Is it Illegal to Film Someone Without Their Permission?

As a cinematographer, it’s important to know the laws and rules regarding film permits and filming legally in the area that you’re shooting in. Since state-by-state and city-to-city rules vary, it can be challenging to understand what is expected in each locale. You’re probably wondering, is it illegal to film someone without their permission? And […]
Screenplay Laws: What is a Collaboration Agreement?

The average screenplay requires a lot of hard work. Which is why many aspiring filmmakers will claim they want to write a screenplay. And will start many times, but will not finish. Often, the best screenplays are the result of several screenwriters collaborating with one another to produce the finished product. When two or more […]
How to Draft a Screenplay Collaboration Agreement & Why You Need One
How to Draft a Screenplay Collaboration Agreement & Why You Need One A screenplay collaboration agreement represents a written agreement that documents how parties will collaborate on the writing, and subsequent sharing of rights, to a screenplay. Whenever multiple parties are involved in the creation of a screenplay, a collaboration agreement is not only recommended. […]
Film Law: What Is a “Work for Hire Agreement”?

If you’re a filmmaker, or screenplay writer, there’s a very strong likelihood that you’ve experienced situations in the past in which the work that you did was owned not by you, but by your employer, as a result of standard U.S. copyright laws. In fact, production companies in the film industry rely heavily on U.S. […]
Is a Work Made for Hire Clause Really Necessary on Film Projects?

As a filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, or anyone else involved in the production of a film, who owns the right to the copyright? Does the producer maintain copyright rights because he or she is the one in charge of the project? What about the production company as a whole, do they own copyright rights? What if […]
Is a Producer Work for Hire Agreement Really Important?
Is a Producer Work for Hire Agreement Really Important? As a film producer, you’ve most certainly been involved in your share of situations in which a work for hire agreement has been made or implied. Whether you’re a producer that is looking to hire a particular artist to provide work for a film or you’re […]
What Does a Revisionist Mean in Film?

Various genres of film, like the Western, are widely known to have different sub genres or sub categories within them. For example, the sub genre Revisionist Western, is one you may not have ever heard of. But it represents part of the Anti-Western or Post-Western sub genre of film which subverts what would be expected […]
What Light Setting to Use for Filming in Yellow Lit Rooms?

Filming in a room that appears to have yellow lighting or a yellow tone can certainly pose some challenges. As you may already know, yellow lighting can really throw colors off not just when filming. But in real life! Rooms that have yellow light are said to have a higher kelvin temperature which gives off […]
What is Typage in Film Neorealism?

You might have heard terms like typage and neorealism used in the film industry, especially if you’re been to film school or you’re studying past film history. But what do these terms mean? Perhaps you realize that neorealism is a documentary style of filmmaking in which nonprofessional actors and real locations are utilized instead of […]
What is The Motion Vector Line in Film?

In filmmaking, the use of visual vectors represents a unique opportunity for editors to incorporate graphical vectors and motion vectors into the editing process. To provide visual cues to the audience which are used to connect the scenes in a film. The motion vector line in film, thus represents a line of continuity that is […]