Feeling paranoid?

Cracker Funk

Cracker Funk

You've got that super-genius unique idea that you just KNOW is going to make an awesome movie. Catch-22 -- to see it get made into a movie, you have to talk to people about it. Lots of people. You need to share this idea, bounce it off people, even perfect strangers. But the more people you talk to, the greater the chance that the wrong person will hear it, and take it for their own.

Is that what happened to these guys? http://gordonandthewhale.com/indie-filmmakers-claim-chernobyl-diaries-pilfered-their-idea/

I guess, hypothetically, it could all be coincidental. Personally, I think that would be too big a coincidence to be real. Somebody's idea got lifted.

If you watch each trailer on it's own, it's really just the setting that is the same. I haven't see either one, but based on the trailers, one of them appears to be a cliched horror movie, in which a handful of stupid kids gets offed, one-by-one, by supernatural-mutant-ghosts or something. The other appears to be more of a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, in which a handful of stupid scientists gets offed, one-by-one, by the last inhabitants of Thunderdome or something. Very similar structure. Different genre (or at least different sub-genre), and technically a different story. So, not the same movie. Legally, nobody got ripped off, so far as my non-expert opinion can see.

But the unique idea -- using the abandoned city of Pripyat as your setting -- yeah, looks like that was "stolen". Shitty.

So, when you've got a truly unique idea -- it could be a setting, maybe a particular part of our history that hasn't been explored, maybe a special kind of character, whatever -- how much information do you share, and with whom?
 
Heh, some things we'll never know. Kinda like that whole Did the Wachowskis steal the Matrix story thing.
smiley_mystery.gif


Fwiw, I too have a script called The Chernobyl Diaries. Well, more like half the script, but full outline. It's not even remotely similar to the stories in your link, though.

My story's about :secret:
Yeah, right... You really think I'd tell ya after reading that article?!
 
Honestly, people have similar ideas all the time. Really good ideas that have a clear market get made. Around the time that I had been starting out, I wrote a script about a guy and the girl of his dreams, in his dreams.

It's a lucid dreaming story. Well, Science of Sleep came out not too long after that, and I know they didn't steal anything from me--no matter how similar a ton of it was, because I never showed anyone that script. The reality is truly that we are all sort of open to the same information.

That said... it looks like these just didn't move fast enough, and this is just one of the risks of showing your work to anyone. Unless you're ready to do it right then and there, and can do it without the need for a ton of money, "Guard your grill" so to speak. If they did get ripped, I feel sorry for 'em, but it's likely that they did not get ripped off.

There's a chance that the location has become a popular filming destination or recently opened up for filming, and a number of people knew this, planning to go in and knock out a quick feature in an exotic looking space.

I don't know anything about that locale, but it's highly likely.

So, how much do you share? Share with people you know you can trust. Share with people you know will back you. And share when you're ready to seriously do something. That's my opinion.

But, there's more than that to it, just gotta decide for yourself and hope it comes out okay.
 
My wife and I, and a number of our creative friends, subscribe to the notion that once you have come up with a concept - even if it's just in your mind and you have told no one about it - it's out there in the "idea-sphere" floating around where anyone can pick it up.
 
Around the time Empire Strikes Back was originally released (read, when I was a kid) I had this "awesome idea" for a double-bladed light-saber. Even taped two toy ones together for a while.

That idea was most certainly NOT stolen from me for Ep1. :lol:

People have similar ideas all the time. It's like trying to nail down which "martial art" is the origin of all the others. The answer is none of the above; the human body is identical the world over, and all cultures world wide needed to develop methods of self defense. It only stands to reason that the solutions would end up remarkably similar.

Having said that I imagine it is a safe bet that plenty ideas are scooped from someone else and made into films that see commercial success.

Read a little about this one the other day. I agree that it's a little too similar to be a coincidence, but I'm not 100% convinced. Cherynobl is a very strong memory for folks of a certain age range (where the director falls, iirc). It's just as likely that he had an idea like this on the back burner waiting for the resources as it is that the idea was stolen.

I'm not certain we'll ever know.
 
Yeah, you all are right that sometimes different people just get similar ideas, independently of each other. I do think it's an interesting question, though, about when you share your ideas and with whom?

