Axanar dropped a plot spoiler about a month ago

[fireproof78]

But, I will judge it based upon the characters and story presented. I think that's fair.

Eminently fair and one might say even rational.

Whoah, whoah, whoah. I never claimed to be rational

Also, whatever personal feelings I have regarding the production, actors or crew, I don't really want that to color my viewing of the film. Might be difficult, and the most recent article left me kind mulling over it more.

 

[BigJake]

I basically try to bracket out the personal from any film I'm watching. It may be relevant to what winds up on the screen, but not in any way I can really claim to know about or, more importantly, claim to want to know about. The people involved will hopefully just hash that stuff out as best they can. It just isn't my business.

 

[lurok]

Talking-up a product isn't new, or restricted to movie hype. I always try and judge the finished product without prejudice.

 

[Ithekro]

Last I saw, the bridge set was fully enclosed on wheels and has been moved around the stage by a forklift for quality control. The thing looks like it was built professionally enough to withstand moving it out of the way for other set constructions, and also for the proposed ability to redress the bridge into other starships sets modularly.

 

[northstar]

I don't want money to become a factor, because I think you can do a fantastic production on little money, if you're smart. Not saying it is easy, by any stretch of the imagination, but doable.

Unfortunately, money is a big factor if you don´t want guerilla fimmaking and using Hollywood professionals and standards, especially in the SciFi genre.

I can´t think of any half-good Scifi flick that hasn´t cost at least 4-5 million dollars - and those are the ultra cheap ones, with just very few sets, actors and visual effects.

So everyone who tries to deliver a complex movie within the Star Trek universe (like Renegades or Axanar) at at least a certain quality level for around or under a million bucks has my utmost respect.

And anyone who expects such a movie to look like a 100 million dollar movie is getting their hopes up way too much - be it the director or a fan.

 

[JoeZhang]

Well, that may be Burnett's personal angle in that particular comment -- although I tend to think there he means "successfully deliver a story on the scale of a big-budget film" and not "literally deliver something that looks frame-for-frame the same as a big budget film"

From the Axanar website:

xanar will be the first non-CBS/Paramount produced Star Trek to look and feel like a true Star Trek movie.

that seems pretty clear to me.

 

[Nerys Myk]

True Trek? Really?

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Well, that may be Burnett's personal angle in that particular comment -- although I tend to think there he means "successfully deliver a story on the scale of a big-budget film" and not "literally deliver something that looks frame-for-frame the same as a big budget film"

From the Axanar website:

xanar will be the first non-CBS/Paramount produced Star Trek to look and feel like a true Star Trek movie.

that seems pretty clear to me.

I've followed the production closely, reading their blogs as well as listening to a few of their podcasts.

And you're right, both Peters and Burnett claim they'll make a huge 100 million blockbuster on a 10th of that. It's what they've been saying for quite a while.

True Trek? Really?

Yeah, I hear these terms a lot, "proper Trek" or "true 'Star Trek'", and I call BS. What is proper Trek or true "Star Trek" anyway?
It's the same rubbish that was trotted out when TNG first aired, then DS9, then Voyager and Enterprise.

What it boils down to is —*the "Star Trek" I like and the "Star Trek" I don't like. I don't like DS9 or Voyager as much, but they're still "Star Trek" for good or bad.

As I've said before, the beauty of "Star Trek" is that it can tell a variety of stories. It can be an action-adventure story, a thoughtful science fiction yarn, or a biting social commentary. It doesn't have to be all three at once, nor does it have to be just one of those things at all times. No other format allows for that in this way. And that's what I love about Trek.

When Trekkies get hung up on the philosophy or the social polemics, they self-aggrandize the show making it more than what it is: a format to tell great stories and every once in awhile give us food for thought.

And honestly, all the Trek movies before Abrams, save TMP, were all trying to be more about action and special effects. They've always tried to put more "Star Wars" into "Star Trek," including the beloved TWOK.

Frankly, so have a lot of fan films — some of which have amped up the action. Nothing wrong with action-adventure but let's not get caught in the notion that fan productions are doing something that's "truer" Trek than the Abrams's movies.

 

[USS Intrepid]

Yeah, I hear these terms a lot, "proper Trek" or "true 'Star Trek'", and I call BS. What is proper Trek or true "Star Trek" anyway?
It's the same rubbish that was trotted out when TNG first aired, then DS9, then Voyager and Enterprise.

What it boils down to is —*the "Star Trek" I like and the "Star Trek" I don't like. I don't like DS9 or Voyager as much, but they're still "Star Trek" for good or bad.

As I've said before, the beauty of "Star Trek" is that it can tell a variety of stories. It can be an action-adventure story, a thoughtful science fiction yarn, or a biting social commentary. It doesn't have to be all three at once, nor does it have to be just one of those things at all times. No other format allows for that in this way. And that's what I love about Trek.

When Trekkies get hung up on the philosophy or the social polemics, they self-aggrandize the show making it more than what it is: a format to tell great stories and every once in awhile give us food for thought.

And honestly, all the Trek movies before Abrams, save TMP, were all trying to be more about action and special effects. They've always tried to put more "Star Wars" into "Star Trek," including the beloved TWOK.

Frankly, so have a lot of fan films — some of which have amped up the action. Nothing wrong with action-adventure but let's not get caught in the notion that fan productions are doing something that's "truer" Trek than the Abrams's movies.

