Front Cover -- Copyright -- Table of Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- About This Book -- A Chronology: From Idea to Academy Awards -- PART 1 MAKING A FILM COMPANY TO MAKE A MOVIE -- 1. Preparing to Make a Film -- A. Who Is the Filmmaker? -- 1. Independent vs. Guerrilla Filmmaking -- 2. Independent vs. Studio Filmmaking -- 3. The Filmmaker's Team -- B. Selecting the Scale -- C. Planning -- 1. Planning for Distribution 9 -- 2. Planning for the Filmmaker's Future 10 -- 3. Planning Beyond the Film -- D. Choosing to Make a Film -- 2. The Film Company -- A. Sole Proprietorship -- 1. Benefits of the Sole Proprietorship -- 2. Risks of the Sole Proprietorship -- 3. Using a DBA with a Sole Proprietorship -- B. General Partnerships -- 1. Legal Presumption of Forming General Partnerships -- 2. Formalizing and Structuring General Partnership -- 3. Risks of General Partnerships -- 4. Tax Status of General Partnerships -- C. Limited Partnerships -- 1. Participants in Limited Partnerships -- 2. Risks of Limited Partnerships -- 3. Tax Status of Limited Partnerships -- D. Corporations -- 1. Participants in Corporations -- 2. Risks of Operating as a Corporation -- 3. Tax Status of Corporations -- E. Limited Liability Companies -- 1. Forming the LLC -- 2. Risks of the LLC -- 3. Tax Status of the LLC -- F. Choosing the Best Structure -- G. The Nested-LLC Model for Continuity and Protection -- 1. The Umbrella Company Organized for Multiple Projects -- 2. The Subsidiary Company Organized as an Investment Vehicle for the Film -- 3. Duties of the Film Company -- A. Financial Accounting and Responsibility -- 1. Planning -- 2. Record Keeping -- 3. Accountability -- 4. Reporting -- B. Fiduciary Obligations -- 1. Duty of Loyalty -- 2. Disclosure and Approval for Conflicts of Interest -- 3. Duty of Care -- C. Employer Obligations -- 1. Hiring.

2. Employment Status: Independent Contractors and Employees -- 3. Employment Status: Exempt or Salaried Employees -- 4. Tax and Withholding Status -- 5. Loan-Out Employment Services -- 6. Profit Participants -- D. Decision Making -- E. Business Continuity -- 4. The Property of the Film Company: The Film Concept -- A. Sources -- 1. Original Ideas -- 2. True Events -- 3. Novels and Short Stories -- 4. Song Titles and Music -- 5. Stage Plays -- 6. Movies -- 7. Comic Books -- 8. Video Games and Web Sites -- B. Copyright Limitations on Source Material -- 1. Exclusive Rights Under Copyright -- 2. The Term of U.S. Copyright and the Public Domain -- 3. Copyright as a Barrier to the Film -- 4. Subject Matter of Copyright -- 5. Ideas -- 6. Other Matters Not Protected by Copyright -- C. Other Legal Limitations on Source Material -- 1. Trademarks -- 2. Misappropriation and Idea Protection -- 3. Defamation -- 4. False Light Privacy Invasion -- 5. Matters of Private Concern and Intrusion into Seclusion -- 6. Publicity Rights -- D. Literary Tools: Treatments, Storyboards, and Screenplays -- 1. Treatments and Synopses -- 2. Storyboards -- 3. Screenplays -- E. Protecting the Filmmaker's Property -- 1. Copyright Protection for the Unpublished Screenplay -- 2. Writers Guild Registration -- 3. Film Titles -- 5. Contracts -- A. Purchasing a Literary Property -- 1. Identification of the Copyright Holder -- 2. Negotiations for the Motion Picture Rights -- (a.) The Scope of Rights -- (b.) Participation of the Literary Property Rights Holder -- (c.) The Risk of Noncompletion of the Filmmaker's Project -- (d.) The Discretion of the Filmmaker -- (e.) The Amount of -- (e.) The Amount of Money Being Paid for the Rights -- 3. Provisions of the Purchase Agreement -- 4. Option Agreement Provisions -- 5. "Based Upon" Provisions for Synopsis and Treatment Submissions.

B. Submission Agreements -- 1. Significant Terms of a Submission Agreement -- 2. Solicited Ideas and the Nondisclosure Agreement -- 3. Submissions by Joint Authors -- C. Contracting and the Authority of the Filmmaker -- 1. Identifying the Authority in the Project -- 2. The Limits of Form Agreements -- 3. What Can Be Standard in an Agreement? -- 4. Assigning the Filmmaker's Story Rights -- D. Boilerplate: Understanding the Rest of the Contract -- 1. Term and Renewal -- 2. Warranties and Representations of the -- 3. Indemnification -- 4. Resolution of Disputes -- 5. Assignment -- 6. Amendments -- 7. Severability -- 8. Entire Agreement -- 9. No Obligation -- 10. No Partnership or Joint Venture -- 11. Further Documents -- 12. Notices -- 13. Governing Law -- 14. Signature Line -- 6. Financing the Film Project -- A. Survey of Financing Tools -- B. Financing Based on Distribution Deals and Presale Arrangements -- 1. Cash Deals -- 2. Negative Pick-Up -- 3. Distribution Guarantee -- 4. Foreign Distributors, Markets, and Territories -- 5. Studios -- C. Cash Management of Sales Financing -- 1. Film Lenders -- 2. General Commercial Loans -- D. Nonprofit Financing -- 1. Sources for Nonprofit Financing -- 2. Fiscal Sponsorships -- 3. Partnership Projects and Agenda-Based Films -- 4. Accounting and Accountability -- E. Other Opportunities for Financing and Cost Management -- 1. Product Placements -- 2. Sale of Incentive Tax Credits -- 3. Noncash Contributions -- F. Self-Financing the Production -- 1. Guerrilla Financing: Discretionary Money and Gifts -- 2. Personal Debt: Credit Cards and Home Loans -- G. Financing the Film Company: Organizing the Operating Agreement -- 1. Business of the Company -- 2. Control -- 3. Personal Obligation of the Filmmaker -- 4. Project Milestones -- 5. Management Fees -- 6. Wrap-Up of Ownership.

