What to do next

[bhess]

David,

Im in the middle of filming my first big independent film and I was wondering if you could give me some insight on what to do once the actual movie is complete.

How do I go about actually making the movie legally mine, i.e. copyright etc. What is the legal process that goes along with movie making? Any help would be welcome!

 

[David Mullen ASC]

First of all, put the copyright symbol, the year, and your name on the work.

You can then register the copyrighted work, which is voluntary but necessary if you wish to file for copyright infringement in the U.S.

There is a form that you need to fill-out and submit, along with a copy of the work, to the Library of Congress Copyright Office. See:
http://www.copyright.gov