Legal Question in Entertainment Law in California

Re: Does the executive producer own the film?

You want to get equal credits for many reasons, including ownership, recognition, etc. You also should get this all documented in a contracted acknowledgment. My rates are reasonable, contact me at 310-266-4115.

Re: Does the executive producer own the film?

The title of Executive Producer has nothing whatever to do with the ownership of the film. It is usually given to the producer who represents the money, studio, etc. In other words, he/she really watches the money expenditures. He may own all or none of the film. Get your partner to agree in writing that you own the film 50/50 and then agree on what credits you each should be entitled to.

Re: Does the executive producer own the film?

The titles various people are credited with has absolutely nothing to do with ownership of the copyright of the film. You need to get the verbal agreement that you will each own 50% of the final product, memorialized in writing.

As to the underlying question, how someone choses to be credited is up to the parties. In fact, the title "Executive Producer" usually indicates that the person had more of an honorary and perfunctory position with regards to the production, as opposed to the credit "Producer" which implys a more day-to-day, hands-on, managerial position.

Which credit you should get, and which credit your partner gets really depends on how you each wish to be viewed by those who read, and more importantly UNDERSTAND, what the various titles on an end-crawl mean.

Re: Does the executive producer own the film?

Titles have nothing to do with who owns the film. The verbal agreement is valid. However, I suggest that you and your partner commit the terms to a written agreement as soon as possible. Depending on where you are in your financing, distribution deals, etc., you should also define the responsibilities of each partner via the written agreement.