CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar 2 - Electric Boogaloo-Fanboys gone WILD-too many hyphens

[JoeZhang]

why make a star trek film if you can make a star wars tv series - what do you think about this project guys? anyone reminded of renegades or... you know... the other... not so entirely successful... or finished... thing... with an a...

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...a-star-wars-long-tale-pilot-episo/description

the creator calls it
"the world's most ambitious job application"

now where have i read something like this before...

Oh man...

We want to create Star Wars magic on an official basis. We make the first episode and Disney will make the rest! *FINGERS CROSSED*

I figure that telling stories in only a PG-setting is limiting the possibilites of the property.

So we're looking to make a 45 minutes pilot episode. It's going to be a calling card for the world and Disney/Lucasfilm especially to have them call us in and have a meeting.

 

[motorhead]

for a second I thought I had the best idea for a movie ever. goes like this:
some fans from some franchise make their own movie or pilot, but the
network tells them to get lost. so they break into the local tv station and
hold the vj (are there even vjs and do they do what i think they do?) as
a hostage and force them to play the tape of their movie.
but then i remembered airheads :/

 

[Admiral2]

Oh man...

We want to create Star Wars magic on an official basis. We make the first episode and Disney will make the rest! *FINGERS CROSSED*

I figure that telling stories in only a PG-setting is limiting the possibilites of the property.

So we're looking to make a 45 minutes pilot episode. It's going to be a calling card for the world and Disney/Lucasfilm especially to have them call us in and have a meeting.

What kills me is, even if he isn't the next LFIM, he will still be wasting a lot of people's money - including his own - if he insists on trying to achieve any goal that isn't just making a good fan film.

And, seriously, what's wrong with just making a good fan film? Lots of people have no problem making that their endgame. Treating it like a job application is a waste of all manner of resources, because the runners of billion-dollar franchises don't accept applications of any kind. They recruit, and the first criteria of the recruitment process is usually "How many millions did you make for the studio on your last job?" They are not going to recruit a bunch of people who raised a couple of thousand in crowdfunding so this guy could dance around on camera and pretend to be badass for forty-five minutes.

Just make a good fan film. Period. Put it on youtube, say thank you when you get a bunch of likes and call it a day. It's not getting you a job at Lucasfilm. It's not going to be bought by Lucasfilm. Your absolute best case scenario is that it will be utterly ignored by Lucasfilm.

I just shake my head sometimes...

 

[CRM-114]

What kills me is, even if he isn't the next LFIM, he will still be wasting a lot of people's money - including his own - if he insists on trying to achieve any goal that isn't just making a good fan film.

And, seriously, what's wrong with just making a good fan film? Lots of people have no problem making that their endgame. Treating it like a job application is a waste of all manner of resources, because the runners of billion-dollar franchises don't accept applications of any kind. They recruit, and the first criteria of the recruitment process is usually "How many millions did you make for the studio on your last job?" They are not going to recruit a bunch of people who raised a couple of thousand in crowdfunding so this guy could dance around on camera and pretend to be badass for forty-five minutes.

Just make a good fan film. Period. Put it on youtube, say thank you when you get a bunch of likes and call it a day. It's not getting you a job at Lucasfilm. It's not going to be bought by Lucasfilm. Your absolute best case scenario is that it will be utterly ignored by Lucasfilm.

I just shake my head sometimes...

Have you ever read Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too! by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant? It's a book that is both extremely funny and incredibly informative as to how things operate in the Hollywood studio system.

One of the things I learned from that book is that even if this guy managed to get the attention of the studios (leaving them thinking, "Hey, we should work with this guy"), almost certainly they wouldn't be so interested in something he wanted to make (for example, a screenplay he had written himself), but that they would likely want him to take a crack at something similar that they already own. Now, that's what this guy wants to do with regards to Star Wars, but since Disney already has people in place that are working on those things, even if he managed to get Disney's attention, the best this guy could honestly hope for is that they would attach him to one of their existing projects rather than develop his.

This is a long way to say that his idea isn't really going anywhere.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Have you ever read Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too! by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant? It's a book that is both extremely funny and incredibly informative as to how things operate in the Hollywood studio system.

