[arg_discuss] Second Runs & Contracts for an ARG

[libfli at aol.com]

 for u.s. television only the directors, writers and actors see residuals.

Jan

 


 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: John Willoughby <john at savix.net>
To: 'Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG' <arg_discuss at igda.org>
Sent: Sun, Mar 28, 2010 6:47 am
Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] Second Runs & Contracts for an ARG


You probably won't get anyone to go along with that. It is standard to sign
over all rights for content you create for artistic projects. The person or
group creating the project doesn't want to have to worry about how and when
they can use your contribution so they typically just get all rights to
ownership. You get money (hopefully), they get ownership. Now if you are
doing it for free and they make money, you would rightly expect a slice of
the pie. But there, too, if it is for free are they going to want to spend
the time and money to hash out the legal agreements with you? Probably not.
If they had the money to go through that they would be paying you for your
work in the first place.


Now if you are a big name and make a contribution, that's different and you
probably will get as piece of the action as specified in a massive and
complex agreement. But they can't be bothered to go through that with
everyone. And not having ownership is always risky when some new medium or
other scenario is invented that wasn't covered in the original contract.
Then you have to go back and re-negotiate with everyone who retained some
rights. Not fun for anyone.



-----Original Message-----
From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org [mailto:arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org] On
Behalf Of Andrea Phillips
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 10:41 PM
To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG
Subject: [arg_discuss] Second Runs & Contracts for an ARG

I have some philosophic questions in reaction to this news
announcement:
http://www.webseriesnetwork.com/profiles/blogs/mtvs-web-series-valemont-goes

The money quote is this: "Per Fireworks, the company has rights to all
content for Valemont, including 35 short-form episodes, the ARG, the
prequel episodes and extra videos online, plus five half-hour episodes
and the 100-minute TV movie."

This isn't the first time an ARG has been tapped for a second
go-round. I'm pretty sure Regenesis did a second round (correct me if
I'm wrong.) Temporarily ignoring the question of what it means to
rerun an ARG in terms of production and writing, though they are
related issues -- if an ARG is sold for a second run, where does the
money go? TV writers get residuals, right? Does a TV production staff
also get 'em?

More to the point... For those of us involved in making original IP,
should we start putting language in our contracts making sure we get a
slice of the pie if a project makes it onto bigger and better things?

-- 
Andrea Phillips
http://www.aaphillips.com
TwitterL @andrhia * Skype: Andrhia
Words * Culture * Interaction
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