How would you react to seeing a scene from your movie re-done by someone else?

L

Lee Stokes

Member
You've made a feature, that screened at a festival about a month ago.

Then you are contacted by someone who says they enjoyed a particular scene in your movie. And then shortly thereafter, they share with you a link to your scene-- re-done, with a different cast, different location and different dialog, but the same exact scene.
It's not a spoof, nor done on a grander scale or anything.

The scene was presented to you was done as a "film making exercise" you are told. You (and the movie you made where the scene comes from) is given full credit.

How would you react?

Thanks
Lee
 
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all...just keep an eye on them and make sure they don't try to profit from your work.
 
Well, they contacted you and said they enjoyed the feature. I think their only mistake was to assume that they had permission to re-do the scene without asking you. Are they film students?

If they're not sending it out to film festivals and it actually was done as a "film making exercise", I'd probably be honoured. A little annoyed that they didn't ask permission, but they sent you the link and that's cool. How would you react if this person never sent you a link at all and just re-did it and posted it online without your knowledge?

I think the person has some level of respect for you because they sent you the link and acknowledged you as the person who created the original.

Have you responded to the person?

Kegan
 
Lee,

Well, you might be able to turn this into an advantage for your feature.

Have the makers of the "film exercise" give your film the credit it deserves and point folks in your direction (website, VOD site, whatever) for folks who appreciate their work.

-Martin
 
As long as they don't try to profit from it, I'd be cool with it, even flattered. They do that a lot at the film school I almost went to where you gotta direct a scene from a movie you like and see what makes it work
 
The simple fact is people do this all the time in this business. Atleast the guy did reach out and let you know about it. But at the same time it sucks IMHO that an indie film maker would purposely take a scene from another indie film makers movie knowing how much time and work it took to create such a scene on an indie budget. At least take it to a big budget level. It would probably make me angry. No, definitely. I would never touch another film makers scene without asking permission 1st of all and if I did you had better believe I would make my best attempt at making it bigger and better or why bother. Just my opinion folks. I know we all feed off of each other all of the time but this for some reason sounds wrong to me. Ask your self this question. How would you feel if this guy won some major film festival award using your work. Would that make you feel any different than you feel now. I would base my next step off of that thought.

What is the saying. "It's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask permission".
 
Cum'on guys - how many examples have we seen in recent yeaars of Hollywood releasing remakes of earlier films? As long as it's not so close to an exact copy that it violates your copyright on your original, it's perfectly legal and acceptable. The fact it's a different location and different dialog pretty well removes it from meeting a legal definition of "copy."
 
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GRENCH said:
The simple fact is people do this all the time in this business. Atleast the guy did reach out and let you know about it. But at the same time it sucks IMHO that an indie film maker would purposely take a scene from another indie film makers movie knowing how much time and work it took to create such a scene on an indie budget. At least take it to a big budget level. It would probably make me angry. No, definitely. I would never touch another film makers scene without asking permission 1st of all and if I did you had better believe I would make my best attempt at making it bigger and better or why bother. Just my opinion folks. I know we all feed off of each other all of the time but this for some reason sounds wrong to me. Ask your self this question. How would you feel if this guy won some major film festival award using your work. Would that make you feel any different than you feel now. I would base my next step off of that thought.

What is the saying. "It's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask permission".
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Why would you be worried about whether the guy would enter it into a film festival and win awards?
He has clearly acknowledged that its a scene from your film (he even said so in the credits). Obviously he isn't (and couldn't) enter the scene (its just one scene from a feature length movie) into a film festival.
It was done as an exercise. It was a shoot done on a Sunday afternoon, among a few film makers & actors who got together without having a script. The director decided to shoot this scene when the other ideas we brainstormed petered out.

Hope that clarifies a little.

Lee
 
Steve House said:
Cum'on guys - how many examples have we seen in recent yeaars of Hollywood releasing remakes of earlier films? As long as it's not so close to an exact copy that it violates your copyright on your original, it's perfectly legal and acceptable. The fact it's a different location and different dialog pretty well removes it from meeting a legal definition of "copy."
Click to expand...

