BREAKING: Official Fan Film Guidelines Issued

[Amaris]

I reacted to you post in three stages:
1:
2:
3:

Star Trek Continues has never been part of the problem. They have always sought to honour CBS and the Star Trek Franchise.

One of the things I love about STC (aside from their efforts and wonderful stories) is how respectful they are of CBS/Paramount. They're doing exactly what they should do, even if it hurts. I can't help but admire that.

 

[T'Arwen]

I don't think the whole thing about keeping the fan films family friendly has anything to do with an intention to keep the franchise as a whole family friendly, I think it's just to keep people from going overboard with the stuff listed above, and to prevent people from putting something really offensive into a fan film with the Star Trek name on it.

While I'm not expecting the new show to go full on Game of Thrones, I wouldn't be surprised if it still took things to at least the level of things we see on basic cable channels like AMC or TNT.
I honestly never really thought of Trek as being purposefully family friendly. With TOS and TNG it was pretty much just the way shows were at the time, and then after that Berman just seemed to be afraid to move to far off of what TNG was, even as the rest of TV changed.

I never thought of it like that but there must have been some very nervous people at CBS. Most people wouldn't go over the top with nudity or have characters drop f-bombs with every sentence. But they were probably thinking what if. Since yours truly suffers from anxiety herself, I can tell you that when you think about an uncertain future, you're incapable of thinking of anything but what if scenarios. The possibility of an offensive movie was one of them. Now offensive can mean something different for everyone and the term is too broad but that's a topic for a different day.

Full disclosure: the only fan film I watched was Horizon. Some characters cursed once or twice. But I can't remember who and it's for the same reasons I do it: frustration. But there was nothing sexually explicit despite containing a romance. The sickbay scene with injured people was hard to watch but hey, war is supposed to suck (it's during the Romulan War). Can't say if any other films did something crazy.

I agree with you that TV at the time of TOS and TNG was supposed to be family friendly. Particularly the 60's. As for not moving far off from TNG, this a different issue from family friendliness. I confused as to why they're in the same sentence. I don't think not changing with the rest of TV was all on Rick Berman though. UPN made some dumb decisions with ENT. Hopefully, the new show won't suffer the same if it's on streaming.

 

[BillJ]

I just signed this Change.org petition to CBS to provide an exemption for Star Trek Continues. It may not make any difference, but let us hope.

Exempt the web series, "Star Trek Continues" from fan-film guidelines from CBS/Paramount.

I hate when people use Change.org for tedious shit that doesn't matter. This is a fan film.

 

[JE Smith]

It strikes me that all of this might have been met with far less hand-wringing if Paramount/CBS had issued exactly the same guidelines, but given a date in the near future for them to take effect. Like January 1, 2017, or somesuch. Which would allow many productions which are still mid-process, and have already done great amounts of work, some time to be completed.

Perhaps that's a naive stance, and yes, no matter how much time you give people, they will always whine for more. And maybe there are legal ramifications to such a date-specific proclamation (like most of you, I'm no lawyer) -- but basically standing up and saying "Everybody who can't/won't meet these specifications stop NOW!" seems a bit short-sighted to a company that -- let's face it -- has been very lenient with fan productions for quite some time now.

 

[ThankYouGeneR]

Yep. I immediately thought of their donor perks.

I did too

 

[Philip Guyott]

I hate when people use Change.org for tedious shit that doesn't matter. This is a fan film.

Here are some more Change.org petitions you might want to consider
Link

P.S. I do sign important petitions too.

 

[mos6507]

I hate when people use Change.org for tedious shit that doesn't matter. This is a fan film.

You could say that about anything...like why people chose to donate to a fan film instead of a charity. That's kind of what I thought when Axanar's coffers were overflowing. Just think of what good 1.2 million would do for Oxfam or Greenpeace. But people are more interested in pew pew than saving whales.

 

[T'Arwen]

I hate when people use Change.org for tedious shit that doesn't matter. This is a fan film.

Not as useless as some of the ones on We The People (White House). Remember the Death Star petition? I'm amazed that some more important ones don't get any signatures.

 

[Philip Guyott]

You could say that about anything...like why people chose to donate to a fan film instead of a charity. That's kind of what I thought when Axanar's coffers were overflowing. Just think of what good 1.2 million would do for Oxfam or Greenpeace. But people are more interested in pew pew than saving whales.

