be to sell a pro-version with a licenses to use your vidoes for profits if you see fit. People who really like this software (myself included)
    will buy a pro version if they really want to create films in hopes of making a little cash or making the next big hollywood block buster.

    They of course could leave the base progream like it is now free and charge you for a license then they could sell packages to people. for example they could sell a Content pack called " lets chat" or something like that. In that package could be new conversation actions, maybe a phone with the abilitie to hold it actually, phone conversations, eye and face gestures, etc, etc, or maybe a SPY Content pack with new actions, textures, guns, blah blah blah, I think you get my idea. These packages could cost lets just say 20.00 USD for example. Then as a user you can purchase this package and download it. If you don't want it you don't have to buy it. They could create a nice little income from this as well.

    Okay im done rambling. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

    Mr. Hamster Drink
    edited by InsaneHamster on 03/03/2013]]>     Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:47:40 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from adam_knox
    Here's my situation: I'm a dreamer, I would really love to make a movie or at least a 3-6 minute animated short. In reality, I have neither the experience, time, nor the actual story(s) to do so. But every time I see the Academy Awards for best animated shorts, or Dreeko's and other Moguls' movies I get sparked to make something. Its the idea, the possibility that gets me hooked. I would probably pay once for the software but then eventually rationalize that paying for Muvizu isn't the wisest idea (despite how fantastic of a product it is!). However, if its kept free, there could be a chance I make a short that may go viral (like the extranormal iPhone 4 video) or at least get popular enough to get someone to tinker. That's how I found Muvizu, I made some fun shorts with Xtranormal, but then they started charging and I discovered you guys. If you can sell a package with "possibilities" my imagination might make the purchase.

    Here's what I think would be great to purchase:
    • More base characters with different styling (the heros body structure and style was a great addition for variety!)
    • More objects and sets



    If you really want to do a monthly fee system, what about a token economy? Users who make objects and sets can "sell" them for tokens (which are allotted to users in their monthly fee package). Then Muvizu can "buy back" tokens at a reduced rate or offer prizes/features when they are cashed in. This may increase community activity and get individuals motivated to make content you guys may not have the time for, which could really increase the appeal of Muvizu with its depth of accessories.


    As a non-animator who putzes occasionally, I would pay $50 (USD) once for bonus features. If I actually made a short, I would probably pay $80 (USD) for the watermark to be removed when it airs on the Oscars. You guys would get the first shout out in the thank-you speech! =D]]>     Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:47:22 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from Dannynw23 InsaneHamster I dont like the subcription Idea either I think you should pay one off payment for a pro version and i would'nt mind paying a few quid for updates.]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:02:07 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from gimmick yes, everything is very nice in Muvizu but as everybody can use it, the director should be very very creative to get an original & interesting movie.

    Another problem is the paternity of characters. For example, if somebody wants to create an hero, he can just personalize: For example, yellow costum with purple strips and green cape. OK. But, everybody can copy this personalisation. So who is the owner of the character?]]>     Thu, 21 Feb 2013 20:19:31 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from InsaneHamster Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:17:12 GMT http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from artpen
    First of all, I've really enjoyed the Muvizu 3d adventure.

    But, like all things, big changes are coming, and them changes might not be free.
    and guess what, bring it on!

    I'll keep this simple, keep a free basic version with the watermark to get new users up to speed and to improve their movie skills,.
    Bring out a Pro version with all the trimmings... Price?? Let's just say if holding
    objects, better character creation, custom animations if possible, I think most
    Users would stump up 60-80 quid??

