If You're Afraid Of Being Ripped Off, You're An Amateur
As I mentioned earlier, I attended the Screenwriting Expo this last weekend in L.A. Thousands of screenwriters (and hopefuls) flooded the airport Marriott in an attempt to soak up knowledge (and sponge off contacts).
One session I wandered into was a real eye opener. Not so much for the topic, but because of what one panel member said:
"If you're afraid of being ripped off, then you're an amateur."
This was directed at an audience member who was concerned about telling his script idea to anyone or sending them out without "proper documentation and signed release forms".
The rest of the panel agreed with the sentiment of not being afraid to share your ideas because, yes, you will sometimes get ripped off. It's unavoidable. What do you do if an idea gets ripped off? Come up with ten more ideas. They mentioned that it is a good idea to get your finished script registered with the writer's guild when you can and to do the usual due diligence, but in the creation process, the more people who hear or read your idea/pitch/script the more feedback you will get. And something EVERY writer needs is plenty of feedback. Join writer's groups, ask your friends and family about what they think, hell ... accost people in line at Starbucks with a one of two sentence "pitch" on your idea. See if you at least have an interesting idea that hooks people.
And it's true. I heard so many stories, so many mini-pitches and there was a general sense of sharing ... especially odd amongst rooms full of potential "competitors".
And I thought about it, the same thing happens in the web comics community (and online in general like DeviantArt, Blogs, etc.). Constant allegations of plagiarism or "rip offs" are thrown around like beads at Mardi Gras. I've both accused and been accused myself of plagiarism. But you know what, it's that "just come up with ten more ideas" bit that intrigued me. I mean, sure, someone may take one of your strip ideas, or you may inadvertently use the same source material as another artist ... but they can't steal the entirely of your creativity. Hopefully people hinge their careers on more than one joke. Hopefully a persons whole body of work is what calls attention to them.
It was just something that struck a chord with me and I thought I'd share.
One session I wandered into was a real eye opener. Not so much for the topic, but because of what one panel member said:
"If you're afraid of being ripped off, then you're an amateur."
This was directed at an audience member who was concerned about telling his script idea to anyone or sending them out without "proper documentation and signed release forms".
The rest of the panel agreed with the sentiment of not being afraid to share your ideas because, yes, you will sometimes get ripped off. It's unavoidable. What do you do if an idea gets ripped off? Come up with ten more ideas. They mentioned that it is a good idea to get your finished script registered with the writer's guild when you can and to do the usual due diligence, but in the creation process, the more people who hear or read your idea/pitch/script the more feedback you will get. And something EVERY writer needs is plenty of feedback. Join writer's groups, ask your friends and family about what they think, hell ... accost people in line at Starbucks with a one of two sentence "pitch" on your idea. See if you at least have an interesting idea that hooks people.
And it's true. I heard so many stories, so many mini-pitches and there was a general sense of sharing ... especially odd amongst rooms full of potential "competitors".
And I thought about it, the same thing happens in the web comics community (and online in general like DeviantArt, Blogs, etc.). Constant allegations of plagiarism or "rip offs" are thrown around like beads at Mardi Gras. I've both accused and been accused myself of plagiarism. But you know what, it's that "just come up with ten more ideas" bit that intrigued me. I mean, sure, someone may take one of your strip ideas, or you may inadvertently use the same source material as another artist ... but they can't steal the entirely of your creativity. Hopefully people hinge their careers on more than one joke. Hopefully a persons whole body of work is what calls attention to them.
It was just something that struck a chord with me and I thought I'd share.
posted by InkTank at
10:44 PM
2 Comments:
Yeah, Kurtz is kind of a douchebag.
Uh ... well, water undder the bride and all that. It was a learning experience all around for all involved and was hopefully a positive in the long run.
But in general, even in other artistic endeavors it pops up. Especially lately in my animation groups as with the aforementioned screenwriters.
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