Lots of Questions!!

L

letzfly777

Ok so i'm new to all of this, going to be making a film starring myself about cooking. I need to know..

1. What products or companies can i show or cant i show?
-Can i show product labels without their approval?
-Can i show a grocery store on film without censoring it out? (Walmart, Safeway, Fred Meyers).
-Can i bash McDonalds and other fast food restaurants openly, as long its my opinion and not creating false facts etc..
-If a car drives past MUST i sensor the license plate, faces within etc.
-Must i blur or censor people who are walking by?

2. Music!
-Since i don't have money to blow on buying licenses and rights to songs, what are my options?
- Does some one have a site set up that you can use there music, as long as you give them credit in the end of the movie?

3. Distribution.. (I can make my own website, along with burn dvd's and order the DVD jackets etc..)
-Do i have to get any permits or licenses to sell my movie online or to stores?
-Do i need to get a equivalent ISBN number etc for the movie?
-If i want to burn the dvds and put them in custom dvd jackets, do my own artwork for the cover etc, what else do i need to do besides open a website to sell them and market them? anything i'm missing majorly?

The technical side of actually shooting the movie and capturing audio is taken care of by my brother. It will be shot digitally usually a canon 5D MK II and a variety of lenses and mics.

ANY information is helpful and let me thank you all ahead of time for the help!
Thank you all!
 
letzfly777 said:
2. Music!
-Since i don't have money to blow on buying licenses and rights to songs, what are my options?
- Does some one have a site set up that you can use there music, as long as you give them credit in the end of the movie?
Click to expand...
There are thousands of up and coming composers willing to work for free or a small stipend to gain experience and exposure. You can start here:

http://composersforum.ning.com/

You can get songs from indie bands. Look on MySpace and similar sites; I've found lots of great stuff when working as music supervisor.
 
I know that you can "dress your set" with real products. So for example if you rent out a grocery store you don't have to replace every single product in the store! Be careful about drawing attention to a product. For example if an unsavory character buys a 6-pack of Coke, then Coke might not want the association.
You should be more worried about "art" that appears on camera. Paintings, a hand woven bed spread, a statue, and a doll are a few examples of art that you need copyright clearance for.
If people are identifiable then you should get their permission or blur them out. OK to show the backs of their heads. Just no identifiable faces.
Music? Try FreshMusic.com. Generic sounding but can be helpful for some scenes - example: if you need elevator music.
You don't need a license to sell a DVD. Get a barcode from barcodenow.com . By law you are supposed to print a real address on the outside of the paper DVD insert of the film company that is releasing the DVD. A PO Box is OK. All too often people shoot movies, then get to the distribution point and they have no idea what to expect.
You should not be shooting a movie until you know about all this stuff! Hope you're not spending a ton of money. Read Stacy Parks book "the Insider's Guide to Releasing Independent Movies" as a start. Then read "the Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers". Then maybe Filmmaking for Dummies.
 
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Bashing products such as McDonalds could get you in trouble, even if it is your opinion... To the best of my knowledge it depends on how you are using it. Obviously documentaries do that kind of thing all the time... But I think a deciding factor usually is if you are using products/etc. to make a point, or are you capitalizing on them to make a profit. Also like, free speech protects to an extent and all... But ironically it's much easier to get in trouble for libel against products than people.

If you are doing something that has no budget where a cease and desist won't cause you to be out a whole bunch of production money I wouldn't worry toooo much. If you are sinking a lot of money into something that deals with brands in any shape or form, in my opinion it's probably worth it to spend some of that money on a consultation or two with a lawyer who specializes in entertainment/copy-write/fair use issues.
 
ALL excellent responses so far. No this is not going to be a full out bash against mcdolands, coke, etc. I just may say avoid "sodas", "fast food" etc may drop numerous names but nothing to specific.

I'm not dropping a lot of money into it, it will look like i did but i in reality may cost a couple hundred bucks.

Shooting the whole thing with the canon 5D Mk II and a laundry lists of lenses i have for it, along with lighting and mics that i already have.

I don't plan to "rent" out a grocery store. Simply walk in and out as i please. I wont be spending hours in there and drawing extreme attention to myself. I will have a wireless mic on me and my brother will be the one drawing peoples eye with the camera mounted on his shoulder mount haha. Maybe ill avoid even saying what grocery store i am in all together and just say i will visit different grocery stores in the area to give you different feels.

Most of it ill be behind my kitchen counter preparing and cooking!

:)

A question that i still need answered is, if i buy some products say like "brand name XX- Olive oil" can i show the olive oil i'm using on film without rights etc and refer to it while im cooking, along with other products like pots and pans etc?
 
Hey Blade, you say in your post:

"By law you are supposed to print a real address on the outside of the paper DVD insert of the film company that is releasing the DVD. A PO Box is OK."

Can you piont me to any info on this.

Thanks, Terry
 
1) -You can NOT show labels without permission. You need to greek them (Hide the name brand of the label or replace it with a fake one)

-You can NOT film the name of a store without permission.

-You can bash, but only under certian terms, which is through parody or permission.

-You can NOT show a license number without persmission.

-Yes, you can film people walking by in the background in a public place IF they are unreconizable, there is a public release law.

2)google it.

3)This is long to explain, get through the first stage first.
 
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