What Filmmakers Need to Know About Rights Management: Women in Film and Television (VIC) Copyright Forum
Tuesday 19 June 2012, 6.30pm, The Apartment, 401-405 Little Bourke Street
ALL WELCOME
Free to WIFT members; $5 for non-members
So you’re a writer/director/producer with a brilliant idea, but you need help to get it off the ground. Whether you bring other people onto the project as partners or contractors, or present your idea to a producer or production company, what are your rights and how can you protect them? How can you ensure you benefit from the exploitation of your idea? What do you need to know about digital rights management? What are your options if you’re considering a non-traditional form of distribution?
Our experienced panel will discuss these issues and give examples from their careers as successful filmmakers. They include award-winning producer Sue Maslin, film and entertainment law expert Shaun Miller from Shaun Miller Lawyers, comic writer and performer Peter Moon from the Australian Writers Guild and lawyer and director Peter Carstairs, representing the Australian Directors Guild.
Panel commencing at 7pm followed by Q&A till 9pm. Drinks and food will be available at bar prices from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
RSVP appreciated to info@wiftvic.com.au or call Sue Marriot, President WIFT (Vic) on 9620 0023 or just turn up on the night.
Sue Maslin
Sue Maslin is an award winning screen producer and Adjunct Professor of the School of Media & Communication, RMIT University. She produces and distributes screen content across many platforms – cinema, television, web and mobile phone – for her company Film Art Media.
Feature credits include feature films ROAD TO NHILL (1995), JAPANESE STORY (2003), winner of 26 international wards including the AFI Award for Best Feature Film and HUNT ANGELS (2006), winner of the AFI Award for Best Feature Documentary Film. Documentary credits include THE EDGE OF THE POSSIBLE, THE HIGHEST COURT and CELEBRITY: DOMINICK DUNNE and MICHAEL KIRBY – Don’t Forget The Justice Bit (writer/director Daryl Dellora) was nominated for Best Documentary Biography in the 2010 ATOM Awards.
In 2010, Sue was appointed as Adjunct Professor of the Media Program, School of Media & Communication, RMIT University. Sue currently serves on the Board of the Adelaide Film Festival and was Artistic Director of the Australian Film Festival (2004-08) in Israel, a participant at the Prime Minister’s 2020 Summit and a Member of the Australia International Cultural Council. She is a founding member of the Natalie Miller Fellowship Trust.
Shaun Miller
Shaun recently set up Shaun Miller Lawyers specialising in film and entertainment law (based in Melbourne). Previous to this, Shaun was a Partner in the Media Department at Marshalls & Dent Lawyers. Earlier in his career, Shaun worked in film production (with filmmaker Paul Cox) as well as film distribution and exhibition (with Sharmill Films and Cinema Nova).
Shaun is the Chair of the Board of the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) Film and Television School Course Advisory Committee. He was previously on the board of Channel 31. With over 10 years’ experience in the area of film and entertainment law, Shaun has worked on a vast number of feature films, television series, animations, short films and new media projects. One of the highlights of Shaun’s career as a film lawyer was acting for the producer of Adam Elliot’s short animated film “Harvie Krumpet” which won an Oscar at the Academy Awards in 2004.
Shaun also “guest lectures” in film and entertainment law at the VCA Film and Television School, the Australian Film Television and Radio School, the University of Melbourne and Open Channel, amongst others.
Shaun sees the role of today’s film and entertainment lawyer as a “facilitator”, that is, liaising with producers, government funding bodies, distributors, financiers and creative talent in order to get film and television programs onto the big and small screen.
Peter Moon
Peter Moon became well known to Australian audiences in the comedy television show Fast Forward where his memorable characters included “Victor” the Soviet newsreader and Barry the advertising executive. He worked as a writer on Full Frontal and hosted a top-rating breakfast show with Wendy Harmer for eight years on Sydney radio. Peter played the Reverend Marsden in the historical comedy Bligh and guest starred on Neighbours as theatre producer Terry Kearney. In 2009 he wrote, produced and starred in Whatever Happened to That Guy, a comedy series loosely based on his own experiences as a “has-been” comedian.
Peter is a member of the Australian Writers Guild National Executive Council.
Peter Carstairs
Peter Carstairs is an award winning writer/director and is also an intellectual property lawyer with one of Australia’s leading law firms.
Peter graduated from the AFTRS in 2002 and, after a string of acclaimed short films (including GATE, AFTERWARDS and PACIFIC) he co-wrote and directed his debut feature film SEPTEMBER starring Mia Wasikowska and Xavier Samuel. SEPTEMBER was official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and screened at Cannes forum as part of Cannes Cinephiles. Produced by John Polson, SEPTEMBER was released theatrically in Australia by Hopscotch Films in early 2008.
Together with producing partner, James Grandison, Peter has recently created the Melbourne production company Pistols at Dawn, which has a slate of long form projects in development.
In addition to his career as a filmmaker, Peter is also a senior associate in the Melbourne office of King & Wood Mallesons where he specialises in intellectual property and, in particular, copyright. He has provided copyright advice to a range of clients dealing with the internet and digital technologies including anti-piracy and enforcement litigation for the music and film industries including acting for the music industry in Australia’s first internet piracy case involving Bit Torrent (Warner Music v Swiftel).
He has also prepared numerous submissions to the Federal Government on behalf of clients including as part of the Fair Use and Other Copyright Exceptions Review (an examination of fair use, fair dealing and other exceptions in the Digital Age).
Peter sat on the board of the Australian Directors Guild for two years in 2005/2006.