Personally, I subscribe to the idea of pitching your movie to anyone who will actively listen. I find that it not only helps you see what aspects of the story people react most positively to, but it also just helps you learn how to pitch a story. But in every one of those instances, I'm speaking to people on a personal level.

For a more public discussion of ideas, I think I like Kholi's advice -- don't share it unless you're ready to act on it. Regardless of whether their idea was lifted, these Pripyat folks missed the boat.
 
WGA

The real question here is did the writers of Priypat send their script to the WGA. If they did and Chernobyl Diaries ripped them off then they might have a case. We were told to always submit our scripts to the WGA before showing them to anyone in our screenplay class. Though I am not a lawyer and don't pretend to be one.
 
Alcove Audio said:
My wife and I, and a number of our creative friends, subscribe to the notion that once you have come up with a concept - even if it's just in your mind and you have told no one about it - it's out there in the "idea-sphere" floating around where anyone can pick it up.
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Not to put too much of a sentimental point on it, but I also *believe* ideas reside in the collective unconscious and that certain physical elements push them out through whichever pathway provides the least resistance.

Having said that, I'm pretty sure both these filmmakers swiped the seed of my idea: "The last family steward of a 'sleeping' nuclear plant reluctantly assumes custodianship of the 50-ton block of concrete only to discover something chipping away from the inside", and I intend on pursuing litigation as soon as my fire suit against Prometheus is settled.:hmm:
 
First off: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STALKER
There was also a good blog many years ago by a motorcyclist who regularly drove through Pripyat; the idea of exploring the city is, of course, based in real life (the whole urban exploration scene is pretty cool, and something I've always been interested in. infiltration.org is a good place to start reading; the articles on the Paris catacombs are particularly good reads).

So really, the idea is obvious and as much as I loathe found footage, I was actually interested in this one because of the subject matter.

But, and here's the important bit as far as I am concerned, if your story hinges on being "unique" and if people will only watch it if it's the only one like it, it's probably not a good idea. If the idea IS good, there's room in the world for LOTS of books/movies/video games/what have you.

If you can tell a good story set in Pripyat, then it shouldn't matter how many other movies are set there. And you should; it's a good setting!
 
Anthony Bourdain's show "No Reservations" Ukraine episode had some of the "Hills have eyes" kind of thing going on in Pripyat if I recall... that was 2011. I can't specifically find the episode with a google search, but that was my first reaction when I saw the trailer for Diaries... that they had run with that premise.

It's really just "the hills have eyes" (1977) ... the story is nothing new, they just put it in a cool location that is inherently creepy... as did the other crew. I call BS, and I think the Pripyat filmmakers are using Diaries to do some publicity for them to get exposure (pun intended).
 
Alcove Audio said:
My wife and I, and a number of our creative friends, subscribe to the notion that once you have come up with a concept - even if it's just in your mind and you have told no one about it - it's out there in the "idea-sphere" floating around where anyone can pick it up.
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This.

When it's time to railroad, you railroad.
 
It's a given that inspiration and ideas are going to duplicate for all the reasons said above. The important thing is to never stop, because whether you like it or not, it's a certainty that the world will keep spinning on and the ideas you have and the mistakes you've made will repeat themselves all over again.
 
I'm not a lawyer either but Did James Cameron need permission to make a "Titanic" movie after others were made several years before? I don't think ANY writer owns the Chernobyl location or disaster. How many WWII movies were made about D-Day or Pearl Harbor? I can write a movie about "Area 51" and as long as it's not the same EXACT story I don't think anyone can claim it's a rip-off. The thing is millions of people have read/watched the Chernobyl Disaster. It's kinda hard to say you were the only person that thought of writing about that location.
At least that's what it seems like to me.


Jsthompson79 said:
The real question here is did the writers of Priypat send their script to the WGA. If they did and Chernobyl Diaries ripped them off then they might have a case. We were told to always submit our scripts to the WGA before showing them to anyone in our screenplay class. Though I am not a lawyer and don't pretend to be one.
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JoshL said:
But, and here's the important bit as far as I am concerned, if your story hinges on being "unique" and if people will only watch it if it's the only one like it, it's probably not a good idea. If the idea IS good, there's room in the world for LOTS of books/movies/video games/what have you.
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I see what you're getting at, but I don't really agree with it. Some ideas are great, but only work once. Take The Invention of Lying, for example. It's comparable to Liar, Liar, except it takes the gag and turns it on it's head. That can kinda only be done once.

