Star Ship AJAX Production

[Loken]

A few things:

1) Yes, get everything in writing. Despite being a lawyer, I trust people too much and often get screwed. I grew up in a time when my Dad taught me to do a deal with a handshake. But that no longer works. Everything needs to be in writing.

2) Getting a script done is more important than sets. If you have beautiful sets but no script, then your sets sit there costing you money.

3) ONLY build the sets you need. And you don't know that until you have a finished treatment.

4) Why build sets? Seriously, you have to ask that question. I know it is cool to have sets, but what is your goal? Is it to produce a great Star Trek fan film? Is that best achieved by building your own sets? Why not partner with another production that has sets? (that has its own issues of course). Excalibur is considering virtual sets. Just ask the question and have a great discussion about your goals.

5) Have a budget. Plan this out. Know what your costs are.

6) Have a timeline. Know how long each element will take. This also helps you with # 5.

Finally, when you guys have a script, David Gerrold, the writer of "The Trouble with Tribbles" who has directed for New Voyages is interested in chatting with you about directing. I spoke to him last month and told him about you guys.

Alec

[Captain Robert April]

If you'd like a fresh pair of eyes to give it a once over, I'm available.

[Maurice]

JimTheBuilder wrote:

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Having read a portion of the script, I can tell you we're well on our way. J.C. sent me the teaser, Act 1 and part of Act 2 (which left me hanging in mid-paragraph...DAMNYOU!!!) and I gotta tell ya...WOW! And this is just the first draft...

^^^I hear that about fanscripts all the time...I'm just waiting to see one that actually delivers.

[J.C. England]

Thanks Loken, for the mention to Mr. Gerrold.
Just knowing someone has mentioned us to him
is a little overwhelming to some of us.

There are many different routes to get this
production completed. We're all learning as
we go here & we appreciate all the information
everyone has given us. Hopefully, when the
sets are completely completed, we can show
that appreciation in giving some tours and letting
others film on our sets. With Roberts help and
some incredible guys performing the labor, the
bridge and all the other sets are going to be
better than the originals. Suitable for
High-Definition filming (although our goal on
Ajax is to make it looks as if it was filmed
in 1968).

[Family Dog]

Only Richard and John showed up tonight. Scott was unavailable. Down to the wire push to do final prep for painting all over the bridge. Richard plans to be ready to do the painting Friday. Did some test patches with the new colors on the upper display frames.

[x32]

Everyone.

I would like to apologize on behalf of the Ajax production crew for the out of line comments made in our former thread. These problems should never have been made public and names should never have been slandered.

I haven't checked in on this post in a couple of weeks and I am embarrassed by statements made on our behalf. It was a valiant effort to point out that this set us back and try to find us some assistance but unfortunately it was turned into a mud sling with people not with our project speaking as if they were.

Please let me point out that there are three people on the Oklahoma production team John Hughes, JC England and myself Richard Wells. We are the only people who should be answering questions and supplying information in these forums as we are the only ones with the complete information. Others who are speaking on our behalf haven't the right.

It is unfortunate that we lost the sets from the south hanger but being in charge of the build I am not concerned. It is a set back but those sets are not our priority and there really wasn't much other than some poorly built flats that we can easily replace.

Also if there is anyone who feels they have been treated unfairly by the Ajax team, or anyone implying they are part of the team, please contact John or myself personally and let's try to work things out. There is NO ONE else who should be contacting or communicating with anyone about Starship Ajax business.

The budget is tight and we are considering storage as one of the options but NOT our only option. My focus is completing the bridge set, not only for the Ajax production but for any production wishing to use it. As we continue along we will add sets as needed and hopefully soon be able to return to the original goal of being able to provide a complete duplicate of the stage 9 sets for any Star Trek fan film to use for their production.

With that being said, I hold no malice with any of the parties involved. Our open door policy WILL remain in effect and everyone, even the parties mentioned in the other thread, is welcome to come to Oklahoma and film on our sets.

To make sure this new thread stays focused I promise to start being more active with this forum and provide the updates on our progress. As always I welcome any feedback from the rest of you.

I want to make this point absolutely clear. If you are not one of the three people listed above DO NOT presume to speak on our behalf.

I hope we can put this unfortunate indecent behind us and get back to work.

[DestinyCaptain]

Hey guys,

I think I left my keys in the old thread before it was locked...anybody seen them?

[Captain Atkin]

It would be great to see something new posted about the production, beyond the current set issues. Is there any chance we could see some character bios posted, or a brief synopsis/plot outline for the first episode? Beyond the ship itself, not many people really know what Starship Ajax is all about. Knowing a bit more about the ship and her crew would be fantastic.

[x32]

Captain Atkin wrote:

---

Is there any chance we could see some character bios posted, or a brief synopsis/plot outline for the first episode?

I don't see why not, it's time we start publicizing the show more. I'll get with JC and set what we can put together.



I want to point out that none of what I said before was directed toward JimTheBuilder. Jim has been a great asset to the Ajax team and I appreciate the work he is doing in that far away land of his. Wish it was a little closer.

Thanks again Jim.

[x32]

DestinyCaptain wrote:

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Hey guys,

I think I left my keys in the old thread before it was locked...anybody seen them?

I turned a set into lost and found. Check with the moderator and see if they were yours.

[MikeH92467]

Not to be a smart ass or in any way critical of anyone involved with Ajax or any other production, but it really does make you look at a weekly network TV series differently after you've been involved with a fan production doesn't it? Getting a fan production released and completed is (rightfully) treated as a major accomplishment. When you start thinking about what it would take to turn out a show per week, well, just the thought of that makes me very nervous.

[x32]

I can't imagine doing a weekly series. I should say doing a weekly series again. I used to be part of a cable public access show back when Wayne's World made them popular. In the 56 weeks of production we put out 56 shows, but that was in a fully equipped studio with editing facilities, made for that purpose. After a while we learned to edit while filming and could literally pop out a 30 minute show in a couple of hours.

Doing this type of show I think quarterly is more likely to be the target.

[Maurice]

I think quarterly is more ambitious than I think is possible for a side-time production.

[Melonpool]

Maurice Navidad wrote:

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I think quarterly is more ambitious than I think is possible for a side-time production.

I agree. I'm into my second year of production on my epic and we haven't rolled frame one of it yet. I could image making three more in a year!

[dayxday1000]

John Broughton's timely blog on Top 10 Things Regarding Star Trek Fan Films:

http://mycaptainsblog.com/