BREAKING: Official Fan Film Guidelines Issued

[mos6507]

The basic principle behind this idea isn't that bad, actually. Speeding up image and audio automatically makes it funny. Call it a parody and CBS can't do shit about it. At home, viewers can then use speed down at their leisure.

I kind of knew the discussion would go in this direction.

If tricks like this are employed in order to satisfy the letter of the rule and not the spirit of the rule, you're gonna get smacked. It's in the same realm as people pitch-shifting copyrighted music or putting a weird effect on video footage to defeat Youtube copyright police. They'll view this as simply a compression mechanism for a long-form video.

Before, fan-films had their own talking points for why they felt what they were doing was not damaging CBS/P enough to illicit a C&D, since there was nothing in writing, only hearsay to go by. But if you go down this road then you drop the artifice about following the rules and it's all about gaming them. This will only reinforce any negative attitudes CBS/P may have about fan-films and make a bad situation worse.

 

[Relayer1]

Sorry, haven't read all 30 pages.

Does this mean if he uses his own (!) money Alex can make Axanar as two 15 minute segments ?

 

[mos6507]

Sorry, haven't read all 30 pages.

Does this mean if he uses his own (!) money Alex can make Axanar as two 15 minute segments ?

If the rules are retroactive then no, since he already published Prelude with Garth in it.

 

[trynda1701]

I kind of knew the discussion would go in this direction.

If tricks like this are employed in order to satisfy the letter of the rule and not the spirit of the rule, you're gonna get smacked. It's in the same realm as people pitch-shifting copyrighted music or putting a weird effect on video footage to defeat Youtube copyright police. They'll view this as simply a compression mechanism for a long-form video.

Before, fan-films had their own talking points for why they felt what they were doing was not damaging CBS/P enough to illicit a C&D, since there was nothing in writing, only hearsay to go by. But if you go down this road then you drop the artifice about following the rules and it's all about gaming them. This will only reinforce any negative attitudes CBS/P may have about fan-films and make a bad situation worse.

Very valid points, Sir!

It will be interesting to see what happens on the 29th with this podcast with the CBS person (do we know who this will be). However (and I know some people are only making jokes about the situation) we should probably remebmer that with even with these new guidelines given, CBS/Paramount staff can still be reading posts here to gauge reactions. Let's remain calm and see what transpires.

 

[Philip Guyott]

Let's make a two-hour movie and speed it up so the whole thing plays in fifteen minutes.

I had this idea too, and posted it here today, and then someone pointed out to me that you beat me to it up thread

The basic principle behind this idea isn't that bad, actually. Speeding up image and audio automatically makes it funny. Call it a parody and CBS can't do shit about it. At home, viewers can then use speed down at their leisure.

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I kind of knew the discussion would go in this direction.

If tricks like this are employed in order to satisfy the letter of the rule and not the spirit of the rule, you're gonna get smacked. It's in the same realm as people pitch-shifting copyrighted music or putting a weird effect on video footage to defeat Youtube copyright police. They'll view this as simply a compression mechanism for a long-form video.

Before, fan-films had their own talking points for why they felt what they were doing was not damaging CBS/P enough to illicit a C&D, since there was nothing in writing, only hearsay to go by. But if you go down this road then you drop the artifice about following the rules and it's all about gaming them. This will only reinforce any negative attitudes CBS/P may have about fan-films and make a bad situation worse.

I get the impression that this was a joke and not a serious suggestion.

 

[Khan 2.0]

If the rules are retroactive then no, since he already published Prelude with Garth in it.

been thinking - he should've just done 'Prelude' only - a big tease for a film that would never happen (as sometimes happens in other fan stuff - e.g. the end of that Alien/Trek comicbook video, various fan trailers for movies that wont happen etc). it was good as it was it didn't need a full length feature film to come (often teased/hinted stuff dosnt really deliver when explored in detail after anyway - SW prequels, terminator 4, Prometheus etc)

then none of this would've happened. (but then maybe it was inevitable eventually) -

 

[Relayer1]

If the rules are retroactive then no, since he already published Prelude with Garth in it.

Ah.

So he could call it part two and do it in 15 minutes...

 

[HerbFlynn]

It will be interesting to see what happens on the 29th with this podcast with the CBS person (do we know who this will be). .

The problem I have with this is we don't know if it will be some spokesperson who's just going to be spouting the party line or someone with authority in the company with real answers.

 

[Philip Guyott]

Ah.

So he could call it part two and do it in 15 minutes...

The rules are that you can do a 30 minute story over two parts. As Prelude was 21 minutes long, the Axanar movie can only be 9 minutes long.

 

[Auroratrek]

@Warped9

@Auroratrek

Tim, your production is another I will miss because of the 'no sequels' rule. The original "Aurora" episode is one of my favourite Trek episodes ever!

I could see you continuing with the 30 minute limit. But I want to see more of Kara Carpenter and T'Ling!

Now what happens with Aurora's Mudd in Your I?
We were one part away from finished! This is gonna drive me crazy. Aurora and Continues are the two most painful potential losses in all this.

