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The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers: A Legal Toolkit for Independent Producers book cover

3rd Edition

The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers A Legal Toolkit for Independent Producers

By Thomas A. Crowell, Esq. Copyright 2023
546 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

546 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

546 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
This no-nonsense reference helps independent filmmakers recognize and solve the critical legal issues they might face throughout the course of making a film. Author Thomas A. Crowell, TV producer turned entertainment lawyer, will help you to understand and negotiate crucial production contracts, handle actors and their agents, and navigate the perils of copyright infringement and other... Read more

Part 1. Introduction

Part 2. Legal Building Blocks: Contract and Intellectual Property

1. Copyright and Intellectual Property

2. The Contract Engine

Part 3. The Production Company and Financing Your Movie

3. Setting Up the Production Company

4. Your Professional Team

5. Financing Your Movie

6. Film Tax Credits and Other Production Incentives

Part 4. Development: Creating, Acquiring, and Managing the Film Property

7. Idea Rights: Protecting Your Pitches and Avoiding Idea "Theft"

8. Creating a Screenplay

9. Acquiring Screenplay Rights

10. Chain of Title: The Care and Feeding of Your Copyright

Part 5. Pre-Production

11. Production Services & Co-Productions

12. Product Placement & Sponsorship

13. Hiring Cast and Crew: Federal and State Labor and Employment Laws

14. Above the Line: Producers and Directors

15. Below the Line: Crew Services Agreements

16. Performers

Part 6. Production

17. Extras and Depiction Releases

18. Locations

19. On-set IP Infringement

Part 7. Post-Production

20. Post-Production Staff

21. Music

22. Film Clips and Stock Footage

23. Credits and Copyright Notice

Part 8. Distribution

24. Preparing for Distribution

25. Theatrical Distribution

26. Putting Your Film Online

Part 9. Conclusion

Appendix A: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Intellectual Property Law

Appendix B: The Clause Companion

Bibliography and Resources

Biography

Thomas A. Crowell, Esq., is a practicing lawyer and law professor specializing in entertainment law and intellectual property rights issues. He is the editor of the Focal Press Pocket Lawyer series and author of The Pocket Lawyer for Comic Book Creators (Focal Press, 2014). For more information, see www.ThomasCrowell.com

"…an excellent, potentially career-saving resource." – Back Stage Magazine

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