Ideas in the Air

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  • Ideas in the Air

    I just read 3 ideas that sold on this website front page Done Deal (25 bucks a year!) and it's so weird how stuff come up.

    Make a joke about blacklist and used Elvis as example. Elvis TV show sells.

    Have an idea for a TV show -- read same concept just sold.

    Just pitched two reality show ideas to my "ex" writing partner and basically the 2 ideas combine into 1 is a show that just sold.

    It has happened to me, well all the damn time. And It will happen to you. It's just so weird how it does happen that same day though. How often it's not just like someone else thought of the idea at any point, but that the same idea will be hot for the same week. So weird how that happens. And not weird at all when you think about it.

    So when people say "find an original high concept idea" -- I saw just write your favorite idea and make it in your own voice, because it's almost impossible to find a unique idea when there are 10000 TV shows these days.

  • #2
    Re: Ideas in the Air

    Originally posted by Bono View Post
    I just read 3 ideas that sold on this website front page Done Deal (25 bucks a year!) and it's so weird how stuff come up.

    Make a joke about blacklist and used Elvis as example. Elvis TV show sells.

    Have an idea for a TV show -- read same concept just sold.

    Just pitched two reality show ideas to my "ex" writing partner and basically the 2 ideas combine into 1 is a show that just sold.

    It has happened to me, well all the damn time. And It will happen to you. It's just so weird how it does happen that same day though. How often it's not just like someone else thought of the idea at any point, but that the same idea will be hot for the same week. So weird how that happens. And not weird at all when you think about it.

    So when people say "find an original high concept idea" -- I saw just write your favorite idea and make it in your own voice, because it's almost impossible to find a unique idea when there are 10000 TV shows these days.

    I remember hearing the screenwriter for the movie Liar Liar say that there were a dozen ideas like his, but the producers liked his and his writing partner's take more. People follow the same news; come across the same books and commercials....so it's probably jogging the same thoughts in their heads.

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    • #3
      Re: Ideas in the Air

      This is definitely a thing, ideas hanging out in the collective unconscious. I've pointed this out before here, there were three "unplanned pregnancy" movies in 2007.

      In JUNO, the main character gave up both the baby and the father.
      In WAITRESS, the main character kept the baby and ditched the father.
      In KNOCKED UP, she kept both the baby and the father.

      The movies were basically pregnancy test - struggle - birth - decision. Incredibly similar, but no one links them because the worlds were so different.

      I can't remember if it's in his book, or an anecdote he told in person, but Blake Snyder used to talk about finishing up a spec called REALLY MEAN GIRLS with his writing partner and then hearing that Tina Fey had just sold a script called MEAN GIRLS. His project was instantly dead.

      One of my first scripts was a rom com called STARTER MARRIAGE. That ended when STARTER WIFE hit the TV airwaves. I got lots of condolence emails from friends who had read various drafts.

      I also wrote a pilot called OPEN about a bored couple experimenting with polyamory. This was in 2011. A year or two later, Ryan Murphy set up a TV show called OPEN with HBO about the same subject matter. They shot his show but I don't think it aired -- it didn't move forward.

      https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...rd-ryan-717094

      One of my friends was convinced that my idea had been stolen. But I didn't think that at all. There was no way that script ever got in those kind of hands. I told my friend -- "Relax, this an idea ripe for the picking." He's like, "But they also have a yoga instructor character!" I told him -- "Yeah, any TV show about polyamory will have a yoga instructor as one of the main characters!"

      It IS eerie how it happens!!

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Ideas in the Air

        Originally posted by lostfootage View Post
        This is definitely a thing, ideas hanging out in the collective unconscious. I've pointed this out before here, there were three "unplanned pregnancy" movies in 2007.

        In JUNO, the main character gave up both the baby and the father.
        In WAITRESS, the main character kept the baby and ditched the father.
        In KNOCKED UP, she kept both the baby and the father.

        The movies were basically pregnancy test - struggle - birth - decision. Incredibly similar, but no one links them because the worlds were so different.

        I can't remember if it's in his book, or an anecdote he told in person, but Blake Snyder used to talk about finishing up a spec called REALLY MEAN GIRLS with his writing partner and then hearing that Tina Fey had just sold a script called MEAN GIRLS. His project was instantly dead.

        One of my first scripts was a rom com called STARTER MARRIAGE. That ended when STARTER WIFE hit the TV airwaves. I got lots of condolence emails from friends who had read various drafts.

        I also wrote a pilot called OPEN about a bored couple experimenting with polyamory. This was in 2011. A year or two later, Ryan Murphy set up a TV show called OPEN with HBO about the same subject matter. They shot his show but I don't think it aired -- it didn't move forward.

        https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...rd-ryan-717094

        One of my friends was convinced that my idea had been stolen. But I didn't think that at all. There was no way that script ever got in those kind of hands. I told my friend -- "Relax, this an idea ripe for the picking." He's like, "But they also have a yoga instructor character!" I told him -- "Yeah, any TV show about polyamory will have a yoga instructor as one of the main characters!"

        It IS eerie how it happens!!

        I know, right? I had this space opera about a young famrboy who had to battle an evil empire and had daddy issues. But, then... that f'ing George Lucas.


        I do think there are common experiences and things in the news that we think are unique, but have occurred to other people. I do think different people can have a different take on the same idea, though. I've read scripts where they had the same idea, but one was way better and felt fresh, while the other didn't.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Ideas in the Air

          Hey lostfootage, after you got parallel development'd, did you ever use those dead scripts as samples? I'd be interested in your thoughts over in the "Parallel development and samples" thread.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Ideas in the Air

            This is where an agent (Agency) does some of their best work (IMO) in helping you not waste your time. Especially at a big. They have so much goddamn intel it's cray.
            Bruh, fukkin *smooches*! Feel me? Ha!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Ideas in the Air

              Originally posted by Cheese View Post
              Hey lostfootage, after you got parallel development'd, did you ever use those dead scripts as samples? I'd be interested in your thoughts over in the "Parallel development and samples" thread.
              No, I didn't use them. Let me go look at that other thread...

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Ideas in the Air

                Originally posted by GucciGhostXXX View Post
                This is where an agent (Agency) does some of their best work (IMO) in helping you not waste your time. Especially at a big. They have so much goddamn intel it's cray.
                Agree!! I had a TV pilot about a life coach in 2012-2013. As we made they rounds pitching it, I found out a lot of companies had tried doing a TV show about about a life coach, and none of them had gone forward. They were interested enough to hear my take, but my project didn't go forward either. I thought that was interesting, that "life coach comedy" was definitely one of those ideas low in the atmosphere.

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