Filmaker's accusations against Malia Obama -Inspiration or Plagiarism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched both. This is silly - Malia didn't steal from this woman's film. Black girls playing patty cake sitting on the steps is in several films.

Are we talking about this commercial? Because I see kids playing hand games standing on a playground, on a bus, and on a pew.

I would say that the scene in Grace (which is a beautiful film by the way) is much more derivative of the scene in Color Purple than the commercial is derivative of the scene in Grace.

Can you link the scene in Color Purple you are referring to? One article linked to one and Grace and the Nike ad were way more similar. I agree that Grace is a beautiful film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTy9unR5Fos

Can you tell me tell me whether I have the right commercial, and if so which point you think is so similar? Because I don't even see a porch, so I wonder what I'm missing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpVEoYjmZps

[Anonymous]

Here's a link. Scroll down to the X Post from Jasime Harris and she shows her work and Malia's at the same time.


https://dailyvoice.com/pa/easton/malia-obama-accused-of-copying-work-in-nike-adfilmmaker-uses-spotlight-to-push-gofundme/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched both. This is silly - Malia didn't steal from this woman's film. Black girls playing patty cake sitting on the steps is in several films.

Are we talking about this commercial? Because I see kids playing hand games standing on a playground, on a bus, and on a pew.

I would say that the scene in Grace (which is a beautiful film by the way) is much more derivative of the scene in Color Purple than the commercial is derivative of the scene in Grace.

This is Malia's https://www.tiktok.com/@nike/video/7500620844402543918

[Anonymous]

I watched both and I don’t think it’s plagiarism. The same game is played on a porch but nothing else is similar: dynamics, setting, filming, storyline…all totally different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've watched the clips and the filmmaker is being ridiculous. Both films use a couple very common filmmaking tropes (kids playing patty cake), that's about it.

Idk. I saw clips laid out on top of each other and there is definitely a striking similarity, and I’m usually very skeptical of claims like this. It would not make me comfortable if I was the filmmaker.

Caveat is that I saw the clips side by side from a person who assembled them on Twitter and you can’t believe anything there any more. So, idk.

They're both very small portions of the overall film as well and the coloring is very different.

It's also important to understand that basic concepts like kids playing a game and washed out color gradients are also not considered protectable ideas, for very good reason.

Agree it’s not protectable because it’s not incredibly original.

And it not being very original is also a defense, that she can also straight up use it. (If that’s what happened.) It’s not unique or that interesting.

[Anonymous]

I mean, I think it is much more likely that these scenes are rooted in a similar background and culture. If I directed a scene, and someone else from the same cultural background directed a scene, we might pull from the same cultural tropes. Maybe we both set it in a summer kitchen making pierogies with our grandmothers. It pulls from a shared history, which is going to lead to similarities in content.

[Anonymous]

It’s applying the concept to a Nike commercial.

It’s like applying a scene of early morning coffee drinking family to any brand. It’s like applying a scene of meeting someone at the airport to a brand. It’s going to hit all the same beats and shots whatever you do.

If you’re soderbergh and you apply a unique angle or artistic camera work, then your airport or coffee scene is unique. But you’re still hitting all the same mini tropes.

[Anonymous]

Most things aren't original, lets be real.

[Anonymous]

It brings up an interesting conversation about the privileged getting even wealthier off the backs of those less privileged. The woman who may have inspired Malia's work struggles to make a living in the industry. Malia could be unemployed for the rest of her life and will still be wealthy. I think the right thing to do would be to give this woman some credit even if everything was legal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've watched the clips and the filmmaker is being ridiculous. Both films use a couple very common filmmaking tropes (kids playing patty cake), that's about it.

Agreed. The short film director made an adaptation of a scene from The Color Purple that is often referenced by black women and that particular scene is a big, big part of black pop culture. I’m sure she wouldn’t deny this.

Malia’s commercial is more akin to the hand clapping game clip from Elmo’s World. It’s totally different from the short film.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QVv7F9zGKmQ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've watched the clips and the filmmaker is being ridiculous. Both films use a couple very common filmmaking tropes (kids playing patty cake), that's about it.

Agreed. The short film director made an adaptation of a scene from The Color Purple that is often referenced by black women and that particular scene is a big, big part of black pop culture. I’m sure she wouldn’t deny this.

Malia’s commercial is more akin to the hand clapping game clip from Elmo’s World. It’s totally different from the short film.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QVv7F9zGKmQ

Remember she is the Director not the writer. We are talking about what a director is in charge of. That Elmo clip looks nothing like the scene she directed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've watched the clips and the filmmaker is being ridiculous. Both films use a couple very common filmmaking tropes (kids playing patty cake), that's about it.

Agreed. The short film director made an adaptation of a scene from The Color Purple that is often referenced by black women and that particular scene is a big, big part of black pop culture. I’m sure she wouldn’t deny this.

Malia’s commercial is more akin to the hand clapping game clip from Elmo’s World. It’s totally different from the short film.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QVv7F9zGKmQ

Remember she is the Director not the writer. We are talking about what a director is in charge of. That Elmo clip looks nothing like the scene she directed.

True, but Malia’s commercial is a homage to hand clapping games and the other is a homage to the Color Purple. I don’t see a similarity at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It brings up an interesting conversation about the privileged getting even wealthier off the backs of those less privileged. The woman who may have inspired Malia's work struggles to make a living in the industry. Malia could be unemployed for the rest of her life and will still be wealthy. I think the right thing to do would be to give this woman some credit even if everything was legal.

I think the interesting nature of the convo plus a touch of grandiosity and self-importance is what got this young filmmaker to accuse Malia Obama of plagiarism.

The pattycake device lacks originality AND the storyline of the commercial is different. There is no need for credit. Nike does business with celebrities. The young filmmaker would never have gotten the job because she is not a celebrity. That's how the world works.

Her accusations are definitely making people take a look at her work. If it wasn't a famous person involved, she wouldn't have bothered. When she makes her comparison highlights reel it looks way more similar than in finished version.

The Lady A controversy troubles me. I don't think there's any harm here.

The young filmmaker should devote her efforts to warding off AI, not Malia Obama. AI is great at producing generic themed work. It makes fairly decent poetry on demand.

[Anonymous]

Obama and Nike PR bots are working overtime to squash this. It is clear as day plagiarism, Malia was literally at the premier and ripped it off for this commercial mere weeks later. Come on.

[Anonymous]

Spoiled millionaire nepo baby with a Harvard degree she didn’t deserve, gets a Nike contract she didn’t deserve, then immediately steals from a poor Black female peer. Shameful!