ASK & DISCUSS

am a working cinematographer going back to set in the next weeks do can one best deal with crew contract in realtion to pay - also as a writer I would be interested in most effect…

Good grief John! As a dyslexic myself I find spell check and careful proofing of my own writing to be the solution. Anyway, I digress.

With regard to camera and sound department…

£30,000 prize and you don't want to share it?

Lets get it straight, this competition has a potential £30k prize, whats more it has significant reach to hundreds (thousands?) of c…

Exactly - Virgin Media wouldn't let you share out the money amongst the cast and crew, even if you wanted to. It's to make another film with!

The ads I've seen say very prominen…

Dear fellow filmmakers...

I am producing a pilot episode for a web series which I hope to be able to raise funds for. We managed to get a band to agree to let us use their song t…

Hi Shooters,

I just receiving post-production (completion) funding for a documentary film of mine, and the requirement for signing the contract is that I have to sign as part of …

Thank you folks. Your advice has helped a lot! I am getting it sorted and consulting a lawyer. Best, J

What is the ruling on burrowing a dialogue from a golden oldie over 60 years ago old.
Is it plagiarism??

If yes then what about doing my own spin on it, is that ok??

I'm writing…

Probably best- US law does have a 'fair use' exception but as of now the law in the UK doesn't. It has been slated for change but hasn't been passed yet. In the end, the copyright…

I don’t consider myself a social commentator, I’ve always felt that my comprehensive education and working class background didn’t afford me the luxury of judging society’s flaws.…

Hi Mark, I enjoyed your work. I personally think this is exactly what the democratisation of film making is all about. Telling stories from differing perspectives gives us all the…

As an indie filmmaker I wish I could just create and not have to always find the money. On the bright side of life we just got IFP fiscally sponsored. Downside still having troubl…

Hello Daniel,
1st. Just email info@HoldonLog.com your email address and request to be removed. It's that simple. The form has been updated over 5 times now and if you are on the l…

Don't get me wrong I understand that funds are often tight, and I value collaboration and profit sharing, but more and more you see people advertising on Shooters for unpaid comme…

"Any unpaid work is illegal".

I'm sorry but this is complete bunk.

The National Minimum Wage does not apply to charities or voluntary groups - they are specifically exempted u…

Hi everyone,

We're looking for a house to use for our short film. As usual we're on a mirco budget so can't afford a location specifically rented out for films.

We decided we'd…

Thanks Jane. That's a great idea.

So as you have hopefully heard my brother and I are currently using Kickstarter to fund a final crucial scene in our debut feature film Nina Forever. If you want to pledge to us y…

I gave weeks ago Ben, was happy to when I saw a link on twitter and loved it. (And I haven't a pot to pee in most weeks) So I think David's right, and I doubt most were ignoring y…

Being a mixed race actor, I've had to learn the hard way that the typecasting machine can be pretty brutal.

I've had auditions where the casting director (despite having seen my…

Hi Xenia,

This is exactly the same thing I've been feeling and a lot of others in the same mixed asian/ white boat. I feel neither white enough to play typical English roles, yet…

I wondered if anyone has entered the Virgin Media Shorts Competition and if so what contracts they used for actor/crew/producer and director. I have one actor, one crew and I'm wr…

Thanks a lot Lee. Yes it would be nice to send them over to you just to double check, that's really kind of you to take the trouble. As soon as I've scanned them I'll email them t…

Always avoided getting involved in the 'expenses only' argument. There are pros and cons and every project is unique. However, this post caught my wry eye today (Comedy writer nee…

I think you should discuss this in the bulletin. I thought it was silly too. If the producer offered a bit of money, could have gotten an experienced writer who could save some o…

The film would be playing on a cinema screen with a quick cutaway shot to the film on the screen. Alternately if showing visuals was not possible legally, how does it work if I wa…

Hi Louise

Yes your character can say the words Rebel Without A Cause and James Dean without causing an issue. You can't copyright a phrase or a name.

I don't have a production company but I need to protect my self when I take a script not written by me to producers. Can I option it even if I don't have a production company? or …

Mark Litwak's Contracts for the film and Television industry has a couple option agreements you can look at. They are made for US law, so they might need to be adapted if you ar…

We are making a short film and want to turn it into a web based series in hope of getting it on to TV. Can we use any name or can studios/production companies sue you for using a …

Titles cannot be "copyrighted", but there is trademark infringement. Trademarks aren't that hard to get, if you have the cash, and the term hasn't been used before. The more mon…

The Universal Film & Festival Organization promotes best business practices for film festivals, now with 195 members festivals, do you think that filmmakers should support thi…

THE UK FILM FESTIVAL is a member of UFFO and as a filmmaker and artistic director of the festival I totally support this idea of best business practices.
Any festival worth its s…

I have been filming for corporate clients and in other projects with composers and graphic designers. We of course have agreements via phone calls and e-mails but I want to put t…

For corporates it's pretty much taken that anything you film on their clock is theirs to do with as they please, you're just a facility bought in, much like a plumber. Larger com…

I have decided to set up an equipment hire company, mainly for film & video kit, but also for exhibition / event kit.

I have done this before, but not for a few years, so I a…

www.groove-egrip.com

Last week, Arts Council England’s Jobs and News bulletin posted details of an animation competition being run by the Cabinet Office.

It’s tagged ‘unpaid, volunteer work’, with a …

Technically, this is correct.

If you are commissioning someone to make a film for you, they are not an employee or a worker and therefore not due the National Minimum Wage.

I ca…

Hi, I run a registered charity, we want to make a film. The crew we will use will not be PAYE. They will be self employed. As such my insurance company tell me they are not cov…

HI Bill, Volunteers are covered by the public liability. It's the actual employment part that is difficult. Self - employed people seem to be classified as contractors and are…

I want to create a new musical interpretation of a commercial song to use in my short film. The original was a male solo piece, where the new version will be a female duet, so I a…

As Tom (above) says you need permission from the songwriter/publisher unless the song is very old. The details of copyright vary from country to country. Have a look at the UK co…

I can't imagine writing a business plan without some kind of team behind it. I am in the final hours of a crowdfunding campaign with a small team behind it, and I think we would …

Oh Vasco…Filmmaking is only successful if you plan, plan, plan and not going off half cocked before your project is really ready. It’s asking for trouble. The same is true for the…

Specifically I want to know is if I make something about Star-Trek, can I say wear a starfleet logo teeshirt, reference character names and is there a way I can include a still of…

Geek ;)

Not sure of any FAQs but can tell you that you can do what you suggest, as long as you never show anyone and don't use it for any purpose to promote yourself or business …

Hi All,

I am a self-shooting director/editor mostly working on self-initiated and branded interview & documentary formats as part of online series'.

We are very new, but are…

The Z7 is a pretty good bit of kit for just about any application short of EBU/BBC Broadcast HD but even for this one can plug in an out board recorder capable of up to 200mbs tha…