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...
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Year in MovieMaker
Inside the Issue: Acting
Flash Forward: Grace Van Patten Takes a Leap into the Unknown in David Robert Mitchell’s Under the Silver Lake
Many actors will tell you that when you read a great script, you just know. But for Grace Van Patten, it was actually not knowing that...1Inside the Issue: Directing
Success in Succession: Matteo Garrone Shot Dogman Entirely in Sequence to Put Viewers in His Character’s Shoes
I wrote the script for my new film, Dogman, 12 years ago, and during those years I changed it many times, arriving at six or seven...Inside the Issue: How To
Journalism Plus: How Hail Satan?, The Brink, and Leaving Neverland Blend Truth-Seeking With Cinematic Storytelling
“Journalism Plus” is how Academy Award-winning moviemaker Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) characterizes making documentaries. If you’re a documentarian, you may not have a degree or credentials in...8