I try to tithe to charity, but when I donate to fan productions I don’t consider them charities so that money comes out of my entertainment budget instead.

http://www.savethewhales.org - Thank you in advance for your donation

 

[ThankYouGeneR]

After reading replies on facebook and other Star Trek places around the internet I have come to a conclusion. For a fanbase that likes to crow on and on about how they like smart science fiction, and how Star Trek is the show for the educated man (and woman), JESUS CHRIST does this fanbase act like a bunch of fucking children when they don't get their way. It's unbelievable. So many of the people mentioning that they won't see Beyond, and that they aren't going to watch the new CBS show because of this, sound like five year olds.

sent me into a fit of lolling!

 

[BillJ]

Here are some more Change.org petitions you might want to consider
Link

Just that many of the important one's are actually important and shouldn't have to compete with people upset about leisure time pursuits that aren't going their way.

Not that I'm singling you out, there is a lot of mind numbing stuff on there.

 

[T'Arwen]

You could say that about anything...like why people chose to donate to a fan film instead of a charity. That's kind of what I thought when Axanar's coffers were overflowing. Just think of what good 1.2 million would do for Oxfam or Greenpeace. But people are more interested in pew pew than saving whales.

It's not as simple as that. Many of the creators want to fill in a gap the official shows and movies don't go into. You make a good point that money is better served in charities than movies. But the same can be said about art. Why do people donate to theaters, museums and art societies? Is it that different from giving to a crowdfunded movie?

 

[BillJ]

Many of the creators want to fill in a gap the official shows and movies don't go into.

We will probably get more inventive films that fill in the blanks now.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

Not as useless as some of the ones on We The People (White House). Remember the Death Star petition? I'm amazed that some more important ones don't get any signatures.

I wonder why the people who do these things couldn't start a petition to repeal the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that's made radio into nothing but a receptacle for bubblegum pop music, or start a petition to bring back the Fairness Doctrine so that radio wouldn't be filled with one-sided extreme right wing talk radio? Those are more important and very needed in the United States for the American people than the stupid shit people use We The People for.

Back to the topic at hand, Tor.com published a stupid
article 'sounding the alarm' at CBS and Paramount for issuing these guidelines.

 

[Mojochi]

It is definitely possible to tell a story in a 30 minute time period, or even a 15 minute time period. Here are two recent ones:

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This one is surprisingly quite good. If a group of fan-film producers made regular installments of this kind (Not a series, but a collection of unconnected, self-contained Star Trek stories) and those installments adhered to these new regulations, time restrictions, & content guidelines, I'd surely watch it, & commend them for being able to work within the format & still produce something worthwhile, especially if it was at least as well done as this example.

In fact, if there's any fictional universe which could best support that type of endeavor, it's the vast realm of Star Trek. There are literally hundreds of worlds, years of history, vessels/posts, species, & scenarios in which to frolic appropriately. Disheartening though it may be to fans of currently produced fan-films/series, to see it come to a rather ignominious demise such as this, (& gut-busting to those that made them, especially the ones who played fair) it would be absurd to suggest that anyone could rationally refute the allegation that Trek fan-film overreach has been monumentally irreverent for far longer than could ever have been reasonable.

Nope. A long deserved, official kibosh has finally & definitively been put people, & it's time to admit it, & move on with what CAN be achieved through what may not be an equally liberated playing field, but a nonetheless generous & fertile one, imho.

 

[ThankYouGeneR]

While there have always been fans who hate change, or anything that deviates from their accepted worldview of the series, the internet has brought about a sense of entitlement, that because we're fans, we have a say in the actual production of the show right down to the money itself, and that we can just borrow from the till anytime we want.

This.

 

[Tommunist]

Perhaps there is more blame to go around. But as of right now, only one is being sued.
Peter took "fan-film" and turned it into "flim-flam"

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[Noname Given]

I reacted to you post in three stages:
1:
2:
3:

Star Trek Continues has never been part of the problem. They have always sought to honour CBS and the Star Trek Franchise.

The problem is: If CBS were to give some sort of official exemption to one group; I'm sure many others would cry foul; and further, by publically providing such an exemption, you could legally construe it as CBS giving STC a license of sorts. This is EXACTLY the situation CBS wants to avoid with regard to fan films. (And BTW I've enjoyed STC's work a lot; but given the situation, the last thing CBNS would want to do is publically announce these guidelines, then publically start giving exemptions to certain groups.)

Yes, it sucks; but you can thank Alec Peters.

 

[Warped9]

One simple guideline (besides the unspoken ones) would have been sufficient: Alec Peters is forever banned from any participation whatsoever with any Star Trek project be it official or fan based.

 

[wamdue]

One simple guideline (besides the unspoken ones) would have been sufficient: Alec Peters is forever banned from any participation whatsoever with any Star Trek project be it official or fan based.

in fairness such a rule only deals with the current problem, it does nothing to stop future problems.