    I don't think monthly rent type payments work either, just give me a one off pro
    Version any day, then maybe a reduced price for a big yearly update.

    artpen
    edited by artpen on 20/02/2013]]>     Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:21:28 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from chuckles Yesterday, in the Gallery there were 11 out of 16 of them! They Have Special Characters made for them, and most of all, in my opinion, they provide no innovation, and very little humour!
    They are watched by a lot of people too, on the day they are put up. How Come ?
    dreeko, urbanlamb, and many others provide much better more worthy stuff, and they do it alone!
    Please explain.]]>     Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:54:53 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from urbanlamb
    Perpetual fees to keep things watermark free - dont agree with that for the reason that well once its done its done basically the reasons behind removing a watermark revolve around ownsership issues. There is a point at which although the engine is used there is only so far one can push that watermark Basicaly you do the work and distribute the content removal of the watermark is twofold - If you go to the trouble of making productions writing it and perhaps even paying for models and stuff an original work remains such and so once its created you move in. Asking someone to perpetually pay to keep something they made as theirs is well unfair. Basically your forcing them to remove it from the internet if that is your focus and if they decided to give out copies on dvd even if they didnt charge they would have to run around and ask for them all back so they could give out a watermarked copy or just destroy them. In Any event one has to consider cost

    the idea of paying 20 per video is a bit high as well there is an online service that offers such services and they charge by the size not the video. Anyhow I think at this point really muvizu has to consider who is going to pay for this type of software and why. It will never be a big time corporation or someone with bucket loads of money at their disposal as they would take another route most likely. At the same time if you go to the trouble and time and effort to make something that you actually want to remove the watermark from then its theirs once you let them have it so slapping a watermark on after the fact is well.. I dont even know if its legal. Anyhow for the most part we need different tiers of access

    free is well free and should remain as such but the gap between free and enterprise version is well a lot of us are writing to muvizu to try to create something "not free" and are just getting silence or agreements are being made and then muvizu changes its mind (well digimania) leaving the creator with a project they put a lot of work into sort of hanging.

    So we need a pro version for the single user - in 99.9% of cases a pro user is not going to ever roll in bucket loads of money but at the present time what muvizu is doing is limiting the use of its software and in a case where they could be making money right now they are in my opinion just throwing it away as we spend it on other companies. I am just a hobbyist but even then hobbyist do pay money to feed their hobbies. Last year I spent about $1000.00 on iclone software alone. Lets ignore the hardware I purchased to feed the hobby. I am not rich, but I dont smoke and i dont drink so I need one vice and my vice is pixels. I would be more then happy to funnel some of that money to muvizu for my hobby in exchange for the lack of a watermark which complicates my life to no end even as a hobbyist.]]>     Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:20:57 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from InsaneHamster long ways to go to be geared towards something someone like Pixar would
    use.
    So with that in mind the pricing should be geared towards the home
    animator who still has to work a full time job or whatever.
    After all we would still be very dependant on Muvizu to creat characters
    and actions that the regular user can't do. This is one major aspect that
    will prevent big corporations like Pixar from using Muvizu.So custom made
    movies with custom characters isn't possible.(which has been my biggest
    concern about the future of Muvizu)We as users are very demanding for
    content being added lol.

    I think you should keep a free version as this is your bussiness card.
    You can have another pro version that does have some added bells and
    whistles. this would intice people to buy the pro version.


