The Movie Business - by Kelly Crabb (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Making a movie may be part art and part science, but it's 100 percent business.

In this comprehensive and accessible guide, Kelly Charles Crabb shares the information necessary to understand the legal and financial challenges involved in getting a film from story to the silver screen and beyond.

Drawing on over twenty years of experience in the entertainment industry, as both lawyer and producer, Crabb reveals his insider's knowledge on:

• Understanding copyright and intellectual property law

• Obtaining financial backing

• Selecting and hiring the key players

• Overseeing the filming

• Locking in the theatrical, home video, and TV distribution

• Understanding merchandise licensing
  

and everything else you need to know to make a serious run at producing and exploiting a movie. Offering hands-on illustrations from actual movie contracts to show how the basic deals for each of the many stages are assembled, the author explains in plain and simple terms what the contracts contain and why. It gives the big picture and the finer points of movie making -- from concept to raking in the last dollar after the film is completed.

While it may not transform you into a lawyer or an industry accountant -- and that's not what you want anyway -- it will take you through all the business and legal principles you need to know to be a successful and knowledgeable professional producer.

Review Quotes

""The Movie Business" is a brilliant discourse on the subject of entertainment law... (and) a necessary tool for every indicidual engaged in the pursuit of 'making the deal.' Mr. Crabb has captured the art of law in entertainment in a no-nonsense, easily understood collection of legalisms that will serve the novice as well as the professional. It's an outstanding book. I only wish I could have had this book thirty years ago."

-- Gerald R. Molen, producer of "Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, " and "Minority Report"

"Find a good script, read Kelly Crabb's book, and you're on your way to becoming a motion picture producer. "The Movie Business" is a book that's been badly needed for years. Here it is, in spades."

-- Mace Neufeld, producer of "The Saint, The Hunt for Red October, " and "The Sum of all Fears"

"This is my new favorite handbook! It is packed with a gret overview and with detailed inforamtion you will need as a producer. Even if you are just thinking about the movie business, this is a must!"

-- Ralph Winter, producer of "X-Men" and "X-Men II"