Last year, I wrote an article titled “Do Your Actors Own Your Film?” criticizing the decision of a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit that found an actress who performed a small role was likely to succeed in her copyright claim in the film. The Court accepted the premise that …
Mark Litwak will be conducting an all-day seminar in New York City on April 24th, 2015 called Self Defense for Writers and Filmmakers with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. For more information, click here.
Filmmakers and profit participants often complain about distributors that engage in creative bookkeeping. This is one area …
Middle Americans, a 2014 Independent Film Week alum (Emerging Storytellers – Web Series), celebrates the launch of its first season this week at a special premiere event in our Screen Forward series at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP. To celebrate the occasion, we spoke with series creator and co-star …
In a pre-sale agreement, a buyer licenses or pre-buys movie distribution rights for a territory before the film has been produced. The deal works something like this: Filmmaker Henry, or his sales agent, approaches Distributor Juan to sign a contract to buy the right to distribute Henry’s next film. Henry …
The documentary community converged in Queens this past Wednesday at the Museum of the Moving Image for the 8th Annual Cinema Eye Honors. In the days leading up to the ceremony, this year’s nominees were treated to a surprise Manhattan bus tour led by none other than Speed Levitch of …
Although father may not always know best, Goodbye to All That’s heartfelt and humorous look at a middle-age dad who, after an unpleasant divorce, is quickly thrown into a world of new opportunities (of the female variety) and struggles (concerns for his kin), proves that he most certainly tries. Director …
A reputable distributor should be willing to accept terms that protect a filmmaker’s interests. Many such provisions do not cost the distributor anything as long as the distributor lives up to the terms of its contract. A provision for interest on late payments, for example, costs the distributor nothing as …
If you haven’t heard, collective: unconscious, a new web series providing a look into the dreams of the filmmakers creating it, is set to premiere in the summer of 2015. If the name of collective: unconscious’ creator, Dan Schoenbrun, sounds familiar, there’s a reason for that. Dan previously served as Associate Director of …