    as for licensing agreement.
    I have no problem with putting in the credits that Mivuzu was used.
    This in turn helps promote Muvizu.
    I do think it would be easier for everyone around to have just a one time
    standard licensing. You could go with a licensing per video.
    what I mean is this. I make a video for someone and they are going to pay
    me an amount. I then e-mail Muvizu and tell them I would like to buy a
    license. Lets say Muvizu has a standard licensing fee of $20.00 per Video.
    I pay Muvizu the $20.00 dollars and then I can render my video or make
    a DVD or whatever maybe a code is
    generated that you add to a window that pops up that takes away the
    watermark.
    Let's face it if a person starts making money using Muvizu then they
    should upgrade to a pro version.
    Or pay for a one time licensing fee or what ever Muvizu comes up with.
    Just saying "Hey you made a free program keep it this way and just let
    us make money
    off of it!" isn't going to work due to the fact the money used from licensing or from someone
    purchasing a pro version is what's going to keep Muvizu updated with new content.
    They can't always rely on private parties to keep forking out money with
    no return. After all Muvizu is also here to make money.
    A subcription might be a good idea Woz. A person could pay lets
    say $15.00 a month $180.00 a year.(I believe this is about the same cost
    as most online games charge) and be able to make videos that they can
    profit off of, and removes the watermark, has some bells and whistles.
    If a person just wants to make a video for youtube then they can use the
    free version.
    An email would be sent to you stating the licensing agreement and by
    paying the 15.00 dollar subscription you abide by the following agreament.
    Like adding some where in the credits that Muvizu was used. The watermark will be removed as long as you the user pays the monthly fee of 15.00
    dollars. At anytime you no longer wish to pay the the monthly fee the
    watermark will be reinstated and add features turned off. etc. etc. etc.
    Just don't get away from the idea of you being there for the little guy.
    After all it's the little guys who do most of the promoting for you.
    Also the fact that users are very dependant on the Muvizu staff to create
    certain things in the program that we can't which should keep the price
    of Muvizu down considably. You can't charge someone what Maya charges for example.
    Also Muvizu should make it clear that it isn't responsible for someone
    trying to make a video off of copyrighted material. That the maker
    of such said videos has sole responsiblilty.
    just some ideas to toss around Mr.Hamster]]>     Mon, 18 Feb 2013 03:16:30 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from EEFilmz gimmick wrote:
    I think that a director needs to be the owner of his movies. So I paid around $100 for softs like Moviestorm/iClone and I am the owner of my movies. Of course, I must name Moviestorm/iClone in the credits. That's a simple deal. No percentage. No problems if I show my movies for the next 50 years

    So I propose:
    - Free version of Muvizu, with watermark. For non commercial uses (including earning $0.00 with youtube!)

    - Commercial version of Muvizu, without watermark, with an unlimited licence for use in movies. Muvizu named in the credits. For example see http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/hub/legal/eula

    Idem for the additional contents:
    - Free version with watermark.
    - Commercial version without watermark, with an unlimited licence for use in movies.

    I have no ideas about educational licences.

    NB: I think that "Catching objects" is an essential fonctionality in Muvizu for create commercial movies.


    I agree with Gimmick, and have it be the Users choice of which one to use, although then Muvizu is just like many others (video editors do this) out there. I will say, if Muvizu itself wants to make money to fund improvements for it's users, (and this is just my opinion), keep it FREE for individual Users like now, but then Licence the software to companies to use w/o the watermark, charge the companies for use..they have the big $ anyway right? I'm serious though, maybe I watch "Shark Tank" too much but that's how Millionaires are made...Licencing Agreements with corporations are where it's at, but that's something for Muvizu to educate themselves on. Play with the big boys for the big ca$h and then create a whole new set of video tutorials for all the new features and capabilities of Muvizu. This way, it'll free up the time Muvizu has to create new ideas. Muvizu will have the funds to make he software ideas we all want, but who's complaining right? It's pretty awesome as it is. I still like the idea of FREE Muvizu and I hate it when I see programs that have all this cool stuff but I can't afford it...3DS comes to mind. THEN you the vendor have to worry about "cracked" versions getting out there and that's a mess...So now I'm just rambling because I need food so I must go eat but you get the idea lol....]]>     Sun, 17 Feb 2013 17:35:51 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from gimmick
    So I propose:
    - Free version of Muvizu, with watermark. For non commercial uses (including earning $0.00 with youtube!)

    - Commercial version of Muvizu, without watermark, with an unlimited licence for use in movies. Muvizu named in the credits. For example see http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/hub/legal/eula

    Idem for the additional contents:
    - Free version with watermark.
    - Commercial version without watermark, with an unlimited licence for use in movies.

    I have no ideas about educational licences.

    NB: I think that "Catching objects" is an essential fonctionality in Muvizu for create commercial movies.]]>     Sun, 17 Feb 2013 12:26:31 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from WozToons I would like at some stage to make money in the digital world.
    I would just like to thank the wonderful people at Muvizu for making it free which means that folks like me can "afford" to pursue their dreams and release their creativity.
    The problem lies in the fact that I have no funds to contribute "up front".


