Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Free Public Performances-How?

This is topic Free Public Performances-How? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Cody Martin (Member # 2523) on 01-02-2005, 08:01 PM:

Hello everyone,

I am getting toward the end of my projector restoration and have a question on playing movies. This summer I am planning on having a few "movie partys" and would like to show a few of the 35mm films I have. I'd like to make these non-exclusive events. How do I go about doing this legally? Do I need a public performance license?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Cody

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 01-02-2005, 09:44 PM:

Just contact the film cos ... plop down about $250/week/title ... and it's all yours ...

Posted by Cody Martin (Member # 2523) on 01-02-2005, 10:07 PM:

What if I already own the prints?

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 01-02-2005, 11:26 PM:

But you don't own the RIGHTS to show them publicly. That's the key. It doesn't matter if you wanted to show a DVD that you owned, you still need to clear the rights to show it publicly if you want to make it legit. And to do that, you need to contact the entity that does own the rights.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-02-2005, 11:40 PM:

And if you should decide NOT to follow the legal path, you probably better make it an invitation-only party that's damn secretive, or you'll run the risk of having film co. lawyers crawling up your butt with a microscope if anyone finds out.

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 01-03-2005, 10:25 AM:

If you're doing it inside your house, you can do what you want, basically. If the "film police" show up at your door, tell THEM it's a private screening and THEY are not invited. [Wink]

Just don't give out tickets or passes or anything that can later be used as proof that it was a public show, or that you were charging admission or whatever. Make sure it has all the makings of a private screening.

You have a right to expect a reasonable amount of privacy in your home. Then again, if you publicly advertize a party, you're just asking for trouble, and it's not going to be from the cops or MPAA! Trust me... [Smile]

=TMP=

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 01-04-2005, 03:30 AM:

You'll need a performance license. Even non-theatrical showings, to a closed group like nursing homes, student groups, etc. require a non-theatrical license to run them. Swank handles most non-theatrical licensing, & they specify that pretty much if you advertise or publicize the showing at all, you've moved from non-theatrcal public exhibition into theatrical license territory.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 01-04-2005, 05:10 AM:

Call the theatrical distributor (check Boxoffice magazine for the number to call) and tell them what you want to do. Let them tell you whether you qualify as theatrical or non-theatrical and, if the latter, find out who the nontheatrical distributor is (probably Swank, Criterion Pictures, or New Yorker Films), and talk with them. Do _not_ mention to _anyone_ that you have prints. In the case of nontheatrical distribution, you may find it cheaper to rent the videotape/DVD (saves on shipping costs) and then show your print, which should be perfectly fine.

If yours is a private invitation-only event in your home, then you don't need to license it. Anything more than that, and you definitely need to legitimately rent a print/tape/disk, regardless of whether or not you charge admission.

Posted by Cody Martin (Member # 2523) on 01-04-2005, 09:15 AM:

Hello,

Thank you for your help. I appreciate all of it and will now go about contacting everyone to find out more.

Thanks,
cody

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 01-05-2005, 12:31 AM:

Cody:

Another little hint I learned about after talking to a legal eagle some years back:

Make sure that NO ONE so much as brings a bottle of soda or whatever to share with you or anyone else. If any studio/etc. wants to be really anal about it, ANY item of coin or of value that changes hands could be construed as admission charged and value received for the exhibition of the film. That would potentially leave you open to "prosecution to the fullest extent of the law". Yikes!! [Roll Eyes]