# AFI Intellectual Property Agreement concerns



## hr213 (Apr 24, 2020)

Hi,

I am concerned about the AFI intellectual property agreement. Is anyone else having concerns? Are there any alums who have run into issues, or worked any way out with the school of attaining rights if someone wanted to buy, say, a script?

Thanks!


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## Septopus7 (Apr 24, 2020)

hr213 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am concerned about the AFI intellectual property agreement. Is anyone else having concerns? Are there any alums who have run into issues, or worked any way out with the school of attaining rights if someone wanted to buy, say, a script?
> 
> Thanks!



Scripts are always yours. The only thing they own is the rights to your completed cycle films (which you make first year) and thesis films (which you make second year.) Now with thesis you still have the ability to share the film on the festival circuit, alongside AFI. Cycle films go in the vault, never to be touched again. Now that being said, if you wrote the film, you still own the rights to the script, and are free to take it anywhere you like for purchase, production etc.

Hope that helped!


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## itsallhappening (Apr 24, 2020)

Septopus7 said:


> Scripts are always yours. The only thing they own is the rights to your completed cycle films (which you make first year) and thesis films (which you make second year.) Now with thesis you still have the ability to share the film on the festival circuit, alongside AFI. Cycle films go in the vault, never to be touched again. Now that being said, if you wrote the film, you still own the rights to the script, and are free to take it anywhere you like for purchase, production etc.
> 
> Hope that helped!



This is correct. You do own the IP, but note that AFI owning the rights to your thesis film means they are in charge of + responsible for distributing it.


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## wrongmatt (Apr 24, 2020)

What about for the cinematography fellows, I assume you're free to use the cycle projects for your reel and host them to be viewed on a site?


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## Septopus7 (Apr 25, 2020)

wrongmatt said:


> What about for the cinematography fellows, I assume you're free to use the cycle projects for your reel and host them to be viewed on a site?



You can use them for your edited snipped together reel (I believe they might have a maximum length limit for how much you can use, but don't quote me on that), but you can't post the short in its entirity. Has to be just a part of a highlight reel with other, non-cycle films.


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## CJR (Nov 26, 2020)

Does anybody know *why* they lock away cycle films??


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## wrongmatt (Nov 26, 2020)

CJR said:


> Does anybody know *why* they lock away cycle films??


Most of them aren't amazing. Especially the first 1 or 2. The cycles are supposed to be treated like an exercise rather than a production for public display. By keeping a tight lid on them, I'm sure it helps AFI's image quality control as well. All you see "officially" coming out the school are the amazing thesis or MOS projects...not the ugly few shorts it took the filmmakers to train up to that caliber


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## CJR (Nov 26, 2020)

Oooh got it, that makes sense — ahaha would be v lucky for this question to be relevant anyway but greatly appreciate the insight


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## Chris W (Nov 26, 2020)

wrongmatt said:


> treated like an exercise


Yes if they're anything like how Chapman does things they're just exercises and not "real" films.

Understandable that they don't want people to see not perfect films.


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