The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers: A Legal Toolkit for Independent Producers

If you are already doing some form of video production, relax! This is not about how to set up your shot. It's all about what you're planning, and how you intend to get everything done BEFORE you even take your camera out of the bag. There is an edge that's tabbed in black ink on the side, like the old dictionaries; the idea is that you will be able to look at the back cover, and find your section, then open up in the right part of the book.Something I thought was rather interesting about this title can be found on page 262. In the grey box, he reminds the reader that while it's typical to have post production assigned a share of the take for a film, that you need to watch out for those contracts that try to sneak in language that assigns the copyright as well...essentially the post production house legally steals your film.It's also not a boilerplate contract book. This actually breaks down what the elements of a production company is; he goes into how to write language that actually protects the "idea", and the film, so that along the way it can't be wrested from you at distribution.Another example is on page 92, he goes into the bullet points of Ownership Rights, and asks who is responsible for what part, and in turn-what part does that person own of the finished product you produce. There is also an explanation of why it's so critically important on the larger projects to invest your time, and create a production company to lock it all down.It's in plain English, and for those with legal exposure or training, you'll be happy to know that where needed, he cites why explicitly, and references the chapter and verse.So rather than a cookie cutter one size fits all approach, you actually learn what you need to choose what's important to your project, and set things up from the start to keep things aligned with your vision, and establish relationships that are all focused on the bringing of the idea to the screen-without making you feel like you've just sold yourself down the river.

Informative? Absolutely. Is it the best information? The only way to know for sure is to put it to the test, which I'm actively doing now.Updates as my movie making career progresses.

While not a lawyer, I have been through the legal process before when it comes to intellectual property. So when I read this book, it made me wish I had picked it up years ago -- it would have saved me from a lot of mistakes I made the first time around. Pocket Lawyer can be used as a reference when any legal questions come up, but it is written in an easy-going style so I was able to read it cover to cover, and picked up a lot of information that I might never have even thought to look up. I recommend every filmmaker read this book BEFORE they start their next film (or as soon as possible) to avoid a lot of headaches later down the road.

This is a very comprehensive book on film law. It covers literally everything you need to know about forming the business, hiring, distributing and marketing, etc. I am learning loads of things and taking vigorous notes. Will keep me from searching the internet high and low to find some things out. Highly recommend

Absolutely great outline of all legal aspects of filmmaking. The book essentially boils down to the lesson: Get a professional. When attempting to navigate the legal matters of copyright, funding a movie, forming a production company, or anything, the book comprehensively illustrates the details if you'd like to do so yourself, but stressed the importance of getting an actual lawyer (and where to find them) to help you perform these actions.It also does well in being a legal reference for your permissions on location shooting.

I only got this book for an entertainment law class. I wouldn't find myself sitting around reading it for pleasure, but it does have pretty good information so that artists won't get messed over in legal dealings. I gave it four stars because it is available on Kindle, which is always a plus to a student such as myself.

I have been independently studying entertainment law, especially contracts, and find this book to coincide well with what I have been learning. I feel this book will save me a lot of time as I move forward with making my own films and am so glad I found it! If you are looking for a book of contracts, this is not the book for you; however, if you want help understanding contracts and various legal aspects pertaining to filmmaking, this is the best book I have come across!

This book is a fantastic resource for any kind of quick advice anywhere near the laws and legalities of the video production world.Great for general information, and so useful.Obviously, a lawyer is still a good idea for any ambitious filmmakers, however this book is a good way to know what you are getting into and for beginning/intermediate filmmakers.

This book is top-rated on the Amazon US web site and I can see now why. The author takes the approach of highlighting "deal points" - the main negotiating points you should look out for when handling a legal situation. Yes, this book covers US law, nevertheless it is extremely useful even in the UK. For a start, if you're a producer then you should be aware of US law anyway since they will probably become a significant customer. Secondly, many of the points mentioned in the book are generic enough to cover each area in a way that is sufficiently useful even in the UK. The bottom-line is that this book helps the producer appreciate the important legal and deal points whilst at the same time having a lawyer to hand to cover the detailed groundwork and write-up the contract. So read this book as soon as you can. It's VERY clearly laid out and referenced and uses simple enough language to make it an easy read. The book purposely has no legal forms; as the author warns, these should be tailored for each individual deal by your lawyer. Keep in mind that these types of books don't cover every aspect of the law that a lawyer would be aware of and that the law changes rapidly, making any book out of date by the time it is published.

This book is packed with hard-to-find information and it's indispensable for any independent filmmaker. It saves you a lot of money, and helps you to budget and pre-negotiate contracts. You'll probably still need a good entertainment lawyer to finalize your contracts but this should help you save at least 80% of lawyers' fees.

Very upset as arrived in very poor condition as was a gift.