Business and Legal Issues in Independent Feature Film Financing, Production, and Distribution

Navigating the legal issues and business decisions of filmmaking in the evolving marketplace can be a challenge for both independent filmmakers and their lawyers. This course is a film law primer that provides a general overview of the structure and sequence of financing, production, and distribution of independent films. While it informs lawyers of the specific documents necessary throughout the process, it also addresses the new business and legal choices for financing and distribution including crowd sourcing and self-distribution.

Here, attorney Marilyn G. Haft addresses the issues faced by attorneys advising independent feature filmmakers, and attorneys and entertainment industry professionals interested in the legal issues, nuances, and choices in the new world of film finance and avenues of distribution.    

Learning Objectives: 

I.     Gain a general overview of the structure and sequence of financing, producing, and distributing an independent feature film

II.    Identify the legal documents necessary at each step of the process

III.   Understand the new choices and methods of film finance from crowd funding to tax incentives and the legal issues regarding those choices

IV.   Comprehend the new methods and choices of film distribution, including new distribution portals and self-distribution