I think I'm God

[victortiti89]

Nope, I'm not crazy, the title was ironic. It's just that every script I write is about to be made into a movie soon, even though I didn't have anything to do with it. I just finished a script and it looks pretty much like two others. One already launched. The other one is coming out next year. I know there are differences, but there are similarities impossible to ignore. Either that, or I'm incredibly unlucky. What can someone do in my situation? I thought about giving up this script, but now my fear is that all others are similar to soon to be launched movies...
PS: Excuse the way I wrote some things, I just found out about the second movie...

 

[FantasySciFi]

Finish writing your script. It will still need some revision passes. If you're making it yourself, go for it. Ideas are NOT copyrighted, only the literal pieces. Unfortunately, lots of scripts resemble each other. However, sometimes studios compete with each other when news of productions are leaked. It's not unusual to have two studios put out similar movies within months of each other--"A Bug's Life" vs "Ants", as an example. Having a similar idea but your own plot twists, characters, and direction is fine. Unless you've had direct contact with someone involved in the production, it's unlikely they've stolen your idea or vice versa. Every writer (novelist or screenwriter) encounters "doppelganger" publications. It's true for science as well. Just chalk it up that great minds think alike.

 

[mus]

Nope, I'm not crazy, the title was ironic. It's just that every script I write is about to be made into a movie soon, even though I didn't have anything to do with it. I just finished a script and it looks pretty much like two others. One already launched. The other one is coming out next year. I know there are differences, but there are similarities impossible to ignore. Either that, or I'm incredibly unlucky. What can someone do in my situation? I thought about giving up this script, but now my fear is that all others are similar to soon to be launched movies...
PS: Excuse the way I wrote some things, I just found out about the second movie...

I'm in the same boat as you with the movie I'm writing that will one day become my first feature.


Here's what I'm gonna do about it: Make it anyway.

I'll write another draft to maximize the differences between the similar ideas, and make this story stand out even more, but I am definitely going to make it.

 

[geckopelli]

This is where a professional attitude begins and a budding Screenwriter meets Reality.

There IS no "original work". You're not that good. Who is?

There are millions of writers writing right now, and millions who have spent lifetimes writing before we were born. Sure the sets may change, but the players are still people, and people are still people, and the same basic shit happens. And Movies are about people, not places or events.

So now you can forget writing a Masterpiece, forget about dancing suns and guys named Oscar, curse Shakespeare's name and write a solid script with a distinctive Voice, and don't worry about what else is /was/may be out there.

 

[SW3]

Hi Victortiti89,

Have you ever heard the expression, "There's nothing new under the sun"? I think that applies perfectly to your situation, keep on writing and keep making it different. I don't know if you're familiar with Blake Snyder's works. Save the Cat is obviously the biggest one. He is no longer with us. But he liked to say, "Give me the same only different." So actually you'll see that there are all these other movies that are coming out along with your instincts. It means, start trusting your instincts and start writing. Just make sure that it has your own unique voice and offer something different that hasn't been seen yet, even if it's just from a similar play on subjects that have already been used.

All the best and finish that script!

Sean