I'm crafting a new idea for a feature film. It would be an action-comedy about a container of narcotics being planted by a TSA agent into a random traveller's bag to test the sniffer dogs, only for the traveller to leave undetected. It would result in a series of misunderstandings where the traveller is being chased by cops, criminals, and a TSA agent who's been instructed to get the drugs back at all costs. As a non-American, can I write about the TSA in an unflattering light? Or will that still lead to problems? In which case could I just make up a fake administration instead?
Screenwriting : Can I write about the TSA? by Kyle Climans
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You can write about whatever you want to write about.
Fair enough. But if I wanted this to actually become a film, would the TSA make trouble over how they're being portrayed in the film? Would they threaten legal action if they were portrayed negatively?
I would honestly do the CYA approach! Find out all the cons and misnomers about the TSA. Focus on farfetched "true stories". Also shed light on their mission and why they are needed. This is all in my opinion of course. But one of the first things you should do is look up the PA or spox for TSA and contact them!
Then you tell the TSA to suck a fat one.
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Kyle, in all honesty... Who gives a flying fuck if they are butt hurt. As long as you have a great story that has character, conflict, and change the rest will is a semantics. Happy writing.
Thank you, everyone!
Why the hell not?
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Heck, if you can write about the CIA and the NSA you can write about the TSA...
the only group off limits is the "Hollywood Velvet Mafia."
@Pierre, I just wasn't sure if potential producers and/or financiers wouldn't want to make a movie which offends the TSA. And William, that's a good point about the CIA and NSA, though the only example I can think of them being antagonists was in the film "Snowden", and Oliver Stone had to struggle to get that film made.
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Kyle, The producers and financiers wouldn't care about offending anyone or any organisation if they think they can make a buck out of it.
You've missed a lot of movies - the BOURNE movies have secret CIA operations as the villains, THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR has the CIA killing members of its own organization when they discover a secret plot, etc. The FBI have also been villains in a bunch of movies. You know, THREE DAYS even has the post office as a den of assassins!
Ah, that's a good point, William. I forgot about the Bourne movies.
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And don't forget Enemy of the State.
Still need to see that one, actually.
See THE CONVERSATION then see ENEMY OF THE STATE....
Actually I did see "The Conversation", though it's been quite a long time.
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How about Wag the Dog? That involved high ranking people doing shady stuff. Obviously fiction because I can't imagine a US government agency doing anything underhanded. (Now that's comedic writing)
(Gene Hackman is in both films, playing basically the same character - so they make a good double feature)
I'm proof reading and editing a crime thriller at the moment and the FBI are featured heavily throughout the whole thing and the author doesn't need permission for that, think about all the CSI and NCIS programmes going on, all the crime films and programmes there are, I'm sure it's fine, but do some research into the organisation you're writing about to make sure you get things right about what they actually do, how they work and what the ranks and processes are.
Sorry Rosalind but apart from the fact that CSI is a pretend organization created for the show, both CSI and NCIS are portrayed in a positive light on those shows and Kyle's question was concerning painting a Government organization in a negative light.