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BREAKING: Official Fan Film Guidelines Issued

Weighing in as a long time Trek fan (me and my dad are celebrating our 50th year as fans) I'd like to say that although CBS has every right to do what they are doing, I feel they are sticking it to the hard core fans a little bit. I think the fan films address a niche in fandom that gets overlooked ( except maybe by the vast array of novels). Look, I absolutely love the JJ films, but let's face it - they are made to appeal to a mass audience, and of course they have to. They throw the hardcore fan a few bones, but understandably they must fill a wider spectrum and be spectacles. Gotta make money after all. The fan films are able to appeal to the hardcore fan. I love me some fan wank! But that audience isn't big enough to merit sole attention from the pros. By shutting down the fan productions they're leaving the hardcore in the cold. And that's not cool.

Solutions? Well, maybe Cawley and his gang and the crew making Trek Continues could get together and sit down with CBS. These days there are other venues - animation, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Crackle, etc. hell, they could end up getting PAID for their efforts, just by giving CBS creative control. In fact, when I first saw "AXANAR", I knew trouble was brewing and I wondered why the producers hadn't approached one of these entities with their ideas. Heck, they might have even gotten financial support and not have had to hit up Joe Trek Fan for dough.

Well, I hope they work something out. With no TV Trek, it would be unfortunate if all we would be left with is the big budget movie.

Here's to another 50 years of Trek!

But they aren't shutting down fanfilms. Fans are free to continue so long as they stay within the guidelines.
 
You don't need "stars" to get viewers: you just need a compelling story and passable production values. The completed "The Tressaurian Intersection" has accumulated over 310,000 views to date and still pulls in thousands of views a week two+ years after being released, and this for a fanfilm which got virtually no love on the major Trek sites upon its final complete release. The better fanfilms do this kind of "business", stunt casting or not.
 
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But they aren't shutting down fanfilms. Fans are free to continue so long as they stay within the guidelines.

True, but the guidelines are extremely restrictive. It's hard for me to see how a half hour one off short could generate the same interest as a full length serial fan feature.
 
Why not? People have been making fan films for decades that are stand alone features and not a series.

The ink hasn't even dried on these guidelines and already it's the end of the world.:rolleyes:
Simon Pegg also said he used Memory alpha as a source so i wonder what he looked up to help him write the "Beyond" Script.
"most controversial changes in Star Trek."
But didn't you all read what Robert Meyer Burnett said the other day? Film sets are too dangerous to allow volunteers to work on, so you have to hire professional, paid actors and crew to keep people from getting hurt! I mean, how dare CBS come up with guidelines that violate SAG union rules and OSHA standards?
They are obviously anti-fan film. I mean, how dare you have amateurs attempting to make films?
 
True, but the guidelines are extremely restrictive. It's hard for me to see how a half hour one off short could generate the same interest as a full length serial fan feature.

Are suddenly the fans going to turn their backs on fanfilms? Are they suddenly going to say: Meh, I love my Trek if it's 42 minutes or longer?

They aren't restrictive. They aren't even extremely restrictive. You can still raise a lot of money, you can do up to 30 minutes--which is waaay longer than the rules for the LucasFilm fanfilm contest.

If someone can't see a way to tell an engaging story in 30 minutes, I doubt that person could create one in an hour.
 
I don't know if this has been asked, but does this guideline effect Star Trek Continues production as well?
That is being discussed in another thread.

It appears Ep. 7 will be released as planned and as scheduled on Sept. 3rd. This is confirmation that CBS/P is not applying the guidelines retroactively--any productions currently in the works to be released can do so as planned.

The question is open regarding what comes after that. Vic Mignogna has said they are talking to CBS to see how/if STC can go forward. We haven't heard anything yet.
 
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Well, I hope they work something out. With no TV Trek, it would be unfortunate if all we would be left with is the big budget movie.
We are getting a new series next year on CBS's streaming video service CBS All Access. It's technically not on TV, but it's just as much of a Trek series as all of the others.
 
True, but the guidelines are extremely restrictive. It's hard for me to see how a half hour one off short could generate the same interest as a full length serial fan feature.
It could be a hell of a lot worse. Look into Star Wars guidelines for a start. They didn't even have to be as nice as they are being.
 
That is being discussed in another thread.

It appears Ep. 7 will be released as planned and as scheduled on Sept. 3rd. This is confirmation that CBS/P is not applying the guidelines retroactively--any productions currently in the works to be released can do so as planned.

The question is open regarding what comes after that. Vic Mignogna has said they are talking to CBS to see how/if STC can go forward. We haven't heard anything yet.

I wish this had been made completely clear before Renegades filed off the serial numbers :(
 
If you had listened to James Van Citters' podcast interview on Engage you would have heard him say it quite clearly.

But Renegades had to file off the serial numbers the day the guidelines came out; they weren't able to wait for the serial numbers.

Awful luck for them, but there you go.
 
I wish this had been made completely clear before Renegades filed off the serial numbers :(
It was made clear - STC's EP. 7 was in Post production (IE filmed and edited for the most part.)

Renegades hadn't started principal filming on their latest episode when the Guidelines hit.
 
You don't need "stars" to get viewers: you just need a compelling story and passable production values. The completed "The Tressaurian Intersection" has accumulated over 310,000 views to date and still pulls in thousands of views a week two+ years after being released, and this for a fanfilm which got virtually no love on the major Trek sites upon its final complete release. The better fanfilms do this kind of "business", stunt casting or not.

I may be biased, since I lent a small hand to "The Tressaurian Intersection," but EXETER's outing is spades better than some of the more darling fan film productions.
 
I think the big panic is premature.

Everyone who is not Alec Peters or connected to Axanar in any way should just take a breath, and carry on. There is no CBS/Paramount witch hunt. Yet.

I think the guidelines were issued to give the average no-budget fan clearance to play Star Trek without the worry of a big lawsuit hammer over their heads.

That, and to prohibit LFIM from making any unlicensed Trek in the forever future. :techman:
 
I don't know if this has been asked, but does this guideline effect Star Trek Continues production as well?

From Vic's latest update on Indiegogo:

"Episode VII will premiere at Salt Lake Comicon on Friday, September 2. It will then have an international screening at Fan Expo in Toronto the following day. ...

"I also want to assuage any concerns you may have about the current climate. We fully intend that your kind donations will be used for the exact purpose for which they were donated. As you know, STC is the only official 501c3 non profit Trek fan production out there. We are awaiting further clarification, but I am optimistic about completing our planned series and I would like to ask you, as our biggest supporters, to remain optimistic with us."
...
"P.S. In the spirit of that optimism, our Planet Set is nearing completion! We at STC keep our promises."
:techman:
 
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