One of the things I learned from that book is that even if this guy managed to get the attention of the studios (leaving them thinking, "Hey, we should work with this guy"), almost certainly they wouldn't be so interested in something he wanted to make (for example, a screenplay he had written himself), but that they would likely want him to take a crack at something similar that they already own. Now, that's what this guy wants to do with regards to Star Wars, but since Disney already has people in place that are working on those things, even if he managed to get Disney's attention, the best this guy could honestly hope for is that they would attach him to one of their existing projects rather than develop his.

This is a long way to say that his idea isn't really going anywhere.

That's if he's lucky.
What is more likely: Cease and Desist letters. Disney won't fuck around. The surest way to NOT work for Disney is to create work with their IP without their permission.

You want to work for Disney? You want to work on Star Wars? Do something other than those things. No one who has worked on Star Wars made a fan film of Star Wars to get the job. Maybe one could make a cynical argument that JJ made a Star Trek fan film in order to get the Star Wars gig, but that be cynical and wrong.

 

[Admiral2]

Have you ever read Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too! by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant? It's a book that is both extremely funny and incredibly informative as to how things operate in the Hollywood studio system.

One of the things I learned from that book is that even if this guy managed to get the attention of the studios (leaving them thinking, "Hey, we should work with this guy"), almost certainly they wouldn't be so interested in something he wanted to make (for example, a screenplay he had written himself), but that they would likely want him to take a crack at something similar that they already own. Now, that's what this guy wants to do with regards to Star Wars, but since Disney already has people in place that are working on those things, even if he managed to get Disney's attention, the best this guy could honestly hope for is that they would attach him to one of their existing projects rather than develop his.

This is a long way to say that his idea isn't really going anywhere.

Yeah. This whole scheme is predicated on spending all this time and money creating and releasing a fan film in the hopes that somebody at Disney or Lucasfilm actually takes time out of their busy schedule to watch it. I defy anybody to calculate the odds of that happening and come away optimistic about his chances.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Yeah. This whole scheme is predicated on spending all this time and money creating and releasing a fan film in the hopes that somebody at Disney or Lucasfilm actually takes time out of their busy schedule to watch it. I defy anybody to calculate the odds of that happening and come away optimistic about his chances.

The thing is: they won't. They will make a point in NOT watching it. There is so much legal jeopardy there. LucasFilm would not want to be accused of stealing ideas from the fan film. It's why Paramount stopped taking TNG scripts from fans. It opens the doors to lawsuits.

If they want a job on Star Wars this is the exact opposite way of getting it.

 

[Admiral2]

The thing is: they won't. They will make a point in NOT watching it. There is so much legal jeopardy there. LucasFilm would not want to be accused of stealing ideas from the fan film. It's why Paramount stopped taking TNG scripts from fans. It opens the doors to lawsuits.

If they want a job on Star Wars this is the exact opposite way of getting it.

Precisely! And this is old news concerning IP owners in general and fan projects. So what's keeping this guy from seeing that?

 

[Professor Zoom]

Precisely! And this is old news concerning IP owners in general and fan projects. So what's keeping this guy from seeing that?

Because he's a fan and not a professional. Because he's not serious about the business. Because he wants to make Star Wars and that's the beginning and end to his ambition. Because he actually isn't that creative, he can only play in someone else's sand box. And cynically: he's not going to be able to raise a lot of money on Kickstarter for original IP.

But, lots of money doesn't mean it's going to be a good product. Lots of people who make films, who get into the industry, shot their movies for very little money. Getting into the business is about hustle, and you have to hustle like hell to make something original and quality for very little money. Hollywood appreciates hustle.

But, ultimately, no one is as blind as he that shall not see.

 

[jespah]

Le sigh.

So, let's see if Star Wars guy hit all the marks:

• "Calling card to the industry"
• "It's not a fan film"
• "We start; they finish"
• "Give us $$"

No sushi, far as I can tell.

And here's why -- to add to what has been said before -- this will NOT work.