This is absolutely true, and something that continues to get under my skin. I hate when people trot out that pointless "true fans" rhetoric. Though I don't think the Axanar team have been making any such claims. Certainly, it's not a vibe I've gotten from them when we've chatted.

 

[BigJake]

"True Star Trek movie" is a vague phrase that encompasses budgets an order of magnitude apart from each other; it's basically just a claim that they're (hoping to) deliver a product that looks at home alongside other Star Trek movies. It isn't a claim about matching hundred million dollar product or being "truer" than the Abrams movies.

I don't understand why people work themselves into a lather over stuff like this. As lurok said it's normal for people to talk up movies they're making, treating this like it's some kind of outlandish messianic promissory note (or outlandish affront) is bizarre.

 

[USS Intrepid]

"True Star Trek movie" is a vague phrase that encompasses budgets an order of magnitude apart from each other; it's basically just a claim that they're (hoping to) deliver a product that looks at home alongside other Star Trek movies. It isn't a claim about matching hundred million dollar product or being "truer" than the Abrams movies.

I don't understand why people work themselves into a lather over stuff like this. As lurok said it's normal for people to talk up movies they're making, treating this like it's some kind of outlandish messianic promissory note (or outlandish affront) is bizarre.

Sorry, I was referring to fans trotting out that rhetoric, not producers. Should have made that clearer.

 

[BillJ]

I don't understand why people work themselves into a lather over stuff like this.

Who exactly has worked themselves into a "lather"? It is a discussion board where people discuss things. And not everyone has the same point-of-view.

 

[Harvey]

I'll just leave this here for now:

http://www.axanarproductions.com/axanar-and-cbs/

 

[JoeZhang]

The list says Facts and then goes onto to make claims:

4) Going into Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, the last thing CBS would want is any negative publicity related to Star Trek. As of August 30th, 1.5 million fans have watched Prelude to Axanar on Youtube, and other fan productions have large viewerships, as well. All of the fans watching these productions are Star Trek consumers. Alienating them by changing CBS’ relationship with fan films would not be good for business, particularly now, in the age of social media.

This isn't a fact, this is a claim and makes it sound like he thinks Axanar is too big for CBS to go after.

 

[BillJ]

I'll just leave this here for now:

http://www.axanarproductions.com/axanar-and-cbs/

Aren't you either violating someone's IP or not?

3) While Axanar is more professional, and has raised more money than all other Star Trek fan films combined, we use less Star Trek IP than almost all of them. A year ago we removed “Star Trek” from our website and Facebook page. We don’t use Star Trek in our title anymore. We aren’t recreating TOS and using iconic characters like Kirk, Spock and McCoy. We don’t use the delta shield. Yes, we use several characters from Star Trek and we are clearly set in that universe. We just try to minimize that.

I didn't realize there were degrees to copyright infringement?

And only 1.5 million views on YouTube? Seems like the fan base is definitely in decline.

 

[Phantom]

^In the literal legal sense there there aren't. But I take what he is trying to say as well: the more elements of the protected IP that are used, the more likely CBS is to intervene. Axanar (and possibly Pacific 201) are some of the least infringing fan projects I've seen. Definiely less so than NV/P2 or Continues.

I was interested in this:

They told us everyone at CBS and Paramount was aware of Axanar. They told us that we are certainly doing more than any fan film before and that has some people concerned.

That ties in with something I said awhile back. If someone proves that they can do as good a job as broadcast independently and for less money, I'd bet that CBS would put a stop to them. If the product looks like 2 kids and a cardboard set in some basement on video tape, no one is going to confuse that with "official" Trek. But Axanar, Continues, and NV/P2 are at or near studio quality, and that is makeing CBS nervous.

The producers do have another point though. Slamming down the banhammer on a bunch of fan productions can do nothing but generate bad publicity, and with the 50th coming up, that would be bad.

 

[JoeZhang]

Get back to the film itself - given how they are featuring minor characters - is this the right period for kirk's mom's love instructor to make an appearance (who we know was called James).

 

[BillJ]

Get back to the film itself - given how they are featuring minor characters - is this the right period for kirk's mom's love instructor to make an appearance (who we know was called James).

I'm boycotting if we don't see the love instructor!

 

[BillJ]

But Axanar, Continues, and NV/P2 are at or near studio quality, and that is makeing CBS nervous.

I've enjoyed fan films to various degrees. But none of them have come in "at or near" studio quality.

Here's the deal: real productions have to meet deadlines, real productions have to pay everyone based on what was negotiated with the unions (scale), real productions have to pay licensing fees for using other folks IP.

I admire the work various fan productions have accomplished, but they are still fan productions.

 

[SuperSpaceMan]

If CBS believes that money is going to Axanar, that would otherwise go to licensed Star Trek merch, CBS will step up and shut them down, along with all other fan films....

1) I met with CBS while at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention. The meeting was with two of the top people in CBS and they were very frank about Axanar. And while I can’t talk about most of what we discussed over the 30 minutes we chatted, I can tell you a few things. They told us everyone at CBS and Paramount was aware of Axanar. They told us that we are certainly doing more than any fan film before and that has some people concerned. We also discussed that CBS will not tell us what we either CAN or CANNOT do for legal reasons. They are very clear that they do not want to give guidance because it could negatively impact their IP rights. Yes, we are left to make assumptions and if we cross the line the lawyers will let us know.

That is the most telling... CBS is now taking Axanar seriously, and it seems at the very least some at CBS believe that Axanar represents a fiscal loss for CBS....

I suspect the hammer will come down soon.... Hopefully after STC releases episode 5