Hey guys :)
So I watched this documentary a few years ago and I was really moved and entertained by it. Without going into too much detail, it's not about a murder or anything like that, it's about a father who's lies spiral out of control and they start to affect his family. I'm writing it as a dramaedy and I've just finished the first draft of the pilot.
Think Catch Me if You Can meets Wolf of Wall Street but with a more innocent tone.
I have the contact details of the production company who made the documentary. The guy in real life is still on the run (he was a fraudster) and I was wondering, do I need to consult the documentary makers about this?
Would I also need to contact the real life family members to get their permission/opinion on my script before going any further?
If so, how would be the best way I could word/go about this?
Thanks :)
Andy
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Lawyer up and make money offers for life rights. Then you gotta sell the idea to a television company that you know what you're doing.
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That sounds expensive haha but thank you :)
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Hi Andy - in my experience you can base a film or series on a documentary. While Dan is correct in that ultimately having life right's is ideal and helpful you can use a documentary as source material for a narrative. You can also start by contacting the company that made the doc to ask if they have any narrative work under way on it and, if not, see if they would grant you the film/TV scripted rights to the doc. If they stone wall, then going directly to the people involved is another avenue. If they are open, you can try to negotiate a fair price that you can afford or see if they would give those to you for free in exchange for a better position in the scripted project if you pull it off. You will need an attorney to review/craft any actual deal but you can do some exploring of this on your own as a producer first to see if the rights are a possibility to begin with.
This webinar hosted by Kate Sharp can be helpful on the approach: https://www.stage32.com/webinars/How-to-Adapt-a-True-Story-as-a-Film-or-...