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

Do you enjoy pie?

  • Yes, sweet, please

    Votes: 79 40.9%

  • Yes, savory, please

    Votes: 42 21.8%

  • Yes, any kind

    Votes: 80 41.5%

  • No, I'm a heathen

    Votes: 37 19.2%
  • Total voters
    193
Matthew Raymond said:
You ignore the fact that those aren't science fiction series. In fact, all your examples are comedies/sitcoms. I suspect most of the examples you might want to cite are either sitcoms or kid's shows...
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IDK - If you listen to interviews from DC Fontana (who ran the writers room - Star Trek: The Animated Series (on NBC in a Saturday Morning slot) ran from 1973-1975; did 26 half hour episodes that are honestly in line with what the live action series did from 1966-1969 - and she never considered it justa 'kids show' - although yes, kids watched it too.

Hell, larry Niven adapted one of his 'Tales of Known Space' short stories: "The Soft Weapon"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soft_Weapon

into a ST:TAS episode that was aired entitled: "The Slaver Weapon"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slaver_Weapon

PLUS - CBS was able to do Star Trek stories in under 30 minutes themselves:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Short_Treks
^^^
And they were so well ereceived CBSAA is doing 6 more 'Short Treks' to be released later this year.

So yeah, please drop the "Science Fiction and Star Trek stories CAN'T be done well with only 30 minutes..." bit as it's just plain not true.
 
Noname Given said:
IDK - If you listen to interviews from DC Fontana (who ran the writers room - Star Trek: The Animated Series (on NBC in a Saturday Morning slot) ran from 1973-1975; did 26 half hour episodes that are honestly in line with what the live action series did from 1966-1969 - and she never considered it justa 'kids show' - although yes, kids watched it too.

Hell, larry Niven adapted one of his 'Tales of Known Space' short stories: "The Soft Weapon"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soft_Weapon

into a ST:TAS episode that was aired entitled: "The Slaver Weapon"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slaver_Weapon

PLUS - CBS was able to do Star Trek stories in under 30 minutes themselves:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Short_Treks
^^^
And they were so well ereceived CBSAA is doing 6 more 'Short Treks' to be released later this year.

So yeah, please drop the "Science Fiction and Star Trek stories CAN'T be done well with only 30 minutes..." bit as it's just plain not true.
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And honestly, why does it matter if it's a "kids show" or not? They still have to tell compelling stories. And with kids, you better be fucking compelling or they will stop watching you. Being successful in children's TV isn't any easier than in "adult" tv.

Though the pay is better....
 
JD said:
Does the person who posted the video determine if there will be adds, or get money for them? I had assumed that was all set up purely done by Youtube automatically, and that any money went to them.
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You have to affirmatively apply for monetization of your YouTube channel, and then mark each video to have it monetized. If it passes YouTube standards, then monetization (which means you share in ad revenue) is applied. How you can tell the difference — look at the official Prelude video in Axanar's channel, and compare with the Watch Party video; one is not monetized (in line with the guidelines), the other is (which violates the guidelines/settlement).
ECCP2RhVUAALygM

---
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I have to wonder, then, what the impetus was for shutting down the Stage 9 project. Granted, it's not a fan film, but a non-profit multimedia fan project nonetheless, and there doesn't appear to be anything like it being produced by CBS/Viacom as a natural competitor. When the C&D hammer came down on that one, it spooked a lot of people and cross-threaded the whole notion of the studios not wanting to engage in micro-management.
 
137th Gebirg said:
I have to wonder, then, what the impetus was for shutting down the Stage 9 project. Granted, it's not a fan film, but a non-profit multimedia fan project nonetheless, and there doesn't appear to be anything like it being produced by CBS/Viacom as a natural competitor. When the C&D hammer came down on that one, it spooked a lot of people and cross-threaded the whole notion of the studios not wanting to engage in micro-management.
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It could be they are planning on something like it, or perhaps someone wants to license from CBS/Viacom something similar.

But, them's the breaks when you play in someone else's IP, you never know when or if the C&D hammer might come down.
 
137th Gebirg said:
I have to wonder, then, what the impetus was for shutting down the Stage 9 project. Granted, it's not a fan film, but a non-profit multimedia fan project nonetheless, and there doesn't appear to be anything like it being produced by CBS/Viacom as a natural competitor. When the C&D hammer came down on that one, it spooked a lot of people and cross-threaded the whole notion of the studios not wanting to engage in micro-management.
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I think the people making Bridge Commander had an issue with it and as a licensee, CBS needed to act. Just speculation on my part though but it is the one product that is "similar" though not exactly the same thing,
 
Professor Zoom said:
And of course, with The Twilight Zone, the Outer Limits. Another fine example of 30 minute serious sci fi.

Huh. I guess it’s possible to do science fiction in less than an hour format.
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In fact there were a few episodes of the new Twilight Zone where I think the new 1 hour format hurt them and the story would have been better told in the older 30 minute block.
 
Indeed, only speculation, but there's a much clearer link between the quality of the Stage 9 project and what commercially licensed Star Trek products are trying to sell. If you're engaging in activity that directly affects a licensees ability to earn revenue from a license they've paid top dollar for, then you're likely going to see a C&D.

Also, recall that a copyright holder doesn't merely need to protect existing commercial products but any other potential future derivative work based on their IP.
 
