The Biz, 5th Edition (Expanded and Updated): The Basic Business Legal and Financial Aspects of the Film Industry

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Today’s film industry is a legal and financial obstacle course that all independent filmmakers must learn to master. The most comprehensive guide to negotiating that obstacle course is The Biz, a highly accessible overview of the industry’s important business, legal and financial aspect.Filled with industry-savoy advice, it clearly explains: • Raising financing • Business structuring • Securities laws • Budgeting essentials • Dealing with the guilds • Loans • Completion guarantees • Distribution deals • Video on demand • Calculating net profits • Film-industry accounting practices and contingent payments • Copyright, publicity, and trademark laws • Screen credits and talent demands • Litigation problems • Bankruptcy • Taxation of film companies… and much more, including many useful sample forms and agreements.

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Autor: Schuyler M. Moore.

Seiten: 366 Seiten.

Format: E-Book.

Sprache: Englisch.

Preis/E-Book: 32,77 €
ISBN: 978-1935247180

Infos: Schuyler M. Moore is a partner in the corporate entertainment department of the law firm Greenberg Glusker, LLP. He has been practicing entertainment industry law since 1981, representing a broad spectrum of clients, including financiers. Moore is the author of Taxation of the Entertainment Industry and What They Don’t Teach You in Law School. He is a frequent speaker and writer on entertainment subjects, and he was an adjunct professor at both the UCLA Law School and the UCLA Anderson School of Management. The Hollywood Reporter consistently lists Moore as one of the top 100 entertainment lawyers.

Verlag: SILMAN JAMES PR; Expanded and Up Edition (30. Mai 2018).

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Unsere Rezension: The Book „The Biz“ (5th Edition (Expanded and Updated 2018)) written by Schuyler Moore is a masterpiece. Ever wondered how the whole financing and legal process behind a production looks like? How the funds move and why? What steps are actually between right now and getting on set with your first independently produced feature film and how you can turn your ambitions of becoming a feature film director/producer into reality?

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Well this book is a very, very, very good start to engage with that research. Despite the fact that the book obviously is heavy in jargon and deals with a bunch of rather uninspiring things for the average creative such as tax incentives and contracts, the writing style really makes it a surprisingly enjoyable read that is not only incredibly dense with valuable information but also quite fun to read. Moore is happy to crack a joke or to use some crazy real life analogies to hit home a point.

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I recommend this book to any young or even more accomplished filmmaker who wants to get serious about a career in the area of cinema and bootstrapping own productions. Note that it is not a scammy „Everything is super easy except for one problem, just buy my course and I show you the secret missing piece to finance any blockbuster“ approach but something that is clearly written to confront you with the hard realities of the business. It is supposed to leave you with a honest snapshot of the industry right now, of all the challenges which come along with making an Indi picture and at the same time you will get some insights into what implications the financing of a picture has on commissioned work (Netflix, Warner, Paramount etc.) and an even more Entrepreneurial approach to making your own movie.

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I want to note at this point that I believe the best way to read this book is with an open mind. Don’t get discourage by the complexity of the Completion Bond process or the 3 different ways to report profit all of which end up with different numbers. Just take it as a reality that most of the industry is working like this and then ask yourself what parts of this process you want work around. There is no one way to run a production but this way is surely the most common for a reason. Only once you understand what trade offs you will be making if for example not pre selling your movie but simply making it with self organized equity funds you will be on your road to your own decisions.

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Let me be clear: The field is very complex and this book will let you know that it is not the only read you will need to actually truly understand the whole profession of putting together a production funding and distribution. But you could indeed in my opinion not ask for a better start. From here on out you will be in control of the most important thing in the process of „trying to figure stuff out“: You will know which questions to ask and your journey to find your right answers will begin!

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For me anyways, this is what it has done and I am grateful that someone was out there and chucked the time towards teaching young fellas what they need to know to turn dreams about stories to stories on the big screen (or small, if you are going for Netflix).

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One final note: If you are a director who will ultimately try to get a producer to deal with most of these issues you will still be well advised to read into this book because it will be your lifeline in finding a producer who can actually do his job and will not scam you for either your time or money or both.