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Helgi
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Posted: Thu May 26th, 2005 01:43 am |
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| Let's say I want to make my own low budget movie about King Arthur or Arabian nights. Would I have to buy license? Being that the stories and sagas are ancient it would seem to me that no one has movie rights and that they are public domain? Right or wrong?
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"We have a lady who is most high and mighty, high she is and holy, nobles love her for this. She is called Freo, well does she direct them, Freo, our lady, we give to her Friday." -From the poem 'Brut', by the 13C poet Layamon
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Roy
Quasi-Infallible Egocentric Tyrant
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Posted: Thu May 26th, 2005 03:39 am |
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No, you don't have to. All the stuff you have mentioned is in the public domain as far as I know.
Roy
____________________
"The force and degree of a man's inner benevolence evokes in others a proportionate degree of ill-will" - Gurdjieff
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." — George Orwell
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Psycho Gizmo
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Posted: Thu May 26th, 2005 06:37 am |
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Yep, what Roy said about copyrights is true enough. But I do not believe that there is anything in reality known as a "low-budget film". If they ever existed, they have now become a myth. Even "low budget" means that you will spend a minimum of probably $40K before you're done - and that does not include a salary for the creators, who usually work for free in the acting, writing, production, direction and editing part of the process.
There is one aspect of filming that does require a permit and a license, that is for public filming. Most cities require that any film-maker wishing to use outdoor public areas/buildings within city limits as a locations, must have insurance, which usually requires a license as a production company to qualify.
Limited permits for filming on public property require a bond of usually not less than $100K liability, and more if not security or police are present during production. Some cities require a police presence on location during production- especially if public street areas are involved.
I suggest writing books/screenplays/treatments if you have a great cinematic concept to pursue, until yu can drum up the funds to support it. Reality is cheaper to create with a keyboard and/or ink on paper, than with cameras/crews. Besides, if the story is good enough, you will not have to make the film yourself, but can collaborate with a professional director/producer. It is the creative product that holds power in Hollywood - but only if weilded with shrewdness and common business-sense.
I must confess a certain curiosity about your idea, Helgi. Can you please tell me; if you had the funding, what would you want to do and how would you plan to accomplish it creatively?
PG
Last edited on Thu May 26th, 2005 06:38 am by
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Helgi
Honored Fellow Grover
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Posted: Thu May 26th, 2005 06:43 pm |
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Psycho Gizmo wrote:
Yep, what Roy said about copyrights is true enough. But I do not believe that there is anything in reality known as a "low-budget film". If they ever existed, they have now become a myth. Even "low budget" means that you will spend a minimum of probably $40K before you're done - and that does not include a salary for the creators, who usually work for free in the acting, writing, production, direction and editing part of the process.
There is one aspect of filming that does require a permit and a license, that is for public filming. Most cities require that any film-maker wishing to use outdoor public areas/buildings within city limits as a locations, must have insurance, which usually requires a license as a production company to qualify.
Limited permits for filming on public property require a bond of usually not less than $100K liability, and more if not security or police are present during production. Some cities require a police presence on location during production- especially if public street areas are involved.
I suggest writing books/screenplays/treatments if you have a great cinematic concept to pursue, until yu can drum up the funds to support it. Reality is cheaper to create with a keyboard and/or ink on paper, than with cameras/crews. Besides, if the story is good enough, you will not have to make the film yourself, but can collaborate with a professional director/producer. It is the creative product that holds power in Hollywood - but only if weilded with shrewdness and common business-sense.
I must confess a certain curiosity about your idea, Helgi. Can you please tell me; if you had the funding, what would you want to do and how would you plan to accomplish it creatively?
PG
If I had the funds I would make the Volsung Saga into a movie. I see alot of "turn this into a movie" bits going out but this would be a step in a different direction since it would be paying homage to ancient authors instead of an "upgrade." I didn't think about the idea until seeing that beowulf was being made into a movie and I generaly feel the Volsungs are under appreciated despite the fact it influenced ancient fiction all over Europe. King Arthur's legend borrows abundantly from the Volsung Saga.
I would do like in the Passion of Christ and use the language of the people. This does two things, one it gives it a more genuine feel and two, it can smooth out inconsistancies in acting. The first half of the film would focus on Sigmund's last battle and Sigurd's life while the second half would focus around those who betrayed them and King Atli's (a.k.a Attila the Hun) revenge for the death of a hero.
I have been considering budget costs and I feel I could make a good looking film with the amount of money it would cost to buy housing. Re-enactment crews could easily work for free since they jump at the opportunity to dress up and go to pretend-war.
The stuff on camera would be the cheapest part of the movie since it would just require renting period clothing and props that can be bought cheap online in bulk. The real budget sucker would just be recording, editing and what not.
The only thing I truley fear is the part of the casting is in story where Sigurd kills, the dragon. In most of the manuscripts I've read all he does is walk in and die but making it look real and believable is what would take the most skill.
I also didn't think about movie making at all before a friend of mine talked about going into acting and I heard about Loyd Kaufman's book "make your own damn movie." Still these are mostly just fantasies. However I cultivate ideas like a farmer cultivates vegitables so I don't let go.
____________________
"We have a lady who is most high and mighty, high she is and holy, nobles love her for this. She is called Freo, well does she direct them, Freo, our lady, we give to her Friday." -From the poem 'Brut', by the 13C poet Layamon
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Psycho Gizmo
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Posted: Sun May 29th, 2005 03:02 pm |
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Helgi wrote:it would be paying homage to ancient authors
It is my understanding that "film-makers" are always writers.
Any script, treatment or screenplay that is ever made, even by a film-student, has an associated person/team, who wrote the main plot, characters, dialogue and set-directions/cinematography outlines. If you are truly serious about popularizing this material, perhaps you would serve your purpose better by writing something dramatic to illustrate your main themes.
If the technical end of this is daunting, you should probably consult with a film-student or educator at the college or university level and ask a few questions. I have shared all that I probably know about the topic already.
PG
Last edited on Sun May 29th, 2005 03:09 pm by
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