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SMS PRODUCTIONS, INC.
&
National Academy of the Moving Image

SMS Newsletter
Online Issue #25
November 24, 2001

KATA Laptop Advanced Bag

We hope everyone had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving spending time with family and friends.

As usual, now that Thanksgiving has passed, it is time to start thinking about the December holidays. And as usual, a good portion of us will procrastinate, leaving us racing around at the last minute buying things that will sit in someone's drawer for the next year. That is why SMS is trying to make gift giving easier this year. On our "Specials" section, we will be offering items of value for that special someone in your life. (Maybe you can purchase it for yourself also.) Does the person have to be in the video or film business? Absolutely not! We have things like KATA computer cases and cell phone pouches as well. A favorite for any one who enjoys using a camera whether still, video or motion is the Domke vest. With eighteen pockets you can almost carry all of your "stuff" on your person. Keep a watch on the "Specials" page, as we will be changing or adding on a constant basis for the next thirty days.

SMS has added the new Panasonic AJ-HDC27V Variable Frame HD Cinema Camera to the rental department. Unique in the world of HD camcorders, the AJ-HDC27V offers variable frame rates, including 24 frame per second capture for acquisition of exquisite film-like images. And with its unique variable frame selectivity, cinematographers can choose from a wide range of other frame rates - including 4 to 33 fps (in one frame increments) 36 fps, 40 fps and 60 fps providing the capability to "overcrank" or "undercrank" the camera to achieve fast or slow motion effects. This is the first time this traditional film technique has been applied to high-definition digital camera system. The November issue of Markee Magazine had an excellent article about SMS and the AJ-HDC27V. We hope you have an opportunity to read it.

Adding the AJ-HDC27 to the Aaton XTRPROD and Aaton A-Minima which were purchased earlier in the year, SMS is offering the finest in HD, 16 and Super 16. Whatever the project, whatever the budget, we have a package that will work for you.

Starting December 1, the National Academy of the Moving Image (NAMI) will participate with IFP/Midwest and Columbia College Chicago in presenting A Legal Series On The Business of Independent Film Production. There is so much to learn that this series is a must for everyone in the business.

This seminar series is designed to alert you to the most common legal and business hazards faced by independent film producers and to suggest ways of handling these problems. Join Bob Labate and Timothy S. Kelley, two Chicago-based attorneys who have been advising independent film producers for many years, and their guest speakers to discuss the challenging work of producing independent film. More information about the series will be available at the Chicago page of the ifp.org website.

All Seminars will be held at the new Columbia College Screening Room Room 304, 1104 South Wabash Street, Chicago 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

IFPMembers: $10.00 per seminar
Non-Members: $20.00 per seminar
$45.00 Full Series pass for IFP Members
$95.00 Full Series Pass for Non Members

For those individuals that have taken NAMI classes, please register by contacting Helena @ 312-440-8963 or smsprod@sbcglobal.net for membership pricing.

December 1, 2001:
Organizing Issues & Choosing The Right Corporate Structure

Anticipated Guest: Jonathan Scott, Swell Productions

In this Seminar we will discuss the first business steps that film producers should take before the script is finished, before actors are attached and before money is raised. We will review a variety of organizing structures commonly used for film/music production including LLC, C and S corporations; 501(c)(3) not-for profit; and limited partnerships, and we will discuss the advantages and problems with each.

January 5, 2002:
Financing The Production

Anticipated Guest: Mike Boland, Securities Lawyer

In this Seminar we will discuss the most common methods of obtaining funds for development and production and we will provide examples of problems and warnings against solicitation without proper securities documents. We will also discuss minimum/maximum models, deferred payments, development funds and division of net profits between investors and producers.

February 9, 2002:
Copyright, Music, Contracts & Talent

Anticipated Guest: Kit Woods, Screen Actors Guild

In this Seminar we will discuss the many issues arising in the negotiation of talent contracts, discussions with SAG/AFTRA, putting music in movies and acquisition and documentation of a wide variety of copyright clearance, intellectual property and publicity rights issues that can kill a project.

March 2, 2002:
Finding An Audience and Distributing Your Film

Anticipated Guest: Michael Hirsh, Producer

This seminar will focus on the various ways in which you might distribute your film, the merits and problems of each type of distribution, what distributors require before accepting a film and what alternatives exist.

April 13, 2002:
The Special Problems of Documentary Film Production

Karen Larson, Business Manager Kartemquin Educational Films
J.J. Hanley, Producer PBS Documentary "Refrigerator Mothers"

Documentary film is a unique form of independent production with its own set of practices and problems. Join us for a discussion of the special problems and solutions applied to documentaries, from formation through intellectual property, funding and distribution.

Timothy S. Kelly, (artslaw@wwa.com)

Attorney at Law, concentrates his practice on entertainment, art, intellectual property and not-for-profit issues. Before starting his practice, he was Executive Director of Lawyers for the Creative Arts (LCA), a not-for-profit and tax-exempt organization that provides legal assistance and educational programming for individual artists and non-profit arts organizations. Tim currently teaches at Columbia College in Chicago at both the undergraduate and graduate level, and he taught "Art & Law" at the American Academy of Art, and for two years taught a course in the Arts Management Graduate Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Mr. Kelley is a graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Robert J. Labate, (labate@mbc.com)

Bob Labate has extensive experience in the area of entertainment law. He represents independent production companies in film and music, documentary film producers, actors, screenwriters, musicians, authors and talent agencies in a broad spectrum of contract, copyright and litigation issues.

On behalf of his entertainment clients Bob Labate has negotiated numerous film, theater and television contracts (including reality television agreements) and celebrity license agreements. He regularly prepares "deal memos" on behalf of writers, directors, actors, authors and holders of valuable life rights. He has also negotiated distribution agreements for film production clients and musical artist agreements with major and independent music labels

Bob Labate frequently speaks and writes on entertainment law issues. His column, "Law and Entertainment," appears monthly in PerformInk. He has spoken at the Chicago Bar Association on representing talent and production companies and he is a graduate of Case Western Reserve School of Law and Yale College.

Independent Feature Project/Midwest (IFP/Midwest), a not-for-profit organization, was founded in 1987 in response to the needs of a growing number of people in the Midwest who are making careers in the feature film business. Based in Chicago, IFP/Midwest is dedicated to education and helping move the region's film community to the cutting edge. Members include writers, directors, producers, technicians, distributors, investors, students, and organizations involved in the discipline of filmmaking.

The National Academy of the Moving Image (NAMI) is a not-for-profit organization offering hands-on post-film school film experience. NAMI's faculty-mentors are among the most successful film and videotape professionals in the industry. Their diverse backgrounds and rich experience include directing, lighting, sound, camera, production manager, producing, entertainment law, etc.


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