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Can we reuse characters?

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alexdsut View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote alexdsut Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Can we reuse characters?
    Posted: 14 Jun 2019 at 5:40am
So, after writing "Dick Rogers Versus The Coconut King" for the first round of the Short Screenplay Challenge last year, a friend demanded that if I get Action/Adventure again, I should do a follow-up "Dick Rogers Versus..." 

Now, I've just gotten that genre, and I'm not feeling too sure about reusing a character from a past NYC Midnight comp...

Is this frowned upon? Any obvious reasons not to do it? Any other insights? 

Thanks in advance! 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote beckyrcollins Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jun 2019 at 6:20am
Rules! http://www.nycmidnight.com/Competitions/SC/Official%20Rules%20and%20Participation%20Agreement%20SC2019.pdf

I'm looking specifically at items 16 and 17, but they've never really made much sense to me. 

Any lawyers out there who can help? LOL
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Tim G View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tim G Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jun 2019 at 6:33am
I would think this would be absolutely fine - I certainly wouldn't worry.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote fioOxf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jun 2019 at 7:10am
Do it, change the names and description details before submission and change them back for your friend.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JeffreyHowe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jun 2019 at 9:27am
Originally posted by fioOxf fioOxf wrote:

Do it, change the names and description details before submission and change them back for your friend.

I see nothing ethically wrong with this. I mean, c'mon, some of us reuse characters like this anyway...Cool
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Random Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jun 2019 at 12:23pm
Originally posted by JeffreyHowe JeffreyHowe wrote:

Originally posted by fioOxf fioOxf wrote:

Do it, change the names and description details before submission and change them back for your friend.

I see nothing ethically wrong with this. I mean, c'mon, some of us reuse characters like this anyway...Cool


There are only about seven characters in existence; about the same number of stories.  The names change, and they have different histories and motivations, but the character remains the same...


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote NilesPerry Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Jun 2019 at 3:03pm
Originally posted by beckyrcollins beckyrcollins wrote:

Rules! http://www.nycmidnight.com/Competitions/SC/Official%20Rules%20and%20Participation%20Agreement%20SC2019.pdf
I'm looking specifically at items 16 and 17, but they've never really made much sense to me. Any lawyers out there who can help?
 LOL
Not a lawyer, but the rules don't say anything about serializing or creating ongoing characters that might appear in later competitions. I know we'd all love to see the next or future installments of John Adams' Round 1 piece. I've had characters pop up in different competitions before, but not as main characters... more of an insider thing for me and my writing partner than anything else.

I'm not sure what advice to give. I'm sure a reply from emailing NYCM would come AFTER deadline, if at all (I only say that, as I have never once received a reply to any of my really important emails to them), so that won't help. I'd be afraid to say, "Take a chance...," just to have it blow up in your face.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote alexdsut Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jun 2019 at 3:08am
Hey! Thanks for all your input. I ended up going for it and reusing the past character (along with his name). Other than the "brand" name, nothing in the script is preconceived, so technically there should be no issue... but, we shall see. :D
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tim G Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jun 2019 at 3:23am
Excellent! I'm looking forward to it. I definitely have characters I want to reuse, the prompts just haven't aligned...
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