Clearance and Copyright: Everything the Independent Filmmaker Needs to Know (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The business end of independent filmmaking is laid out clearly and concisely . . . The contract models are alone worth the price." -- Hollywood Reporter, Novemeber 20, 2003

Product Description

Now fully and extensively revised, updated, and expanded, this well-written, legalese-free guide provides filmmakers with essential advice on almost every conceivable rights issue they might encounter: from the initial acquisition of material through the rights situations that arise in preproduction, production, postproduction, and final release. Armed with this book, filmmakers can protect themselves and their work from disastrous legal actions and save thousands of dollars in legal fees. CLEARANCE AND COPYRIGHT, the first book devoted to the clearance and copyright issues that affect the film and video community, is a must read for all filmmakers – producers, directors, screenwriters – whether they make features, shorts, documentaries, or music videos.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Silman-James Press; 2 Rev Upd edition (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187950572X
• ISBN-13: 978-1879505728
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #260,831 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have for Indy Filmmakers, February 10, 2004

By	Phillip Glau "Phil Glau" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are serious about making films and in particular documentaries, this is a great book and valuable resource. I can't count the number of times I've consulted it.

It clears up a great deal of the myths surrounding 'fair use' and 'pubic domain'. Many filmmakers wrongly consider a wide variety of things as 'fair use' or 'public domain' and would be well advised to read this book before rolling a frame of film or video on anything bigger than a home movie.

It covers privacy rights, music rights (yes, you must pay/clear ALL music that you use except under the most rarest of circumstances. Even a couple of notes from a popular song could result in an expensive injunction against your film.), clearances and issues related to copyright.

The 20 buck you'll spend on this book will save you thousands in legal fees down the road when it comes time to actually show your film outside of your house, be it a film festival, TV distribution, or theatrically. The mistakes you avoid could well mean the difference between acquiring E&O insurance and having your film sit on the shelf due to clearance problems.

The writing is simple and straight forward and is an easy read for those who might shy away from books on legal issues. While not as in-depth as a Westlaw book or other scholarly legal tome, it provides relevant citations to important cases. It assumes the reader is intelligent but not trained in law.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable resource for film makers, June 29, 2007

By	Galatia Films (Clemson, SC, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book gets constant use in my library. As a documentary film maker and owner of a production company, Donaldson's sound advice gives us security knowing that we have completed the proper steps to secure our rights and the rights for "borrowed" film clips used within our documentaries.

It is written in clear everyday language so no need to fear the legal-ease. Clearance and Copyright is an invaluable resource for production companies and film makers alike.

4.0 out of 5 stars Indie Filmmakers need this for their libraries, July 22, 2009

By	Coolbert (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews

As an Independent Filmmaker, this was one of the first books I purchased when I was starting out. Invaluable is an understatement. Basic Templates are given for most of the basic forms needed. Clear explanantion of copyright, trademark, music, hiring, etc is given. I've found that you never know enough on any of those subjects and this book is an excellent starting point. If I can understand it, anybody can. Recommended.