• The rights holders have plans for the IP. The chances of this guy correctly figuring those out are vanishingly small. So already it's a strike even if everything else is awesome.
• The rights holders won't change their plans unless they have a MAJOR incentive to do so. A fan film, no matter how excellent, will never meet that threshold. What would is SERIOUS $$. As in tens if not hundreds of millions in ADDITIONAL profit to be made with a course correction/change.
• There are a ton of people who have been working their way up the hard way. It can be slow. Yes, yes, we all know about wunderkinds and child actors and whatnot. But most people in H'wood who are successful took a while to get there. Semi-randomly, here's Johnny Depp's bio on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000136/?ref_=nv_sr_1 How many things did he do before 21 Jump Street? According to that page, seven. This does not count (possibly) walk-on roles, nonspeaking parts, etc. It also doesn't include commercials. He didn't jump the queue.
• Here's Jennifer Lawrence (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2225369/?ref_=nmls_hd) . It wasn't until her 5th role that she was asked back to a series. And she didn't really get a recurring role until her 9th.
• Many people (although not all) in H'wood have educations in what they do. Sure, some/many of them decided to get them later. But those folks still went to Stella Adler or the New School in NYC or any one of a ton of other places, in an effort to hone their craft. Natural talent is fine for children (maybe). But for sustained work, it makes sense to go to school -- and to make connections there.
• The rights holders won't pick up someone else's slack and finish it, no matter how wonderful it is. Why? Because one of the hallmarks of being a writer in particular is that you finish what you started. Yeah, yeah, George RR Martin, yadda yadda yadda. But GRRM has finished plenty of stuff that isn't Game of Thrones.

And once again, for the cheap seats!

If it's not a fan film, then it's clear competition with the rights holders -- and that helps it to fail the intellectual property fair use test. And if it is a fan film, then the rights holders will not take it seriously. And has been stated already, they will actively shun it because they know it's just a lawsuit waiting to happen.

This is a fantasy. Fantasies are nice. This is the fantasy where, with just the right equipment and lighting, life doesn't have to be the way it's been all along. That the brave Star Wars fan film guy can make it big, when every other indicator in his life is that he will be working a regular old 9-5 job, probably within 50 miles of his home town.

You know, just like most people.

When I was a kid -- very little -- I would fantasize about being the secret daughter of someone rich and famous. Lots of kids have that fantasy. It's another form of life shorthand, that if only -- if only! -- the right people notice, you'll be rescued from your life of drudgery.

It's a passive pie-in-the-sky fantasy.

You know what's an active fantasy?

Doing what you can to lead as extraordinary a life as you can. And that is whether you make art or money or you're an excellent parent or a great child to your folks or anything else. Bake awesome cookies. Win your age group in the local 5K. Be the best damned library volunteer ever.

Take charge of your life.

 

[Admiral2]

Le sigh.

So, let's see if Star Wars guy hit all the marks:

• "Calling card to the industry"
• "It's not a fan film"
• "We start; they finish"
• "Give us $$"

No sushi, far as I can tell.

And here's why -- to add to what has been said before -- this will NOT work.

• The rights holders have plans for the IP. The chances of this guy correctly figuring those out are vanishingly small. So already it's a strike even if everything else is awesome.
• The rights holders won't change their plans unless they have a MAJOR incentive to do so. A fan film, no matter how excellent, will never meet that threshold. What would is SERIOUS $$. As in tens if not hundreds of millions in ADDITIONAL profit to be made with a course correction/change.
• There are a ton of people who have been working their way up the hard way. It can be slow. Yes, yes, we all know about wunderkinds and child actors and whatnot. But most people in H'wood who are successful took a while to get there. Semi-randomly, here's Johnny Depp's bio on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000136/?ref_=nv_sr_1 How many things did he do before 21 Jump Street? According to that page, seven. This does not count (possibly) walk-on roles, nonspeaking parts, etc. It also doesn't include commercials. He didn't jump the queue.
• Here's Jennifer Lawrence (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2225369/?ref_=nmls_hd) . It wasn't until her 5th role that she was asked back to a series. And she didn't really get a recurring role until her 9th.
• Many people (although not all) in H'wood have educations in what they do. Sure, some/many of them decided to get them later. But those folks still went to Stella Adler or the New School in NYC or any one of a ton of other places, in an effort to hone their craft. Natural talent is fine for children (maybe). But for sustained work, it makes sense to go to school -- and to make connections there.
• The rights holders won't pick up someone else's slack and finish it, no matter how wonderful it is. Why? Because one of the hallmarks of being a writer in particular is that you finish what you started. Yeah, yeah, George RR Martin, yadda yadda yadda. But GRRM has finished plenty of stuff that isn't Game of Thrones.