    If there are any spin offs I would be grateful if you could consider their affordability for people with very limited incomes. I can afford to spend approximately £ 40 - £ 60 maximum on software per year. Perhaps a small monthly subscription is worth considering for any "Premium" features.]]>     Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:29:47 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from EEFilmz more i can accomplish within muvizu the better it is...period. I'd also like characters able to grab/hold/carry objects. my 2 cents - EEF
    edited by EEFilmz on 16/02/2013]]>     Sat, 16 Feb 2013 21:33:44 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from InsaneHamster
    the the easiest way is to go with a one time buy with an open license to make money off your videos. but what would the price be?

    You could go with a "Hey here are some different commercial pacakages" like
    1 year deal for 99.00
    6 month deal for 50.00
    or something like that. Personally i would rather buy something out right and not have to worry about the details or time frames.

    Free versions should get a watermark it's free after all your also trying to make money and making money is going to come from A) selling commercial licenses with current Muvizu or B) Selling Muvizu as a stand alone application with a licensing aggreement to let the purchaser make money off there videos.
    which if you go with B then you have to discuss the whole do you buy Muvizu with free updates or do you have to buy Muvizu everytime a new release is out?

    Just my two dollars worth lol.
    I would buy a commercial license out right without a watermark if the price is reasonable and I honestly don't even know what that price would be.

    okay I am done for now.]]>     Sat, 16 Feb 2013 03:10:25 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from urbanlamb EEFilmz wrote:
    ziggy72 wrote:
    It might be simplistic, but my requirements would be this :

    No watermark.

    Clear fixed 'cut' percentage to give to Muvizu on money generated (because there's no watermark), or a higher one-off payment which entitles you to sell your creations without any further Muvizu involvement.

    Everything else is secondary, really. Be nice to have higher resolutions, extra bits (like what Zubox obviously has), and the like, but the watermark/cut thing is the bit that myself (and I imagine most people) care about.

    Thing is, how do you decide how much money has been made by a particular clip? No idea. Does Youtube or Vimeo give you this kind of information? Does it apply to each clip, or the whole channel? Is that for the UK only or overseas too? It's a minefield of complications as soon as you bring third parties into it. If you could buy a watermark free/fixed price version, those complications pretty much disappear (hopefully!). Just my tuppence


    Ziggy from what I've read on Youtube, and what others told me, is yes Youtube can monetzie the videos you choose adn thre is a tracking page so you can see which videos generate ca$h and which ones don't etc. However, I have been told that when it comes time for Youtube to choke out a check to you it's hard to collect from them..whatever little money your videos do in fact earn which I assume isn't much from Youtube. I myself haven't made videos for profit, although that would be nice, and I know very little about it. I just create animationz for fun.



    Youtube is very hard on independant creators its really a headache to be one and so most independants are being forced into a content aggregation network. It would also be far too complicated to seperate which ad earned what revenue on what clicks as all the ads are run using an auction bidding system its a veritable nightmare and not something worth bothering with. Top it off with the fact that there are 3 types of ads now truestream, instream and someother stream. How you split 50 cents becomes more trouble then its worth.]]>     Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:18:03 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from urbanlamb EEFilmz wrote:
    urbanlamb wrote:

    1) I have like many people had to at times police my own content and I can't control the great internet of doom so I am almost feeling liable when someone rips off my content and tries to sell it or use it to make money which I have had done with videos at least twice in this last year. My only remedy is to issue a dmca takedown notice which is fine but I have a giant muvizu watermark on it and so it makes it hard at times and on top of it if muvizu sees my work with ads on it that I have not given permission for them to rip off are they going to come after me for the money?



