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Monthly Archives: November 2007

This week on the podcast.

This week's Law and Video podcast is now available at http://www.lawandvideo.com.

Listen Live Tuesdays at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern, or download and listen at your convenience.

This week's topics:

  • I've got a copyright, what do I need to do to protect it?
    • Statutes of limitations, doctrine of laches
  • Director's former assistant/editor wants credit after termination.
  • What licenses are needed for live concert film?
  • What copyright and legal protection is there for pornographic, indecent and obscene materials?
  • Do I really need a lawyer to shop my demo?
  • Credit removed from cable program when sold on DVD.
  • Actor's life-threatening illness prevents performance halfway into production, can the producer sue?

This week on Law and Video podcast.

This week's Law and Video podcast is now available at http://www.lawandvideo.com Listen Live Tuesdays at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern, or download and listen at your convenience.This week's topics:

  • City of New York revises permit and insurance requirements for small video productions.
  • Credit for video game authorship.
  • Use of government forms in instructional videos.
  • Former employer's use of work-product without crediting terminated employee.
  • Work-For-Hire when employee's creative material is outside the course and scope of employment?
  • Can a minor and his family avoid or terminate a modeling agent's contract?
  • Is videotape admissible in court if recorded without consent or knowledge of the subject?
  • Security/Surveillance camera in the workplace. Is notice to employees and customers required?
  • Police officer's destruction of camera and footage of traffic stop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Music Basics for Film and Video productions.

Music is an integral part of any filmmaker’s toolbox. Proper selection of music can help tell a story, set a mood, and build suspense. For most independent productions, however, music is either under-budgeted or not budgeted at all. Even when there IS a music budget, it’s often re-allocated to more pressing expenses during production.

This article will discuss licensing prerecorded music, a future article will address the engagement of a composer to create an original score.
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This week on Law and Video Podcast (November 13, 2007)

Well, I’m glad to be back at it after several weeks of upper-respiratory troubles. This week’s Law and Video podcast is now available at http://www.lawandvideo.com Listen Live Tuesdays at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern, or download and listen at your convenience. This week’s topics: WGA Strike Digital Millenium Copyright Act – Takedown notices for video posted on… Continue Reading

Broadway Stagehands Strike leads audiences to off-broadway fare

NPR reported this morning on the unforeseen consequence of theatregoers attending off-broadway shows in greater numbers now that Broadway stagehands have walked-out. Even with this surge in attendance at smaller shows (Off-broadway theatres seat 100-499), some estimates of the losses to the theatre and related businesses aproach seventeen million dollars per day. Issues in the… Continue Reading

Will Web-isodes be the unexpected beneficiary of the writer's strike?

Last time the WGA went on strike, (19-1/2 years ago), the Cable networks had a growth spurt, with audiences tuning in looking for something new. This year, as the WGA goes on strike, some believe that the Web will be the delivery mechanism for content that captures rerun-weary viewers. I’ve recently told aspiring writers that… Continue Reading

On Broadway, Growing Diversity in Audience

Backstage.com has an interesting article drawn from information contained in the League’s annual demographic report: On Broadway, Growing Diversity in Audience: “Tourists account for approximately 65 percent of the 12.3 million tickets purchased for Broadway shows during the 2006-2007 season.” The article also suggests that among theatergoers, 26 percent of tickets were purchased by non-Caucasians,… Continue Reading

Writers on Strike

For the first time in nearly 20 years, members of the writers’ union, Writer’s Guild of America are on strike. The last strike, in May of 1988, lasted five months, costing the industry more than half a billion dollars. Some shows, such as NBC’s “The Tonight Show” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”, which are… Continue Reading

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