Shia LaBeouf was accused of plagiarizing this week. Twice. The first time was for his short film HowardCantour.com, which was a blatant rip off of Daniel Clowes’ graphic novella Justin M. Damiano. The second time was for his apology, which was a rip off of a Yahoo Answer comment from four years ago.
I fucked up.
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) December 17, 2013
Twice.
LaBeouf posted his film HowardCantour.com onto video this weekend. The short film was Shia’s directorial debut and he was hoping to gain some praise for his creative efforts. But before anyone could applaud, several viewers pointed out that Shia’s film was basically a word-for-word ripoff of Clowes’ novel.
Clowes publisher Fantagraphics said: “Shia LaBeouf’s new short film, HowardCantour.com, is a complete rip off of Daniel Clowes’s comic Justin M. Damiano. Every-word from the 4 page comic created by Clowes in 2006 is used in the script for LaBeouf’s directional debut.”
But Shia says that there is a thin line between plagiarism and inspiration. The actor / director said that he should have given Clowes credit for the film but insisted that he didn’t plagiarize Justin M. Damiano. In order to make his point clear, Shia seemingly stole a comment from Yahoo Answers.
Lili writes: “Copying isn’t particularly creative work … Being inspired by someone else’s idea to produce something new and different IS creative work.”
Now let’s take a look at Shia’s apology.
Copying isn’t particularly creative work. Being inspired by someone else’s idea to produce something new and different IS creative work.
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) December 17, 2013
In all fairness, Shia did compose another five tweets that didn’t appear to be plagiarized. So, there’s that.
In my excitement and naiveté as an amateur filmmaker, I got lost in the creative process and neglected to follow proper accreditation
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) December 17, 2013
Im embarrassed that I failed to credit @danielclowes for his original graphic novella Justin M. Damiano, which served as my inspiration
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) December 17, 2013
I was truly moved by his piece of work I knew that it would make a poignant relevant short. I apologize to all who assumed I wrote it.
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) December 17, 2013
I deeply regret the manner in which these events have unfolded and want @danielclowes to know that I have a great respect for his work
— Shia LaBeouf (@thecampaignbook) December 17, 2013
Congratulations, Shia, you’ve gone 200 words without copying someone.
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