Non-Commercial Release Question

[metrov]

Hi, I'm a fine arts painter & filmmaker currently producing a short documentary to promote myself as an artist. I realize the matter of written permission for everything that appears in my film that does not specifically belong to me can be hazy. However, I also realize it's important to have the appropriate releases particularly if I ever expect my film to be picked up for distribution. But is it safe to say that if I do not plan to sell my DVD or sell my film for distribution… and will use it only to send to private galleries, curators, etc, that I'll probably be okay without releases for every little thing? The only thing I may want to do is submit the film to festivals. Still, I won't be showing anything controversial, or show anyone (in a photograph or video clip) in a negative light… in other words, I don’t expect to piss anyone off.  Thanks for any tips

[rs170a]

Since you're doing a documentary to promote yourself, why would you use anything that belonged to someone else? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of your documentary?

 

When you submit anything to a reputable festival, you have to be able to prove that you have copyright to everything in your film, no exceptions allowed.

 

Mike

[Author]

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