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| Preface | |
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| Introduction -- What It Takes to Work in the Movie and TV Business | |
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| What You''ll Need Before you start | |
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| Be Prepared | |
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| Training and Experience | |
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| Talent | |
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| Courage | |
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| Patience | |
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| Common Sense | |
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| A Good Work Ethic | |
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| A Little Help from Your Friends | |
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| Required Reading before You Come to Town | |
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| The Players | |
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| The People Above The Line | |
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| Above the Line vs. Below the Line | |
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| Producers | |
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| Optioning a Screenplay | |
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| Selling Projects to a Studio | |
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| Script Breakdowns | |
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| Directors | |
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| Actors John''s Acting Resume | |
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| Writers | |
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| The People Below The Line | |
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| Casting Directors | |
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| Production Assistant | |
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| First and Second Assistant Director and Second Unit Director | |
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| Director of Photography | |
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| Camera Operator, First and Second Assistant Cameramen | |
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| Gaffer and Best Boy | |
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| Key Grip | |
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| Production Sound Mixer | |
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| Production Designer | |
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| Set Decorator and Property Master | |
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| Lead Person and Swing Gang | |
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| Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist | |
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| Wardrobe | |
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| Stunt Coordinator | |
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| Script Supervisor | |
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| Production Accountant | |
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| Stand-ins and Extras | |
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| Matte Painter | |
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| Production Illustrator | |
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| Visual Effects People | |
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| A Note about Animation | |
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| Film Editors | |
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| Post-Production Sound | |
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| Composers, Orchestrators, and Musicians | |
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| Technical Advisers and Researchers | |
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| Studio Employees | |
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| A Few Words about Reality Shows | |
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| The People Who Do Business | |
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| Agents Agents vs. Managers | |
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| Managers | |
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| Business Managers | |
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| Lawyers | |
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| Studio Executives | |
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| Getting Started | |
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| First Steps | |
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| Getting Settled | |
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| Financial Considerations | |
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| Read the Trades | |
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| Letting Them Know You''re in Town | |
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| Do I Have Tape or Film of My Work? | |
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| What about Student Films? | |
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| Stand-Up Comedy | |
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| Industrials and Educational Films | |
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| The Porn Industry | |
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| Sex and Money Scams | |
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| Avoiding Scams | |
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| Special Considerations for Actors | |
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| Pathways for Directors | |
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| Pathways for Producers | |
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| Pathways for Agents | |
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| Pathways for Lawyers | |
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| Pathways for Technical People | |
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| Getting Trained | |
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| Acting Teachers and Coaches | |
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| Apprenticeships and Internships | |
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| Film Schools | |
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| Extension Courses and Seminars | |
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| The People Who Represent You | |
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| Agents | |
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| Getting the Agent to Work for You | |
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| Managers | |
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| Power of Attorney | |
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| Attorneys | |
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| Three Good Reasons to Meet with an Attorney | |
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| The People Who Promote You | |
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| Photographers | |
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| Publicists and Press Agents | |
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| When Should You Add a Publicist to Your Team? | |
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| Personal Trainers | |
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| Unions | |
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| What Unions Are Involved in the Entertainment Industry? | |
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| Associations | |
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| What Do the Unions Have to Do with My Early Career? | |
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| Getting Your Union Card, That Elusive Catch-22 | |
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| The Union Card Shuffle | |
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| Working Non-Union | |
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| Financial Core | |
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| Your First Real Job | |
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| What Is a Real Job? | |
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| Contractual Issues | |
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| The Difference Between Movie and Television Contracts | |
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| Basic Motion Picture Deals | |
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| TV Deals | |
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| Compensation for Your First Real Job | |
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| Payment | |
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| Scale for Actors | |
