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

    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 lawsuits. Updated throughout to address important changes to the law, and incorporating discussion of online distribution, crowd funding, social media marketing, and international productions, this expanded third edition will provide you with the skills to:

    • Protect the copyright to your work.

    • Finance your film and watch out for common financing traps.
    • Understand how tax credits and other incentives are used in film financing.
    • Work with other screenwriters, and protect your script ideas.
    • Adapt a book or comic into a screenplay.
    • Know how to spot the difference between copyright infringement and fair use.
    • Hire crew members, actors, and post-production staff.
    • Draft a production services agreement or a license to use someone else’s work.
    • License music for soundtracks.
    • Negotiate a distribution agreement or understand how to distribute your film alone.
    • Learn how to best position your film for Netflix.
    • Make money from YouTube.

    And much more!

    Written for accessibility and ease of reference, this book is a vital resource for any student or independent filmmaker wanting their films to be successful and free of legal disasters.

    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