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September 2007 at Art Institutes Film Production Class |
Copyright © - U.S. Copyright Registration - CopyrightUSC.com |
March 27, 2007 at USC:
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Michael Renov - associate dean of the USC School of Cinematic Arts
and professor of Critical Studies on USC Copyright Policy for student films
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Michael Renov - Internet - short film festivals - a collaboration
March 27, 2007- USC Free Culture sponsored discussion on Intellectual Property and Copyright
An Original Story
The Long Walk Home | a feature made from a USC Cinema short film. USC Copyright Policy: "The student retains ownership of the underlying intellectual property rights and can develop the ideas from the projects into a marketable product. The University has no ownership or interest in these properties." Note: USC uses the word "ideas"? When an "idea" is written down it becomes a "work." An original work of authorship as governed by U.S. Copyright Law. It is no longer an "idea." So, turn your "ideas" into works of authorship. Don't talk about your ideas, write them down. Make an audio recording of your "ideas." Create "works of authorship." A typical way to describe this concept in Copyrightland is that what USC calls "a marketable product" is simply a new version of your work, a derivative work. You start with "an original work of authorship," a story for a short film. As copyright owner you have the exclusive right to make derivative work No. 1 - a short film. Then, as copyright owner of the story you have the exclusive right to make derivative work No. 2 - a feature film. So, it's important to send in your story for copyright registration to the U.S. Copyright Office as a first step - before you make the short film. If the short film is the first work to be registered for copyright the story is absorbed into that copyright and cannot be separated out later. Learn all about "chain of title," it's good for you.
A Feature Movie
As Author a Copyright Owner has the exclusive right to do or authorize a derivative work. So, register your Story - Treatment - Screenplay FIRST. First, BEFORE you make a short film. As Author and Copyright Owner of the Original Work - Story - Treatment - Screenplay - you cando or autorize any number of derivative works based on your original work. A short film is just a new version of your original work. A movie is just a new version of your original work.
A compan may want to turn your Short Film into a movie.
I'd say: NO. The movie wil NOT be based on my Short Film. I will not grant
the Company the rights to make a movie out of my Short Film. I elect that
a new movie version will be based on my original work - my story - treatment
- screenplay. And I am seeking to enter into Literary Purchase Agreement,
and a Writer Employment Agreement as the First Employed Writer as governed
by the Wirters Guild Basic Agreement. I am seeking "Story by" credit and
Separation of Rights. StoryRights.org
has related information.
A Musical Work
It's similar with music. Send in your original music
composition for copyright registration. Then, license the right to use
your music in a film. If a motion picture is the first work to be registered
for copyright the music composition is absorbed into that copyright and
cannot be separated out later. Same with a dance - a choreographic work.
If you register the dance for Copyright before it is used in a movie, you
own the work. If a motion picture is the first work to be registered
for copyright the dance - a choreographic work - is absorbed into that
copyright and cannot be separated out later.
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Michael Renov - USC Cinema owns the copyright to completed
films created by student filmmakers
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JOHN LONGENECKER comments on USC Copyright Policy
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JOHN LONGENECKER
U.S. Copyright Law | USC Copyright Policy | August 1999 Copyright Day
Young filmmakers ought to hang on to the copyright to their original works - their short films
USC Cinema Copyright Policy 1999 | 2000 | 2005 | 2007 | JL Policy 2008 PDF
U.S. Copyright Law instruction as part of the curriculum
"The vital matter of curriculum • academic vision • to chart the course for the future who we are as a school • assess our strenghts and weakneses • what we want for the future • the content and coordination of all course offerings"
- Michael Renov
- Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
