Why 'Stealing ideas' Almost Never Happens
I am in a couple screenwriting groups where people are afraid to talk about what they are working on because "someone might steal" the idea. We try to assure them that, based on our experiences and what we have seen with other writers, there is effectively zero chance of that happening. As gently as possible they are told:
1. Producers have their own ideas. The way to get paid as a writer is to do work-for-hire, eg to write, adapt or rewrite what the producer wants. To get that job you have share stuff you have written.
2. An idea is not finished screenplay. An idea really isn't worth anything -- the execution is. Even if you are lucky enough to sell a script you, or someone else, will be forced to rewrite it until it is flawed and barely recognizable.
3. Filmmaking is a team effort. Even the writing part. We think of writing as a solitary activity, the unified vision that comes from the mind of just one person. For novels, poems and many other things it is but not film, and especially not TV.
Someone in one of the groups sent me a link to this new trailer. They implied that one of my ideas had been stolen because I discussed it there a couple times. It was nice of them to think that but there is no chance that my idea and sample pages had anything to do with this movie. My concept is:
"Mike the Busboy" -- A busboy must enlist the help of 3 co-workers after he impulsively steals money from a pyramid scheme in 1979 Orange County.
It is inspired by true events. There was a pyramid scheme where people would give $50 to the top and $50 to the person who recruited them. This nonsense grew exponentially to the point where they started to do the exchanges in restaurants, semi discreetly, passing envelopes of cash. So that is the premise. The busboy is 15YO and on a work permit. He dings someone's car in the parking lot before his shift and then he steals the cash and has about 4 different people trying get him. The restaurant becomes like the Alamo, surrounded by people who want to resolve the theft without involving police. A server wants to help the busboy out of motherly instincts. The Lead Cook is head strong, has a crush on the server and gets involved to try and impress her. The whole thing happens in one night. Keeps escalating. It's a hangout movie with humor and action.
Anyway, I like the idea because there have been a so many movies about Chefs that it has become a trope -- wants Michelin star, is perfectionist, has substance abuse issue, reviewer comes, gives bad review, etc. It is such a trope that "The Menu" satirized the whole thing (very well) implying that the trend was over.
Having worked in a lot of restaurants IRL Chefs aren't the only source of story and drama. Far from it. So to me it was inevitable that movies would start to be made that were set in restaurants that were NOT about diva Chefs. I'm happy to see someone do it but would be happier if it was more promising than this:
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