Don't know when I'll get a chance to read them, but thanks for posting these. Downloaded them just now.
They're fast reads. I burned through all four in less than a week.
Star Trek: Axanar
- Thread starter Linnear
- Start date
- Status
They're fast reads. I burned through all four in less than a week.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my question, Terry.
From the sound of things, it appears that Ares Studios is building sets to stand for a while, more like a television production would approach things than a feature film. Does that mean you have more plans for the characters in "Axanar" following the feature? Or are the standing sets being built in such a way that they can be easily re-dressed for other Star Trek fan projects?
Returning to the point about possibly cutting costs by building virtual sets, if you've already purchased all the materials needed to build physical sets (save the LCD screens), and have a (small) construction team on salary, do you really anticipate being able to save that much by going in the direction of virtual sets at this point?
My previous understanding was that the figures Alec released accounted for where the money from the second Kickstarter had already been spent (which is why I said as much in my initial question). Is that not correct?
There are always haters, and we have been open and honest since day one about what we are spending the money on. The fact is that since our io9 article, the haters have been lying up a storm to try and screw with Axanar. Why? Because of jealousy I am sure.
So as always, here is the TRUTH
1) We posted our Prelude to Axanar budget. I have actually added it as a file here on this group.
2) Here is the ROUGH breakdown, that I did on where the $ 638,000 went. We are currently in the midst of converting to a full accounting system, so we will have better numbers soon. But by simply adding up the big things, we can produce a pretty decent budget.
SECOND AXANAR KICKSTARTER
$ 182,000 Sound Stage building rental (12 months & deposit 1/15 - 2/16)
$ 12,000 Warehouse rental (9/14-1/15)
$ 37,200 Construction Dept. Salaries
$ 32,000 Stage Floor
$ 12,000 Sound proofing Doors
$ 20,700 Set Construction Supplies
$ 5,000 Equipment Rental
$ 22,000 Office Renovation
$ 15,000 Make Up (Pre-Production)
$ 8,200 Vulcan Shoot
$ 59,000 Production Team salaries
$ 54,000 Construction Team salaries
$ 6,000 Insurance
$ 5,000 Entertainment/crew meals
$ 18,000 Camera/editing equipment
$ 22,000 Perks (patches)
$ 2,000 Perks (CD)
$ 2,500 Legal Expenses
$ 1,500 Phone
$ 1,800 Internet
$ 2,000 Music
$ 1,500 Backerkit Fees
$ 32,000 Kickstarter Fees
$ 35,000 Amazon Payment Processing
$ 9,500 Prelude deficit (Overage costs absorbed by Axanar from Prelude Kickstarter).
$ 597,900 TOTAL
$ 40,100 BALANCE
So as always, here is the TRUTH
1) We posted our Prelude to Axanar budget. I have actually added it as a file here on this group.
2) Here is the ROUGH breakdown, that I did on where the $ 638,000 went. We are currently in the midst of converting to a full accounting system, so we will have better numbers soon. But by simply adding up the big things, we can produce a pretty decent budget.
SECOND AXANAR KICKSTARTER
$ 182,000 Sound Stage building rental (12 months & deposit 1/15 - 2/16)
$ 12,000 Warehouse rental (9/14-1/15)
$ 37,200 Construction Dept. Salaries
$ 32,000 Stage Floor
$ 12,000 Sound proofing Doors
$ 20,700 Set Construction Supplies
$ 5,000 Equipment Rental
$ 22,000 Office Renovation
$ 15,000 Make Up (Pre-Production)
$ 8,200 Vulcan Shoot
$ 59,000 Production Team salaries
$ 54,000 Construction Team salaries
$ 6,000 Insurance
$ 5,000 Entertainment/crew meals
$ 18,000 Camera/editing equipment
$ 22,000 Perks (patches)
$ 2,000 Perks (CD)
$ 2,500 Legal Expenses
$ 1,500 Phone
$ 1,800 Internet
$ 2,000 Music
$ 1,500 Backerkit Fees
$ 32,000 Kickstarter Fees
$ 35,000 Amazon Payment Processing
$ 9,500 Prelude deficit (Overage costs absorbed by Axanar from Prelude Kickstarter).
