Making Films With Lightsabers, NOT About Star Wars?

A lot of things in the entertainment industry, as well as the world, have been influenced by Star Wars. My question really is, could someone make a film, sci-fi or not, where lightsabers are used as weapons? I don't see why a feature film couldn't just use the lightsabers as weapons, and not as references to Star Wars, without worrying about being sued. And maybe just credit George Lucas in the credits for the inspiration. Like in the RVD Q&A, Ryan says(correct me if I misquote) that the reason they don't wear costumes and stuff like that is that its just two guys with lightsabers fighting. They aren't in the SW universe, they just happen to have lightsabers and are now fighting with them. I guess the genre of the film would play a role in the use of sabers, but really to me it feels like they have become commonplace as weapons. If your film takes place in the future, you aren't gonna want to use swords (unless your Flash Gordon). Lucas has engineered a brand new type of weapon, for the new generation... Anyone get what I'm saying?

 

As long as you don't use the Star Wars sound effects, or refer to them verbally as "lightsabers," and aren't afraid of people associating your film with Star Wars, and possibly accusing you of being uncreative, there's no legal reason* you couldn't do so.

(*consult a real lawyer first, I'm not one.)

 

What about the Squirrel Factor?

 

If you do everything Dorkman said, there's no reason why you'd be sued. There was that famous case between 20th Fox and the people who did the original Battlestar Galactica where Fox sued the Galactica camp (I think it was Universal?) because they said Galactica was a straight rip-off of Star Wars. I don't know the specifics, but it was ruled that no one can hold copyrights on IDEAS, just not with character names, sounds, music, etc. For example, you'd get sued if you made a superhero and called it Hellboy, but if you made one called Hellman and he is pretty much entirely Hellboy except in name, you'd be safe. You'd just look unoriginal.

I KNOW there are rip offs of lightsabers out there that aren't parodies. Probably a lot in anime (Gundam comes to mind).

 

Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back uses "bong" sabers and Mark Hamill and they were good. They used original sound effects too, so I think Smith and Co. was also in the clear of copyright infringement.

_Max

 

Here watch David Hasslehoff wearing eye shadow fight with a Laser Sword in 1979's Starcrash !! http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sC-dwjrinK0

Don't think Lucas tried to sue these guys !!!

 

If you were making a fantasy film, you could use a lightsaber-like effect and call it a magic sword (ala brilliant energy weapons in D&D)

Or if you were doing a sci-fi flick set in "our world" of the future, you could explain them by saying they were invented and inspired by Star Wars (look at all the real-world inventions inspired by sci-fi already)

 

Yea, the idea of a "laser sword" isn't George's original idea. I'm sure you've all noticed that Anikin calls it a laser sword in episode 1 as that is what he originally wanted to call them. But laser sword was already taken by some other sci-fi so he settled for lightsabre which I think sounds much more classy.

 

Actually, Kevin Smith asked George Lucas if he could have lightsabers in that movie, and George said he was cool with it as long as they used different colors then normally seen in Star Wars.

 

Some of the Star Wars worlds were inspired by existing SF/Fantasy worlds. Did Lucas rip them off or was it inspiration ?!

Coruscant - Trantor from Isaac Asimov's Foundation
The City of Theed - Waterfall City from James Gurney's Dinotopia


Coruscant - There have been some serious attempts to illustrate a planet like Trantor in the 'Star Wars' films by George Lucas, the first being Coruscant (which was in some early sources called "Jhantor", in homage to Trantor). Coruscant is one of the more convincing images on screen we have today of Isaac Asimov's conception of the world-girdling city of Trantor.

Naboo: City of Theed Many have claimed that some scenes in the the film 'Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace' (particularly those in the the city of Theed on Naboo) unfairly copy images from Gurney's books.Gurney acknowledges the resemblance but has remained positive about it.In 1994, director George Lucas had met with producers to discuss some of the concepts and visuals behind a 'Dinotopia' movie that was never made.

Source Wiki

 

I did not know all this.... Thanks! lol

 

They used original sound effects too, so I think Smith and Co. was also in the clear of copyright infringement.


I rememeber the Hitch-Hikers Guide... film had to get special permission to use the sound effect for Trillian's laser bread knife.

 

Now what about fan films like "Versus 1&2" or any other films using specific concepts like "Jedi" or "Force". I have heard saber-sounds and music from the star wars movies as well used in such fan films that may or may not bare the "Star Wars". I can't imagine that everyone of them required permission from Lucas.

 

Early 80's cartoon show Ulysses 31 had a laser Sword used by the main chracter, and I remember once hearing the Tie Fighter sound effect in that show too.

[image=http://www.thearchitectsbackups.com/images/ulysses31.jpg]

 

Another lightsaber-ish object would be the Sun Sword from the early 80's cartoon "Thundar the Barbarian. I used to dig watching that cartoon as a kid.

 

If a videogame like No More Heroes could rip it off as a "beam katana", I don't see why you can't do it as well.

[image=http://wiinintendo.net/wp-content/51i_fips_il_ss500_.jpg]


Just try to be creative enough that it doesn't look too uninspired.

 

That's funny! Thundarr was the first thing I thought of while reading this thread. Although Ookla the Mok (Wookie) and the sorceress (force-using?) Princess were clearly original in their own right . Loved that show though.

 

you could follow PraetorDrew's tutorial to make particle-based blades. They're not lightsabers per se..

 

There's a Versus 2?!

Link? I should probably be less lazy and search...

 

No Versus 2 yet.. just a trailer

 

Ricky: www.youtube.com/praetordrew

 

But their "beam katanas" were more realistic than lightsabers because they had a mechanism that stopped the light at a certain length!

 

Because of the numerous Star Wars references in that game, I wouldnt call it a 'rip-off'. Had the game makers been able to put an offical lightsaber in the game, they would have. This 'beam katana' is just a way of doing that legally. It's not meant to be orignal or new.

 

There's a Versus 2? lol

It looks really good... Now I can't wait... Back to films with lightsaber-like weapons but not related to star wars....

Those particle sabers are nice. I may try it sometime...

 

Hell yeah! Thundarr the Barbarian! with his SunSword!
[image=http://cartoons.infinitecoolness.com/01/thundarr06.jpg]