Lights, Camera, Legal: UC Law SF students on set with Danny Glover, Terry Crews, Stephen Yeun, & more.
As part of their summer of law, rising 3L Kristian Zanis, and rising 2Ls Eisha Perry and Sara Khorasani are honing their skills in entertainment law at the Law Offices of George M. Rush by assisting the firm on both the legal and production side of a film project.
George M. Rush ’00 is an independent film attorney and producer here in San Francisco. His practice is dedicated to supporting independent filmmakers with both business and legal issues to ensure their films are commercial and artistic successes. The firm’s clients include producers, directors, screen-writers and investors in development, production and distribution phases of filmmaking. This summer, the UC Law SF students’ primary focus was to work on an independent film entitled “Sorry to Bother You,” which is filming in Oakland.
“We all worked on different aspects of the film’s legal issues from drafting artist agreements to researching trademark and copyright law,” says rising 3L Kristian Zanis. “It was particularly rewarding to see my recommendations for a soda can design come to life.”
In addition to their legal duties, the students would sometimes travel to Oakland to assist with production on set. “This hands-on legal and production experience has been invaluable for me this summer,” says rising 2L Sara Khorasani. “Especially since I studied theater and cinema as an undergrad and worked creatively within the entertainment industry for several years. We were even asked to be extras in a few scenes of the film, so it was fun to have the opportunity to act once again!”
“Sorry to Bother You” was written and directed by local Oakland celebrity, Boots Riley, and features some well-known actors on the project, including: LaKeith Stanfield (Get Out, Straight Outta Compton), Tessa Thompson (Creed, Selma, Westworld), Stephen Yeun (The Walking Dead), Armie Hammer (Social Network, Lone Ranger), Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, White Chicks), David Cross (Arrested Development), Patton Oswalt (Veep, King of Queens), and Danny Glover (THE Danny Glover). The film is slated for release in 2018 (IMDB).