$ 597,900 TOTAL
$ 40,100 BALANCE
I forgot to thank you for your response, Terry, and for the great work...
My pleasure.
Yes, we're in this for the long haul and our sets are being built not only to last, but to be properly functional. That's not to say that other sets might not be, but we're going the extra mile on them, using the original Desilu/Paramount blueprints, to make them the most accurate as an AutoCAD controlled CNC machine can make possible, too.
Physical sets that will be up no matter what are the Starfleet ship interiors -- the Ares and the other ships of the fleet, where the set will be redressed accordingly depending on which ship is being shown in a scene. Our hope is to also build a full and proper Klingon bridge set that can be also redressed to appear as different ships, but, if we fall short in fundraising then that may well have to be a virtual set. I/we REALLY hope that isn't doesn't turn out to be the case, but with only a finite and absolute amount of money in hand with which to make things happen, one needs to do what one needs to do. A Hollywood production from a studio could throw money at such a problem given their large budgets, but in our case we have to put in a LOT of effort and planning to make sure that we get the absolute highest value for every dollar spent. So, if a Klingon bridge might cost a hypothetical (I say that because I have no idea how much such a thing would cost int he end) $25k to build, and we don't have that, but a less desirable virtual set might only cost $7.5k in visual effects, then that's what would have to happen depending on how much we have to spend in the end.
The figures that Alec released were for the Prelude to Axanar Kickstarter (our first fundraiser and which completely covered the cost of that film that occurred last March) and that was a Quickbooks export with all of the headings line itemed out. The second, more general, expense release is from the funds of our first feature Kickstarter (last August) and that fundraiser is our second total. So, figures released for that only cover the amount from that Kickstarter and don't include projections or costs from the current fundraiser or anything that hasn't already been purchased or budgeted -- the future costs of actually filming with the actors and crew.
No budget has been released yet for the filming that is to come, and that the current Indiegogo fundraiser will cover, however I'd expect Alec to refer to that as our "third" fundraiser and not the 'second feature fundraiser.'
My pleasure!
I don't think it's that hard to grasp the idea that the Prelude budget was exhausted and some of the feature budget was used to cover the deficit. In fact, that seems pretty clear to me from the breakdown you re-posted. Maybe Terry could have been a little more precise in his phrasing, but what he posted does not preclude this.
The "Prelude to Axanar" Kickstarter definitely didn't cover the entire cost of the short. In addition to an overage of a $9,452.48, the income and expense report that Alec Peters posted shows additional income totaling $22,884.02 from Stripe (a competitor to PayPal - presumably this represents payments from the Axanar store and/or direct donations given on the Axanar website). That's on top of the $91,606.72 they recieved from their first Kickstarter campaign (after cancellations and Kickstarter took their percentage of the $101,171 raised).
The budget was initially set at $57,000, and later raised to $79,380.20 after the first Kickstarter campaign was over). Ultimately, "Prelude to Axanar" cost $123,285.26 (about 155% overbudget, if my math is right).
I don't know? It seems he's saying the first Kickstarter covered Prelude... in its entirety, yet there is an overage for it listed on the funds spent from the second Kickstarter.
I'm not a film producer (fan or professional), but it seems Alec Peters needs to get his group together and make sure they're all on the same page.
