History Main / AmateurFilmMakingPlot

* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' has two episodes in which the gang make fan-sequels to the ''Lethal Weapon'' films. The episodes were removed from Hulu because Rob McElhenney's character ([[ItMakesSenseInContext a dimwitted bigot]]) plays Roger Murtaugh in {{Blackface}}.

** After Lois gets a job as a news reporter on FOX in "FOX-y Lady", Peter decides to use his wife's connections with FOX to make an animated series. He and Chris come up with a series called "Handi-Quacks" which has [[LimitedAnimation terrible animation]], stiff voice acting, and is just filled with whatever Peter finds funny (WordSaladHumor, [[RandomEventsPlot things happening randomly with no explanation]], etc.)

* ''Series/Zoey101'': In "Jet X", the characters are given the task of creating their own commercials for the Jet X bike to be shown off in class, with the best group winning their own bikes. Chase, Logan, and Michael end up with professional equipment and actors thanks to Logan's wealth, while Zoey, Nicole, and Dana keep fighting over their ideas and eventually split up. Zoey stays up all night editing whatever footage they were able to get into a unique commercial, winning the contest for her and the other girls.

* ''Series/BigTimeRush'': "Big Time Music Video" has the guys attempt to make a music video behind Gustavo's back in order to allow their friends a role as extras, which they'd accidentally promised. HilarityEnsues as they get photographer Marcos to be their director and film everything on a camcorder. It doesn't turn out well, but it does inspire a much better music video to be professionally made, which involves them and all of their friends.

** In "[[Recap/ArthurS2E4ArthurMakesAMovieGoToYourRoomDW Arthur Makes a Movie]]," the kids decide to make a [[BlandNameProduct James Hound]] FanFilm because they aren't likely to be allowed into the latest, PG-13-rated, real one. HilarityEnsues: they make a model supersonic jet for their villain (which gets eaten by Arthur's dog, Pal), they use their inflatable shark, [[ALizardNamedLiz Sharky]], as part of a ''[[Franchise/JamesBond Bond]]'' villain-esque peril scene (Arthur defeats it by deflating it), and [[EverythingIsOnline Brain accidentally hacks into the library's electrical power and turns it off]] while simulating trying to hack a nuclear missile. Prunella, who has seen the real film despite being only a year older, thinks their version is better.

* This happens in the ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'' episode "Double-O Twistervision", in which the gang tries to make an amateur movie (after being disappointed with an ''actual'' movie called ''[[Film/{{Goldfinger}} Boardfinger]]''). The episode actually doesn't show much of the production, just the movie in which the gang tries to act out a James Bond-esque movie. Despite good camera stability and use of decent video editing software, HilarityEnsues with a StylisticSuck film containing loads of BadBadActing (save for Lars, who surprisingly turns out to be the best actor in the film as the main villain), SpecialEffectsFailure, DullSurprise, and VocalDissonance. It goes over well with the gang's family and friends, though [[BrattyHalfPint MacKenzie]] and her friends disliked it, and [[HereWeGoAgain decide to make their own movie]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': "Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy VI: The Motion Picture" involves [=SpongeBob=] attempting to make a film for Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy to compete with the new modern movie coming out. After much HilarityEnsues, the movie is made... but turns out to be absolutely terrible. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, however, are just happy to know they still have some "action" within them.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' episode, "One False Movie", the school principal is impressed with Mac's film about Foster's (which Bloo added armpit fart sound effects into) and enters Mac to represent his school in the Annual State-wide Elementary School film festival. He gives Mac a $500 budget and the idea for the film, which Bloo helps make into a movie called "T-Rex-A-Tron Alien Wolf III: A Prequel In Time: The Unrelenting". Despite all the extra effort and money Bloo puts into the film[[note]]which includes having Creator/TomHanks play a robot and a [=CGi=] Eduardo when the real one refused to be involved with the project, which Mac had to pay for by selling his Space Wars action figure collection and Madame Foster's antiques (which she unknowingly bought back anyway)[[/note]], the ending to Bloo's movie gets taped over by an episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer Lauren is Explorin']]'' that Eduardo was trying to watch, causing Bloo's film to lose.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'': In "Doug's Monster Move", Doug and Skeeter try to make a scary monster movie, which involves dressing Doug's dog, Porkchop, in a shark costume and hanging him from a fishing hook.

* Part of the background narrative of ''Theatre/Rent'' is Mark Cohen trying as best he can to make his own amateur film, eventually quitting a job to pursue the project.

** The spinoff series ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'' also has this, as Tommy is now an amateur filmmaker and a number of episodes revolve around him attempting to film something or showing off a film, complete with one episode about a film festival.

* This happens in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'' in which the gang tries to make an amateur movie (after being disappointed with an ''actual'' movie). The episode actually doesn't show much of the production, just the movie in which the gang tries to act out a James Bond-esque movie. Despite good camera stability and use of decent video editing software, HilarityEnsues with a StylisticSuck film containing loads of BadBadActing (save for Lars, who surprisingly turns out to be the best actor in the film as the main villain), SpecialEffectsFailure, DullSurprise, and VocalDissonance. It goes over well with the gang's family and friends, though [[BrattyHalfPint MacKenzie]] and her friends disliked it, and [[HereWeGoAgain decide to make their own movie]].

* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': In season one, an Army film crew shooting a documentary about mobile army surgical hospitals has their footage hijacked and turned into a parody of itself by the doctors who object to what they feel is the glorification of their work. Hawkeye and Trapper, with the help of Radar and the nursing staff, shoot some additional footage of their own, heavily inspired by the Marx Brothers, and mocking the original voiceover which had overly sentimental and patriotic imagery such as "saints in surgical garb" and "Yankee Doodle doctor." The trope is slightly subverted by Hawkeye's closing scene, in interview style, where he breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience to say that modern medicine is often powerless to change the outcome when military munitions are turned loose on flesh and blood soldiers. The monologue, in stark black and white, even impresses the brass who had commissioned the documentary to begin with, who suggest keeping the final scene while jettisoning the rest of the amateur footage.

* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': In season one, an Army film crew shooting a documentary about mobile army surgical hospitals has their footage hijacked and turned into a parody of itself by the doctors who object to what they feel is the glorification of their work. Hawkeye and Trapper, with the help of Radar and the nursing staff, shoot some additional footage of their own, heavily inspired by the Marx Brothers, and mocking the original voiceover which had overly sentimental and patriotic imagery such as "saints in surgical garb" and "Yankee Doodle doctor."

* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': In season one, an Army film crew shooting a documentary about mobile army surgical hospitals has their footage hijacked and turned into a parody of itself by the doctors who object to what they feel is the glorification of their work. Hawkeye and Trapper, with the help of Radar and the nursing staff, shoot some additional footage of their own.

* ''Series/Mash'': In season one, an Army film crew shooting a documentary about mobile army surgical hospitals has their footage hijacked and turned into a parody of itself by the doctors who object to what they feel is the glorification of their work. Hawkeye and Trapper, with the help of Radar and the nursing staff, shoot some additional footage of their own.

* ''Series/M*A*S*H'': In season one, an Army film crew shooting a documentary about mobile army surgical hospitals has their footage hijacked and turned into a parody of itself by the doctors who object to what they feel is the glorification of their work. Hawkeye and Trapper, with the help of Radar and the nursing staff, shoot some additional footage of their own.