The [Legal] Artist Is Featured In MovieMaker Magazine!

Once I settled on filmmaking as a vocation, I decided to learn everything I could about the craft. Very quickly, three publications became my bible(s): American Cinematographer, FilmMaker Magazine, and MovieMaker Magazine. American Cinematographer taught me how to shoot and light my movies, while FilmMaker gave me the inside scoop on the world of independent cinema, with great tips on financing and producing a film on a small budget. But MovieMaker was my bread and butter. It was a great resource for learning how to make movies, and its sensibilities were right on the line between indie and mainstream cinema - perfect for a burgeoning filmmaker.

So you can trust me when I tell you that I'm super excited to be featured on their front page! I’ll be writing a monthly-ish legal column for their online magazine on all manner of legal issues confronted by filmmakers. My first column deals with an issue that one of my clients actually came to me with: drones. Or more specifically, the use of camera-mounted drones to get some badass aerial shots.

Here’s a snippet from Cinema Law: To Drone or Not To Drone:

Contrary to popular belief, the FAA doesn’t just regulate airplanes, helicopters, and hover-cars. Drones—or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), as the FAA refers to them—fall under their purview as well. Pretty much anything that can levitate off the ground. And since drones are regulated by the government, failure to meet the agency’s rules can have serious legal consequences for you: civil fines, rescission of or refusal to grant a pilot’s license, and even criminal charges if the infraction causes injury to property and persons.

If you want to read the rest, head over to MovieMaker and check it out!