I am a Media Arts and Animation student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and was greatly touched by Ray Bradbury's August 2026: "There Will Come Soft Rains". It has inspired me to make a 3D visual representation of the story for a production class that I am taking in school. I have no intent to use this work to make profit for myself. I simply want to show people my vision of what Ray has written. My inquiry is simple, do I have the rights to make this piece, meaning, if I make this piece will I be sued? If anyone knows anything that could assist me on answering this question, I'll be very grateful. Also, if by some chance any of you know how to contact Ray himself, could you please assist me on doing so? Any and all replies are greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Hello steve412 and welcome! Just want to wish you luck. I don't have the info you need, but I believe you do have to get permission. There are other board members I hope will help. If/when your project all comes together please share it. Thanks!

steve412, by letter of the law you do need to get permission. In the past, though, Bradbury has several times said something to the effect that students can make films of his work, but they "can't do anything with them" - in other words, they can't be exhibited publicly, or published in any form. You should take this as a positive sign, but you should still seek his permission.

So now you need to find out how to contact Ray or his representatives. You can do this through his publisher (HarperCollins) or through his agent (Don Congdon Associates) - do a search on this message board, and the information you need will quickly appear. Or you could contact him directly, but we don't give out his address here. (Google will help you...)

You should also ask your teacher/tutor/instructor whether your proposal would be considered an adaptation of Bradbury's work, or an original work influenced by Bradbury. There can be a difference.

Good luck!

Thank you both for your input. I am currently working on getting in touch with his agent (thank you for the information regarding this Phil). If I am granted the permission to make this piece, I will be more than happy to post it and share it with you all. The information I've obtained from you has proved to be very beneficial. Once again, thank you for your feedback.

Ray Bradbury
HarperCollins Publishers
Author mail
7th Floor
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
steve412, by letter of the law you do need to get permission. In the past, though, Bradbury has several times said something to the effect that students can make films of his work, but they "can't do anything with them" - in other words, they can't be exhibited publicly, or published in any form.

As I understand, you can show them, but not be compensated, that is, make a profit, for showing them. In other words, a film student could show them to the teacher and class for free.