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| Why Actors Love Commercials | |
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| Scale for Directors and Writers | |
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| Scale for Below-the-Line People | |
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| Non-Union Compensation | |
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| Residuals | |
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| Credit | |
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| Is There Anything Else I Can Get This Time Around? | |
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| When Will I Work Again? | |
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| What Happens Between the First and the Next Real Job | |
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| Surviving the Hard Times | |
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| Your First Big Break | |
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| What Are the Breaks? | |
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| Exploiting the Break | |
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| Who Should Make My Deal and Negotiate My Contract? | |
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| Should I Change My Agent or Manager? | |
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| Major Deal Points for the First Big Break | |
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| Compensation | |
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| Credit | |
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| A Credit PrimerShared Writing Credit | |
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| Multiple Picture and Episode Deals | |
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| Why A Seven-Year Rule? | |
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| Most Favored Nations | |
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| Multiple Pictures with Preemptions | |
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| HiatusShould I Incorporate? | |
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| Why Do They Call It a Loanout? | |
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| Avoid Being Exploited | |
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| Location FeverDon''t Get Caught Paying Double | |
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| The Ego Problem | |
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| What Price Fame? | |
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| "Please Take Off Your Clothes" | |
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| Sexual Harassment | |
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| The Production-in-Progress Scam | |
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| Sex, Race, Sexual Orientation, and Age Discrimination | |
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| Affirmative Action | |
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| Protecting and Selling your Creative Works | |
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| The Value of Creative Ideas | |
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| Who Needs to Protect Their Creative Work? | |
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| Don''t I Own All the Work I Create? | |
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| The Basic Protections | |
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| Copyright Protection | |
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| Registration | |
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| What If You Think Your Work Was Stolen? | |
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| A Few Rules of Thumb about Life-Story Rights | |
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| Contract | |
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| Work for Hire | |
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| Writers Guild Registration | |
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| Your Agents and Representatives | |
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| Selling Your Rights and Getting Them Back | |
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| Should You Give Someone a Free Option? | |
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| When You''ve Become a Working Professional | |
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| Top-Level Contract Issues | |
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| Do I Really Need to Know All This Stuff? | |
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| Now That You''ve Got the Power to Negotiate | |
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| Why do Deals Fall Through? | |
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| Money Issues | |
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| Profit Participation | |
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| History of Movie Profit Participation | |
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| The Hierarchy of Participation Deals | |
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| Net Profits | |
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| Summary of How Profits are Calculated | |
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| Deferments (Accrued before Actual Breakeven) | |
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| Breakeven | |
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| Merchandising | |
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| Tips for Negotiating Your Profit Participation | |
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| Credit/Name and Likeness | |
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| Sample Credit Provisions | |
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| Perquisites | |
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| Approval Power | |
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| Real Power | |
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| So What Is in That Boilerplate? | |
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| Rights and Moral Rights | |
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| A (Very) Short Primer on Moral Rights | |
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| Screen and Advertising Credit | |
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| Representation | |
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| Transportation and Living Expenses | |
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| Suspensions, Strikes, and Other Force Majeure Events | |
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| Tips on Suspensions | |
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| Morals Clauses and Other Restrictions | |
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| Other Gobbledygook | |
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| Breaking the Contract | |
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| Choosing to Break the Contract | |
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| Getting Fired | |
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| The Rules of the Game | |
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| Motion Picture Production | |
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| Studio Pictures | |
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| Negative Costs | |
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| Negative Pickups | |
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| Completion Bonds | |
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| Article 20 | |
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| Independent Productions | |
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| Want Someone to Finance Your Film? | |
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| Marketing and Exhibition | |
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| Blind Bidding | |
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| Television Production | |
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| That Highway in the Sky | |
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| Broadcast Television | |
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| Cable Television | |
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| Syndication | |
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| Financial Syndication Rules | |
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| Who Produces Television? | |
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| The Marketplace | |
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| Festivals and Markets | |
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| NATPE/NAB | |
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| Affiliate Meetings | |
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| Epilogue -- Final Thoughts | |
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| Appendix -- Suggested Reading List | |