Hey guys newbie here I donated $25 to the first kickstarter but I'm leary of donating anymore. I read this post https://www.reddit.com/r/startrek/comments/34rv47/are_axanar_donors_actually_paying_for_the/ awhile back and just saw an follow up post retracting what was said https://www.reddit.com/r/startrek/comments/3fiwjp/corrections_apologizes_re_are_axanar_donors/
I was about to recommit to supporting the project but digging around I found these pretty damning posts (when reading between the lines) from Christian Gossett...director & writer of Prelude and would be director of Axanar...but he supposedly left because he got a better gig, at least that's what we were told
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...3094955732.384986.595250731&type=1&permPage=1 (read some of his posts in the comments as well)
and here even encourages everyone to share the reddit post (the first one) https://www.facebook.com/gossbook/posts/10153009871915732?pnref=story
I know some have accused Vic of spreading lies and such but when someone like Christian Gossett who was so intimately close with the project isn't flatly coming out and saying the information is wrong...I have to wonder again. I noticed Alec and Christian aren't FB friends either...I have to assume they were at one point. WTF is going on? Thanks
I was about to recommit to supporting the project but digging around I found these pretty damning posts (when reading between the lines) from Christian Gossett...director & writer of Prelude and would be director of Axanar...but he supposedly left because he got a better gig, at least that's what we were told
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...3094955732.384986.595250731&type=1&permPage=1 (read some of his posts in the comments as well)
and here even encourages everyone to share the reddit post (the first one) https://www.facebook.com/gossbook/posts/10153009871915732?pnref=story
I know some have accused Vic of spreading lies and such but when someone like Christian Gossett who was so intimately close with the project isn't flatly coming out and saying the information is wrong...I have to wonder again. I noticed Alec and Christian aren't FB friends either...I have to assume they were at one point. WTF is going on? Thanks
A
Amaris
Guest
Next time, I use the cane instead of my outdated hillfolk speak.True, but we can speculate.
You hesh.I've always liked the gooseneck viewers.
Sorry J., I futzed up the quote about the gooseneck viewers. I fixed it.
That said, I liked the gooseneck viewers, too, but they looked too much like desk lamps for my liking. Yeah, yeah, 1960s and what-not. Still, I do love that bridge.
Here's the complete detailed Prelude budget https://www.facebook.com/download/1467484423564361/Prelude Financials 7.7.15.2.pdf It does appear they were $9,452.48 short.
Double shipping of perks (postage and packing materials for two separate waves of shipments) and additional costs due to the cost of manufacturing both DVD and Blu-ray disc are big factors there. That's why we're NOT doing that again, although Alec and Diana did agree to ship out just the patches from the first feature Kickstarter ahead of time. It's still not a trivial amount of money to do that special shipment, since each envelope will require a stamp, but it's sure less expensive than double shipping actual packages that might include larger and heavier items like a shirt, poster, or other goods that a simple stamp won't cover, and then doing another heavy shipment of the CD and DVD/Blu-ray discs. The cost of international shipping turns out to be rather brutal, too.
For the first feature Kickstarter and the current Indiegogo, all perks (sans the patches that are going out soon from the first feature Kickstarter) will go out at the same time after the film has been completed, because the majority of the perks require the film to be completed. Thankfully my new Ares Digital platform will be able to handle distribution of digital perks, because that's specifically what it's being designed for.
Let this be a lesson to anyone doing a fundraiser -- DON'T do double shipments, especially if you have a lot of donors! The costs are obscene with today's postage prices.
To be honest, none of us at Axanar know what's up with Chris's current attitudes. I, specifically, have no clue, but he and I are planning to meet up for beers the second week of this month when he's up here in Seattle and I'll find out what his deal is.
Here's what I do know -- he's had some personal challenges (which I will not go in to, because it's no ones business but his) recently and that may or may not be a factor. It may or may not also be a factor in why he chose to leave Axanar after being virtually MIA for six months or so while the rest of the team were working on pre-produciton. Let me e clear, I am in NO WAY trashing Chris. I like him very much, he has my respect for both his art and as a friend, but with that said he won't even tell me what's up before we meet. I've also asked Alec point blank and with my serious face if he knows what's going on and he emphatically said that he doesn't.
Let me go on the record here and say that if I thought for a moment that there was ANY wrong doing -- even a whiff -- then I would not be associated with this production. With that said, Alec can be extremely passionate and even abrasive at times, and I also carry an official 'asshole club' membership card that is used when it's needed, but with that also said my integrity is not for sale, nor would I continue to invest thousands of hours of my time over the last year, and goodness knows how many more thousands in the year(s) to come, if there was an issue that mattered to the donors or public.
