Intellectual Property and Copyright Considerations for Authentic Science Film Storytelling within a University Setting

Many federally funded research grants include requirements that scientists communicate their research to the public as a means to increase scientific literacy and overall public trust in science. To address this critical societal need, scientists and a university-based science filmmaker at Rutgers University developed a collaborative science film storytelling model that has successfully translated federally funded research to the public by way of more than a dozen high-quality science films that involve university students in the storytelling process. These interdisciplinary science film projects take place at a time when university intellectual property policies are facing new challenges as teaching, research, and collaborative creative works increasingly take place on digital platforms where products and materials can be easily duplicated and shared. Thus, the need to define the terms of creative ownership and joint copyright at the onset of these science film projects, which include narrative visualization of federally funded research processes and involve many co-creators, has become pressing. This article shares suggestions for the development of memoranda of understanding between creative collaborators working together with scientists on film projects made in university settings that document and communicate federally funded science into compelling and relatable stories for the broader public.