SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay

[Kim]

Kim,

Question: are you an attorney? Just asking out of curiosity.

Haha, I'm not an attorney, just a designer and occasional illustrator having to deal with these issues (copyright, trademarks, patents etc.) frequently.

After trying to understand the first few contracts I was given as an independent contractor to design-firms, not to mention writing my own contracts when working directly with clients, I've done my best to know the ropes and properly cover my ass, as well as knowing my rights. I also have a ton of friends who are professional photographers and have spent many hours listening to their side of the creative industry.

That being said, I'm no expert (I'm sure there are some oversimplifications above, as few copyright cases are clear-cut) and I always search out more qualified opinions if I have any serious issues. Most professional associations have free legal advice available to members, which more people should make use of

Edit: and it is worth noting that the RPF is a very interesting space for copyright discussion, haha...

 

[Solo4114]

I ask because you were basically citing chapter and verse from the statute. You must deal with this on a very regular basis. I deal with a different area of law, but it occasionally overlaps with IP law.

But yeah, the problem with a lot of this is that you're dealing with broad areas of law that are HIGHLY fact-dependent. Change one seemingly minor factor in the story (e.g. "Ah, but you signed a document representing and warranting that you had all the rights to the material used in the show. Ergo, we, the show, aren't on the hook.") and the legal analysis changes drastically.

 

[TheNickFox]

At the end of the day, it's not what's true but what you can prove, and a signed contract can prove a lot.

I'd bet A LOT of money that SyFy would indemnify itself and its producers just as a formality for just about everything, passing all responsibility to those making the claims. (ie. The Costumers) All it takes is the line, "By signing this release, I hereby claim that I have full rights over the submitted images and the ability to reproduce them, blah blah blah..." Then follow it up with some, "SyFy nor its parent or subsidiary companies or representatives shall be held liable in the even of misrepresentation and any false claims will be the responsibility of the party, yadda yadda yadda..."

This is why it's important to read contracts and not just assume you know what they say. The assumption should always be that any time someone hands you a piece of paper to sign that it is written entirely in their favor and not in yours.

-Nick

 

[ModernDayMarc]

Something that bothered me about last week's episode is the Tron Quorra dress.
I've been a member here and Tron cosplaying for almost 2 and a half years,
and I remember seeing pictures of that exact dress pop up YEARS AGO.
Now, did they just totally rip off someone else's design, or are they pretending that they
literally just made that dress now for the show??? I know scruffyrebel is a member here,
but I do not remember who first posted the pics of the Quorra dress years back,
or whom took credit for it. Kind of a big wtf moment going on in my brain...

Lemme know what you guys think about this...

 

[TheNickFox]

It's worth noting that although the show only aired last week, it's representing something that happened a while ago.

-Nick

 

[p51]

I still can't get over how these people all seem to know each other, yet each time someone not in this tight group wins everything. Is this a case of a small group of people pushing their self-importance when in fact there are others out there who really win these things often and are snickering at this show, knowing they aren't really the 'heroes' of anything? It wouldn't be the first time a fringe group presents themsevles in a reality show as the top of their hobby or profession when they aren't that at all...

I know scruffyrebel is a member here-

I checked and she hasn't posted here in over a year.
From the show I get the impression that these people live and die via twitter and facebook, not that I'm the least bit surprised by that (and no, that ISN'T a compliment).

 

[ghostryder]

But yeah, the problem with a lot of this is that you're dealing with broad areas of law that are HIGHLY fact-dependent. Change one seemingly minor factor in the story (e.g. "Ah, but you signed a document representing and warranting that you had all the rights to the material used in the show. Ergo, we, the show, aren't on the hook.") and the legal analysis changes drastically.

Exactly - and all the internet certified copyright experts on the comments section in the article aren't really helping. I'm going to go out on a limb and safely assume that SyFy/51 Minds obtained some sort of release from someone at some point - no production company is going to just "grab photos off the internet" or any of the other crazy things folks are suggestions. So in believing releases do exist, it really changes the calculus a bit.

 

[.:MirrorminD:.]

Something that bothered me about last week's episode is the Tron Quorra dress.
I've been a member here and Tron cosplaying for almost 2 and a half years,
and I remember seeing pictures of that exact dress pop up YEARS AGO.
Now, did they just totally rip off someone else's design, or are they pretending that they
literally just made that dress now for the show??? I know scruffyrebel is a member here,
but I do not remember who first posted the pics of the Quorra dress years back,
or whom took credit for it. Kind of a big wtf moment going on in my brain...

Lemme know what you guys think about this...

You are right, you did see it posted here first by Victoria herself and also in some pics with member Kit I believe for when they kept going to that Tron thing at Disney for a month straight.

The show has been done filming for a while now, most reality shows have on average a 3 month lead time for editing and all, but I'm pretty sure this show was filmed awhile back. Either way since then they redid the dress and improved it a bit. The first time around was to get it ready for Tron nights and the opening. Of course Jinyo whos a member here but rarely posts could give a more complete answer

 

[Michael Bergeron]

no production company is going to just "grab photos off the internet" or any of the other crazy things folks are suggestions

You would be surprised how often that actually happens. But ya, I'm betting there was a release somewhere.

 

[Astrokid248]

Something that bothered me about last week's episode is the Tron Quorra dress.
I've been a member here and Tron cosplaying for almost 2 and a half years,
and I remember seeing pictures of that exact dress pop up YEARS AGO.
Now, did they just totally rip off someone else's design, or are they pretending that they
literally just made that dress now for the show??? I know scruffyrebel is a member here,
but I do not remember who first posted the pics of the Quorra dress years back,
or whom took credit for it. Kind of a big wtf moment going on in my brain...

Lemme know what you guys think about this...

Jinyo posted a thing about it: Tron Dress: Evolution of a Costume | Jinyo's "Heroes Of Cosplay" Blog The dress itself is a replica of a Betsey Johnson prom dress, with the electronics added. It was done once in 2010, remade in 2011, and then remade again for this show. No word on why the Lulu dress that appeared at Katsucon 2012 wasn't ready for Emerald City.

 

[spacebat]

Something that bothered me about last week's episode is the Tron Quorra dress.
I've been a member here and Tron cosplaying for almost 2 and a half years,
and I remember seeing pictures of that exact dress pop up YEARS AGO.
Now, did they just totally rip off someone else's design, or are they pretending that they
literally just made that dress now for the show??? I know scruffyrebel is a member here,
but I do not remember who first posted the pics of the Quorra dress years back,
or whom took credit for it. Kind of a big wtf moment going on in my brain...

Lemme know what you guys think about this...

Hey, Marc!

Good eye, I noticed that as well.

Jinyo has a blog that he has been posting to fairly frequently as each episode is aired answering questions about his work and the show.

Here's the link to the blog post: Tron Dress: Evolution of a Costume | Jinyo's "Heroes Of Cosplay" Blog

 

[Kim]

Some shows can have crazy long lead times, I was an extra on an episode of Mythbusters that was filmed in May 2012 that still hasn't aired in the US.

I imagine lead-times on a non-established show like this can stretch much longer, especially considering there are multiple teams filming in different cities whose footage has to be sorted through and edited into a narrative. I also remembered having seen that dress a long time ago, and if the dress was remade in 2011, I wouldn't put it past them that the build footage shown is from that build, a lot of this show will be wildly out of sequence and I think we all believe the malfunctioning electronics were a plot device, not a result of barely finishing the costume.

 

[Skaught]

They filmed tonight's episode, the contest part at least, in March.

We've never had cash prizes for the MegaCon contest until the show producers handed us envelopes of cash. So this "cash prize" thing is manufactured for the show. Someone else posted their there was another con they filmed that didn't even have a contest until the show asked them to do one.

The judging at our contest, though, was not influenced, though. Our judges were free to make their own decisions.

Scott

 

[mikid]

Well ,my take on the show is that all reality shows all are the same .....shock factor...but as Im new to Cosplay....it in a way is entertaining, waiting to see the other costumes being judged for items as to the extreme details....in my local area we have a Halloween costume ball that give out a 5000.00 prise pool,1st,2nd,3rd ......Im getting a Thor suite,arm built,making my own hammer from a mold,my own molded helemt,growing my facial hair for beard,as getting a human hair wig for the finish,will see if it fairs well,others in the previos years have been Optimus prime,Predator,Ironman,etc...some good,some not so good, just will have to see.....but most importantly...have Fun!!!!!!!.......Mike

 

[p51]

We've never had cash prizes for the MegaCon contest until the show producers handed us envelopes of cash. So this "cash prize" thing is manufactured for the show. Someone else posted their there was another con they filmed that didn't even have a contest until the show asked them to do one.
The judging at our contest, though, was not influenced, though. Our judges were free to make their own decisions.

I'm not the least bit surprised by this at all. I know for sure that "Pawn stars" and "American Pickers" are both faked ten ways from Sunday, I know several people who've done segments for each of those (they filmed a segment at the house of the guy I bought my WW2 Jeep from in 1999, and he recently told me they scripted the entire thing, the only thing that was real was those were all his military vehicles, but they never aired it as he couldn't play the 'gruff and angry old man' they wanted to portray him as).
I got a call from someone from the production staff of Mythbusters several years ago asking if it was possible to fire a machine gun with live ammo when it was configured to fire blanks (as in the second Die Hard movie). I explained it wasn't possible, how much damage to the weapon it would cause, and went through my background as a former US Army Ordnance Corps officer (and they seemed impressed when I told them I had seen more than one weapon damaged from firing ammo through an obstructed barrel). Once they realized they'd destroy an expensive weapon that would require all kinds of federal red tape, I think they lost interest.
The only show of it's type I ever liked was "Mail Call" when it was on as they never said it was pure reality. I had a blast working with the show people behind the scenes a few times and once on camera: Bill Mauldin segment on "Mail Call" - YouTube

 

[jazzygeoffery]

Well I have to say I'm enjoying this episode much more than the previous ones. The producers seem to have listened to the feedback or had more time to film the costume builds for this episode. The Jessica and Holly drama is pretty obnoxious but it's still leaps and bounds above the first episode. Also I'm glad the costumes are fresh and not something everyone's seen before.
I have to say I'm even more excited for the next episode now seeing that the creation aspect of the competition is being showcased. Previously I was only excited because It takes place at a smaller con that I went to back in March and I'm hoping to see myself XP

 

[Kerr Avon]

Yeah, so far a much better outing on this one, which I'm only watching/listening to since it's on after Face Off and I'm too tired to change the channel.

And figures TSA would screw someone.

 

[Skaught]

My wife won't let me live down my, "can you do that again" comment.

 

[Kerr Avon]

We, however, thank you.

 

[jazzygeoffery]

I commend your sacrifice sir. Job well done. :thumbsup