I want to get into the DIY business and make jewelery, bags, etc. But i want to use like movie themes. For example i have a cute idea for a Sweeney Todd beach bag and bracelet. Is it copyright infringement to put pictures from the movie on things and then sell them? And if it is how do i get permission to use the pictures? What exactly is copyright infringement and can i do anything with movie pictures?

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Copyright is a 2 credit class in law school. It can't be summed up on Yahoo Answers. Without properly analyzing it, this sounds like a copyright infringement to me. I'm not properly analyzing it because I'm not a licensed attorney yet and I don't want to give the impression that you should be relying on my answer for legal advice. You should not. I'm not sure what lawyer you could call for advice on this without paying too much. If you're starting a business, you will need a lawyer to help you at some point, and that will not be cheap. For the time being, you could buy a copyright law intro book. There are probably some simple ones. You could also call the production company of Sweeney Todd about licensing rights to merchandice. Again, I can't advise you on the legal consequences of making that call. Sorry, I wish I could tell you more.

Sure, you could take expensive copyright law classes, or you could just read the FAQ on the Copyright Office website, because in your case we are not dealing with any complex issues. Photos, drawings, and images from a movie are protected by the same copyright that protects the film itself. Fair Usage exceptions are not going to help you here. Putting those pictures on your jewelry and selling them constitutes copyright infringement. You're making money off of their images and pictures. You could search the database at http://www.copyright.gov to find out who holds the copyright and then write to them for permission to use the images, but they are not likely to grant you permission. They generally like to keep the marketing rights to themselves. You could offer to share the profits with them, but they will likely poo poo that idea as well since most studios like to keep tight controls on the merchandising. The best you can do is to come up with original artwork and images that are "inspired" by the movies. You could have a beach bag and bracelet that have the same basic look and theme from the movie, but you could not market them as a Sweeney Todd beach bag or bracelet.

The short answer is Yes you can be sued.