About the Author

John W. Cones was a practicing securities/entertainment attorney based in Los Angeles during the time he researched and wrote this book. He is a prolific writer and lecturer on film finance. His books include Film Finance and Distribution--A Dictionary of Terms, Film Industry Contracts, and 43 Ways to Finance Your Feature Film, also available from Southern Illinois University Press. Currently seeking to encourage interest in the reform of the U.S. film industry, he is working as a staff attorney in the U.S. Congress.

Reviews

"It is the primary contention of this book... that the pervasive market power of the major studio distributors in the United States (the MPAA companies, generally) has been gained and is maintained by engaging in numerous questionable, unethical, unfair, unconscionable, anticompetitive, predatory and/or illegal business practices.... Such practices are often referred to as 'creative accounting' or 'creative contract interpretation.'"--John W. Cones, from the Introduction