7. Deferred Compensation for Some Participants -- 8. Limitations on the Managers -- 7. Budgeting -- A. Purpose of the Budget -- 1. Independent Review of the Budget -- 2. The Budget as the First Disclosure Document -- 3. Working and Reworking the Budget -- 4. Budget Coverage -- B. When Not to Disclose the Budget -- C. Anatomy of a Budget -- 1. Deferred Compensation -- 2. Special Considerations: Music -- 3. Special Considerations: Low-Budget Union Agreements -- D. Managing Risk: Contingency, Insurance, and Completion Bond Requirements -- 1. Insurance Coverage -- 2. Completion Bond -- E. Contingent Fees -- 8. The Investors' Package -- A. Prerequisites to Soliciting Investments -- 1. Basic Requirements and the Meaning of "Disclosure": Making a Federal Case Out of Film Financing -- 2. Overview of Federal Securities Restrictions -- 3. Exemptions for Certain Types of Securities Transactions -- 4. Additional Filing Required Under State Securities Law -- B. Requirements for Creating Nonpublic Offerings -- 1. LLC or Financing Agreement -- 2. Private Placement Memoranda -- 3. Contingent Planning -- 4. Other Documents -- C. Optional Information -- 1. Director and Cast Information -- 2. Distribution Information -- 3. Comparisons with Other Films -- D. Getting Hold of the Money -- 1. Escrow Accounts -- 2. Waivers -- PART 2 FILMING THE MOVIE: PREPRODUCTION AND PRODUCTION -- 9. Assembling the Production Team -- A. Unique Opportunities as an Independent Filmmaker -- B. Who, What, and When to Hire -- C. Introduction to the Key Unions -- 1. Unions' Benefits for Hollywood -- 2. Union Representation and Eligibility -- 3. Union Members Prohibited from Nonunion Work -- 4. Listing of Key Unions -- D. Screen Credit -- 1. Union Requirements -- 2. Optional Suggestions -- 3. Credits as a Marketable Commodity -- E. Compensation Packages: Making the Deals.

1. Salaries and Per Diems -- 2. Deferrals -- 3. Profit Participation -- 4. Union-Defined Minimums -- F. Control During Production -- 1. Artistic Control -- 2. Management Control -- 3. Resources to Outsource -- G. Insurance -- 1. Workers' Compensation -- 2. Property Damage Liability Insurance and Auto Insurance -- 3. Equipment Insurance -- 4. Errors and Omissions Insurance -- 5. Other Coverage -- 10. The Key Members of the Independent Film Company -- A. The Producer -- 1. Job of the Producer -- 2. If the Producer Is Not the Filmmaker -- 3. How to Select -- 4. Deals for the Producer -- B. The Writer -- 1. Job of the Writer -- (a.) Spec Script -- (b.) Original Screenplay -- (c.) Nonoriginal Screenplay -- (d.) Rewrites and Polishes -- 2. Protecting the Filmmaker as Story Writer -- 3. How to Select -- 4. The Role of the Union -- 5. Deals for the Writer -- C. The Director -- 1. Job of the Director -- 2. How to Select -- 3. The Role of the Union -- 4. Deals for the Director -- D. The Production Team -- 1. Jobs of the Unit Production Manager and First Assistant Director -- 2. How to Select -- 3. Deals for the Production Team -- E. Cast -- 1. The Actor -- (a.) Casting Directors -- (b.) Breakdown Services -- 2. Talent Agents and Managers -- 3. Advertisements -- 4. Auditions and Casting -- 5. The Role of the Union -- 6. Extras -- 7. Deals for the Actors -- 11. Equipment and Locations -- A. Types of Equipment and Contracts -- 1. Cameras and Lights -- 2. Firearms and Other Weapons -- 3. Stunts and Special Effects -- 4. "Renting a Crew Member" -- B. Selecting Locations -- 1. Use of the Soundstage -- 2. On-Location Shooting -- 3. Permits and Requirements -- C. Tax Incentives for Location Shooting -- 12. Shooting the Film -- A. Scheduling -- B. Preparing Locations -- 1. Working the Neighborhood -- 2. Closing Streets -- C. Daily Production Requirements.

1. Set Preparation: Utilities Basics.