Knowing Your Rights: Legal Fundamentals for Documentary Filmmakers Workshops in NC, TX, and NY

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Knowing Your Rights: Legal Fundamentals for Documentary Filmmakers
Karen Shatzkin, Esq.

Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University partners with documentary programs and film organizations to present day-long workshop in Elon, NC; Austin, TX; and New York, NY

Cost: $85
Students and Members of Cosponsoring Organizations: $70

The Fall 2006 “Knowing Your Rights” tour is cosponsored by The Austin Film Society * DocuClub * International Documentary Association (IDA) * MediaRights * The Southern Documentary Fund * Women Make Movies

WORKSHOP DATES
Note date change for the New York workshop. All workshops run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a one-hour break for lunch.

Saturday, November 11
ELON UNIVERSITY, ELON, NORTH CAROLINA (thirty minutes from Greensboro; less than an hour from Durham)
Presented with ElonDocs

Saturday, November 18
AUSTIN, TEXAS
Presented with the Austin Film Society

Saturday, December 9
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Presented with the Department of Media Studies and Film at the New School

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED; SPACES ARE LIMITED
See below for registration details.


QUESTIONS ABOUT KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS?
Contact Dawn Dreyer, Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, at 919-660-3680 or dkdreyer@duke.edu.


Documentary Filmmakers on Karen Shatzkin:

"In our first contest with Bob Dylan over the re-release of Don't Look Back, it was Karen Shatzkin who took charge in what was a sort of poker-game showdown. She not only got the film back into theaters but so overwhelmed Bob's big-time California lawyers that they started coming eagerly to our office to sit and have Karen excoriate them with legal outrage at their behavior in preventing us from distribution of the film. Grant may have taken Richmond, but it was Shatzkin who took Don't Look Back."—Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker, Monterey Pop, The War Room, Down from the Mountain, Only the Strong Survive, Al Franken: God Spoke

"Speaking with Karen Shatzkin about music clearances was a tremendous relief. I was finally able to think clearly about the music issues - both the problems and possibilities - as the film moved forward with its distribution life. I thank her for that."—Robb Moss, The Same River Twice

"Karen Shatzkin is the most knowledgeable, experienced, passionate, and caring attorney I've had the good fortune to represent me in matters ranging from rights to contracts. She sees between, beneath, and around all the angles to ensure your creative and business interests are best served."—Linda Goode Bryant, Flag Wars

"Karen Shatzkin is an invaluable resource for documentary filmmakers. In her workshop, she cuts through myth and paranoia to give clear, succinct examples of fair use and its limitations. Karen's love of documentary and desire to see it flourish is balanced with years of experience as an attorney and a firm grasp of relevant law."—Stephanie Johnes, Doubletime (in progress) and attendee of previous Knowing Your Rights workshop


THE WORKSHOP

Both beginning and more experienced documentary filmmakers have misconceptions about the impact of copyright and other laws on their projects. Knowing Your Rights: Legal Fundamentals for Documentary Filmmakers is designed to enable non-lawyers to understand how various relevant areas of law—including copyright, trademark, defamation, and privacy/publicity rights—affect their projects. Karen Shatzkin has extensive experience making these complex issues comprehensible to her creative clients, including a wide array of documentary filmmakers.

This day-long workshop will enable participants to be more self-sufficient in understanding their rights and the limitations on those rights. They will learn about circumstances that really require a lawyer's involvement (and those that don't). Participants also will gain knowledge that will empower them to work with lawyers, rather than be passive recipients of legal advice. Shatzkin will discuss copyright doctrines, such as "de minimus" and fair use; the portrayal of trademarks; rules concerning film titles; and privacy/publicity rights. Using important court decisions and examples from her clients' films, she will discuss how the laws apply to documentary projects and provide an understanding of what practical considerations may intervene.


KAREN SHATZKIN

A member of the New York law firm of Shatzkin & Mayer, P.C., Karen Shatzkin has worked on legal issues affecting documentary films for more than twenty years, primarily on behalf of independent filmmakers and independent production companies. She has vetted films pre-release; negotiated contracts with creative personnel, distributors, studios, and networks; and responded to claims against filmmakers. Her clients run the gamut from well-established, award-winning documentarians to first-time filmmakers.

Shatzkin, a graduate of Columbia Law School, served as law clerk to a federal district judge in the Southern District of New York and has an active litigation practice in addition to her transactional work for filmmakers and other creative clients. She is a member of the adjunct faculty of Columbia Law School, where she teaches a trial practice seminar. More details about Shatzkin's background are available at www.shatzkinmayer.com.




COURSE LOCATIONS & REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Elon, NC: Saturday, November 11
Course ID: 10617
Location:
LaRose Digital Theatre (Room 101)
Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center
Martha and Spencer Love School of Business
Elon University
100 Campus Drive
Elon, NC 27244


Austin, TX: Saturday, November 18
Course ID: 10618
Location:
Austin Film Society
1901 East 51st Street
Austin, TX 78723


New York, NY: Saturday, December 9
Course ID: 10574
Location:
Teresa Lang Community and Student Center
The New School
55 West 13th Street
New York, NY 10011


Register by phone: 919-684-6259
• Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Register online: http://www.learnmore.duke.edu
• Select “Documentary Studies” in the left menu
• Select “Registration” in the left menu
• Under “Registration Methods” select “Online with our secure registration process”

Register by mail or fax:
• Under “Registration Methods” (see above) select “Mail or Fax”
• Print the form to submit your registration. With mail registration, you may send a check payable to “Duke University.” Your space is not reserved in the workshop until payment is received.

Cancellations
Any cancellation requests must be received in writing (e-mail: learnmore@duke.edu) by September 29 for a full refund minus a $20 processing fee. No cancellations will be refunded after September 29. Visit www.learnmore.duke.edu for more information.





banner image:

Documentary Video Institute, summer 2004. Photograph by Christopher Sims.