What is your biggest gripe about fan films.
- Thread starter Data Holmes
- Start date
Yep don't give stupidity validity.
I confess I haven't really watched any fan films. One reason I might actually watch one is to see how they handled gay relationships. Although I haven't heard too many good things about how they have done so. I feel like they'll make it too big of a deal to overcompensate for the lack of gay relationships in Trek.
Bad acting. Bad writing. Mediocre effects. Those are the things that keep the majority of people away from fan films. Now I'm not knocking fan films or anything. They're just not mainstream. And they're not canon. So it's like reading Trek fiction (I don't read that either). Maybe if there was a really well-done fan film I might watch it. But I feel like I'd be really distracted that the production values aren't what I'm used to.
That's just my opinion as someone who doesn't actually watch them. Don't want to offend any of you who do
Bad acting. Bad writing. Mediocre effects. Those are the things that keep the majority of people away from fan films. Now I'm not knocking fan films or anything. They're just not mainstream. And they're not canon. So it's like reading Trek fiction (I don't read that either). Maybe if there was a really well-done fan film I might watch it. But I feel like I'd be really distracted that the production values aren't what I'm used to.
That's just my opinion as someone who doesn't actually watch them. Don't want to offend any of you who do
^ Check out New Voyages: World Enough and Time and Starship Exeter: The Tressaurian Intersection.
Those two may change your mind about fan films.
Those two may change your mind about fan films.
Lightinspire
Lieutenant Commander
That is right..they are very good..but my favorite is In Harm's Way.
Too many goatees. Seriously.
Too many crewmembers walking around in the background with long hair, bushy sideburns, or tribbles on their chins. Sucks the professionalism right out of the film.
For goodness sake, shave and cut your hair. It'll grow back.
Too many crewmembers walking around in the background with long hair, bushy sideburns, or tribbles on their chins. Sucks the professionalism right out of the film.
For goodness sake, shave and cut your hair. It'll grow back.
doubleohfive
Fleet Admiral
With respect to films set during the TOS era, I agree. Its a minor pet peeve of mine, but it does grate on my somewhat OCD-nerves whenever De Salle shows up on New Voyages.
Gripe #1: Unfocused vision.
Even the best story in the world is ruined by people who are unconvincing in the roles. It's not that only professional actors should appear in fan productions, but that I think most fan productions would be well-served by rehearsing their scenes as thoroughly as possible, including the filming; put the rehearsal on tape and then go back and watch it. Each actor should pay attention to his or her performance in the rehearsal and watch the eyes closely - this is where I think most non-pro actors fail to convince the audience, because in their eyes, you can see them mentally reading their scripts instead of interacting with the other characters and with the scene and story.
This also applies to the cinematography. Film is a visual medium - the story is told as much by how the viewer is drawn through it as by what the actors say and do. When watching the rehearsals, the cameraperson should be looking at how the shots are framed, how the camera is moved (if at all), and thought given to how these things either enhance, detract, or simply ignore the action. Imagine yourself in the scene with the actors - do you follow the actor who is speaking, or the person to whom he is speaking, or the action to which he refers? What about the action in the background? is it important enough to watch while the characters are speaking? Is the shot well-composed, or are people barely in frame, or are they just talking heads?
The whole of film production is choreography - everyone relates to one another, including to the audience through the camera. Maybe the captain of the ship needs to get out of his chair and move to the side, to look like he's ready to react to events rather than simply watch them unfold around him.
It's definitely worth the time and the tape.
Even the best story in the world is ruined by people who are unconvincing in the roles. It's not that only professional actors should appear in fan productions, but that I think most fan productions would be well-served by rehearsing their scenes as thoroughly as possible, including the filming; put the rehearsal on tape and then go back and watch it. Each actor should pay attention to his or her performance in the rehearsal and watch the eyes closely - this is where I think most non-pro actors fail to convince the audience, because in their eyes, you can see them mentally reading their scripts instead of interacting with the other characters and with the scene and story.
This also applies to the cinematography. Film is a visual medium - the story is told as much by how the viewer is drawn through it as by what the actors say and do. When watching the rehearsals, the cameraperson should be looking at how the shots are framed, how the camera is moved (if at all), and thought given to how these things either enhance, detract, or simply ignore the action. Imagine yourself in the scene with the actors - do you follow the actor who is speaking, or the person to whom he is speaking, or the action to which he refers? What about the action in the background? is it important enough to watch while the characters are speaking? Is the shot well-composed, or are people barely in frame, or are they just talking heads?
The whole of film production is choreography - everyone relates to one another, including to the audience through the camera. Maybe the captain of the ship needs to get out of his chair and move to the side, to look like he's ready to react to events rather than simply watch them unfold around him.
It's definitely worth the time and the tape.
One thing I particularly like about the Starship Intrepid episodes is that the actors seem to actually be conversing with one another rather than (to paraphrase Marina Sirtis) "hitting their marks and declaiming" - this is true of Intrepid more frequently than any of the others.