And once again, for the cheap seats!

If it's not a fan film, then it's clear competition with the rights holders -- and that helps it to fail the intellectual property fair use test. And if it is a fan film, then the rights holders will not take it seriously. And has been stated already, they will actively shun it because they know it's just a lawsuit waiting to happen.

This is a fantasy. Fantasies are nice. This is the fantasy where, with just the right equipment and lighting, life doesn't have to be the way it's been all along. That the brave Star Wars fan film guy can make it big, when every other indicator in his life is that he will be working a regular old 9-5 job, probably within 50 miles of his home town.

You know, just like most people.

When I was a kid -- very little -- I would fantasize about being the secret daughter of someone rich and famous. Lots of kids have that fantasy. It's another form of life shorthand, that if only -- if only! -- the right people notice, you'll be rescued from your life of drudgery.

It's a passive pie-in-the-sky fantasy.

You know what's an active fantasy?

Doing what you can to lead as extraordinary a life as you can. And that is whether you make art or money or you're an excellent parent or a great child to your folks or anything else. Bake awesome cookies. Win your age group in the local 5K. Be the best damned library volunteer ever.

Take charge of your life.

Bravo. Just Bravo all through.

 

[Ion]

I always thought the Star Wars peeps (be it Lucas or Disney) were not even remotely friendly to anything outside of their guidelines.

I wonder how long the C&D will take... 'course, he's apparently in Denmark, so that may add an interesting dimension. Don't know anything about how that works.

 

[Admiral2]

I always thought the Star Wars peeps (be it Lucas or Disney) were not even remotely friendly to anything outside of their guidelines.

Aaaand that would be the other thing!

I wonder how long the C&D will take... 'course, he's apparently in Denmark, so that may add an interesting dimension. Don't know anything about how that works.

Give it time. He hasn't offered any coffee yet...

 

[motorhead]

so star wars guy's kickstarter came to an end and successfully raised DKK 211,519 with 316 backers, thats 105% of it's goal. he was hoping for 100-200%. i would have expected an update on the kickstarter page... but hey, what do i know.

if this thing backfires, and we get the usual c&d and lawsuit stuff, and as a result they decide to ditch the whole star wars fan film contest thing... lots of people would be mad i assume. if this guy's inspiration came from where i think it did, it would promote garth vader to destroyer of worlds

 

[motorhead]

Aaaand that would be the other thing!
Give it time. He hasn't offered any coffee yet...

the completely unrelated coffee shop of alec's friends which has nothing to do with axanar and is therefore off limits finally turned into "our" coffeeshop now btw according to alec according to carlos. just sayin.

 

[urbandefault]

Doing what you can to lead as extraordinary a life as you can. And that is whether you make art or money or you're an excellent parent or a great child to your folks or anything else. Bake awesome cookies. Win your age group in the local 5K. Be the best damned library volunteer ever.

Take charge of your life.

 

[jespah]

Aw shucks, thanks.

 

[Admiral2]

the completely unrelated coffee shop of alec's friends which has nothing to do with axanar and is therefore off limits finally turned into "our" coffeeshop now btw according to alec according to carlos. just sayin.

Y'know, I wouldn't begrudge him the stupid coffee house if he would just stop trying to recruit people into his personal Scientology. He tells the BSG fan group booked there "There'll be coffee...and Axanar!"

Really???

 

[Sgt_G]

Doing what you can to lead as extraordinary a life as you can. .... Bake awesome cookies.

Don't you mean, "Bake awesome pies"???

 

[jespah]

Don't you mean, "Bake awesome pies"???

I regret that I can only like this once.