The Entertainment Media Liaison Office is the entertainment industry's direct link to the Marine Corps. Since 1917, we have assisted film and television professionals to obtain accurate portrayal of the Marines. We are staffed with experienced personnel who are thoroughly familiar with industry production requirements. Our personnel will:
The production must benefit the Department of Defense, or otherwise be in the national interest, and must:
Have proof of an acceptable distribution agreement with a recognized network, studio, or other mass distribution outlet. Increase public understanding of the Armed Forces, the Department of Defense and the Marine Corps.
Be authentic in its portrayal of persons, places, actual military operations or historical events. Fictional portrayals must depict a feasible interpretation of military life, operations and policies.
Not appear to condone or endorse activities by private citizens or organizations that are contrary to U.S. Government policy.
Agree to, sign and abide by a production or documentary assistance agreement with the Department of Defense.
Provide a certificate of Standard Industry Liability Insurance, if filming aboard a DoD installation.
Provide any funding requirements associated with DoD support.
Not appear to endorse any commercial and/or non-profit organization not specifically approved in writing by the Department of Defense.
The Office of the Special Assistant for Entertainment Media, based on the recommendation of the Entertainment Media Liaison Office, will have the final word on whether or not the Department of Defense will support, and will assign a project officer to assist in the production.
In accordance with the production assistance agreement, which must be signed prior to any support, the DoD project officer will have the right to review a rough cut of the production for accuracy and operational security. The rough cut must be viewed before public release and early enough to make needed changes.
The project officer is the authority on all matters pertaining to the depiction of the Marine Corps in a production. However, he or she is NOT a technical advisor. On matters that require a special skill, or when the project officer considers it necessary, the production may hire a technical advisor. As with the project officer, the production company will be responsible for all expenses incurred by the technical advisor to include travel, housing, and per diem.
Military personnel in an off-duty, nonofficial status may be hired by the production company to perform as actors, extras, etc., provided there is no conflict with any existing service regulation. In such cases, contractual arrangements are solely between those individuals and the production company. Payments should be consistent with current industry standards. The project must be approved by DoD for the service members hired as extras to wear their Marine Corps uniforms.
The Marine Corps will NOT provide courtesy assistance to your project. We will provide either full support or decline your request in accordance with DoD criteria.
Yes. All non-news media productions go through the same approval process.
The Marine Corps generally does not support reality TV shows due to the lack of educational, informative content - but all requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Department of Defense motion picture and video footage is available for download from the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution Service (DVIDS) or for purchase from a government contractor when a production qualifies for assistance. Any costs incurred in connection with the selection, processing, and shipment of stock footage will be the responsibility of the production company.
All support requests must go through the approval process. Due to limited resources, we cannot provide “courtesy” research support for productions.
If your request is approved, we will provide an official authorization letter you can use when contacting the Defense Imagery Management Operations Center (DIMOC) where you can purchase the required footage. a. Non-refundable charges for research and duplication apply. The DIMOC staff can explain the fee schedule to you. b. The DIMOC has transferred most pre-Vietnam footage to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. You may contact them directly.
The production company will be billed only for those expenses considered to be additional expenses to the government. All support must be at no cost to the government. The following are generally considered to be reimbursable costs:
Upon receipt of your notification of completion of principal photography, the project officer will suggest appropriate names and wording to be used in the credits. The credit title will be confirmed for final use only after the film has been officially reviewed and approved.
Yes, when the Marine Corps has assisted on a production, you will be required to furnish prints, duplication material, and at least five video copies of the final release version of the production.
This material will only be used for historical purposes or for internal information/training. This material will not be used by The Marine Corps to compete with commercial exhibition.
No. Department of Defense regulations prohibit us from engaging in activities that can be perceived as an explicit or implicit endorsement of any commercial product regardless of the level of support provided.
No. Motion picture footage shot with Department of Defense assistance and official Department of Defense footage released for a specific production are not to be used for other productions without approval. It is your responsibility to ensure that stock footage obtained is not used for any other production without first obtaining written permission from the Department of Defense. Edited motion picture footage from completed productions and from animation will not be released except by special authorization from the Department of Defense. Requestors will be required to furnish letters of identification on categories of material when the original source cannot be determined.
The main points of a government production agreement are: