Teaser for planned fan-made Fray live adaptation - BtVS

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January 25 2012

Teaser for planned fan-made Fray live adaptation. This is very (very) short but the promise is tantalizing! This guy made a Fray motion comic that I thought was so great; if only there was a Fray TV Show!

Jonnathan | BtVS | 19:23 CET | 19 comments total | tags: fray, buffy, live, amateur, fan, comic, show

For one second I thought that a Fray movie was in the works that I didn't know about and I may or may not have peed my pants.

cazador | January 25, 19:58 CET

I don't think this is for a live adaption. Its just another promo for his planned motion comic.

eddy | January 25, 20:04 CET

The creator, Matt, posted on the comments in the motion comic video and he is definitely working on a live-action, Fray short. I can't wait to see what he comes up with...I love Fray!

Jonnathan | January 25, 20:08 CET

I am indeed planning to make a live adaptation of Fray, as a little homage to Joss, as he's inspired me as a film maker. This was just a short teaser I made to provoke a reaction and see what you guys (fellow fans) thought, and what you expect to see from Fray. cause so many people want to see her brought to life. I did try posting it up the other day, but of cause Website rules state you can't post your own work. But glad someone found it and liked it enough to re post it. So thanks there. So what do you guys and girls expect from fray?

MJRowney | January 25, 20:23 CET

MJRowney, I'd love to see your movie (as long as everyone who created the comic are ok with it, which I assume is the case). I have a copy of Fray but unfortunately the comic book medium doesn't work for me so a movie would help me to connect with the story.

Effulgent | January 26, 03:55 CET

At a minimum, the use of a tripod. Oh snap! But seriously, don't even try it unless you have a kick-ass team of actors.

will.bueche | January 26, 08:57 CET

Yeah I understand the importance of a great cast. I'm searching long and hard for actors now, the standard was incredible in Buffy, and Angel and it's something Joss gets right all the time. So of course I'll be looking for the best of the best. Keep an eye out cause I'm going to be uploading the concept art i am doing, previds and possibly a intro documentary just to start getting views, opinions and ideas from people. Thanks for watching though.

MJRowney | January 26, 20:30 CET

I sincerely hope for everyone involved that the proper permissions were requested and given for this project.

IrrationaliTV | January 26, 20:39 CET

Do you need permission when its non-commercial? People make Batman and Superman fan films all the time. I don't know the specifics of what channels those people went through so genuinely curious.

eddy | January 26, 21:44 CET

It's not a group effort or a big production. Like eddy said people make Superman and Batman fan films all the time. I won't be using the content from the comic, it's purely a tribute to Whedon and the character i am working on, on a fan level. It's not at all for commercial gain.

MJRowney | January 26, 22:44 CET

Commercial is generally irrelevant. Any major use of copyrighted characters can be quashed if the rights holder decides to, even if some rights holders don't bother for fan films. (That doesn't mean Joss or Dark Horse would care; none of us have any idea. It just means the idea that something being non-commercial automatically protects it is just not how copyright law works.)

The One True b!X | January 26, 22:52 CET

Yeah thats understandable but there is a line in which copyright comes into it. Fan films find there way onto the internet all the time. I'm sure a film made as a tribute to the creator wouldn't been seen as offence, especially as it will be my own story? Either way do know who does own the rights? maybe it's worth dropping an email there way. T double check. But to be clear this is a small project, 10mins short at the most i'm not ripping the comic and making it into a feature film...

MJRowney | January 26, 23:02 CET

For those curious, this is the "fair use" statute in US federal copyright law --

...the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—
(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

17 USC 107

It's considered to be a "totality of the circumstances" test for the four prongs, there is no make-or-break consideration.

Original works of fanfiction (and I'm going to guess film as well) are a sort of grey area of copyright law, since the copyright of a character/characters is sort of an amorphous thing. It's not as cut and dry as, for instance, use of a copywritten photograph or painting. Don't assume based on what action some IP owners don't take that it's only because they are unable to; I'm going to guess that whoever the IP owner is on "Fray" (Joss personally? 20th? Dark Horse? No idea), they could certainly do some very justifiable saber-rattling at you, and if it was me, I'd probably heed it if you hear it.

KingofCretins | January 26, 23:15 CET

Ok, so to sum up I have started this project as no more than a "fanfiction short" what your saying is usually it's ok if you take into account the four bullet points? But it varies depending on who owns the right to whether they are ok with fan fiction shorts? Well i have watched Buffy fan made shorts in the past, with something so popular it's rare that fan fiction films don't surface? Such as Doctor who, Star trek... I'll take a look into it deeper.

MJRowney | January 26, 23:24 CET

The four bullet points are up to whatever lawsuit gets brought, is more the point. Upshot is simply that you are knowingly stepping into the territory of an argument over infringement; there's no telling if they'd actually do anything about it.

KingofCretins | January 27, 00:15 CET

The actress that plays Fray is highly critical to the success or failure of the project in my opinion, so I hope they've found a good one.

archon | January 27, 02:46 CET

Ok, so it'll be Phray instead of Fray. Whatever.

will.bueche | January 27, 07:27 CET

will.bueche makes a good point, there are ways around infringement and copyright, if her name is not mentioned, just implied etc. and once again i stress this is a one man project for a 10minute short based around the fray world as a tribute to Joss. Not a huge production crew adapting the comic without permission.

MJRowney | January 27, 08:41 CET

I've written an entire season one for Fray: The Series.

TylerAustin | January 27, 19:18 CET

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