I agree. Intrepid's actors seem to give the most "naturalistic" performances.
We've tried to make a few changes in our show to make it more like the aborted Phase II series from the '70s rather than TOS from the '60s. We've adopted costumes from the '70s series, we've adopted characters from the '70s series, we've produced scripts from the '70s series, we've started using props from the '70s series, and we'll be phasing in the Enterprise "model" from the '70s series.
Of course, we've also begun to integrate the hairstyles from the '70s series, too. We've looked at the test footage shot for the old Phase II series and we've given our men and women hairstyles more in keeping with Phase II than with the old TOS series. (How much to simply reproduce the TOS look on everything and how much to make our series look like what we presume the aborted Phase II series would have looked like is a constant point of debate among the producers.)
At any rate, we now allow a couple of our characters to have some facial hair (just as Scotty adopted a moustache in TMP). DeSalle (and Scotty, of course) are the typical examples. But we gave Peter Kirk a mullett and a few of the women have had Farah Fawcett-type feathered hair instead of the hairstyles Virginia Darcy, Jean Austin, and Pat Westmore created on TOS. And, of course, the flip side of the coin is that we also have had bald crewmembers--something they never really would have done in TOS.
I'm sorry that our efforts to drag you kicking and screaming into the '70's isn't working for you.
Just about everyone is stupid at one time or another in life.
LOL! I wasn't specifically referring to your efforts, or even Trek fan films - I have the same reaction when I see someone in a Star Wars fan film who's playing a Jedi with a soul patch on his chin
I will not be dragged back into the 1970s - despite the fact that a young person of my acquaintance has developed an ironic fondness for my old Nik-Nik shirts, 1970s fashion and the general lack of good hair product do not flatter males my age. 
I will not be dragged back into the 1970s - despite the fact that a young person of my acquaintance has developed an ironic fondness for my old Nik-Nik shirts, 1970s fashion and the general lack of good hair product do not flatter males my age.
Hey! The 70's were fun! Disco, platform shoes, leisure suits and casual sex with the worst that could happen being curable with a couple of shots of penicillin. Those were the days! Would I ever go back? Not on your life...been there done that, didn't get the clap...once was enough
Yep; the banter and dialog between the cast of Intrepid doesn't feel as delivered as it does in other fan productions. Moreover, as I've said before, there is something Whedonesque about the characters of Intrepid and in the way they interact with one another.
I have read alot about fan films in here. Some are accepted very well and some are trashed pretty bad. The bottom line is; Gene created a World in which weather your:
Gay or Straight, Young, Old, Male , Female, Bald or, Not; No one cared! It was ALL accepted. Why mot enjoy what fans are doing for there love of STAR TREK.
Yes, they may be NOT upto Paramount's standards of acting but, they do it because they LOVE it. Yes, New Voyages is the head because they can spend the money but, Again; They LOVE Star Trek as we all do that are here! Intrepid, Farragut, Exeter, Romulan Wars,Eras, And the list goes on and, on. There not trying to replace what has been done but to embrace what has been done! You know? Enough of the bashing. If you don't like it; fine! Many don't like ours but, we keep going because we LOVE doing it. Don't bash the other guy because he didn't turn out the story or quality you wanted! Write the guy or girl and tell them HEY,this is GREAT but, I'd like to see THIS and Less of THIS! And enjoy because of one main BOTTOM LINE. The Trek people are letting us right now but, you never know what might change and bring ALL of our fan productions to an end. Right now, there FRE to watch. We start fighting over it and SOMEONE will stop it all! I don't want this. I enjoy ALL the fan productions. Everyone has a unique way of telling their version. Why is this done I ask you and the answer is:
We LOVE TREK!
Gay or Straight, Young, Old, Male , Female, Bald or, Not; No one cared! It was ALL accepted. Why mot enjoy what fans are doing for there love of STAR TREK.
Yes, they may be NOT upto Paramount's standards of acting but, they do it because they LOVE it. Yes, New Voyages is the head because they can spend the money but, Again; They LOVE Star Trek as we all do that are here! Intrepid, Farragut, Exeter, Romulan Wars,Eras, And the list goes on and, on. There not trying to replace what has been done but to embrace what has been done! You know? Enough of the bashing. If you don't like it; fine! Many don't like ours but, we keep going because we LOVE doing it. Don't bash the other guy because he didn't turn out the story or quality you wanted! Write the guy or girl and tell them HEY,this is GREAT but, I'd like to see THIS and Less of THIS! And enjoy because of one main BOTTOM LINE. The Trek people are letting us right now but, you never know what might change and bring ALL of our fan productions to an end. Right now, there FRE to watch. We start fighting over it and SOMEONE will stop it all! I don't want this. I enjoy ALL the fan productions. Everyone has a unique way of telling their version. Why is this done I ask you and the answer is:
We LOVE TREK!
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