All posts by Gregory R. Kanaan
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Cinema Law: Enforcing Your Rights (When They Haven’t Been Paid For)
Q: I did CGI work for a film and our contract states that they don’t acquire the copyright in my work until... -
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...
Winter 2019
Guide 2019
Summer 2018
Spring 2018
25th Anniversary
Year in MovieMaker
Inside the Issue: Acting
Things I’ve Learned as a Moviemaker: Mads Mikkelsen
From Star Wars to Marvel, from prestige TV (Hannibal) to high-profile Oscar contenders (At Eternity’s Gate), Mads Mikkelsen can be seen stretching his dramatic skills across the board these...Inside the Issue: Directing
The 2019 MovieMaker Sundance Survey: Eleven Sundance-Selected Films, and Their Mountain-Bound Makers
The 35th Sundance Film Festival received a record-breaking 14,000-plus submissions, with 4,000-plus feature-length films among them. Of the 112 features selected, 45 of their makers were first-timers. The fest’s...1Inside the Issue: How To
Breaking and Entering, Part One: How To Shoot Down Self-Doubt and Pay the Rent While Making It In the Film Industry
Becoming a moviemaker seemed like an impossibly ambitious goal when I was growing up. I was living in Brazil, watching bootleg copies of David Cronenberg films and, with...