Do I need to get friends or potential crew members to sign some sort of release when I talk to them about the film I am working on? I think I heard somewhere that even if a friend makes a suggestion or helps out in some way like loans me a piece of gear, that they can claim some sort of rights to the film. I found the 588 forms website but am not sure which one I need. Something combined with an NDA would be ideal. Sorry if this has been answered 100's of times, Google wasn't helpful.
General Release / NDA / Copyright for discussions with crew or friends
- Thread starter marqus
- Start date
If your movie makes hundreds of millions of dollars people will come out of
the woodwork to claim some kind of responsibility and thus more compensation.
There is very little you can do to stop that. My wish for you is you have that
problem. That your movie makes so much money that everyone involved will
want a piece of the action.
A non disclosure agreement will not protect you if the friend who loans you a
piece of gear wants to claim some sort of rights to your film. In general discussions
with friends who offer suggestions it isn't usually practical to have them sign an
NDA but if that will make you more comfortable then by all means download and
have all your friends sign one.
When signing a deal memo with crew (and actors) payment and other compensation
should be clear. You can write whatever wording that makes you comfortable. Make
it very clear that the crew (and cast) will receive no other payment, points, residuals
or compensation no matter how much money your movie makes.
My advice is to look at a standard NDA and a Deal Memo and then rewrite it to
include everything you want your friends and potential crew members to agree to.
You can post it here for thoughts from those of us who works as crew on movies.
the woodwork to claim some kind of responsibility and thus more compensation.
There is very little you can do to stop that. My wish for you is you have that
problem. That your movie makes so much money that everyone involved will
want a piece of the action.
A non disclosure agreement will not protect you if the friend who loans you a
piece of gear wants to claim some sort of rights to your film. In general discussions
with friends who offer suggestions it isn't usually practical to have them sign an
NDA but if that will make you more comfortable then by all means download and
have all your friends sign one.
When signing a deal memo with crew (and actors) payment and other compensation
should be clear. You can write whatever wording that makes you comfortable. Make
it very clear that the crew (and cast) will receive no other payment, points, residuals
or compensation no matter how much money your movie makes.
My advice is to look at a standard NDA and a Deal Memo and then rewrite it to
include everything you want your friends and potential crew members to agree to.
You can post it here for thoughts from those of us who works as crew on movies.
Thank you, yes I hope I am in that situation as well. Is there anything that already exists? Basically the thing I need would be someone giving up any claims to copyright for me discussing the film with them, whether a friend or potential crew member that I am interviewing.
You're being a bit paranoid, maybe over protective is a better phrase. As he states you can tailor it to your liking, you might want to go to an entertainment attorney for that.
You will probably offend a lot of close friends if you have them sign it, you are going to them for trusted opinions and trust goes both ways.
Much like how a spouse feels with a pre-nup.
You will probably offend a lot of close friends if you have them sign it, you are going to them for trusted opinions and trust goes both ways.
Much like how a spouse feels with a pre-nup.
Im no vet but if your intent is to get the film distributed to make revenue then get papers in order. If it blows up on a hail mary fluke then cross that bridge if you get to it.
There is nothing that already exists. No one can claim copyright if they
don't have tangible proof of ownership. So a discussion does not give
anyone a copyright claim. No one can claim copyright if they hear details
in an interview.
However, if you are concerned then you need to do as I suggested. Write
your own NDA and have everyone you speak to sign it before you speak to
them. It may give you piece of mind. But it may come off as paranoid.
Loaning a piece of gear doesn't entitle someone to a copyright claim. At best they would be making a claim for what they should have earned in rental fees.
Stay away from accepting creative input like script writing contributions. Always register your script with the Library of Congress. Save computer files, which have date stamps. You own the copyrights when you affix whatever it may be into a tangible form (example: record audio, write and save on computer file, publish book, etc).
In the absence of a written agreement or back and forth emails it would be hard for someone to prove that they contributed creatively. He said / she said.
Stay away from accepting creative input like script writing contributions. Always register your script with the Library of Congress. Save computer files, which have date stamps. You own the copyrights when you affix whatever it may be into a tangible form (example: record audio, write and save on computer file, publish book, etc).
In the absence of a written agreement or back and forth emails it would be hard for someone to prove that they contributed creatively. He said / she said.
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