Names in film/video at DVinfo.net

Chris Kirby · January 15th, 2003, 12:10 PM

I watched the "behind the scenes" on the Fight Club DVD, and they mention paying a woman in Oklahoma, or somewhere, because her name was the same as the female lead. Do I have to pay everyone that has the same name as my characters? I've looked everywhere I can to find information about this, and I'm lost. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Does any of this make sense?

chris kirby

Scott Burbank · January 15th, 2003, 12:59 PM

What?? That's ridiculous!

Rob Lohman · January 15th, 2003, 05:38 PM

Isn't this the reason that every motion picture has a legal block
at the end stating that every story, name, place etc. that means
something in the real world is purely coincidental and blah blah,
so that they cannot be sued? I mean, try and makup a name that
no-one has in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD (WWW).... right...

Bad-guy-hasdf2349asdfyh ... original enough?

Chris Kirby · January 15th, 2003, 10:40 PM

I dug up a copy and watched it again. The reason they paid was she was the only person in the country with that name. Had there been many more people with that name it wouldn't have been an issue, in the direstor's words. Answered my own question, thanks.

Dylan Couper · January 15th, 2003, 10:45 PM

What was the name?

Scott Burbank · January 16th, 2003, 01:35 AM

and did she have copyright to her name?haha

Richard Alvarez · January 16th, 2003, 08:56 AM

These are the sorts of issues covered by "errors and ommisions insurance" taken out by big production companies. It's the reason why, as a screenwriter, I try not to get too attached to character names. It's entirely possible that I will be asked to change them.

Regards

Aaron Koolen · January 16th, 2003, 04:45 PM

On a similar note. There's this TV series that runs here called Shortland Street and in it is a character called Nick Harrison. A friend of my wife's (called Nick Harrison) was approached by the studio when they started making the show to ask permission to use his name?

Wierd.

Nick Harrison doesn't sound too unique to me...Who knows.

Chris Kirby · January 16th, 2003, 05:05 PM

The character's name was Marla Singer, if you care.

Rob Lohman · January 16th, 2003, 05:16 PM

Ah... good old Marla. Fun character. Especially if you watched the
delete scenes on the DVD

Dylan Couper · January 16th, 2003, 06:07 PM

(snort of disgust at the world)

D'ya think it's too late to change my name to Han Solo?

Jeff Donald · January 16th, 2003, 06:27 PM

I think that's taken, but Chewbacca is available.

Jeff

Scott Silverman · January 16th, 2003, 07:26 PM

I am not a stalker or anything. But I just couldn't believe there was only 1 marla singer in the country sooo...

I took 30 seconds out of my already boring day to do a yahoo people search.

It came up with 7 Marla Singers...hmmmm ;-)

If you care:
http://teaser.ussearch.com/teaser/te...rchFName=Marla

I know its so interesting

January 15th, 2003, 12:10 PM	#1
Chris Kirby New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 24	Names in film/video I watched the "behind the scenes" on the Fight Club DVD, and they mention paying a woman in Oklahoma, or somewhere, because her name was the same as the female lead. Do I have to pay everyone that has the same name as my characters? I've looked everywhere I can to find information about this, and I'm lost. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Does any of this make sense? chris kirby

January 15th, 2003, 05:38 PM	#3
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Isn't this the reason that every motion picture has a legal block at the end stating that every story, name, place etc. that means something in the real world is purely coincidental and blah blah, so that they cannot be sued? I mean, try and makup a name that no-one has in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD (WWW).... right... Bad-guy-hasdf2349asdfyh ... original enough? __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

January 16th, 2003, 05:16 PM	#10
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Ah... good old Marla. Fun character. Especially if you watched the delete scenes on the DVD __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

January 16th, 2003, 07:26 PM	#13
Scott Silverman Major Player Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cupertino, California, USA Posts: 301	I am not a stalker or anything. But I just couldn't believe there was only 1 marla singer in the country sooo... I took 30 seconds out of my already boring day to do a yahoo people search. It came up with 7 Marla Singers...hmmmm ;-) If you care: http://teaser.ussearch.com/teaser/te...rchFName=Marla I know its so interesting __________________ Scott Silverman Shining Star Digital Video Productions Bay Area, CA

January 15th, 2003, 12:59 PM	#2
Scott Burbank Regular Crew Join Date: May 2002 Location: Burnaby, B.C. Canada Posts: 50	What?? That's ridiculous!

January 15th, 2003, 10:40 PM	#4
Chris Kirby New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 24	I dug up a copy and watched it again. The reason they paid was she was the only person in the country with that name. Had there been many more people with that name it wouldn't have been an issue, in the direstor's words. Answered my own question, thanks.

January 15th, 2003, 10:45 PM	#5
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	What was the name?

January 16th, 2003, 01:35 AM	#6
Scott Burbank Regular Crew Join Date: May 2002 Location: Burnaby, B.C. Canada Posts: 50	and did she have copyright to her name?haha

January 16th, 2003, 08:56 AM	#7
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	These are the sorts of issues covered by "errors and ommisions insurance" taken out by big production companies. It's the reason why, as a screenwriter, I try not to get too attached to character names. It's entirely possible that I will be asked to change them. Regards

January 16th, 2003, 04:45 PM	#8
Aaron Koolen Trustee Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,727	On a similar note. There's this TV series that runs here called Shortland Street and in it is a character called Nick Harrison. A friend of my wife's (called Nick Harrison) was approached by the studio when they started making the show to ask permission to use his name? Wierd. Nick Harrison doesn't sound too unique to me...Who knows.

January 16th, 2003, 05:05 PM	#9
Chris Kirby New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 24	The character's name was Marla Singer, if you care.

January 16th, 2003, 06:07 PM	#11
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	(snort of disgust at the world) D'ya think it's too late to change my name to Han Solo?

January 16th, 2003, 06:27 PM	#12
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	I think that's taken, but Chewbacca is available. Jeff