Documentary Option and Purchase Agreement

The Documentary Option and Purchase Agreement is an agreement between a Producer and the owner of source material for development into a documentary.  Source material for a documentary feature, film, or episodic series can come from just about anywhere.  This may be a literary work, such as a book, magazine article, or blog.  It may also come from something like a true-crime podcast or type of podcast.

This agreement can be used for either a feature, film, or episodic series-style documentary.

There are two phases of the agreement. The Option and the Purchase.

The first is the Option, to be able to explore the development, seek financing and/or distribution, and then the Purchase phase, if the Option is exercised to be made into a project.

Other Names for this Legal Template Agreement:  Film Documentary Option and Purchase Agreement, Film Documentary Option and Purchase Contract, Series Documentary Option and Purchase Agreement, Documentary Option, Documentary Option Agreement.

The Documentary Option/Purchase Agreement of Source Material such as a book, magazine, or podcast is different than a Life Rights Option Agreement (which may also be necessary).  Generally, when you need to use source material for the basis of a documentary, you will need to get the rights from the author/owner and possibly the subject of the documentary as well.  A good industry standard Documentary Agreement will help you secure all the rights needed for your production and help secure the Chain-of-Title for purchasers or distributors.