How to Copyright a Film

Series Summary

The development of film came alongside the rise of America as a world empire. The technology developed in the late 19th to early 20th century and quickly became a staple of modern culture and mass consumption. Many trace the beginning of film to a moment also considered the advent of the comic strip as we know it: Eadweard Muybridge's famous pictures of a horse's stride, which proved that in fact there is a moment when all four hooves are off the ground. This series of photos looked like a comic yet sparked a crazy idea in the minds of other artists: What if we took pictures like that and flashed them in sequence like in children’s flipbooks? The birth of celluloid film ten years later came in Louis Le Prince's "Roundhay Garden Scene."

In this free video series you will get professional advice on producing your own feature film. Indie films are cheaper and easier to make than ever, and the quality of technology out there for home computers and studios means better finished products! Kevin will teach you about how to sell your film, where to sell it, and how to generate publicity. You will learn how to use film festivals, distributors, and the internet for domestic or foreign buyers. Kevin will also share tips for box art, technical quality, running time, and other seemingly small details that make a big difference in distribution. Watch these today!

Video Transcript

"KEVIN LINDENMUTH: This is Kevin Lindenmuth for Expert Village talking about distribution for you independent film or documentary. A very important thing you should do before you even start sending out your feature, your documentary, even your short, for reviews, distribution, all the people to see. As soon as you're done with the edited final cut of the program, you have to send it in to get copyrighted. And this is a relatively simple thing to do. I mean, a lot of people think it's more complicated than what it is. Just go to the Library of Congress on the internet, you want to print out a form. It's a form PA and that's for programs. And it's like a two page form, it's very self explanatory and they even give you instructions how to fill it out. But, basically it's--you'll get a certificate of registration. Once you send it in, you have to pay like thirty dollars, and then you get your certificate signed by the copyright office, you know, three or four months later. But it's good and it's registered from the date that you fill out the application. So, if you fill it out, put the date, send in the check, just consider that thing copyrighted from that point. So, I wouldn't wait the three months to send something out, but just make sure you send the form, fill it out, and pay $30 and that way, it's copyrighted to you. If any issues come up, then you have that. It's a very important thing. 'Cause if it's not copyrighted, basically, in theory, anybody could take your program, do whatever they want with it because it's not copywritten to you. It's just a very important thing."