Independent Film rights

marklord

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I have been contacted by an independent film maker who wants to adapt one of my short stories into a low budget short film. Is there a standard/model license for this kind of thing, or does anyone have some suggestions of what I should look out for?
 

Old Hack

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You need to be very careful. If this were a novel I'd see if I could find a literary agent with a film/TV rights department to take a look at it for me, but with just a short story on the table, I doubt it would be lucrative enough for an agent to consider.

A lawyer is unlikely to be able to help you unless they're a specialist IP lawyer, and even then they'll need specialist knowledge in this area. Do be careful.

Also, are they asking for the rights to the story, or just an option on those rights? There's a big difference.
 

IceCreamEmpress

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Yes, there are standard option and purchase agreements out there. If you're in the US, this is fairly standard (though I wouldn't sign an option/purchase agreement that didn't have an automatic reversion clause, rather than an "opportunity to reacquire" clause like this one).