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Weeded Out saga: recap

  • Writer: Amanda Riddell
    Amanda Riddell
  • May 26
  • 2 min read

To clarify, I wrote four episodes of a scripted series, which was about two hours worth. Following this, I made a small series of webisodes as tests. The longest of those webisodes, The Big Smoke, was a bit of a hit internationally. Thousands of people read the Weeded Out draft that I had attached to it. However, The Big Smoke established Amanda was interesting to watch, not Tina. It didn't establish any talent as an actor, just as a broadcaster. - At this point, I firmly refused to produce Weeded Out, pivoting to The Dakumentary. This should be obvious, but The Dakumentary was built on the bones of my screenplays. This makes it the first successfully completed derivative (that's a lawyer word). However, it wasn't the last: Just Like Yesterday was an audio play version of the story, and there's an unpublished book of the same name which contains Tina-Jade material. This means that the IP didn't go to waste; it was repurposed successfully. - What this means is that Mr. Barr's blackmail and other bullshit is preventing me from earning a fair sum for IP that I turned into gold. That's why I intend to file an injunction to force him to stop claiming that he can shoot it. It's existential. He lied to everybody, so we have to clear this up to film AMPP content. We have to clear this up because Paul and Ringo want to screen The Dakumentary. We have to clear this up because I've written a script called Shipwrecked on Islands, with Peter and Fran supervising, and that contains the same songs that he wants. By retitling his bastard draft to Shipwrecked on Islands, he has incurred their wrath. Sir Peter and Dame Fran are disgusted. They might well fund their own injunction. - Mr. Barr has to step aside, and he hasn't. That means I have to take legal action. Don't buy into any spin: this is one of the clearest cases the IP lawyers have ever seen. I've never met the man. I've never negotiated with him. He blackmailed me after I dared to speak out about him in 2025. The dating of that blackmail attempt was within a week of a near-death experience from a prescription drug overdose. He has to go to jail. That's the view of many people in the industry.

 
 
 

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2 Comments


Amanda Riddell
Amanda Riddell
May 26

To the people who got caught: don't pretend. All Ainsley and the Film Commission had to do was plug the song titles into APRA to see who had written them. If they were mine, and they didn't see a signature relinquishing the rights, then they needed to email me to ask if I'd let them put my songs in the story. - They didn't. Disney saw dollar signs, so they did as well. Shipwrecked On Islands was like an anti-Disney film from the outset. That's what attracted WingNut: another crazy Kiwi musical. Everyone wanted to get paid, and I narrowly avoided Taylor's fate. Being 'coached' by people who hate me in order for them to outearn me... That's not ok. That's illegal. That's why the police are investigating. Disney:…

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Amanda Riddell
Amanda Riddell
May 26
Replying to

Sorry, but you've fucked up. The cardinal rule for a film producer is that they are tasked with acquiring the right to exploit the underlying material. Without that right, the film can be blocked from release. In this case, that's my screenplay. My version contained folk songs, not originals. If he stole my songs, then he'd need a separate agreement. If the Wellington Council continues to interfere, the SFO will investigate my claims of citywide corruption, actions that may meet the legal definition of torture. When you stooped to using online pornography to threaten me, you lost. When you used expensive ads and billboards to threaten me, you lost. When Tory said she'd prioritise the project, you lost. When Tory defamed me over The Dakumentary, you lost. When…

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