Crew Agreements

Get Certified in Crew Agreements

Taught by Thomas A. Crowell, Esq.

During pre-production, you will be hiring your cast and crew, and unlike film school, crewing up requires a lot more than a two-page deal memo and an envelope full of petty cash. And for feature films and episodic TV productions, you may not see your crew members as employees, but their union, the state, and the federal government likely will — no matter how many times you wrote the words “independent contractor” into the agreement. This means that in addition to the service contracts you negotiate with them, you also must comply with state and federal employment laws.  

But figuring out how to classify a worker is only half the battle: you also need to make sure that the written agreement they sign with your production company protects your film’s intellectual property, and clearly spells out the work schedule, compensation, crediting, equipment they will be providing, representations and warranties, termination provisions, and myriad other aspects of the scope of employment. This two-hour intensive course is designed to introduce filmmakers to key business and legal issues involved in hiring crew members on an independent production.

The course will cover:

• Classification of worker: employee or independent contractor?
• An overview of key federal and state law requirements for employers
  • Safety and health
  • Worker’s compensation
  • Citizenship status
  • Minors as employees
  • Wages and taxes
  • Nondiscrimination
• Labor unions
  • Collective bargaining agreements
  • Union regulations
  • Becoming a signatory
• Key components of a crew services agreement
  • Engagement/scope of service
  • Worker status
  • Schedule
  • Intellectual property
  • Waivers
  • Compensation
  • Crediting
  • Equipment rentals and insurance
  • Morality clauses; notice and cure; termination
  • Option for future services
  • “Boilerplate”: it keeps the boiler from exploding
• Copyright and crew members
  • Controlling the copyright
  • Avoiding joint authorship
  • Work-for-hire requirements

What is Individual Certification?

Individual Certification is a single course centered around one subject. Upon the completion of this course and passing a test you will receive a Stage 32 Certificate in this area of production. You can pause your course and go back to review. You will be tested and get three attempts to pass. If you do not pass you will need to re-enroll. Upon passing you will be listed in our database accessible by film productions that are looking for talent and a badge will be added to your Stage 32 profile.

About the Instructor

The course is taught by entertainment attorney Thomas A. Crowell, Esq., media and copyright law professor and author of the legal guide for producers “The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers”. A former television producer and director of development for STN, Mr. Crowell currently teaches intellectual property at CUNY Law School and has taught media law courses in law schools and film schools around the world. Cofounder of Cardozo Law School’s acclaimed Indie Film Clinic and creator of New York Comic Con’s annual Continuing Legal Education workshops, Mr. Crowell has spent the last two decades creating ways to make difficult legal concepts accessible to artists. Mr. Crowell is a partner with the New York law firm of LaneCrowell, LLP and a member of the bars of New York, New Jersey, and the US Supreme Court.

(Payment plans available at checkout)

THIS COURSE IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, NOR IS MR. CROWELL OR STAGE 32 OFFERING A LEGAL OPINION. THIS PRESENTATION HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. ONLY YOUR ATTORNEY CAN ADVISE YOU WHICH LAWS ARE APPLICABLE TO YOUR SPECIFIC CASE AND SITUATION. WHILE THE PRESENTER HAS USED REASONABLE EFFORTS TO INCLUDE ACCURATE AND UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS AS TO THE ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT AND ASSUMES NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ERROR OR OMISSION IN THE CONTENT. THIS COURSE IS PRESENTED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS.”