Upcoming Productions for March/April/May

[Captain Randy Hall]

>>Your idea may have merit, but in my opinion it is not a realistic idea. The amount of time it would take to gather and continually update what would amount to a huge spreadsheet would be an enormous undertaking that I doubt you have the resources to keep up with.

Let’s look at this a little closer with regard to Farragut. Over the past year our schedule has been turned upside down on several occasions to allow us the time necessary to build our own sets, release A Rock And A Hard Place, re-film Just Passing Through, create additional costumes, work and support Starship Polaris, socialize and keep our day jobs and feature Starship Farragut at every possible convention we can and still giving away hundreds of DVD’s.

Now I’m not saying everyone is that busy, but we are. To provide a schedule of releases would not be practical. It’s funny, I remember talking with you Randy, and you indicated that you would be very displeased if NEO-fx missed the end of the year deadline for The Needs Of The Many. Like you were owed. This labor of love for us takes time to produce, schedules to coordinate. I hope you understand when I say we will not be offering dates for a release unless we are absolutely positive that we can make it.<<

I've been doing that on a weekly basis since July. Could you do it?

 

[doubleohfive]

Wow, that has to be the shortest episode of 24 ever!

So doubleohfive, are you volunteering to write some reviews like I do? I've only been doing this for a couple of years, first in a club newsletter and then SciFiPulse.net.

And if someone is keeping copies of my column, I didn't realize just how many fans I have!

No, I am not volunteering to write reviews. If I had the time, interest, or means I would have done so long ago. As it stands, I am limited to brief blurbs when these things get released, if I can find time to view them.

I question the relevance this has to the discussion however. I have posed many questions since your little tantrum at the bottom of page one of this thread, all of which you have ignored.

 

[CDR Tacket]

>>
I've been doing that on a weekly basis since July. Could you do it?

Asked and answered you moron

 

[doubleohfive]

>>Your idea may have merit, but in my opinion it is not a realistic idea. The amount of time it would take to gather and continually update what would amount to a huge spreadsheet would be an enormous undertaking that I doubt you have the resources to keep up with.

Let’s look at this a little closer with regard to Farragut. Over the past year our schedule has been turned upside down on several occasions to allow us the time necessary to build our own sets, release A Rock And A Hard Place, re-film Just Passing Through, create additional costumes, work and support Starship Polaris, socialize and keep our day jobs and feature Starship Farragut at every possible convention we can and still giving away hundreds of DVD’s.

Now I’m not saying everyone is that busy, but we are. To provide a schedule of releases would not be practical. It’s funny, I remember talking with you Randy, and you indicated that you would be very displeased if NEO-fx missed the end of the year deadline for The Needs Of The Many. Like you were owed. This labor of love for us takes time to produce, schedules to coordinate. I hope you understand when I say we will not be offering dates for a release unless we are absolutely positive that we can make it.<<

I've been doing that on a weekly basis since July. Could you do it?

Putting aside for the moment that Tacket already answered this question, what you are talking about is, plain and simple, apples and oranges, Randy. It's not even in the same league.

There is a world of difference between watching a short film and reviewing it, and mounting a full-on production of a short film, distributing it, and still maintain some semblance of a normal life.

This is not to say that you don't work just as hard, far from it. However the commitment of time, effort and resources involved in producing a short film like Farragut is astronomical compared to what you are doing.

Again, I ask you why you are ignoring my previous questions.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I have to agree with Dennis and CDR Tacket on this one. Too often, reviews -- especially about fan films -- have no real relevance to what I'm looking for in a review...

Now - I'm not objecting to either the content or format of any review. What I'm saying is that, as a general practice, I wouldn't provide advance review copies of a show to anyone.

That is part of a marketing process that makes sense for film distributors and many TV shows. I don't see any point for us in mimicking the process.

When it's ready for release, it's ready for release.

 

[doubleohfive]

Apologies, Dennis, if my initial response were interpreted that way. Certainly not my intention.

All I meant was that I agree, trying to create a list of deadlines was both a bad idea and a cumbersome task.

 

[Captain Randy Hall]

OK, now where were we? That's right, compiling a list of recently released and upcoming fan films. This is pretty much what I hoped for in starting this thread.

