May 2Liked by Konstantin Asimonov, Mikhail Skoptsov
It's funny that you mention this series. I actually had an idea for something similar a few years ago and I've never heard of this show. Also, it's Canadian like me which is additionally fun. I may have to check it out.
It is a good question. I don't know. But I think it mostly depends on the scale of the implementation of the idea. I will give an example.
Say, I had an idea of a magical land inhabited by elves, dwarves, and hobbits, and a dark lord that puts his power into a magic ring, and a bunch of the good guys are tasked with a quest to destroy that ring. And then someone tells me about "Lord of the Rings".
So if I write a poem, or a short story, or (on the other side of the spectrum) a 1000-issue manga, I think I would still be okay. Different scale implies different art piece, and the idea is less important in this case. I might have the same idea, but I clearly went in a different direction with it. So it's not plagiarism; it's at worst an homage. And the idea itself might be completely different in the end, just as a result of a different scale. For instance, in case of a 1000-issue manga, it is clearly not about the triumph of a small man over evil, it is about the impossibility of triumph over evil at this stage.
But if, after hearing about LotR, I write a 1000-page novel divided into three parts, or make 3 epic 4-hour movies about it, then I'm clearly in trouble.
I’m not worried about plagiarism. I get that many people can have the same idea. The premise of mine is very different in a lot of ways based on my understanding of what you wrote.
It's funny that you mention this series. I actually had an idea for something similar a few years ago and I've never heard of this show. Also, it's Canadian like me which is additionally fun. I may have to check it out.
You really should check it out, it's great!
Well this creates an important question. Given that I had a similar idea, do I want to risk being influenced by the actual series?
It is a good question. I don't know. But I think it mostly depends on the scale of the implementation of the idea. I will give an example.
Say, I had an idea of a magical land inhabited by elves, dwarves, and hobbits, and a dark lord that puts his power into a magic ring, and a bunch of the good guys are tasked with a quest to destroy that ring. And then someone tells me about "Lord of the Rings".
So if I write a poem, or a short story, or (on the other side of the spectrum) a 1000-issue manga, I think I would still be okay. Different scale implies different art piece, and the idea is less important in this case. I might have the same idea, but I clearly went in a different direction with it. So it's not plagiarism; it's at worst an homage. And the idea itself might be completely different in the end, just as a result of a different scale. For instance, in case of a 1000-issue manga, it is clearly not about the triumph of a small man over evil, it is about the impossibility of triumph over evil at this stage.
But if, after hearing about LotR, I write a 1000-page novel divided into three parts, or make 3 epic 4-hour movies about it, then I'm clearly in trouble.
I’m not worried about plagiarism. I get that many people can have the same idea. The premise of mine is very different in a lot of ways based on my understanding of what you wrote.
Sorry, then I misunderstood you. In any case, I would say, it's worth giving it a try. Being influenced by something good is very rarely a bad thing.