'Catfish' Star, Filmmakers Hook Careers in Hollywood
Aug. 28, 2011 — -- More than a year since the documentary-thriller "Catfish" made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival, the New York hipsters behind the film have found themselves neck-deep in Hollywood.
Nev Schulman -- the handsome New York photographer whose twisted, shocking online romance is painstakingly chronicled by the film -- told "20/20" he's been "very busy with a couple of different projects." Schulman said he spent last June filming a pilot for an upcoming reality TV show he will be hosting for MTV about social networking and online dating.
He said he is also working for an organization called Our Time to develop a social identity and campaigns for the "Y" generation. In his spare time, Schulman has created several short films for his Facebook page.
Schulman's fellow "Catfish" filmmakers, brother Ariel "Rel" Schulman and friend Henry Joost were hired to direct Paranormal Activity 3 which will premiere in theaters Oct. 21. The horror movie is presented in a documentary-style and at times embraces the home video techniques used in "Catfish."
But it hasn't been all smooth sailing for Ariel Schulman and Joost. Last December, Threshold Media Corp filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court against the young filmmakers, distributors Universal and Relativity Media for allegedly refusing to pay licensing fees for a song featured in the film. "All Downhill From Here" by singer-songwriter Amy Kuney appears once in a pivotal scene and is then played in its entirety during the closing credits. More recently, another copyright lawsuit -- related to a different song featured in the film -- was reportedly filed in the U.K.
The producers of "Catfish" claim that it was "fair use" of the Kuney song copyright because it is in the context of a real-life documentary. The plaintiffs, meanwhile, have contended that the film is a work of fiction and fair use doesn't apply. If the lawsuit makes it to court, questions about whether "Catfish" is an authentic documentary -- an issue that has dogged the film since its initial release -- may be resolved.
