Up for Discussion: Rerendered

Justin McClure has launched a new website called Rerendered, which he describes as a “garage sale of pre-comps and random experiments.” In a nutshell: you upload your AE projects, people buy them, you make money. (You don’t have to sell them… but well, that’s kinda the point, right?)

I’m curious what you guys think about this sort of thing. I’m well aware of its negative aspects; I’m wondering about the positives.

• Is this sort of thing useful to people in fast-paced production environments? Or does it essentially amount to clip art for mographers?
• Have you ever used readymade precomps in a project? Did you feel dirty? Were you heralded for your efficiency?
• Is purchasing a precomp from a site like this different than repurposing a precomp from an old project of your own?

Sites like Rerendered touch on sensitive subjects, most notably the issue of authorship, about which motion graphics artists are fiercely protective. That attitude is less prevalent in the interactive world, perhaps because its growth has been fueled by sharing (both consensually and otherwise) the code and design conventions upon which the web is built.

Conversely, the worlds of film and TV production are so wrapped up in issues of authorship that it can bring Hollywood to its knees. Is motion graphics on a continuum between these two extremes?

NOTE: I sat on this post for a while, but I’m genuinely curious about this. Thanks in advance for your thoughtful responses.