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Free Film Legal Guides
10 Must-Know Film Contract Terms
Understanding film contract terms is one of the most important skills to develop as an indie filmmaker. This attorney-written guide explains the top 10 film contract terms that you must know to protect your project and negotiate the best deals.
DOWNLOAD NOWFilm Funding Formula Cheatsheet
Funding your film can be one of the hardest parts of indie filmmaking and creating a solid financing strategy is vital to attracting and closing investors. This one-page cheatsheet lays out my proprietary formula that I used to raise over $1M in crowdfunding for my feature film.
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Level Up Your Skills
Our comprehensive blog covers film legal, business and finance topics that will help you advance your career.
Dori Zavala, JD
As an award-winning attorney and filmmaker, my background in business, finance and law has uniquely positioned me to help independent filmmakers establish thriving careers in the film industry. I provide resources and high-level consulting in three key areas: safeguarding creative works through copyrights and contracts, ensuring fair compensation through adept negotiation and contract insights, and unlocking film financing opportunities through innovative crowdfunding, private equity, and creative financing strategies.
My mission is to empower film professionals to protect their intellectual property, secure the deals they deserve, and access the funding needed to bring their visions to life.
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"Dori is an exceptional lawyer. Her attention to detail and sincere approach to fair and reasonable negotiations on behalf of her clients has been invaluable in my experience as an indie filmmaker. What I've spent for her services has ended up saving me thousands in the long run and helped me navigate complex contracts with a deeper understanding of the business side of our industry. The opportunity to spend even 5 minutes learning from Dori is something every filmmaker can benefit immensely from."
- Ashley Bratcher, Producer/Actress
"Dori helped me out with incredibly helpful advice in protecting my assets as a creative. She is so well informed and was patient with my lack of knowledge. I would highly recommend her to anyone who needs legal assistance in the film industry.”
- Caz McGovern, Video Editor / Filmmaker
"Dori is not only an impressive lawyer, but a remarkable person. She is highly intelligent, competent, and most importantly sincere. I’m continuously blown away by her array of knowledge. Everything she sets out to accomplish is done with excellence and vigor. Her compassion displays her genuine heart for people and advocating on their behalf. There’s no one else I would trust more for legal counsel."
- Jessica Vara, Producer/Actress
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