Do any of you knowledgeable, good looking and extremely hilarious people know if I could I get in trouble (from anyone) for making 2 characters wear face masks of celebrities? In a short film?

I'm a filmmaking rookie and can't find a straight answer on google.

Cheers

You won't get a straight answer because there is not enough information in the question. Will the celebrities be held up to hatred, ridicule or contempt?

You can do what you like. Plenty of shows in my country do exactly that. Keith Lemon wears masks of celebrities. In one example he dresses up as Kim Kardashian and makes out the whole family lives in a trailer. Spitting Image.

If they're in the celebrity life you're free to take the piss out of them as much as you like.

Quoted from NW3 You won't get a straight answer because there is not enough information in the question. Will the celebrities be held up to hatred, ridicule or contempt?

Two men will be wearing the masks. They don't say a word. No one mentions their names. It's just to hide the identity of the guys behind the mask

Quoted from DustinBowcot You can do what you like. Plenty of shows in my country do exactly that. Keith Lemon wears masks of celebrities. In one example he dresses up as Kim Kardashian and makes out the whole family lives in a trailer. Spitting Image. If they're in the celebrity life you're free to take the piss out of them as much as you like.

Thaaaaat's the answer I'm looking for.

It's a go. Cheers mate

Here's the man in action... the best of Bo Selecta. Some of you may not recognise the famous face on show as this is British.

Quoted from BSaunders They don't say a word. No one mentions their names. It's just to hide the identity of the guys behind the mask

That's the missing information. Good to go.

But there's a difference imo. Dustin's example looks like satire here. Satire can always go further.

If someone with a real celebrity copy-face-mask gets a bullet or something you damn sure could get in troubles imo

Quoted from PrussianMosby If someone with a real celebrity copy-face-mask gets a bullet or something you damn sure could get in troubles imo

What for?

For the wider debate, this thread could run to many pages of opinion with no straight answer as in the OP. BSaunders wanted to know:

Quoted from BSaunders if I could I get in trouble (from anyone) for making 2 characters wear face masks of celebrities? Cheers

As there is no intention to depict the actual celebrities, he's good to go. It sounds intriguing, I'd like to read the script. Copy-face-mask celebrities getting hit with bullets sounds good, too.

Quoted from DustinBowcot What for?

Haha. Yes...

What's anyone going to do about it? The whole premise of this show is celebrities doing crazy, often very offensive, things. Just before this scene, Obama has his fingers up Sleet's arse.

Splitting Image, DC Follies, Celebrity Death Match are all TV shows that created entire characters (puppets) that look like celebrities.

I concur with anyone saying it's fine. The right of publicity I think is the main one dealing with stopping people from using someone's likeness without permission... but it doesn't apply to expressive works (movies, books, etc.)

It basically only applies if you're using a celebrities likeness for something purely commercial. Like an ad for a product. The only possible issue I could foresee is if you put up a banner advertising the movie using one of the celebrity faces on the banner. I don't know if that would be okay.  

I don't think anyone ever expects a lookalike to be taken seriously. You can't use a celebrity's exact face, but you can use a lookalike just fine.

Really depends on the country - the US has the First Amendment, does it not? The UK allows for "parody and satire" and you can get away with pretty much anything you want here with that excuse. Of course, upset the North Koreans and they'll hack your computer and release your private emails to the world. So probably best not to use a face mask of The Supreme Leader (Kim Jong-un that is, not Donald Trump).

Hard to believe you're allowed to work with stuff like defamation while implying the character is real - when working in sections other than satire or comedic expression.

Every person, even celebrities, have their rights to live with human dignity, especially within those freedom of speech countries… I believe.

Also, if one, as I said in an extreme example before, implies the character is real and alive, then I definitely wouldn't give him a headshot on screen.

Sure you can do all of that. There are just courtrooms for that later.

Anyway, this sounds none of Brandon's problems with regards to this thread.

Quoted from PrussianMosby Hard to believe you're allowed to work with stuff like defamation when implying the character is real, and not in satire or comedic expression. Every person, even celebrities, have their rights to live with human dignity, especially within those freedom of speech countries… I believe. Also, if one, as I said in an extreme example before, implies the character is real and alive, then I definitely wouldn't give him a headshot on screen. Sure you can do all of that. There are just courtrooms for that later. Anyway, this sounds not to be any of Brandon's problems with regards to this thread.

Brandon was asking about "mask" - I think once it is obvious that they are wearing masks it is not a situation where he is implying they are real.

Quoted from PrussianMosby Anyway, this sounds none of Brandon's problems with regards to this thread.

Yeah, intentions...

Someone changed the name of this thread, haha

But yeah, cheers everyone. I'm just going to roll with it. If any sensitve dicks have a winge, they can suck on my little chinese nuts