Entertainment Lawyers, Film Sales Representatives and Securing Movie Distribution
Posted: Thursday, September 22, 2011
by Sid Kali
Slice of Americana Films
The amount of paperwork involved with producing a movie is a pain in the ass. All of it needs to be legally acceptable when it’s time to deal with film deliverables. This part of being a filmmaker is probably the least enjoyable part of the whole process. It helps if your movie budget can cover the cost of hiring an entertainment lawyer to make sure all your film paperwork is solid.
Sloppy or missing paperwork causes problems for producers down the road when it comes time to sell their movie to a distributor. A movie distribution company has an entertainment lawyer that goes over all submitted paperwork. They expect you to be able to produce signed talent agreements, certificate of employment agreements (work for hire), music license, chain of title report, US copyright forms and other paperwork.
Having to go back to chase actors and crew down to sign missing agreements is a big hassle. People move, change contact information or might not want to deal with a producer after a movie is done depending on what happened during filming. Going back to cast and crew to sign agreements can hold up or stop a movie from being sold. It’s better to get actor agreements and other needed movie paperwork done as soon as possible.
Film deliverables can be overwhelming for an independent movie producer that has never been through it before. Distribution companies ask for a lot of paperwork. Another major ally besides an entertainment attorney is to hire a film sales representative (aka producer representative) early so they can help get you prepared to deal with paperwork. They sell movies to distributors and understand what you’ll need to provide while negotiating you the best deal (getting you paid).
It’s easy to get caught up in only focusing on the creative side of making movies. That type of thinking can open the door wide open for paperwork errors to happen that can keep you from selling your movie. Being a filmmaker is cool as long as you still pay attention to the business area of producing and selling movies. I’m learning something new producing Psoro with U.K. based LiarDice Films and Graphic Delusions.
The U.K. has different copyright laws and paperwork compared to the U.S. I’m used to seeing agreements that require a social security number or Employer Identification Number (EIN) also known as a Federal Tax Identification. The U.K. term told to me by Psoro director Wayne Daniells escapes me right now it’s been a long weekend. But the U.K. has different names for what’s required on U.S. paperwork.
No matter how creative of a filmmaker you are it’s important to put the same effort into making sure all your paperwork is signed and has the proper language like work for hire etc. Going back to do it after your movie is shot is taking a huge gamble. Entertainment lawyers, film sales representatives and securing movie distribution all go together to help you make the most money from your hard work as possible. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE TO BLACK
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