Hey readers, once again I am stepping aside my lighting blog to talk about a couple of legal issues at are coming up on the radar. First of which is the lawsuit with Internships with Black Swan and Fox Searchlight Productions. As working in the film industry for a wile now, I have had various opportunities to do internships in L A. I started as an office intern on movies sets and some of my jobs included getting coffee, making copies of scripts to picking up camera gear from Panivision. Even being an office intern, I learned a couple of things or two from producers and other office staff. As most of you all know, working for free or being an “intern” is a right of passage into the entertainment industry. Film and Broadcast is a different world then the “real world.” Internships figure out if you are cut out to work in this industry or not, as well its a great way to meet people and learn how the entertainment world works. The next step to the industry after being an intern would be paid positions as a PA, Grip & Electric or Camera PA. In the legal case of Black Swan and Fox Searchlight, Eric Glatt and Alexander Footman were both interns working on the blockbuster film. Glatt an accounting intern and Footman an office intern for Fox Searchlight’s Black Swan. Glatt said to the Huff Post “As the internship wore on I continued to feel like fox was taking advantage of me after the film made 300 million.” Footman was taking out the trash, taking lunch orders and making sure the coffee pot was full at all times. Glatt and Footman both filed a lawsuit for unpaid labor in film. Glatt and Footman are hoping to get money for them selfs and over 100 Searchlight inters. On August 8th 2012 Judge William H. Pauley III allowed them to file a motion to amend their suit to expand the plaintiff class to include everyone who has worked as an unpaid intern at Fox Entertainment Group for the past several years.
I understand where Glatt and Footman are coming from and wish I was paid as well on blockbusters I was interning on. In my opinion I feel like the film industry is earned not given, as well putting your time in.
According to Huff Post in 2010 Fox will start paying all interns in the internship program $10 per Hour.
Here is a question. If most PA’s where making $10 per hour and now interns are making $10 per hour, doesn't that make Interns PA’s now?
I know when I open my company, I will have Interns working with me and hopefully asking questions and learning like I did. I feel picking my crew from interns is a great way to find the trust and drive to see if they are willing to succeed in my company.
Another legal issue that was on the radar is about Intellectual property disputes, and my case comes from the movie Hangover 2. Stu Price, one of the characters on hangover 2 had an identical Mike Tyson tattoo that was painted on his face for the movie. Victor Whitmill Tyson’s tattoo artiest filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Entertainment on April 28, 2011. Because Whitmill obtained a copyright for the 8 year old artwork and claimed that the use of his design in the movie and in advertisement with out consent was copyright infringement. Later Whitmill and Warner Bros agreed on an undisclosed amount.
knowing about IP issues like this, is definitely something to look out for wile producing projects. I know for my company this is going to be something to look out for. Coming from someone that does not have any tattoos, this is something I need to look at designs in tattoos so that I am not having any IP issues before I go into production.
Talking about IP and copyright artwork lawsuit case, comes from the Syfy reality show Dream Machines and a Louisiana Artist Preston Asevedo that clams the show has been infringing on copyright on his artwork. The problem comes from the comedy tragedy skulls that is used on the parker brothers establishment sign on each episode, and uses it in other ways like stamping it in 50 Cent’s car. Asevedo is suing for copyright infringement, unfair competition and unjust enrichment. No compensation or ruling has been reached.
Again I feel the producers need to do a better job on spotting out little things like artwork, that can turn around and bite them down the road. Copyright in art is a very hard thing to miss wile in production. After looking at case after case of copyright in art I can see something going wrong in the future if I don't pay enough attention. Like I have said before, I will be watching out for the little things before I go into Production. 
No comments:
Post a Comment