OT:An Observation

Cipher7071 · #1 June 10th, 2004, 06:08 PM

The classic remake that I remember most is "West Side Story." Many of you might not remember that one, but it was an intentional clone of "Romeo and Juliet," using two New York gangs as the feuding families. And the Star Trek episode may very well be an intentional clone of "The Enemy Below."

As far as plots go, one can, as Gandalf Parker suggests, throw a bunch of elements into a bag and draw them at random to produce a script. Odds are that every so often similar plots will result from the process.

Jack Simth · #2 June 10th, 2004, 07:21 PM

*shrug* how many basic plots there are is up for debate - with the primary argument being "how similar can they be before we say they are the same plot?" A lot of the cloning is due to laziness - an artist wants something that sells, and sees that this other thing is selling, so he makes his own Version of it - but when similar plots are developed on opposite sides of the world before reasonable world wide travel or communication is in place? That pretty much rules out laziness. And yet, it's happened.

As for random plots, well, you are throwing those random elements into some framework (or, perhaps, another randomly selected framework) - and most of those who categorize plots by Greek plays (or however) aren't so much looking at the specific setting (fantasy/sci-fi/Greek Gods/whatever), nor the characters (Bilbo Baggins/James T. Kirk/Hercules/whoever), nor even the species of the characters (elven/alien/human/whatever) - they tend to classify elements by how they fit into the plot (the mentor/the hero/the villian/whatever), and the whole by a general outline of the plot (the rescue/the war/the coming of age/whatever). Such a random plot is going to fit into a Category, pretty much regardless. Granted, you will get a gargantuan number of variations on those plots, many of which are interesting, and keep them fresh for a long time - but when it comes down to it, they are all variations on a limited number of themes; they aren't fundamentally new plots.

[ June 10, 2004, 18:30: Message edited by: Jack Simth ]

Gandalf Parker · #3 June 10th, 2004, 07:31 PM

I remember the heated debates about copy-cat plots amoung the addicts of the various incarnations of Star Trek. True some seemed AWFULLY similar but some of them were majorly stretched in trying to make a connection

Atrocities · #4 June 11th, 2004, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Randallw:
Ok, sorry. Didn't mean to take the thread off in a bitter direction.

Apology accepted, now set course for somewhere out there.

Azselendor · #5 June 11th, 2004, 05:48 AM

I know star trek used to frequent repeat plot lines from different perspectives. Take of example the Doomsday Machine, Operation Anhillate, and that episode with that blood sucking vapor cloud. One would focus on an outsider, then on the captain (or one of the leads), and then on someone under the captain or close to him.

On top of that, it's common practice for movies and films and TV shows to rip off other movie, films, and tv shows. It's the "OH-WOW!-WE-GOTTA-DO-THAT!" factor. They do what they think makes them money thus flooding us with clones of something that may or may not be good until we tune out thier babble...

Much like the reality show fad and Terrorist Drama Shows...