While we're on the subject of what can be done in a short film, I feel that the potential of fan films has been largely wasted in favor of canon exploiting vanity projects. The fact that they're not official stories means that you can do almost anything that would never work in an actual episode of Star Trek. Always wanted to see a day in the life of civilians on 24th century Earth? It can be done as a fan film. Always wanted to see the heroes die and only the redshirts make it out alive? It can be done as a fan film. Always wanted to see a gender-swapped version of Picard and Riker? It'll be hard to find actors who can pull it off but it can be done as a fan film.

Another area that has gone largely untapped is the science fiction aspect of Star Trek. Has there ever been a Star Trek fan film that's had an interesting sci-fi concept at the heart of its story? I know there have been a lot that use time-travel as an integral part of their story, but even when those are good time-travel is so overused that it's lost its coolness. I've never seen one that has had a thought-provoking sci-fi concept of any kind, and that's sad because short stories and films are great ways to explore these ideas.

So that's the direction I'd love to see fan films go instead of just an excuse to play captain and show generic space battles.
 
Professor Zoom said:
And of course, with The Twilight Zone, the Outer Limits. Another fine example of 30 minute serious sci fi.

Huh. I guess it’s possible to do science fiction in less than an hour format.
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Just FYI - "The Outer Limits" (both 1963 and the 1990ies versions) were '1-hour long' ;)

137th Gebirg said:
I have to wonder, then, what the impetus was for shutting down the Stage 9 project. Granted, it's not a fan film, but a non-profit multimedia fan project nonetheless, and there doesn't appear to be anything like it being produced by CBS/Viacom as a natural competitor. When the C&D hammer came down on that one, it spooked a lot of people and cross-threaded the whole notion of the studios not wanting to engage in micro-management.
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It was because it wasn't a fan film. It was PC based, meaning it could step on the toes (in some fashion of Cryptic Studios "{Star Trek Online" which offers a 'Galaxy Class Interior' in the game for $20 (in their currency 'Zen'); as well as the mobile games - ALL of which pay a licensing fee and whose licenses are up for periodic renewal.
 
Professor Zoom said:
LOL. Whoops.
Well... in an attempt to still use it as an example... It still told finite stories, introducing characters, the world, the conceit, and finishing it....

So.... uh... we good?
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Fine by me - I'm NOT the person arguing: "You can't tell a sci-fi/Star Trek story in 30 minutes..." :D

Like you and many have stated - It's the STORY, stupid..." (IE It depends on how a story is written/related; and is not related to any given genre as to how good and what kind of story you can tell in a given time fame...a good story is a good story, and a good author/producer will be able to work in whatever constraints exist.)
 
I’m still amused by the argument that amateurs are somehow disadvantaged by only having a fifteen to thirty minute running time. I mean really, story length is utterly irrelevant to whether you can tell a good story or not. Unless you’re a talentless hack, in which case it doesn’t matter how much time you have, you’ll still be a talentless hack.
 
Noname Given said:
It was because it wasn't a fan film. It was PC based, meaning it could step on the toes (in some fashion of Cryptic Studios "{Star Trek Online" which offers a 'Galaxy Class Interior' in the game for $20 (in their currency 'Zen'); as well as the mobile games - ALL of which pay a licensing fee and whose licenses are up for periodic renewal.
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Ah, now that makes sense! I just started playing STO a couple months ago and haven't seen noticed that particular DLC. Thanks for the clarification.
 
captainkirk said:
While we're on the subject of what can be done in a short film, I feel that the potential of fan films has been largely wasted in favor of canon exploiting vanity projects. The fact that they're not official stories means that you can do almost anything that would never work in an actual episode of Star Trek. Always wanted to see a day in the life of civilians on 24th century Earth? It can be done as a fan film. Always wanted to see the heroes die and only the redshirts make it out alive? It can be done as a fan film. Always wanted to see a gender-swapped version of Picard and Riker? It'll be hard to find actors who can pull it off but it can be done as a fan film.

Another area that has gone largely untapped is the science fiction aspect of Star Trek. Has there ever been a Star Trek fan film that's had an interesting sci-fi concept at the heart of its story? I know there have been a lot that use time-travel as an integral part of their story, but even when those are good time-travel is so overused that it's lost its coolness. I've never seen one that has had a thought-provoking sci-fi concept of any kind, and that's sad because short stories and films are great ways to explore these ideas.

So that's the direction I'd love to see fan films go instead of just an excuse to play captain and show generic space battles.
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You make some interesting points.

You know a cool fan series that would likely follow under the guidelines in an anthology in the vein of Marvel's "What If?" Series. There are a ton of what if scenarios you could play with and if it ends up with the world ending.. oh well. Turn in next time (like TZ/OL has done on occasion). With a what if type scenario anything is possible.
 
Gabriel said:
It’s nice to know that somebody else here it’s not making excuses for CBS. I tried to go along with it but my heart just wasn’t in it.
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No one is "making excuses for CBS". Sheesh.

Gabriel said:
I’m un watching this thread thread so don’t worry you won’t have to see my opinions again.
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Universal Translator Output: "Some people disagree with me so I'm taking my toys and going home."

Gabriel said:
Also before I leave let me just make my opinions clear so there is no doubt
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Ah, the ever-popular "let me call out my opinion as I run out the door so I can't hear your reply."

Admiral2 said:
[...]it wasn't until the last season that those stories were longer than a half hour, so not only is it possible to do well, it's already been done well enough to win acclaim.[...]
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TZ was one-hour in its 4th season and reverted to 1/2 hour in its final year.

Krandor said:
In fact there were a few episodes of the new Twilight Zone where I think the new 1 hour format hurt them and the story would have been better told in the older 30 minute block.
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Actually, few of the hour episodes didn't feel padded. It was just not a good fit for the show's format.
 
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