Need any registation to make short or featured documentaries?

by Jeevan
(Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India)

Question: Hi, I am Jeevan from India. Plz tell me whether I need any kind of registration (banner, title or anything else) before making a short or long featured documentary?

Desktop Documentaries:

Hi Jeevan. No, you do not need to register anything before making a documentary. Just start shooting! The only thing you may want to think about is getting written permission (a "talent release" and/or "location release") from anyone you profile or interview as part of your film. Basically that form gives you permission to use their face and name (or location if private property) in your film.

Other than that, once you complete your film, simply put the copyright (c) symbol at the end of your film and you're good to go!

Please read this article about copyright issues:

Copyright Issues

You may also want to read this article:

How To Choose A Documentary Title

Please keep in mind that I am not a lawyer and I am simply giving you my opinion based on past experience as a filmmaker. There may be laws that are different in your country.

If you plan to do business around your film (raise money, sell the film, etc), it's suggested that you form a production company.

Good luck!

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