If I told you that I want to re-tell Seven Samurai in a post-apocalyptic setting, that might sound cool to some people. If I told you I wanted to re-tell Seven Samurai in the old west, uhh... it's too late for that (especially since there is a re-make of the re-make in the works).

Then, there's also the question of who we're competing with. Okay, so knightly is perfectly correct to point out that the trailers for both Pripyat and Chernobyl Diaries are The Hills Have Eyes in modern-day Pripyat. Nothing unusual about that, the same stories get re-told all the time.

There's Die Hard on a Boat, Die Hard on a Different Boat, Die Hard on a Plane, Die Hard on a Different Plane, Die Hard on a Train, Die Hard on Alcatraz, and Die Hard in a Hockey Rink. My personal favorite? Die Hard on a Mountain.

FWIW, I'm not being sarcastic. Cliffhanger is awesome! :D

Anyway, just because my idea to make Seven Samurai in a Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland isn't exactly ground-breaking, that doesn't mean I want the entire world to have the same thought (not until I'm ready to actually make the film). Two different filmmakers will take the same basic concept and make two completely different movies. But if my idea gets picked up by someone with greater resources than I have, I don't want my miniscule-budget no-name-actors indie movie trying to compete with a movie that is basically the same, but starring Matt Damon.
 
Cracker Funk said:
So, when you've got a truly unique idea -- it could be a setting, maybe a particular part of our history that hasn't been explored, maybe a special kind of character, whatever -- how much information do you share, and with whom?
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You share it with people you want on board your project that you trust enough to sign a non-disclosure form before listening to your proposal.

If the idea is truely unique enough then you've done your homework darn well enough to know that it is unique.

Die Hard in Santa's Workshop.
Aliens that want to be our sex slaves.
A romcom where people having sex with each other actually say "I love you" - before having sex.

You know you got something good.
Then you know who you want to get on board - that are professional enough not to futzitup.
Then move.
Get 'r done.
 
Cracker Funk said:
I see what you're getting at, but I don't really agree with it. Some ideas are great, but only work once. Take The Invention of Lying, for example. It's comparable to Liar, Liar, except it takes the gag and turns it on it's head. That can kinda only be done once.
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And that's sort of my point. If it can work only once, it's a novelty. Not really a good and lasting idea. Take "being john malkovich", which was a weird and unique idea. The idea could work with other actors, in a different setting. It's still a good idea. \
But a bit of frame of reference is needed: I'm really into folklore and traditional music. I'm into the concept that most ideas have been done an infinite times over. I'm into the idea that a new, good idea, can be done thousands of times forward. We're still retelling Oedipus and Red Riding Hood, and that's not a bad thing. I hope a thousand years from now we'll still be re-telling Brazil and Jacob's Ladder.

No, you don't want to be lost in a sea of the same (Seven Samurai remakes, for example). But if a dozen Seven Samurai remakes hit the market at the same time, the best (or best marketed) will rise to the top. So is the goal to be "unique" (which may be a flash in the pan) or be the best that you can? And on the same token, for every person who is sick of another Seven Samurai remake, there's another who wants more, and you get a chance to ride the coattails a bit (which is the entire philosophy of companies like The Asylum, etc)

If you believe in an infinite universe (and I do), even if there is a one and a billion chance that a planet can sustain life, there is still an infinite number of them. If only one in a thousand billion are anything like our world, that means there are an infinite number of them. Keep going, and every slight variation happens an infinite number of times. Everything has been done, will be done, and is being done right now. Nothing is, or can be, entirely unique. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't do it, you should just focus on doing things the best you possibly can, yanno?

I also agree that Die Hard on An X can can very fun films, but again, as someone into tradition and good stories coming back again and again, that's not really a surprise. But, on the other side of the coin, it all depends on what your personal goals as a filmmaker are, and how you choose to express/explore them.
 
Anyone else remember that science fiction story (I can't remember the name, I read it ages ago) where the premise was that copyright never expired and the story was about a musician trying to make something original...?
 
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