March 28
Star Trek: Osiris
Conclusion of “Eclipse,” its two-part pilot
http://www.stosiris.com/
Source: Barbreader
http://startrekreviewed.blogspot.com/

March 30
Star Trek: Phase II
“Enemy Starfleet”
http://www.startrekphase2.com/
Source: TrekMovie.com article

Late March/Early April
Starship Farragut Animated
“The Needs of the Many”
http://www.farragut-animated.com/needs.html
Source: www.farragut-animated.com

May 1
Star Trek: Phoenix: Cloak and Dagger
Star Trek: Phoenix is going to be shown locally in Washington state during April before releasing ”Cloak and Dagger” for Internet distribution at the start of May. Their site can be found at http://www.stphoenix.com/

COMING SOON BUT NO RELEASE DATE GIVEN
Star Trek: Imperium
http://startrekimperium.net/

RECENT RELEASES
Star Trek: Encarta (1999)
Part 1 of 4; now all 4 available on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-UnmC3s-dk
Source: Barbreader

Star Trek: Encarta II: Destiny’s Advocate
Part 2 of 4; now all 4 available on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-UnmC3s-dk
Source: Barbreader

Star Trek: Encarta III: Condemned
Part 3 of 4; now all 4 available on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-UnmC3s-dk
Source: Barbreader

Star Trek: Encarta IV: Dark Hope
Part 4 of 4; now all 4 available on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6Q7kXlYSoY
Source: Barbreader

Star Trek: The Go!Animate Generation: The Siren’s Carnage
RoTV
First part of a four-part online comic
http://goanimate.com/movie/0su3dFX3A9LU/1


This isn't as comprehensive as the Star Trek Reviewed site run by Barbreader, but it'll do for now.


Randy

 

[Captain Randy Hall]

And just for the record, I've never written a column with the intension of "attacking" anyone, so I'm not impressed by name calling or efforts to tear down something I thought was a good idea when I started it, and I still believe that way.

 

[doubleohfive]

How do you expect anyone to take you seriously when you conduct yourself this way?

Where did anyone EVER accuse you of writing a review solely to attack someone?

Why do you continue to refuse to answer any of my questions?

 

[MikeH92467]

Geez...enough with the cat fights already! Chill folks! No, I don't care who started it....

Anyway, there is a point to be made when it comes to critically reviewing fan productions. As was pointed out before things went too far downhill, the biggest gripes are usually over the quality of the acting. Professional producers have access to a talent pool that those of us on the amateur side simply don't. Even though casting calls routinely draw large responses at established houses, it doesn't take long when you review them that acting is a lot more difficult than professionals make it look or sound. For all the grief actors like Garret Wang, Bruce Boxleitner or Majel Barret took at times, the fact is that they perform at a much higher level than the vast majority of amateur performers. I agree that's pretty obvious, but it's just worth remembering when you're ready to rip somebody for a performance that doesn't meet the standards we've learned to expect from TV, movies and professional stage presentations. One of the things I like to look at in a series like Phase II or even Exeter is the improvement from episode to episode. Compare the performances of the Big Three of James, Charles and John in WEAT to In Harm's Way and I think you'll come away very impressed. In Exeter, I think it's much the same.

Certainly I understand how tough it can be to accept criticism. Excelsior was on the receiving end of a review on Noriega.biz that had a lot of valid points laced with unnecessary sarcasm and completely off base projections about the motivations and background of yours truly. Oh well, amateur productions and amateur criticism... I guess things like that are to be expected.

 

[doubleohfive]

There's a note in one of the "Making of..." books for one of the Trek series from Michael Piller, a memo he included with one of the drafts of the pilot (for DS9 I think) ... that went something like this:

"Comments are welcome as long as they're positive!"

Look, myself -- and I am only speaking for myself here -- it becomes more a matter of wanting a review and not a summary.

The majority of reviews tend to not delve in to the larger choices or ramifications of character arcs, stories, events, or motivations. There is no in-depth analysis. As I said previously, for my taste, it's all sizzle and no bacon.

Maybe that's too much to expect. I don't know. I think about critical criticism of say, an Alfred Hitchcock film and then I think about most of the reviews I read about fan films, and I wonder why the latter can't be more like the former, particularly in this genre where so many fans are so loud and proud about their critical and storytelling skills.

Or, alternatively, why there can't be a more personal perspective involved. I know she's not very popular in some circles here, but Michelle Erica Green's reviews of Trek episodes come to mind. I may not agree with each point she makes, but her reviews are readable, they raise cogent points, ask questions, hold the writers/producers' feet to the fire, and more importantly open a forum for discussion.

I guess what I'm saying is that most fan film reviews I read don't do any of that. What's the point of discussing "Blood and Fire, 2" if the only gripes the reviewer has are the fact that the sound wasn't ready in time?

Again, maybe it's too much to expect.

 

[ProwlAlpha]

Don't read the reviews then if it messes up your viewing. Why do you keep reiterating that point. We got it the first four or five posts. I enjoy reading the reviews. Sometimes I agree and sometimes I don't. But who gives a "it rhymes with buck". Besides your pointless posts contribute nothing to the topic of Upcoming Productions from March/April/May.

No offense to Dennis, I kind of like a schedule or at least a ballpark. Oh well, life stalls our hobbies at times, so it is very understandable, unless your Starship Farragut, then I can wait because of Taggert's comments, but will I read Hall's reviews, not too much because they fall within the bad humor within reviews that I find distasteful. Sorry, but I like the tentative schedule that you throw up. Good work.

