STARTING A FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY WITH YOUR OWN IP…

Starting a production company is a lot of hard work.  I talked to an esteemed colleague that helped point me in the right direction.  I agreed not give out his name online, but can mention his initials, A.P. He and I work together and he has given me insight into some elements that I may need to consider when starting a production company with your own Intellectual Property (IP for short).  

There are factors that you have to look out for when starting it.  Especially if you’re starting a film production company (especially in dealing with feature films) and want to avoid as many liabilities as possible.  After speaking with a fellow colleague, the best way to go in creating a decent business plan that could help you avoid liabilities along the way is to make sure that you would have a decent IP’s (Intellectual Properties) to start with under your belt.  It’s best that you start with material that you have created.  In this case, you can avoid the pitfalls of liabilities of using someone else’s work. 

            Having your own, I mean by writing your own material, whether it would be a screenplay or treatment.  Starting with your own is the best way.  It also helps as well (if you can) to have lawyer that can work with you.  A while back, I attempted to start my own production company dealing with just my own material and the end result is that I had a hard time getting things off the ground because at the time, I couldn’t afford it and I thought (with my hubris) that I could handle things the way I wanted to, on my own terms.  You know what people say, “Pride goeth before the fall.”  Little did I know that the world doesn’t operate that way (or I was too stubborn to see).  Without having a lawyer to look at the contract for my first film, RECOIL, I didn’t pay attention to some of the liabilities that I could have avoided.  Ultimately, circumstances didn’t work out the way I thought  they should have gone for the simple fact that I didn’t know any better. 

            Additionally, the main issue that I felt I got right was that I wanted to shoot films under my production company was my own material.  With that being said, I didn’t have to worry about licensing out other people’s material or deal with anyone else’s headaches but my own.  I feel that when I do it again, I will circumvent (hopefully) some of the issues that I went through when I shot my first feature film in the initially.  The liabilities I want to avoid this time around are very crucial to my production company’s development especially when it comes to owning your own IP or creative property.  

Do celebrities enjoy being in trouble?

In recent events in the cases with the law and celebrities, often times after committing crimes, they usually get off with a “slap on the wrist” type sentence.  Usually, thirty days, or  a few month and then they are back on the scene as if nothing happened nine time out of ten.  On the other hand, if there were an ordinary citizen committing the crime, then they would get the whole “book” thrown at them and get many months to years in prison.  The old adage of celebrities with money, they then become something or an individual above the law…to a degree.  Three prime examples that have taken place in recent history involving stealing, becoming inebriated (at the wrong times), or just carrying weapons at the wrong place and time.  These are just a few of celebrities misfortunes that they wrought on themselves.  At the same time, once they are let out or release back into the world, the public embraces them, even when they’re clearly in the wrong. 

            The first example I would like to bring up is the case of T.I. (Tip Harris).  He’s had troubles with the law throughout his hip hop career.  Also, he has been in and out of prison as a result (especially after his last charge of carrying a concealed weapon) and turns around to go back after being out one day and then getting caught with drugs at the airport, and eventually would have to go back again as a result.  I mean where is the logic, or better yet, where is the common sense?

            Lindsay Lohan, has had her fair share of problems with the law, especially with her cases related to her alcohol abuse issues.  But what I didn’t understand was Lindsay stole a necklace from a jeweler and eventually brought it back.  There was such public scrutiny behind it and eventually, she made a deal with the courts because she brought the necklace back. 

            The last example, which took place a little while back (back in 2002), was the issue of Winona Ryder stealing clothes from a boutique.  She was clearly not hurting for money, yet she committed theft and a lot of people were throwing their hands in the air with the feeling of “why?”  Nobody gets it.  I sure didn’t either. 

            The point that I am making with these court cases is that these celebrities have all of this money and power and they are getting into trouble.  Not once, not twice, but over and over again.  It’s as if they have no fear or respect for the law, simply put because they can “buy” it because of their celebrity status.  But if a regular average person were to do the same thing, it wouldn’t get any kind of publicity, but at the same time, it probably wouldn’t even show up on the news.  In turn because of the controversies from these celebrities, on whatever project that they’re working on could be helped or hindered from the negative publicity.  It seems that the public embraces them because once they are free from the judicial issues, it appears that they’ve “bucked the system.”  I know controversy and bad publicity sells, but how long will the public embrace it?  Who knows.

            Lastly, does the bad publicity affect ticket sales for films.  One has to wonder when people still patronize the films or projects that they are in, they increase sales as a result.  Any way you look at it, it still boils down to the bottom line.

It doesn’t make any kind of sense.