Motion Picture

Definition from the copyright law, 17 U.S.C. 101:

An audiovisual work consisting of a series of related images which, when shown in succession, impart an impression of motion, together with accompanying sounds, if any.

From Compendium of Copyright Office Practices, sec. 480.03:

A motion picture may embody the contributions of many persons whose efforts are brought together to make a unified cinematographic work of authorship.

Eligibility: To be eligible for preregistration, it is required that:

• creation and fixation of the work in a motion picture format must have already commenced, i.e., filming must have begun;
• the claimant in the work can verify that he has a reasonable expectation that the work will be commercially distributed.