Thanks! At this point I'm just hoping to get to finish Mudd in Your I.

Yes you can, it's just hard...

I think one could make a fine short film in 15 minutes with some interesting characterization and events, but if Star Trek had been a single 15 minute short that aired in 1966 it's a little hard to imagine that we would be having this conversation today. What made Star Trek memorable was its characters in all their strengths, weaknesses, idiosyncrasies and backstories, and characters like that take time to establish. And to further the thought, imagine creating a great character like Spock, and then having him only appear once in a 15 minute short, ever, with no chance of any further adventures or stories with him. Seems like kind of a waste.

 

[mos6507]

The rules are that you can do a 30 minute story over two parts. As Prelude was 21 minutes long, the Axanar movie can only be 9 minutes long.

So many aspects of Prelude broke guideline rules that you can't really view it as this way. Plus the crowdfunding for the film is way over $50K, etc... I don't see a way for Axanar to continue without the settlement spinning in Alec's favor the way JJ implied it would.

 

[Philip Guyott]

So many aspects of Prelude broke guideline rules that you can't really view it as this way. Plus the crowdfunding for the film is way over $50K, etc... I don't see a way for Axanar to continue without the settlement spinning in Alec's favor the way JJ implied it would.

Agreed, I was speaking only in terms of the time restrictions.

 

[Noname Given]

The rules are that you can do a 30 minute story over two parts. As Prelude was 21 minutes long, the Axanar movie can only be 9 minutes long.

No the Axanar movie can't be made as Prelude goes over 15 minutes and if you split Prelude into two parts to 'follow' that rule - you're done. By the rules you get two parts - if your second part isn't 15 minutes, you don't get a 'Part 3' to make up the difference.

 

[USS Triumphant]

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.

If that's at all legally doable, it may come up in the lawsuit settlement and/or judgment.

Good idea though.

Go a little further: Make it so that Alex Peters and any studio employing him are henceforth banned from any participation in any project related to any CBS or Paramount IP.

You seem to just want him barred from Trek. I want something that could potentially eventually put a real hurt on that studio he's built with donor money, assuming he gets to keep it, which he might.

I had this idea too, and posted it here today, and then someone pointed out to me that you beat me to it up thread

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I get the impression that this was a joke and not a serious suggestion.

I didn't think it was serious, either, because just speeding something up doesn't seem all that funny. But then I saw that video, and that was freakin' hilarious.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Ah.

So he could call it part two and do it in 15 minutes...

Actually he can't make anything, he has worked for Star Trek. He appeared on an extra on a Star Trek DVD. Those that have worked on Star Trek in any capacity can't make a fanfilm. This includes Gerrold, Burnett, all the actors, of course.

On another note: why are we spending so much time trying to figure out away around the guidelines? The bear was poked once, do you really think if they had a bunch of entitled fans finding snarky ways around the rules they would go all LOL? Or do you think they might say "Huh, I guess we didn't make them strict enough."

Instead of being assholes, maybe think of ways of playing within the rules. Since we are guests in their sandbox.

 

[batboy853]

Really?!?

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Not to mention it was made with no budget and using blender, an open source 3D modeling / animation software that is 100% free.

 

[Relayer1]

I think pretty much all of the guidelines are workable except for the sequels ruling.

Two 15 minute episodes is 3/4 of the length of a standard network show. Take out the 'c' plot (if there is one), spread the 'b' plot over more episodes with less time per episode, or ditch it entirely, and tighten up your script. Keep credits and establishing shots short and snappy and you've got pretty much the same story content.

But however you structure it, you don't want a whole new cast and setting every third episode.

 

[Ovation]

No one is entitled to do anything with someone else's IP. Personally, I'm surprised CBS has been as generous as it is--I certainly wouldn't be. Not to anyone who believes they are entitled to do as they wish with my IP. The owner gets to decide. CBS have left things alone for a while as they hadn't been sufficiently annoyed. Now, thanks to the greedy actions of a few people who feel entitled to do what they wish with someone else's property, everyone is affected. Still, CBS could have taken the easy way out--Rule 1: NO fan films. Rule 2: See Rule 1. Much easier for them than what they're doing instead.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Maybe everyone should just switch to doing Transformers fan films. Seems like it would be pretty hard to argue that each and every one of them wasn't a "transformative work".

 

[Philip Guyott]

No the Axanar movie can't be made as Prelude goes over 15 minutes and if you split Prelude into two parts to 'follow' that rule - you're done. By the rules you get two parts - if your second part isn't 15 minutes, you don't get a 'Part 3' to make up the difference.

The 15 minute rule is for "a single self-contained story". Prelude is not a single self contained story, it's a prelude. It then goes on to say "or no more than 2 segments, episodes or parts, not to exceed 30 minutes total." It does not specify that both segments must be 15 minutes long but that both segments must not exceed 30 minutes total. Not that any of this matters as Axanar breaks most the other guidelines anyway