Rates and Policies of the Archive of American Television

The Archive of American Television owns or represents over 2,000 hours of rare, videotaped oral history interviews. The Archive also contains still photographs, audio interviews, and other Special Collections.

Our footage is available to all film, television, radio, broadband and documentary producers. Please review below for frequently asked questions about searching for and acquiring footage from the collection.

Basic Rates & Info :

• To use our interviews in another format, Licensing fees apply, but vary depending on the rights you require. Please contact us for more information.


• Quoting from the interviews is allowed, but we ask you check with us for exact phrasing and attribution.


• Initial research is free, but more detailed requests involving staff time and database searches require a minimum research fee of $100.


• Screening copies of requested clips will incur a minimum charge of $50 per clip. We do not release screeners of entire interviews. Transcripts are available for a fee.
  


• Masters are created for a minimum of $100 as BetaSP or as digital files.
  

Frequently Asked Questions :

How can I find out what is in the Archive?
Is there a Fee for Research?
How can I request a screener?
How can I obtain a master clip?
What are your clip licensing fees?
Do you own the copyright to all your interview footage?
Can I quote from the Archive?
Can I get a transcript of the interviews?
Can I get clips from the Emmy telecast?
What mode of payment do you accept?



Q: How can I find out what is in the Archive? You can learn more about the collection by viewing interview clips online for free! A complete list of interviews, with links to those available online may also be found by clicking here. Most of our completed interviews are on our YouTube channel, with more added regularly.

Q: Is there a Fee for Research? There is no fee for answers to simple, specific questions about content (ie: Do you have footage of Jane Wyatt discussing her role on Star Trek?). For more detailed requests, or to pull interview transcript selects, you must contact us . A detailed research request will cost $100.

Q: How can I request a screener? Once you have made an initial request and want to obtain a screening (viewing) copy of specific footage, you will be asked to fill out a “Screener Authorization” form which explains that this footage may be used for research only and not for any other purpose. Once we receive the Screener Authorization faxed or emailed back to us, as well as payment to obtain the copy , we will send you a DVD with burn-in-timecode of the section of the interview requested. There will be a dub fee for a screener ($50-$100 depending on number of clips).

Q: How can I obtain a master clip? After you have decided on what material you wish to use in your production, you should contact us about your specific needs. In most cases, we are only able to offer a Betacam SP loaner tape. For the loaner there is no fee but we require you to return the tape within 14 days to us or pay for duplication, which is approximately $150. The client pays for shipping and insurance.

Please contact us for further information, as some interviews are available to be digitized and sent as files, for which there is a charge of $100 per clip. In the future we will have varying modes of delivery including FTP, Digital Files, Quicktime, and DV. Depending on your productions’ needs and the mode of delivery required, there may be an additional lab/ materials fee. You will be billed a license for the total amount provides, whether the footage was used or not.

Q: What are your clip licensing fees? A "License Fee" is a release fee granting a limited usage license of the clip(s) you order to be used in a specified production for a specific market during the stated license period. Custom quotes are available if you desire to use the same footage in more than one production, or more than once in the same production, use the production containing our footage in more than one market, or if you would like to license clip(s) in perpetuity. Generally the license term is 5-7 years. Please contact us for more information and a quote, as rates depend on the distribution market, the licensing term and the territory. Volume discounts are available.

Q: Do you own the copyright to all your interview footage? The Archive owns copyright on the majority of the collection, but there are some special cases where the copyright or permission to rebroadcast must be obtained from the interviewee or their estate, which we may do on your behalf.

Q: Can I quote from the Archive? We do allow quoting from our archives, but with respect to our interviewees, ask that you check with us first so that we may give you the exact phrasing from the transcripts. We also ask that you use a specific attribution when quoting from the Archive. Please contact us for more information.

Q: Can I get a transcript of the interviews? We do not loan out transcripts of entire interviews, but if you need a copy for research you can contact us to find out how to obtain a copy for a $100 charge. Our transcripts have copyright and are not to be used for dissemination or reproduction in any form.

Q: Can I get clips from the Emmy telecast? The Emmy Awards are produced by the Television Academy. The Archive is a separate, non-profit division of the Academy Foundation. For all Emmy and Academy-related clip licensing requests, please contact Nora Bates (bates@emmys.org)

Q: What mode of payment do you accept? Prepayment is required for screening tapes, and all services for new clients. All shipping is to be paid for by the client.

CONTACT :
Jenni Matz
Manager, Archive Digital Projects & Business Development
Archive of American Television
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation
5220 Lankershim Blvd.
N. Hollywood, CA 91601 matz@emmys.org
Phone: 818-509-2262
Web: emmysfoundation.org/archive