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MJN SEIFER
08-11-2012, 01:31 AM
If I was to make a series of something and followed my own storyline for the majority of it. If I was to do one part of it (I'll say episode, I can't think what else to call it) that was based on something made by another person, should I say that?

Say if I actually had the means to actually make my series an actual series on TV (farfectched, I know) and one episode was directly based on a movie or a book or something that I didn't write, but I felt like paying homage to for one episode, what do I do - do I credit myself for writing the episode like normal, and then say it's "based on a story by (whoever wrote the book or movie)"?

Just curious. Move to whatever forum.

Jiro
08-12-2012, 08:12 AM
Beware of copyright. That'll try and destroy you in the least satisfying way possible.

G13
08-12-2012, 08:30 AM
I believe television shows usually have a message in the opening credits saying something like "Based upon the writings of..." or "Based upon the book [...] by...". I'm not sure about movies.

Tigmafuzz
08-12-2012, 08:56 AM
Or go with the old "this episode inspired by/loosely based on" thing.

Sephex
08-12-2012, 04:09 PM
Look up fair use laws in your region very carefully too.

Madame Adequate
08-12-2012, 05:12 PM
If it's an homage or whatever then I'm pretty sure you don't explicitly say anything formally about it. Just say in an interview "Oh yeah episode S04E11 took a lot of inspiration from To Kill A Mockingbird" and that's that. But if you're making anything like a TV show you'll have oversight and access to a legal team so run it by them first.

Old Manus
08-12-2012, 06:29 PM
Don't let grandiose hopes about your amateur screenplay making it to the big screen stop you from writing what you think is good.

Parker
08-12-2012, 06:58 PM
Here's a pretty good hint tho from someone who like TV!!:

include lots of tits!!

thxn