This well-written legalese-free guide provides filmmakers with essential advice on almost every conceivable rights issues they might encounter -- from the initial acquisition of material through the situations encountered in pre-production, production, post production, and final release. Armed with this book, filmmakers can protect themselves and their work from disastrous legal actions and save thousands of dollars in legal fees. This is the first book devoted to the clearance and copyright issues that affect the film and video community, is a must read for all filmmakers -- especially producers, directors, and screenwriters -- whether they make features, shorts, documentaries, or music videos.