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 The 4th Edition is Here!

 Dealmaking in the Film & TV  
 Industry
(4th Edition, 2016)

 By: Mark Litwak

 Dealmaking is the first "self-defense" book for everyone working in the film and television industry. Addressing a general, non-attorney readership, it is a fascinating, highly accessible guide to current entertainment law's peculiarities, "creative" practices, and practical applications.

The Fourth Edition updates the existing text and adds more than 100 pages of new material covering changes occurring in the movie industry such as the growth of new media outlets like Netflix and You Tube.

Book only                                                                           $ 37.95
Contract templates on CD-R only                                 $ 42.00    
Book + Contract templates on CD-R                            $ 70.95

Templates are fully editable in Microsoft Word.

An earlier edition of this book is also available in the Korean language. Contact  our office to order.


Dealmaking in the Film & TV Industry

AWARDS

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Dealmaking (1st Edition) was the Winner of 1995 Kraszna-Krausz Foundation Award

The Kraszna-Krausz Foundation was created by Andor Kraszna-Krausz, the founder of Focal Press. Since 1985 the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation Book Awards have been the UK’s leading prizes for books on photography and the moving image. Winning books have been those which make original and lasting educational, professional, historical, and cultural contributions to the field.

REVIEWS

Dealmaking is the first "self-defense" book for everyone working in the film and television industry. Addressing a general, non-attorney readership, it is a fascinating, highly accessible guide to current entertainment law's peculiarities, "creative" practices, and practical applications.

"There are bushels of legal details in this business that can drive the creative mind around the bend. Now there is a cure, Mark Litwak's Dealmaking In The Film & Television Industry is packed with checklists, contract formats, definitions, sample litigation, and advice on avoiding the pitfalls, and it's in plain, understandable American English! Hallelujah! Whether you are new to the business or have been through the mill, you will find this book thorough, concise and a lot better than two aspirin and a week in the country".
- Sara Duvall, Chair, Electric Shadow Productions; Executive Producer, Fried Green Tomatoes

"An indispensable guide for the Independent Filmmaker. Will save readers thousands of dollars in legal fees and help novices avoid pitfalls and become savvy dealmakers."
- Dov S-S Simens, President, Hollywood Film Institute

"The best overall guide to dealmaking I've seen. Solid information from a knowledgeable source."
- Gary Salt, Agent, President of Paul Kohner, Inc.


CONTRACTS

Depiction Release, Reversion
Depiction Release, Option
Depiction Release, Documentary Short-Form
Location Agreement
Sample Material/Photography/Artwork Release
Option & Literary Purchase Agreement
Shopping Agreement
Writer Employment Agreement
Director Employment Agreement
Actor Employment Agreement, SAG-AFTRA Theatrical Release
Actor Employment Agreement, Low-Budget, Non-Union Day Player
Rider to Day-Player Agreement
Extra Agreement with Extra Release
Line Producer Employment Agreement
Graphic Artist Employment Agreement
Collaboration Agreement
Submission Release
Synchronization and Sound Recording License, Television
Composer Agreement for Low-Budget Feature
Home Video Distribution Agreement
International Acquisition/Distribution Agreement
Attorney-Client Fee Contract
SAG Motion Picture/Television Agency Contract
Standard AFTRA Exclusive Agency Contract Under Rule 12-C
Management Agreement


CASE SUMMARIES

Desny v. Wilder
Blaustein v. Burton
Midler v. Ford Motor Company
Warner Bros. v. Columbia Broadcasting
Rossner v. CBS, Inc.
Rogers v. Grimaldi
Yadkoe v. Fields
Estate of Hemingway v. Random House
Sheldon v. Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corp.
Musto v. Meyer
Warner Bros. v. ABC
King v. CBS
Gross v. Seligman
Gilliam v. ABC
Hicks v. Casablanca Records
Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.
Motschenbacher v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
Youssoupoff v. MGM
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan
Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc.
Street v. NBC
Melvin v. Reid
Bernstein v. NBC
Gill v. Hearst Publishing
Spahn v. Julian Messner, Inc.
Leopold v. Levin
Allen v. National Video


TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE
 
1.            INTRODUCTION               
The American Film Industry        
The Movie Industry Then and Now         
The End of the Studio System   
A Unique Product           
Coping With Risk             
Managing a Creative Enterprise
 
2.            DEALMAKING   
Disincentives to Good Filmmaking           
Types of Contracts         
Contract Law as a Remedy for Story Theft           
Types of Deals  
 
3.            PERMISSION TO PORTRAY PEOPLE AND PLACES
Depiction and Location Releases              
Location Release             
 
4.            CLEARANCE OF RIGHTS
Copyright Search             
Errors and Omissions Insurance
Protection of Titles         
Identifiable Products, Locations, and Persons    
Film Clips
               
