He would say that wouldn’t he: Media law UK
At a networking evening for the London part of Stellar Network, I got into a conversation with Jason and Tim. We were talking about what more a film producer needs to know as compared to a theatre producer. Jason wanted to get an idea of the differences. When I butted in, Tim was explaining some of the complexities of contracts and negotiation. I attempted to help by referring to Mark Litwak’s book for indie producers – Risky Business: Financing and Distributing Independent Films. It is a very detailed book including most of the contracts you would need to be a film producer. Time said that although it was a good book, the law in in the UK is sufficiently different for it to be a problem for British film makers. I then guessed what line of work Tim is in.
However there are some useful resources for UK producers. He told be about Own-it, a site for people in creative industries that provides free advice on intellectual property. It is provided by The London Development Agency and a couple of arts universities. As well as helping you deal with ‘the Man’ (finding out who you need to pacify in order that you can make your film), it also helps with making sure your work isn’t ripped off by others.
If you aren’t from the UK, you still might find some of the general principles outlined on the site useful, so check it out at
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