Internet video sites, like YouTube, MySpace and Atom, offer aspiring filmmakers a chance to shoot and distribute their work on a tight budget. Often gaining the attention of millions of viewers, many independent productions find a following before ever making it to the big screen. A $70 zombie movie recently made headlines when it took the Cannes Film Festival by storm. Colin, created by director Marc Price, gained the attention of Japanese distributors who are currently negotiating purchasing the rights to the film. Shot on a shoestring and using social networking sites to recruit actors and crew members, the groundbreaking film became a reality despite limited resources.

Like Price, budding Stephen Spielbergs and M. Night Shyamalans can learn the legal side of making movies by reading the Second Edition of Jon M. Garon’s The Independent Filmmaker’s Law and Business Guide: Financing, Shooting and Distributing Independent and Digital Films, scheduled for release by Chicago Review Press in July of 2009. A How-To Primer offering information and advice on what can make or break a production, Garon covers the subject of filmmaking from concept to merchandising and everything in between. No stone is left unturned, as chapter after chapter addresses everything involved with creating the next independent blockbuster.

The Independent Filmmaker’s Law and Business Guide is easy to follow and a valuable resource for those interested in being behind the scenes of a production. Layman terminology makes the book appealing to amateurs by breaking down legal jargon and introducing it in a way that is positive and insightful. Someone with little knowledge about the industry can receive a crash-course by reading the 341-page guide. By identifying what areas are the most troubling, independent filmmakers can avoid upset by protecting their creative license, crew and movie from thoughtless copycats and online piracy.

The revised version of the text reflects recent changes in technology, and viral and international distribution. Garon also speaks in depth about documentaries and the legalities behind purchasing a life story, which was left out of the earlier edition. Several appendices offer contact information and sample forms that could assist filmmakers with their projects.

Movies like Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler and Milk have catapulted independent films into the spotlight and proven that some of the best directors are those without the financial pull of a large production company. Talent is indisputable but overshadowed with legal concerns. The best thing a filmmaker can do to protect his or her project is to slip a copy of The Independent Filmmaker’s Law and Business Guide into their back pocket. It may be the one piece of advice a low-budget producer can afford to follow.