me and my friends are planning to make our first full length movie this year but have no idea how to keep it legal to submit to festivals and sell dvd's.

we want to drive from the east coast to california in our movie, but dont know the rules on locations and where we can film. What are the rules about filming at places like the beach, highways and in california? can we film cars and buildings from the outside without having to get permission? also can we film for free in parks and places like that? what all do i need to know since i am about to start my script, and are there any books on stuff like this?

Ok well you have just started a huge topic but I guess I'll start you off.

You can not use any music unless you have bought rights to it or you (or a friend) have composed it. You also can not show trade marks and brand name products without the permission of the owners (this included company names, pop, chips, cars ect.) You can film ob beaches if you want without permission but you may get kicked off, you also need to minimize the amount of people you show as you can get sued if the video goes public and someone finds theirself in the video without giving permission (hense actors sign a video/photo release wavier) You can also shoot outside of buildings without permission but again may be asked to leave if they notice you. However be sure not to show the company name or anything to do with the company unless you have permission (preferably in writing as it will hold up better in court).

We'll there is still more to cover but I've covered the basics for you.

Good luck!

okay, thanks for the help. a few more questions in more detail now... so i can have my car, i just cant show the ford logo or the explorer name? and how about when im driving through my neighborhood, can i show houses from outside but not the address or whats that like?

also with bands, i was going to use my friends band for most the music and they just got signed today actually. Will i have to have their record label sign off on everything now instead of them, and will they still be able to help me out, or is it all up to their label now?

The location issue is interesting and mostly depends on where you'll shoot. If you use unoccupied, obscure wilderness areas (like me), I'm not 100% sure what the exact protocol is. Sometimes I don't even know who owns it (but it's not clearly marked private property). Probably some pseudo-local jurisdiction that doesn't even have a permit system in place for this kind of thing - best not to alert them and shoot in little-used areas.

If you have to use a park, city or state parks are better bets than national parks.

In the city, if you show a store sign, you need to have permission. You can easily shoot to avoid these, though.

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also with bands, i was going to use my friends band for most the music and they just got signed today actually. Will i have to have their record label sign off on everything now instead of them, and will they still be able to help me out, or is it all up to their label now?

If the label pays for their studio recording time and you use one of those recordings, then you do have to go through the label as well. However if you use one of the band's own recordings, the artists themselves are the only people you need to talk with.

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Originally posted by Evan Kubota:

If you have to use a park, city or state parks are better bets than national parks.

In the city, if you show a store sign, you need to have permission. You can easily shoot to avoid these, though.

yea its just my problem is a movie about a road trip going cross country i would need a lot of shots of famous landmarks and cool places on the trip, is there any books that go into these laws i could read?

also i dont care about being caught filming or stuff like that, we film quick and dont use big setups, we just dont wanna get sued for footage down the road.

How much is it to buy rights to a song?

a lot.

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yea its just my problem is a movie about a road trip going cross country i would need a lot of shots of famous landmarks and cool places on the trip, is there any books that go into these laws i could read?

You could always pull the whole "hey we're tourists" deal at major landmarks.

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You could always pull the whole "hey we're tourists" deal at major landmarks.

i dont care at all about being caught filming, ill risk that anytime, i just care about not being able to show certain footage without rights i dont have.