Motion picture copyrights, permission to remake

[dasonras]

What is the name of your state? : I live in Massachusetts.

I don't quite know where to begin. Before i hire a lawyer, i would like to have some general knowledge of my situation:

I am an independent filmmaker. I want to remake a movie (actually a musical). How do i go about obtaining the permission from the copyright holder to remake this film? Say, i didn't get permission, what rights would i been infringing?

Specifics: The film i want to remake is the musical SHOCK TREATMENT released in 1981 by FOX/CBS. The US Copyright office says that the original motion picture's copyright claimant is Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Just as some background info, this film did horribly in theatres and resulted in a limited release. This film was not released on DVD. The film's total budget was 16 mil. The film earned a total of 6 mil (embarrassing). - So, would FOX take this into consideration that the film is not a huge asset to them and that permission to remake it would be relatively easy?

 

[divgradcurl]

What is the name of your state? : I live in Massachusetts.

I don't quite know where to begin. Before i hire a lawyer, i would like to have some general knowledge of my situation:

I am an independent filmmaker. I want to remake a movie (actually a musical). How do i go about obtaining the permission from the copyright holder to remake this film? Say, i didn't get permission, what rights would i been infringing?

Specifics: The film i want to remake is the musical SHOCK TREATMENT released in 1981 by FOX/CBS. The US Copyright office says that the original motion picture's copyright claimant is Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Just as some background info, this film did horribly in theatres and resulted in a limited release. This film was not released on DVD. The film's total budget was 16 mil. The film earned a total of 6 mil (embarrassing). - So, would FOX take this into consideration that the film is not a huge asset to them and that permission to remake it would be relatively easy?

You need to contact the copyright holder and go from there. Who knows what they will take into consideration as to whether or not to license it and how much they might charge. Just ask and see what happens.