Cinema Law: Big Star, No Money

By Chad Fitzgerald
URL: http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/item/cinema_law_big_star_no_money_20090902/
Q: I’m an independent moviemaker currently in development on a new project. We are speaking to a pretty well-known star but don’t have the budget to necessarily pay the actor up front, so he’s requested we pay him on the back end with participation fees, residuals, etc. However, what if my movie doesn’t do well or doesn’t ever see distribution? How do I ensure that I don’t get sued by the talent? What can I do to protect myself from this?