copyright

[Generic Skinhead]

But then again, are you not an actor?

[miker]

a director must have emotional investment in an idea. he doesn't have to write the screenplay.

of course, directors with agents don't necessarily have to think of their own ideas. but if they only make a film for the pay cheque, it usually shows.

ideas are still free. i think the point was misunderstood.

[Actor]

Ideas are free because by themselves ideas are worthless. There is no marketplace for ideas. You cannot sell them. You cannot copyright them. They have to be developed into a complete story.

Here's an idea: "boy befriends alien." The basic idea behing E.T. It's also the basic idea behind Lokey from Maldemar (so I'm told. I haven't read Lokey). The author of Lokey was unsuccessful in her lawsuit against Spielberg. The fact that the two used the same idea was not enough.

Here's another idea: the brain switch. It's been done to death:
<ul type="square">[*]Freaky Friday, girl switches brain with Mom[*]Vice Versa, boy switches brain with Dad[*]18 Again, boy switches with grandpa[/list]The only thing I don't think has been done is a trans-gender switch. Personally I think 'boy switches brain with sister' would be a blast, especially if the switch came at the wrong time of the month.

OK. I just gave away an idea. Feel free to use it. I don't care. Why? Because if I want to develop the story I'll come up with something completely different with no resemblence to your story beyond the basic idea.

That's the writer's job, to develop the idea. IMHO it's the toughest job in filmmaking because there's never an obvious what-comes-next. That's why studios buy rights and I search the public domain, to get the what-comes-next.

[mjtate]

Im pretty sure its fifty years in the uk and probably europe.

[GREATwarEAGLE]

SWITCH with Ellen Barkin and Jimmy Smitts. THE HOT CHICK with Rob Schnieder. Both are trans gender switch movies.

Both were snubbed at the Oscars. They both clearly dominated the Best Picture category for the years they were released in.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 01, 2003 09:41 AM: Message edited by: GREATwarEAGLE ]</font>