Cinema Law: Can I Fictionalize A Reality TV Idea Without Infringing Its Copyright?
Q: I wrote a novel about a fictional reality TV dating show that bears similarities to The Bachelor and other similar shows....Cinema Law: What Are Your Options When You’re Fired From A Job Before It Even Begins?
Q: I was booked as a makeup artist on a production for the month of August. I signed a written employment contract...
Cinema Law: Does Your School Own Your Student Film?
When I was in film school many years ago, a rumor developed that the school owned the films we made there, stripping...
Cinema Law: Should I Write a Season of TV For a Producer Without Upfront Compensation?
Q: A producer recently approached me with a finished pilot script and asked me to write the rest of the first season...
Cinema Law: What to Put in A Life Rights Contract
Q: I’m friends with a semi-famous musician and she’s helping me writing a biopic about her life. I was told that I...Cinema Law: What You Should Know About Using Other Peoples’ Quotes in Your Film
Q: I’m making a film and I’d like to use a quote from a famous person in the script. Are quotes considered...
Cinema Law: Getting the (Screenwriting) Credit You Deserve, For WGA Members and Non-Members Alike
Q: Is there some way to ensure that I receive a “written by” or “screenplay by” credit when the client is not...
More Than You Bargain For: Negotiating With Talent 101
I used to be terrified of negotiating—my instinct was to immediately acquiesce and avoid the hassle. So when I meet moviemakers in...
Cinema Law: What Are Your Rights When Filming a Criminal?
Q: As a producer, what are my rights when filming a documentary subject as he confronts a criminal about a past crime...Cinema Law: What You Should Know When Working with Someone Else’s Characters
Q: Who owns the copyright to a script when it’s based off someone else’s originally created characters? Should the screenwriter register the...
Guide 2018
Summer 2017
Spring 2017
Winter 2017
Guide 2017
Year in MovieMaker
Inside the Issue: Best Of
The Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada 2017: Film Programs to Shape You Into the Next Moviemaking All-Star
Perhaps you’re someone who dreams of a career in moviemaking, and has come to the realization that the discipline, experimentation and personal relationships that flourish in an...8Inside the Issue: Cinematography
What’s in Your Kit? The Underwater Gear Used in Jeff Orlowski’s Gorgeous Environmental Doc Chasing Coral
How do you show irrefutable proof that the world’s coral reefs are rapidly dying due to climate change? Director Jeff Orlowski’s feature Chasing Coral follows an...2Inside the Issue: Directing
Of Bad Apes and Twisted Revenge: Matt Reeves, Steve Zahn, Weta Digital and Others on War for the Planet of the Apes
Actor Steve Zahn—known for his roles in That Thing You Do, Riding in Cars With Boys, and Dallas Buyers Club—once stumbled onto an online post about...