5.            LITERARY ACQUISITION AGREEMENTS  
Shopping            
 
6.            EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS  
Loan-Out Companies    
Independent Contractors Versus Employees     
Writers
WGA Credit Arbitration
Directors             
Actors  
Producers          
Crew and Other Employment    
 
7.            ADVICE FOR WRITERS, DIRECTORS, AND ACTORS             
Writers
How Writers Are Exploited         
Rights of Writers Guild Members             
Summary of WGA Basic Agreement       
Features             
Television           
Collaborating with Others           
Directors             
Rights of Directors Guild Members         
Creative Decisions          
Disclosure          
Deal Memo       
Hiring Crew        
Casting Sessions              
Facilities              
Stunts  
Dailies  
Post-Production              
Director’s Cut   
Protection Against False Story-Theft Claims        
Obscenity           
Actors  
Admission to SAG-AFTRA            
Guilds and Unions          
Notable SAG-AFTRA Rules          
Rights of SAG-AFTRA Members
 
8.            MUSIC 
Soundtracks      
Nature of Music Rights Needed               
Distribution of the Soundtrack Album    
 
9.            DISTRIBUTION  
The Difference Between Markets and Festivals
International Distribution
Borrowing Against Pre-Sales      
Domestic Distribution   
Service Deals    
Four Wall Releases         
New Media Distribution               
 Orchestrating the Distribution Deal        
Self-Defense Tips for Filmmakers            
Chain of Title     
Home Video Distribution             
 
10.          NEGOTIATING TACTICS AND STRATEGIES
Techniques to Induce a Studio to Make a Deal
               
11.          CREATIVE ACCOUNTING
Art Buchwald v. Paramount
Distributor Obligations  
Creative Accounting— Tricks of the Trade
               
12.          COPYRIGHT
Protecting Your Copyright and Title         
Copyright Basics              
Criteria for Copyright Protection              
The Four Criteria             
Copyright Notice             
The Rights of the Copyright Holder         
Limits on Copyright        
Ownership of Copyright               
Duration of Copyright   
Difference Between 1909 and 1976 Copyright Acts          
Copyright Registration and Deposit         
Advantages of Registration        
Preregistration 
Registration After Berne              
Requirement of Registration upon Publication  
Transfers of Copyright Interests               
Artist’s Moral Rights      
Writers Guild of America Registration
 
13.          THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND THE RIGHT OF PUBLICITY
               
14.          DEFAMATION OF PERSONS DEPICTED IN LITERARY WORKS
Constitutional Limitations            
Types of Defamation     
Publication         
Defenses and Privileges               
Public Figures and Public Officials
               
15.          THE RIGHT OF PRIVACY
Intrusion into One’s Private Affairs         
Public Disclosure of Embarrassing Private Facts 
Appropriation   
False Light          
 
16.          TRADEMARKS AND UNFAIR COMPETITION
Trademarks       
Creation of Trademark Rights    
The Federal Registration Process             
Benefits of Registration               
Grounds for Refusing Federal Registration          
Maintenance of the Mark           
Madrid Protocol
Unfair Competition
 
17.          REMEDIES          
Guild Remedies               
Arbitration         
Commencing AAA Arbitration   
Selecting an Arbitrator  
The Arbitration Hearing
After the Award              
IFTA Arbitration               
Commencing IFTA Arbitration   
IFTA Pre-Arbitration Settlement Procedure        
Arbitrator Fees
Litigation             
Jurisdiction
               
18.          RETAINING ATTORNEYS, AGENTS, AND MANAGERS  
Attorneys           
Agents 
Personal Managers
 
19.          GLOSSARY OF TERMS
 
20.          APPENDIX          
Books and Publications 
Bookstores        
Libraries              
Guilds, Associations, and Unions              
Protecting Titles              
Filmmaker Organizations             
Education
               
INDEX  
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Compatibility:
*CD-R (52X Speed; 700 MB disk) is compatible with any operating system that has a functional playback device. Contract Templates on CD-R are editable Microsoft Word documents that are compatible with any operating system that has a functional word processor capable of opening Microsoft Word documents.
Shipping and Sales Tax Information

Shipping & Handling:
Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery.
All orders are shipped Ground via UPS or FedEx.
For international orders and/or expedited shipping, please call 310-859-9595.
We only ship to street addresses. Sorry, no P.O. boxes.

Sales Tax:
All orders delivered outside the state of California are not subject to Sales tax.
All orders delivered within the state of California shall be subject to the current Sales Tax in your county.

ALL SALES ARE FINAL!

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