 

[doubleohfive]

Don't read the reviews then if it messes up your viewing. Why do you keep reiterating that point. We got it the first four or five posts. I enjoy reading the reviews. Sometimes I agree and sometimes I don't. But who gives a "it rhymes with buck". Besides your pointless posts contribute nothing to the topic of Upcoming Productions from March/April/May.

I had an opinion and I shared it. I used the reviews I had most recent access to -- Randy's -- as an example of an overriding problem I have with the state of reviews today. And yes, it is as simple as 'don't read them!' which is why, by and large, I don't. However to assume I meant that reading the reviews "messes up" my viewing is misguided. I never said that; don't misread what I said.

And while it may not have been the ideal route to go in replying to this thread, my "pointless posts" that "contribute nothing" were merely in response to Captain Randy Hall's little melodramatic outbursts, hoping to find some kind of logic to his little temper tantrum. Clearly there was none.

 

[CDR Tacket]

ProwlAlpha:

I hope while you are reading that you try to comprehend what the writer has written. The only reason I say this is because of the error you made. It's Tacket. Not:

Taggert's

Perhaps you were watching "Blazing Saddles" while typing. An honest mistake.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Perhaps you were watching "Blazing Saddles" while typing. An honest mistake.

Nah, Galaxy Quest.

 

[ProwlAlpha]

No, it was Beverly Hills Cop

 

[Captain Randy Hall]

We've made it to Friday, which brings up a question I've been tossing around in my noggin. I write Fan Film Friday at SciFiPulse.net and link to it in a thread here in part because I like the title (Remember kids: Always Avoid Alliteration!) and in part because we're heading into the weekend, when many readers and posters have more time to check out the independent productions than during the work week.

Is it a good idea to also post the latest version of my calendar on Friday, or is that too much of a good thing on one day? Obviously, anyone can post here at any time and make announcements regarding their projects (ending or starting or anything in between). On the other hand, this was a slow week in FFF news other than the few new projects that are slated to become available in the next couple of weeks.

I did get confirmation that Star Trek: Osiris will finish its two-part pilot on the date in the calendar. I want to remind anyone who has news about fan films, animations, audio dramas and things like that can put them up here in this TrekBBS thread and I'll incorporate that into the calendar.

 

[Captain Randy Hall]

I've done a little tweakiing on the list from earlier this week, adding days of the week and minor stuff like that, but it's got a lot of information.

Here's the Friday list:

March 28 (Sunday)
Star Trek: Osiris
Conclusion of “Eclipse,” its two-part pilot
http://www.stosiris.com/
Source: Barbreader
http://startrekreviewed.blogspot.com/

March 30 (Tuesday)
Star Trek: Phase II
“Enemy Starfleet”
http://www.startrekphase2.com/
Source: TrekMovie.com article

Late March/Early April
Starship Farragut Animated
“The Needs of the Many”
http://www.farragut-animated.com/needs.html
Source: www.farragut-animated.com

May 1 (Saturday)
Star Trek: Phoenix: Cloak and Dagger
Star Trek: Phoenix is going to be shown locally in Washington state during April before releasing “Cloak and Dagger” for Internet distribution at the start of May. Their site can be found at http://www.stphoenix.com/

COMING SOON BUT NO RELEASE DATE GIVEN
Star Trek: Imperium
http://startrekimperium.net/

RECENT RELEASES
Star Trek: Encarta (1999)
Part 1 of 4; now all 4 available on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-UnmC3s-dk
Source: Barbreader

Star Trek: Encarta II: Destiny’s Advocate
Part 2 of 4; now all 4 available on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-UnmC3s-dk
Source: Barbreader

Star Trek: Encarta III: Condemned
Part 3 of 4; now all 4 available on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-UnmC3s-dk
Source: Barbreader

Star Trek: Encarta IV: Dark Hope
Part 4 of 4; now all 4 available on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6Q7kXlYSoY
Source: Barbreader

Star Trek: The Go!Animate Generation: The Siren’s Carnage
RoTV
First part of a four-part online comic
http://goanimate.com/movie/0su3dFX3A9LU/1

Have a great weekend!

 

[CaptainKen]

Thanks for the handy dandy calender, Randy. (I think I know a guy that tried doing this once before...)

Just hope the expected due dates are met. Reminds of when my wife was pregnant.... projected due dates don't always apply to reality!

 

[Barbreader]

I am at a libraray because my computer died. I got into trouble on this thread. I don't have time left to read the whole thread, so let me just say that I didn't want to start a fight with anyone. If somebody followed up with something to me, I am not ignoring you, I am off the net.

My website does not preview when fan films are coming out. My website is exactly the opposite of a news website. It is an index of existing materials