How to Acquire DVD Film Rights
Filmmakers and writers often make movies based on events in someone's life or turn a published novel into a film. To do this, the filmmaker or production company must first acquire the film rights. Film rights give the purchaser permission to create a movie and to distribute that movie to the public. These rights are necessary to protect the purchaser from legal repercussions and to ensure that no one else can make the film. Acquiring movie rights is a legal process that can take time and money.
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Instructions
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Locate the owner of the property you want to purchase. If you see a story in the news and you want to contact someone involved in the story to purchase the right to shoot his story, contact that person. Locating someone is easier today than it's ever been. Call the TV station that aired the story you're interested in to see if it has contact information. If that doesn't work, phone books and the Internet are the next best resource. If the story has been published as a book, contact the author of the book to see if he still has film rights. The publishing company, under contract, may own film rights. The author may or may not know the information, but he can most likely find out for you.
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Outline the story you want to tell and present your offer. You won't get film rights to a novel without purchasing them; chances are strong someone who has a story good enough for a screenplay isn't going to let you do the story without getting paid, either. Determine how much you have to spend on the story rights and meet with the owner of the rights to strike a deal. You don't need a lawyer at this point, while you're simply in discussion. A couple of casual lunches to iron out details is sufficient. This is your chance to show you have what it takes to do the story, to iron out bumps that may get in the way of your writing the story and to talk about price.
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Get a lawyer. Once a tentative deal has been reached between you and the other party, you need to hire a lawyer who will draw up a contract that covers every aspect of the deal you and the other party has worked out. Use any type of lawyer you wish, but an entertainment lawyer knows the business. Locate a lawyer who specializes in entertainment by checking an online database (see "Resources"). Many law firms have a website that will state whether or not they handle entertainment cases.
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Meet with the other party to go over the contract. Once both parties agree, the contract can be signed and the money exchanged.
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Tips & Warnings
Even in a case where you believe you can do someone's life story because he is a public figure and you plan to do an unauthorized movie, you still want to purchase rights. This will avoid any legal moves against you in the future.
