Immediate Legal Research & Prep (Before U.S. vs. U.K. Decision)

👉 Bottom line: focus now on gathering documents, mapping rights, and confirming contributor/guild status.

• Those steps are universal and will make U.S./U.K. compliance much easier once you pick your jurisdiction.

1. Chain of Title & Intellectual Property Clearance

• Action: Create a rights matrix of every element in the film 

• Due 9/15: Script  

• Due: Footage 

• Due: Music 

• Due: Photos 

• Due: Trademarks

• Due: Names/likenesses 

• Research:

• Due: Track whether you have written agreements or licenses for each.

• Due: Identify missing contracts (e.g. archival material, third-party music).

• Why it helps now: A clean “chain of title” is a prerequisite in both the U.S. and U.K. before any distributor will touch the project.

1. Work-for-Hire & Contributor Agreements

• Action: 

• Due: Gather contracts for all writers, 

• Due: Gather contracts for all directors, 

• Due: Gather contracts for all producers, 

• Due: Gather contracts for all composers, and 

• Due: Gather contracts for all key crew.

• Research: 

• Due: Confirm whether each agreement explicitly assigns IP rights to the production entity.

• Why it helps now: Both U.S. and U.K. law require clear assignments of rights — wording differs, but the principle is the same.

1. Union/Guild Status

• Action: 

• Due: Make a list of all actors, 

• Due: Make a list of all writers, and 

• Due: Make a list of all directors involved.

• Research: 

• Due: Check whether they are members of SAG-AFTRA/WGA/DGA (U.S.) or Equity/Writers’ Guild of Great Britain/Directors U.K. (U.K.).

• Why it helps now: You’ll need to know guild membership in order to choose the right contracts later.

1. Corporate Structure

• Action: 

• Due: Decide whether the film is currently under an entity (LLC, Ltd, nonprofit fiscal sponsor, etc.) or just under an individual’s name.

• Research: 

• Due: Start drafting a simple organizational chart (who owns what).

• Why it helps now: In both the U.S. and U.K., distributors require that a production company — not an individual — hold the rights.

1. Insurance Prep

• Action: 

• Due: Begin compiling a risk list 

• Due: IP risks, 

• Due: stunts, 

• Due: locations, 

• Due: defamation risk, 

• Due: identifiable people.

• Research: 

• Due: Look up Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance checklists — these are fairly standardized internationally.

• Why it helps now:  Insurers everywhere want the same underlying documentation (chain of title, releases, contracts).

1. Distribution Goals

• Action: 

• Due: Clarify your intended markets: theatrical, streaming, broadcast, NGOs, festivals.

• Research: 

• Due: Note platforms (e.g. Netflix, BBC, WaterBear) and whether they are U.S., U.K., or international.

Why it helps now: Helps decide whether U.S. or U.K. law should anchor your distribution agreements.