What Is a Commentary Video?
A commentary video is one that shows someone else’s clip or work and adds the creator’s own voice: explanation, criticism, context or an argument.
Commentary videos react to, review or explain something: a speech, a scene, a news clip, a game. The original material is the subject, and the creator’s words are the point. YouTube’s monetization policy lists using clips for a critical review and reaction videos where you comment on the original as allowed under its reused content rule.
Commentary is also the first example YouTube gives of uses that can be fair use under US law, beside criticism, research, teaching and news. Fair use is still decided by a court, case by case, on how much is used and whether the new video adds new meaning. Commentary does not make every use legal, and a video with only a few words over someone else’s footage is not much commentary.
For a creator, the test is whether the video would still be worth watching if the original clip were described rather than shown. Research, context the viewer did not have, and a clear point of view are what make a commentary your own.
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