Copyright term, film labeling, and film preservation legislation : hearings before the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress, first session, on H.R. 989, H.R. 1248, and H.R. 1734 ... June 1 and July 13, 1995 (1996)

504 market needs that usually means dealing with changes in time, structure and sometimes content. In resolving these market needs we have found that, in most instances, such re-editing does indeed harm the films we work on. The essence of this harm is that the original design and intent of the piece is altered enough so as to give it a meaning other than what was created by the original artists. As editors in the creative process of filmmaking we are the ones with the responsibility of taking into account all the raw material conceived by the writer, the director, the actors, the producers and the cinematographer when we carefully sculpt a story. Dances with Wolves. Schlindler's List, The Mission. The Right Stuff, True Lies and so many others are very special experiences that editors gave shape and character to in our editing rooms. Each and every element is examined and re-examined and screened and re -evaluated in order to elicit specific emotional responses in our audiences. In the same way that an audience has a right to view a film in its original state we believe that they have the right to know if it has been altered. Most spectators will dedicate time and money to be entertained by a fihn for one of two reasons; 1) their expectations regarding the subject matter of the film or 2) because of the various reputations of the artists who make films. There is an important relationship between an audience's entertainment expectation on the one hand and the artistic reputation of the filmmakers on the other. When unauthorized alterations occur, they not only harm the works in question, but affect the reputation of the makers of such works. The consumer is