I would like to be able to use the Star Wars Opening Crawl (the classic yellow text that appears at the start of every Star Wars movie) in our team’s Chairman’s Video, however, upon checking the FIRST Branding and Lockup Guidelines, the last page states that “Members of the FIRST community may not … use the Star Wars opening crawl.”
However, my editing program, Final Cut Pro X, comes built-in with a Star Wars-like opening crawl called “Far Far Away” (see pic below). Given that this built-in title was created by Apple and published in their own software, and that I am not creating my own from scratch, does this mean that I can use the opening crawl that Final Cut Pro X provides in the Chairman’s Video?
I would appreciate an answer from someone who knows this information or suggestions on how I can find this out because I would rather not get into legal trouble
I think I would stay on the safe side and not use it. Keep in mind that while the video isn’t a major part of the judging process, it does get watched when the field is narrowed down to make sure it complies with the rules.
Note: Unless you show your video as part of your presentation, your video will not be judged as part of your submission, though an inappropriate video will disqualify you from winning. The Chairman’s Award is our highest honor and teams who receive the Chairman’s Award represent the highest standards of FIRST. When the Chairman’s judges have narrowed the selection to two or three teams, these contenders for the Chairman’s Award at all events will have their Video viewed by the Judge Advisor for appropriate content and to ensure that the above guidelines have been met. Teams submitting an inappropriate Video will be disqualified.
If this were a reveal video or something, I’d say go for it, Disney doesn’t own the concept of scrolling text. In this case, a Championship bid is on the line if there’s concerns about the video. It would suck if you were very close to winning and the deciding factor was a small portion of your video.
I would also be concerned that it takes time to read the crawl text, and your Chairman’s video is only 3 minutes long… another approach would help you make the most of that time.
If I ever get to see your chairman’s video, it’s because you’ve won - so make the most of it.