Make no mistake Steve, the scene is a copy. That isn't at issue here.
Lee
 
Just because Hollywood does it doesn't make it right in my book, but like I said if you are going to do it do it bigger and better or just leave it alone. Based on what Lee said it wasn't done bigger nor better. I understand using creative camera shots, and techniques. Many of use do that. But to take a persons scene in that fashion is a lot like taking a song and melody from someones album and adding your own words to it and calling it your own. There are laws for that too. The same way this guy expects for Lee to be a swell guy and say what the hell use it this guy should have been a sweller guy and asked for permission in the 1st place. That is the ultimate way of showing respect in my book. Once again....Just my opinion. :)
 
ToTheBack said:
As long as they don't try to profit from it, I'd be cool with it, even flattered. They do that a lot at the film school I almost went to where you gotta direct a scene from a movie you like and see what makes it work
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I know they do scenes from movies in film school as exercises, but the original film in this case was world premiered less than a month ago, and has not completed its festival run, and the director still has hopes it might get picked up for distribution.

Does that change things?

Lee
 
GRENCH said:
Just because Hollywood does it doesn't make it right in my book, but like I said if you are going to do it do it bigger and better or just leave it alone. Based on what Lee said it wasn't done bigger nor better. I understand using creative camera shots, and techniques. Many of use do that. But to take a persons scene in that fashion is a lot like taking a song and melody from someones album and adding your own words to it and calling it your own. There are laws for that too. The same way this guy expects for Lee to be a swell guy and say what the hell use it this guy should have been a sweller guy and asked for permission in the 1st place. That is the ultimate way of showing respect in my book. Once again....Just my opinion. :)
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Grench...
The person who re-did the scene is in no way calling it his own. He has completely credited the source material. There is no intent to release the new scene, distribute it or profit from it.
Once you were comfortable that your own work wasn't going to be compromised, then how would you feel?

Lee
 
You know what. That makes a huge difference. I thought from the initial post that this was planned out and written. That is why I felt so strongly about them asking your permission. It sounded like someone had an ulterior motive.
 
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Lee, I hope you don't mind me asking but what are you looking to hear in response to this post? It seems as if you have heard from both sides of the fence on the matter and yet still you have not heard a response the connects with your vision of a correct reply. I'm just curious.
 
GRENCH said:
Lee, I hope you don't mind me asking but what are you looking to hear in response to this post? It seems as if you have heard from both sides of the fence on the matter and yet still you have not heard a response the connects with your vision of a correct reply. I'm just curious.
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Don't worry... tomorrow I will give everyone the whole story, how I am involved, and why I am asking. Just gathering as many reactions as I can garner right now.

Thanks for your (and everyone else) patience.
Lee
 
I know it's the principle of the matter, but If they had asked for permission to re-do the scene, would the answer have been yes?
 
Tim Joy said:
I know it's the principle of the matter, but If they had asked for permission to re-do the scene, would the answer have been yes?
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Actually I'm asking you...

"Tim, I loved a scene in 'Occupational Hazards', and me and a couple of film making friends want to have some amateur actors come over, and just as an exercise, we'd like to shoot that scene from your movie.
It won't be in the same exact location as your scene was set, and we won't be using the same dialog, that will be the only differences.
We're not going to release it, or market it or anything, but we'll give you full credit on the finished clip, as well as a disclaimer indicating what our audience is watching (ie, someone elses creation re-done by us).
What do you say?"

Lee
 
Lee Stokes said:
Actually I'm asking you...

"Tim, I loved a scene in 'Occupational Hazards', and me and a couple of film making friends want to have some amateur actors come over, and just as an exercise, we'd like to shoot that scene from your movie.
It won't be in the same exact location as your scene was set, and we won't be using the same dialog, that will be the only differences.
We're not going to release it, or market it or anything, but we'll give you full credit on the finished clip, as well as a disclaimer indicating what our audience is watching (ie, someone elses creation re-done by us).
What do you say?"

Lee
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I'd say sure, if it's not going to be released. But I'd like to see you build those cones!! Ha ha!
 
I'd be cool with it if it was really just an "exercise" and the other party did their own take on it.

But if it was copied verbatim, I'd have some issues.
 
RockmanX3 said:
I'd be cool with it if it was really just an "exercise" and the other party did their own take on it.

But if it was copied verbatim, I'd have some issues.
Click to expand...

What if it really was an exercise, but copied verbatim?
Not sure what you mean by "verbatim" here, actually)

Lee
 
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