* You have an idea you want to pitch to a production company; how do you safeguard your concept? * There's a painting in the background of your independent film; is it necessary to clear the rights? * The screenplay you and a friend wrote gets optioned; how do you split the proceeds fairly? * How do you get a script to popular Hollywood actors or deal with their agents? Find quick answers to these and hundreds of other questions in The Pocket Lawyer for Film and Video, the next best thing to having an entertainment attorney at your beck and call. Written by a TV-producer-turned-entertainment-lawyer, this no-nonsense reference provides fast answers in plain English: no law degree required! The Pocket Lawyer is designed to help producers reduce legal costs by providing the vital information needed to make informed decisions on the legal aspects of film, video, and TV productions. Film and video production is a litigation lighting rod: actors get hurt, copyrights are infringed, and contracts are broken. Big-budget producers have lawyers on retainer, but many independent filmmakers are left legally exposed. Arm yourself with the practical advice in this book. You will not only avoid common pitfalls, but become empowered in your daily work. Too many otherwise competent producers turn over every aspect of the deal negotiations to their lawyers and agents. This book explains the principal deals common to every production, putting producers back in the co-pilot seat with their representatives. The format is carefully designed for quick reference, so you get the answers you need, fast. Features include: * Clause Companion: explains the meaning and impact of typical contract clauses, taking the headache out of reading them. * F.A.Qs: instantly answers the most commonly asked legal questions. * Warnings: alerts you to critical areas and common mistakes. * Pro-Tips: advice on unions, escrow accounts, etc. for producers who want to distribute their video widely.

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.

* How can you use a state's film tax credits to fund your film? SEE PAGE 63. * You have an idea you want to pitch to a production company; how do you safeguard your concept? SEE PAGE 77. * How can you fund your production with product placement? SEE PAGE 157. * How do you get a script to popular Hollywood actors and deal with their agents? SEE PAGE 222. Find quick answers to these and hundreds of other questions in this new edition of The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers. This no-nonsense reference provides fast answers in plain English-no law degree required! Arm yourself with the practical advice of author Thomas Crowell, a TV-producer-turned-entertainment-lawyer. This new edition features: * New sections on product placement, film tax credits and production incentive financing, Letters of Intent, and DIY distribution (four-walling, YouTube, Download-to-own, Amazon.com, iTunes, and Netflix) * Updated case law * Even more charts and graphics to help you find the information you need even more quickly. This book is the next best thing to having an entertainment attorney on retainer!

Everyday Law for Actors is a resource and reference book, providing both professional working actors, and those who aspire to be, with clear, easy-to-read information about the everyday laws they need to know. The book is intended for actors just starting out, for those who have been making a living at acting for a long time, and for every actor in between. All actors can benefit from knowing more about the everyday law that affects their trade. Even well-established "stars" with a full team of lawyers, agents, managers, and business managers will still find this book useful because they can learn all about that "legalese" and "business mumbo jumbo" that maybe they never fully understood. Everyday Law for Actors features short chapters, numerous examples of legal principles in plain, understandable language, practical explanations about contract provisions and how to negotiate them, and useful and concise information about actors' unions, working with agents and managers, employment laws, landlord-tenant laws, and more. Actors are artists. But actors must also be smart business people. They don't call it "show business" for nothing. With this book in hand, actors will be much better prepared to work the "business" side of "show business," and will have easy reference in one manageable volume to the wide variety of legal information they need to advance their careers.

* How can you use a state's film tax credits to fund your film? SEE PAGE 63. * You have an idea you want to pitch to a production company; how do you safeguard your concept? SEE PAGE 77. * How can you fund your production with product placement? SEE PAGE 157. * How do you get a script to popular Hollywood actors and deal with their agents? SEE PAGE 222. Find quick answers to these and hundreds of other questions in this new edition of The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers. This no-nonsense reference provides fast answers in plain English-no law degree required! Arm yourself with the practical advice of author Thomas Crowell, a TV-producer-turned-entertainment-lawyer. This new edition features: * New sections on product placement, film tax credits and production incentive financing, Letters of Intent, and DIY distribution (four-walling, YouTube, Download-to-own, Amazon.com, iTunes, and Netflix) * Updated case law * Even more charts and graphics to help you find the information you need even more quickly. This book is the next best thing to having an entertainment attorney on retainer!

This book is for working film/TV professionals and students alike. If you're a line producer, production manager, production supervisor, assistant director or production coordinator--the book has everything you'll need (including all the forms, contracts, releases and checklists) to set up and run a production--from finding a production office to turning over delivery elements. Even if you know what you're doing, you will be thrilled to find everything you need in one place. If you're not already working in film production, but think you'd like to be, read the book -- and then decide. If you choose to pursue this career path, you'll know what to expect, you'll be prepared, and you'll be ten steps ahead of everyone else just starting out. New topics and information in the fourth edition include: * Low-budget independent films, including documentaries and shorts * Information specific to television production and commercials * The industry's commitment to go green and how to do it * Coverage of new travel and shipping regulations * Updated information on scheduling, budgeting, deal memos, music clearances, communications, digital production, and new forms throughout