Book excerpt: Everything you need to know to produce and market your independent film, from industry professionals with insider knowledge Balancing the inevitable tug between art and commerce is a filmmaker's job, but without film commerce, their art will never come into existence, much less reach an audience. The advice presented within The Independent Film Producer's Survival Guide reflects custom and practice in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, and emphasizes the necessary deals that need to be made to make it in the business. In this comprehensive guidebook, three experienced entertainment lawyers tell you everything you need to know to produce and market an independent film: from the development process to deal making, financing, setting up the production, hiring directors and actors, securing location rights, acquiring music, calculating profits, digital moving making, distribution, and marketing your movie. The Independent Film Producer's Survival Guide shepherds filmmakers through the sometimes muddled world of entertainment law, and the result is more sophisticated independent films being financed, produced, and distributed.