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Tag Archives: film studios

AFM Sues Film Studios

May 28, 2015 IM

In May, the AFM filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros., Paramount, and MGM for violating their master contracts by recording film scores outside the US and Canada. According to the suit, scores for Interstellar, Robocop, and Carrie were scored in Great Britian, and the soundtack for Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was recorded in Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Under their AFM agreements “[all] theatrical motion pictures produced by the Producer in the United States or Canada, if scored, shall be scored in the United States or Canada,” unless excused by the AFM under circumstances not present here.

The AFM has not specified a dollar amount for damages, but has asked for a trial to determine damages to its members for loss of work due to the violations.

The AFM has also been hard at work lobbying for tax break legislation to help stem the tide of the offshoring of film scoring projects both at the local and federal level. On page 8, read about California’s proposed bill AB 1199 and how California locals are working to make sure it pushes forward.