Hey, IndieWire: I’m a filmmaker working on my first feature and this article about the plagiarism allegations against “The Letter Room” read like my worst nightmare. I don’t want anyone to rip me off — and for that matter, I don’t want anyone accusing me, either. Is there any way I can protect myself and my collaborators from a situation like this?
Name withheld, Los Angeles
Georges Polti says there’s 36 dramatic situations. Christopher Booker offers “The Seven Basic Plots.” And Leo Tolstoy has often been quoted as saying all great literature fits into two stories: A man goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town. (The source actually appears to be John Gardner.) All of which points to a short answer for your question: Your original ideas might not be so original, and therefore are subject to much less legal protection than you might think.
Name withheld, Los Angeles
Georges Polti says there’s 36 dramatic situations. Christopher Booker offers “The Seven Basic Plots.” And Leo Tolstoy has often been quoted as saying all great literature fits into two stories: A man goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town. (The source actually appears to be John Gardner.) All of which points to a short answer for your question: Your original ideas might not be so original, and therefore are subject to much less legal protection than you might think.
- 5/17/2021
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
20th Century Fox
According to author Christopher Booker, there are 7 basic plots: rags to riches, overcoming the monster, the quest, voyage and return, comedy, tragedy and rebirth.
If you look down the list of the Top 50 all-time blockbusters, you’ll find each plot represented several times. Jaws and The Exorcist provided a monster to overcome, The Lord Of The Rings gave us an epic quest while Titanic provided the tragedy.
In other words, not only are there only a handful of basic stories, but they have all been told, over and over again, to each new generation of viewers.
It’s become fashionable to knock Hollywood for its lack of originality, but churning out sequels and remakes is something they’ve always done. The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) was a sequel, while The Maltese Falcon (1941) and The Magnificent Seven (1960) were both remakes. A remake of the latter is due from director...
According to author Christopher Booker, there are 7 basic plots: rags to riches, overcoming the monster, the quest, voyage and return, comedy, tragedy and rebirth.
If you look down the list of the Top 50 all-time blockbusters, you’ll find each plot represented several times. Jaws and The Exorcist provided a monster to overcome, The Lord Of The Rings gave us an epic quest while Titanic provided the tragedy.
In other words, not only are there only a handful of basic stories, but they have all been told, over and over again, to each new generation of viewers.
It’s become fashionable to knock Hollywood for its lack of originality, but churning out sequels and remakes is something they’ve always done. The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) was a sequel, while The Maltese Falcon (1941) and The Magnificent Seven (1960) were both remakes. A remake of the latter is due from director...
- 4/1/2016
- by Ian Watson
- Obsessed with Film
Miramax
If somebody asked you to detail an average day in your life, it would be somewhat unusual for you to start from the moment you crept into bed at night and then explain how you got there. That’s because it is.
The traditional structure for a story to follow is in chronological order; to start at the beginning and finish at the end. That’s difficult to dispute. Ever since storytelling began, through folk tales and mythology, this has been the natural course to take as it parallels the chronology of real life. This method takes the form of a journey, and just as events do in reality, they unfold until a conclusion is reached (or not).
In Christopher Booker’s ‘The Seven Basic Plots’, which analyses everything from ‘The Iliad’ to ‘Star Wars’ and beyond, each of these seven plots initially follow these rules. Rules of course,...
If somebody asked you to detail an average day in your life, it would be somewhat unusual for you to start from the moment you crept into bed at night and then explain how you got there. That’s because it is.
The traditional structure for a story to follow is in chronological order; to start at the beginning and finish at the end. That’s difficult to dispute. Ever since storytelling began, through folk tales and mythology, this has been the natural course to take as it parallels the chronology of real life. This method takes the form of a journey, and just as events do in reality, they unfold until a conclusion is reached (or not).
In Christopher Booker’s ‘The Seven Basic Plots’, which analyses everything from ‘The Iliad’ to ‘Star Wars’ and beyond, each of these seven plots initially follow these rules. Rules of course,...
- 10/6/2014
- by Steven Bardgett
- Obsessed with Film
From Casablanca to The Killing – the elements of a great script are essentially the same. John Yorke – who is responsible for some of the most popular recent British TV dramas – reveals how and why the best screenwriting works
Once upon a time, in such and such a place, something happened." In basic terms that's about it – the very best definition of a story. What an archetypal story does is introduce you to a central character – the protagonist – and invite you to identify with them; effectively they become your avatar in the drama. So you have a central character, you empathise with them, and something then happens to them, and that something is the genesis of the story. Jack discovers a beanstalk; Bond learns Blofeld plans to take over the world. The "something" is almost always a problem, sometimes a problem disguised as an opportunity. It's usually something that throws your...
Once upon a time, in such and such a place, something happened." In basic terms that's about it – the very best definition of a story. What an archetypal story does is introduce you to a central character – the protagonist – and invite you to identify with them; effectively they become your avatar in the drama. So you have a central character, you empathise with them, and something then happens to them, and that something is the genesis of the story. Jack discovers a beanstalk; Bond learns Blofeld plans to take over the world. The "something" is almost always a problem, sometimes a problem disguised as an opportunity. It's usually something that throws your...
- 3/16/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
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