    Urban how do you know when someone is trying to rip off your video for profi? I have no knowledge of this and I too would be concerned and want to monitor that IF I made $$ for vids/animationz



    two ways
    1) a friend sees it and mails me
    2) the video comes up as recommended to me as an interest on a youtube sidebar or on google i just happen to see it. I would go through google to see how my stuff was doing search engine wise and pull up my stuff on someone elses site.

    this happened to me twice last year but thankfully not over a muvizu video if it was a muvizu video I would be totally well screwed and that is why I am careful about what I do with what software package. I do not know how I could issue any sort of take down notice with that watermark there and it makes my head explode everytime I think about it. I also had a friend want to remix a muvizu video I made but when he read the terms he changed his mind. He composes music and wanted to use muvizu footage of mine and do a music edit. It would have been cool, but alas he only works commercially and not for free so oh well on that one
    edited by urbanlamb on 16/02/2013]]>     Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:12:33 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from EEFilmz urbanlamb wrote:

    1) I have like many people had to at times police my own content and I can't control the great internet of doom so I am almost feeling liable when someone rips off my content and tries to sell it or use it to make money which I have had done with videos at least twice in this last year. My only remedy is to issue a dmca takedown notice which is fine but I have a giant muvizu watermark on it and so it makes it hard at times and on top of it if muvizu sees my work with ads on it that I have not given permission for them to rip off are they going to come after me for the money?



    Urban how do you know when someone is trying to rip off your video for profi? I have no knowledge of this and I too would be concerned and want to monitor that IF I made $$ for vids/animationz]]>     Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:59:31 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from EEFilmz ziggy72 wrote:
    It might be simplistic, but my requirements would be this :

    No watermark.

    Clear fixed 'cut' percentage to give to Muvizu on money generated (because there's no watermark), or a higher one-off payment which entitles you to sell your creations without any further Muvizu involvement.

    Everything else is secondary, really. Be nice to have higher resolutions, extra bits (like what Zubox obviously has), and the like, but the watermark/cut thing is the bit that myself (and I imagine most people) care about.

    Thing is, how do you decide how much money has been made by a particular clip? No idea. Does Youtube or Vimeo give you this kind of information? Does it apply to each clip, or the whole channel? Is that for the UK only or overseas too? It's a minefield of complications as soon as you bring third parties into it. If you could buy a watermark free/fixed price version, those complications pretty much disappear (hopefully!). Just my tuppence


    Ziggy from what I've read on Youtube, and what others told me, is yes Youtube can monetzie the videos you choose adn thre is a tracking page so you can see which videos generate ca$h and which ones don't etc. However, I have been told that when it comes time for Youtube to choke out a check to you it's hard to collect from them..whatever little money your videos do in fact earn which I assume isn't much from Youtube. I myself haven't made videos for profit, although that would be nice, and I know very little about it. I just create animationz for fun.]]>     Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:55:49 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from ziggy72
    No watermark.

    Clear fixed 'cut' percentage to give to Muvizu on money generated (because there's no watermark), or a higher one-off payment which entitles you to sell your creations without any further Muvizu involvement.

    Everything else is secondary, really. Be nice to have higher resolutions, extra bits (like what Zubox obviously has), and the like, but the watermark/cut thing is the bit that myself (and I imagine most people) care about.

    Thing is, how do you decide how much money has been made by a particular clip? No idea. Does Youtube or Vimeo give you this kind of information? Does it apply to each clip, or the whole channel? Is that for the UK only or overseas too? It's a minefield of complications as soon as you bring third parties into it. If you could buy a watermark free/fixed price version, those complications pretty much disappear (hopefully!). Just my tuppence ]]>     Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:37:54 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from urbanlamb KerryK wrote:
    Hi Muvizuers,

    Every day we're asked to grant commercial Muvizu licences. Some people simply ask for permission, while others request 'premium' features such as watermark removal and non-standard render sizes. We get approached by users, companies, non-profit organisations, charities, students, teachers and hobbyists.

    Your feedback also tells us that you are bamboozled by our current commercial terms of use. We don't blame you; they're not helpful to inspiring Muvizu money-makers.

