Sample contracts, real-life cases and various checklists offer filmmakers simple and straightforward examples of procedures to get through problems they are likely to face. April 2014 10 Book Review From soup to nuts, everything the indie filmmaker needs to know, from those truly in the know The Independent Film Producer’s Survival Guide: A Business and Legal Sourcebook by Gunnar Erikson, Mark Halloran and Harris Tulchin (Shirmer Trade Books, 440 pages, $27.95) presents itself as a guide for the legal and business aspects of financing, creating and distributing an independent film. Plus, it’s filled with colorful anecdotes and practical examples. Although the term “survival guide” implies that the book is ready to be used by an inexperienced independent filmmaker to flip through on an as-needed basis, the conversational tone of the book and abundance of anecdotes make it imperative to read the book cover to cover, or risk missing an important point or step that an aspiring producer might not be aware of. Additionally, because the authors outline several aspects of pre- and post-production, such as obtaining insurance for everything that could go wrong on a film set, prop release for copyrighted materials present in the picture and fireman’s fund clearance procedures (presented as a checklist of things to be taken care of), an independent filmmaker might not immediately go thumbing through the book the same way they would for help on the more pressing issues such as forming a production company, selling the distribution rights, or drawing up a contract for the actors they cast — the book should not be consulted on a selective basis, especially by the target audience, inexperienced directors and producers, most likely straight out of film school. Unfortunately, at first, going section by section seems like the natural way to read the Survival Guide. The Survival Guide is written jointly by Gunnar Erikson, a formerly active member of the entertainment bar in Los Angeles (whose whereabouts the book implies are currently in some remote corner of Mexico), Mark Halloran and Harris Tulchin, both principals at their respective law offices, and respected names in Hollywood entertainment law. The authors certainly have experience, and Indies’ Source of Wisdom for Filmmaking the handbook shows it. Each of the book’s sections and subsequent subsections follow the paper trail a film leaves behind, from the development process, to financing, casting, pre-sales, and setting up production companies, all the way to marketing, promotion, distribution and everything in between. Sample contracts, real-life cases and various checklists offer filmmakers simple and straightforward examples of procedures to get through problems they are likely to face. Of the countless movies stuck in development hell, who knows how many are there because of legal disputes? Or projects brought to a screeching halt by problems that surfaced only after filming was well under way. If all this can happen under the meticulous scrutiny of studios’ legal departments, the task is truly daunting for an aspiring producer starting out independently. With the help of this Survival Guide, at the very least, independent producers can assure that any problems they encounter won’t be the result of a legal issue if they follow the instructions stepby-step, section-by-section. Perhaps the book would be more readable if it followed the life of a fictional film, outlining the necessary legal procedures along the way. In that case, it would be less of a handbook and more of a textbook, which might not be in line with what the authors were trying to provide, but getting prospective filmmakers to read a legal handbook is a tough job. In all, The Independent Film Producer’s Survival Guide is a useful tool for those willing to pore over the bits they probably already know in order to come upon the truly golden nuggets on film production. The book can be used on an as-needed basis, but in this reviewer’s experience with independent filmmakers, that would ensure that a lot of important paperwork wouldn’t get filed at all, increasing the risk that the picture get stuck in development hell. Now if only there were a guide to dealing with directors whose “artistic vision” requires them to argue with the lead actor during every take. YS
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