From where I'm sitting, this is just a bunch of A-type personalities banging their dicks on the table. In my professional world in geekdom, that's not uncommon, and I've learned that in the entertainment industry it's practically an epidemic. It is what it is and anyone without a tough skin isn't going to last long in this industry... or any industry that matters for that matter. =P
As for Reddit -- that's a cesspool of anonymous cowards that can spew whatever toxins they wish without conscience or accountability, so, like anything found on the internet, use your brain before buying in to any wild claims that provide zero proof to support them.
Last edited:
Damn, so you're meeting him AFTER the indiegogo campaign ends...wish it was before!! Would make me feel a lot better. I sure hope you're right about all this I mean it seems like there's an awful lot of smoke around this. Ya know Lance Armstrong convinced his closest friend & family that all the doping allegations were false too so forgive me if you asking him with your serious face doesn't convince me 100%. That said the opening scene does look awesome & that level of quality plus what I've seen with Prelude a $2m budget isn't out of line although I think you guys errored in putting up that initial budget saying everything would cost like $700,000. I'm curious I know with indiegogo you can extend the campaign to 60-days by request...is that something you guys are considering doing?
Aye, he emailed me and said that he'll be in Seattle during the week next week, so we'll be sitting down and getting liquored up somewhere in that time frame.
Again, I have ZERO beef with Chris, because he's a super guy. But, with that said, and only in my opinion, I observed that he's been acting a bit squirrely (my word) since around last November, so your guess is as good as mine as to what, if anything, could be going on. As I mentioned, he has my respect, I consider him a friend, and I hope that this is simply some kind of personality conflict that can be ironed out. I say that because I've seen zero to indicate otherwise from any source, and I'm personally all over this production from top to bottom literally seven days a week, so if there was some dirt then it's so highly likely that I, Rob, Diana, Bill, or anyone else in the production office would know. There hasn't been even a hint of anything out of the ordinary for any startup -- we're all working like rabid beavers in a lumber yard to build something great from nothing. Does it make sense that anyone that is part of a hyper-public project that is being closely monitored by a major corporation for compliance, and who can march in to our office at any time and demand the books, the bank records, and the receipts, would risk a destroyed reputation and possible criminal charges for any reason? I sure don't, and, again, because it makes no sense.
My money is there's just some personal butthurt between folks and this seemed like a great time to stir the poo -- during our fundraiser.
Also, the campaign won't actually be ending on Indiegogo and it will go on until we end it at some point in the future -- that's why we've removed the 'retro packages' from our website for the moment, too, so that all donations flow through Indiegogo -- but the 'main thrust' will be over on the 11th. It's all contractual between Indiegogo and Axanar Productions.
I may be blunt, but I do appreciate the time you take to answer these questions, Terry. It is nice to get a peek behind the curtain.
I'm sure I'll find more things to nitpick along the way.
I may be blunt, but I do appreciate the time you take to answer these questions, Terry.
I'm sure I'll find more things to nitpick along the way.
No worries, dude. I wouldn't be here if I didn't care about the production and doing the best job so that we can give the donors, fans, and ourselves something awesome to enjoy. I think that I've said this before, but I've made NOTHING for my more-than-full time involvement in Axanar, and in fact am personally out five figures from my own pocket for expenses for things like traveling to conventions to spread the word and meet fans, not to mention what's quickly approaching six figures of work that I could have done, but referred out to others due to being busy with Axanar. If ANYONE has the potential for a beef if there was a something hinky then it would be me. Believe me... I'm no sycophant and would throw a wrong doer under the bus before backing it up a few times and making sure that the job was done right. It would be a legendary spectacle. =P
Axanar is solid.
@Terry - if after the meeting you can illuminate more on the Gossett Facebook comments (appreciate your chat may be personal/off the record), I for one would welcome. Frankly, I don't understand what he's saying, other than Axanar continuing to seek funding, and he and a lot of cohorts have left since Prelude. Which may be understandable if shooting has been pushed back.
Anonymous internet postings are great gossip-generators but as evidence of wrongdoing they're about as useful as a kick in the groin.
I met up with Alec back in June and saw no evidence of this wonderous new car he's bought, or anything else for that matter.
I met up with Alec back in June and saw no evidence of this wonderous new car he's bought, or anything else for that matter.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