    So, in light of all that we're thinking of changing our terms to make it easier for people to use Muvizu professionally. We're also open to the idea of spin-off products or features to complement the free version of Muvizu for commercial projects.

    So, we would like to ask some questions:

    • How can we improve Muvizu's terms for commercial projects?
    • What features do you need to make money from Muvizu?
    • If there were premium products which sat alongside the free version of Muvizu - products that were interesting to commercial users - how would you feel about that? Have you got any advice for us around pricing?
    Tell us about other software you like, use professionally and applaud their approach.


    Yours, all ears


    The Muvizu Team.


    oh my goodness thanks for this post. I am between a rock and a hard place right now worrying if someone is going to sue me haha.

    I am not interested in making a million bucks from it but at the same time if I do make a buck I dont want to feel as if I am doing something wrong by doing so. Recently I had to create a video on a very dry subject for a non profit organization and because of the worries of restriction and the fact they want to collect donations for community projects (eg playstructure replacement) I had to create it in a piece of software that grants me a commercial re-use licence.

    I am not completely worried about watermark although removing it would make it feel like my creations are not the property of muvizu when it comes to something I have written, created most of the assets for etc gotten licensed music etc.

    If there was some middle ground for this a fee for use copy with a suitable eula to go with it. I am no lawyer and I dont know where to start with this other then to point out the eula of other companies doing the same thing and how they deal with it.

    http://www.reallusion.com/Reallusion_EULA.pdf

    I have a few issues with the present eula of muvizu

    1) I have like many people had to at times police my own content and I can't control the great internet of doom so I am almost feeling liable when someone rips off my content and tries to sell it or use it to make money which I have had done with videos at least twice in this last year. My only remedy is to issue a dmca takedown notice which is fine but I have a giant muvizu watermark on it and so it makes it hard at times and on top of it if muvizu sees my work with ads on it that I have not given permission for them to rip off are they going to come after me for the money?

    2) This is regarding youtube and it makes it very difficult again if your channel is not dedicated to one thing. Even if you do grant me license in the present system I would have to keep complicated spread sheets in order to decide how much money I made off each video unfortunately assuming I can figure out how to make the youtube system give me information that detailed so the choice is to just not bother. If I intend to use it for commercial use I will use another software to avoid the headache of it all.

    3) My own IP and writing stories and producing full feature films - The muvizu watermark takes away my ownsership of it even if i created all the objects and wrote the story and the music and hired people for the voices etc. The watermark is for me a deterent to making a completely original work in muvizu

    So I was hoping for a license not aimed at large enterprises but more at little one man shows like myself and about the only thing I can think of is to request a fee for use version. I am pretty sure that you will have a small stampede on your hands with me leading the way. I could be wrong though Big Grin
    edited by urbanlamb on 14/02/2013]]>     Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:36:00 GMT     http://www.muvizu.com/Forum/topic2499-to-the-community-at-large.aspx Message from KerryK
    Every day we're asked to grant commercial Muvizu licences. Some people simply ask for permission, while others request 'premium' features such as watermark removal and non-standard render sizes. We get approached by users, companies, non-profit organisations, charities, students, teachers and hobbyists.

    Your feedback also tells us that you are bamboozled by our current commercial terms of use. We don't blame you; they're not helpful to inspiring Muvizu money-makers.

    So, in light of all that we're thinking of changing our terms to make it easier for people to use Muvizu professionally. We're also open to the idea of spin-off products or features to complement the free version of Muvizu for commercial projects.

    So, we would like to ask some questions:

    • How can we improve Muvizu's terms for commercial projects?
    • What features do you need to make money from Muvizu?
    • If there were premium products which sat alongside the free version of Muvizu - products that were interesting to commercial users - how would you feel about that? Have you got any advice for us around pricing?
    Tell us about other software you like, use professionally and applaud their approach.


    Yours, all ears


    The Muvizu Team.]]>     Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:00:20 GMT