LAW 311 Entertainment Law Cram Guide PDF

LAW 311: Entertainment Law Cram Guide Class Two: Introduction to Television What is Television? - Television is the distribution of audiovisual content to individual consumers, at times and locations and on devices of their own choosing Difference between Film and Television...

LAW 311: Entertainment Law Cram Guide Class Two: Introduction to Television What is Television? - Television is the distribution of audiovisual content to individual consumers, at times and locations and on devices of their own choosing Difference between Film and Television - Filming a movie is way more expensive than filming a pilot for a TV show - Writers for movies will sell their script and outsource it to a company, where writers for television have more impact - Talent can easily be replaced in Television Unscripted Television - Talent can do a good job of carrying reality television - Unscripted Television is really good at being cost effective - The format can truly carry unscripted television, even when talent disappears or is not apparent - Talent can be irreplaceable only if the talent is truly linked to the show, like Oprah for example Serials - These shows span many seasons and include many episodes over a long period of time - Must make sure that actors want to work for longer periods of time and are focused on the project Key Characteristics of Television: - Importance of Writers - Unscripted Content - Serialized Shows - Dual Revenue Model Who are the players in Television? - Talent - Studios - Networks/Streamers - Broadcast Stations - MVPDS or Multichannel Video Programming Distributors - Advertisers - Talent Representatives Talent - Talent is distinguished by Above the Line and Below the Line - Writers and Actors would be considered Above the Line, while Lawyers would be considered Below the Line - Talent backend is when actors are bigger than the project themselves, and they get benefits that have a significant amount of monetary value Studios - In charge of producing shows  - Production of shows includes the filming of the show, while Post Production includes the editing and final touches on the show once filming concedes - Studios will often finance a whole bunch of projects, many failed projects, in search of the one project that will make it big Networks/Streamers - Streaming Networks such as Netflix have their own studios, and what happens, is Netflix’s Studio Affiliate will sell it directly to Netflix - Licensing Agreements are mainly used to protect intellectual property - Protecting intellectual property is important for avoiding copyright, and allows a network to exclusively air the show they bought from the studio Advertisers - Networks will charge advertisers a certain amount for ads to be placed on their network for a show, the monetary exchange being influenced by TV Ratings - When TV Ratings go down, networks will either give advertisers a refund or will give them free advertising time on another way as a way of making sure many eyes see their product - Some Networks and Streamers will choose the ads that play during their show, the ads sometimes being related to the show - MVPDS - Brands such as Comcast and Spectrum Online Video Distribution Types of these Distributions: - SVOD or Subscription Video on Demand, includes paid access to content libraries, like Netflix  - AVOD or Advertising-Supported Video on Demand; Free content with ads, like Youtube - TVOD or Transactional Video on Demand; Paid access on a per-episode basis, like Itunes - FVOD or Free Video on Demand; Free access without ads - VOD: Used as a broad term covering various forms of on-demand content delivery Challenges in the Television Industry: - Disruptions caused by streaming; downstream effects? - Leverage - Profafitibality - Contraction Class Three: Introduction to Film What is film? Film is an audiovsiual program that people watch at a theater or at a place and time of their choosing Stages of Making a Film: - Pre Production - Production - Post Production Types of Movies: - Fiction vs Non Fiction - Action - Comedy - Drama - Horror - Animated Players in Movies: - Producers - Writers - Directors - Actors - Technical Stuff - Studios  - Distributors Producers: - Film producers conceptualize or pick a pre-written script, assemble the creative team and director, organize a film's funding, and build high-profile connections. Writers: - Write the scripts for the film, while also revisiting the script at any point during filming - Script is always being reworked, whether it is due to a director or even an actor who wants for changes to be made to said script - In case a line does not elicit a certain reaction, there are always writers on set to change the script Directors: - In charge of directing actors during filmings, whether it is how they deliver their lines and how they should act during certain scenes - Also in charge of filming - Some Directors also write their own scripts Actors: - Back then, Actors would only be exclusive to studios, but now it’s like free agency, where money is a huge selling point - Actors can also read a script that they like, and that is how they are attached to films Technical Staff: - In charge of doing editing for films, adding VFX and are backstage and below the line Studios:  - In charge of filming the movie, and are also in charge of producing and financing a movie - Studios when financing these movies, want their films to be a success, so they can get a good ROI Distributors: - In charge of releasing a film and also in charge of the marketing for the film - They will also pay a lot of money for advertising, as that can be a driving force as to why people will see a film Film Windows: - Theatrical - Home Video - Streaming Film Distribution Agreement Key Terms: - Term - Fees - Territory - Rights Granted - Exclusivity - Languages Term: - A term is the length of the agreement, and it is binding for however long you set it Fees:  - Fees can be in the form of licensing between distributors, studios, and even exhibitors - Distributors will assess fees based on star power, budget, and consumer reports - Fees can also be assessed based on previous history, especially if a film has been successful Territory: - Territory is especially dependent on who is distributing the film Languages: - Talent can approve whether a film is dubbed or not - Can be more costly for a distributor to dub a film Rights Granted: - Where can the film be distributed Exclusivity: - Distributor needs exclusivity to protect their investment, as they want the movie to be in theaters and not on a streaming service like Netflix, as they want to make as much of a profit as possible