I was at the Shoreleave convention where this happened. Not only Fanzines but Prop and Costume sellers as well.
BREAKING: Official Fan Film Guidelines Issued
- Thread starter Danlav05
- Start date
I think it would have been possible to cut AP down to size without cutting everyone else (who has played nice) off at the knees.
That said they have said that guidelines could change. They could change for the worse or for the better. After AP has been dealt with CBS/P could quietly allow things to return to pretty close to the same status as before as long as everyone continues to play nice.
I would say that there would be something to keep in mind besides not profiting financially. Don't overreach (no feature length films) and don't make too much noise (disparaging official Trek productions and crowing about being "professional"). Indeed such guidelines existed before albeit unspoken.
I'm really bugged by the 15 minute limit as well as no sequential episodes or series. Fan productions by their very nature cannot possibly compete with CBS/P. This strikes me as rather spiteful. A fan production producing one or two 30-60 minute segments a year can in no way whatsoever compete with a full flight profuction studio and network. And the audience fan productions reach and cater to is miniscule compared to the draw of a feature film or television series.
The fact that something like STC interests me far more than JJtrek is no threat to CBS/P given I don't go to see JJtrek anyway even before I discovered STC. Regarding the new series the question is still up in the air although I'm still leery given many years of disappointment. I also don't buy Trek merchandise other than related to TOS and that situation existed long before STC came along.
I also accept that I am probably of a small minority that probably doesn't register on CBS/P's radar.
Both the next film and the new series will draw a lot of attention, but it isn't a given they cannot stumble or even fail. It will all depend on execution. The next film is already a write-off with me as I cannot stand the current state of the feature films. The new series remains to be seen.
If nothing else fan productions could be a sample of where the interests of certain devoted fans lay.
That said they have said that guidelines could change. They could change for the worse or for the better. After AP has been dealt with CBS/P could quietly allow things to return to pretty close to the same status as before as long as everyone continues to play nice.
I would say that there would be something to keep in mind besides not profiting financially. Don't overreach (no feature length films) and don't make too much noise (disparaging official Trek productions and crowing about being "professional"). Indeed such guidelines existed before albeit unspoken.
I'm really bugged by the 15 minute limit as well as no sequential episodes or series. Fan productions by their very nature cannot possibly compete with CBS/P. This strikes me as rather spiteful. A fan production producing one or two 30-60 minute segments a year can in no way whatsoever compete with a full flight profuction studio and network. And the audience fan productions reach and cater to is miniscule compared to the draw of a feature film or television series.
The fact that something like STC interests me far more than JJtrek is no threat to CBS/P given I don't go to see JJtrek anyway even before I discovered STC. Regarding the new series the question is still up in the air although I'm still leery given many years of disappointment. I also don't buy Trek merchandise other than related to TOS and that situation existed long before STC came along.
I also accept that I am probably of a small minority that probably doesn't register on CBS/P's radar.
Both the next film and the new series will draw a lot of attention, but it isn't a given they cannot stumble or even fail. It will all depend on execution. The next film is already a write-off with me as I cannot stand the current state of the feature films. The new series remains to be seen.
If nothing else fan productions could be a sample of where the interests of certain devoted fans lay.
I'm just slowly going through the thread, but not knowing anything about Axanar... why was that the one that was the last straw?
A lot of the guidelines (no past or present staff of a production, no merchandise) seem targeted at Axanar, but it applies to Renegades (and the others if you count actor cameos) as well.
A lot of the guidelines (no past or present staff of a production, no merchandise) seem targeted at Axanar, but it applies to Renegades (and the others if you count actor cameos) as well.
.
axanar poked the bear. The bear got mad
The Seventh of the Ten Commandment says:
"Thou shalt be family friendly and suitable for public presentation. Thou shalt not include profanity, nudity, obscenity, pornography, depictions of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or any harmful or illegal activity, or any material that is offensive, fraudulent, defamatory, libelous, disparaging, sexually explicit, threatening, hateful, or any other inappropriate content. The content of the fan production cannot violate any individual’s right of privacy."
For the most part I think that this is the most reasonable of CBS’s Ten Commandments. I don’t particularly want swearing and sexually explicit stuff if fan films either, not that I recall this ever happening, except in parodies. In regards to the alcohol (Scotty is going to be pissed about this – quite literally), it’s very easy to get over this issue in fan films. Just make sure you refer to it as Synthehol! But it’s a shame for any fan film that might want to explore issues of drug and alcohol misuse.
It will be interesting to see if the new Star Trek series also conforms to CBS’s own high standards in this regards. Directors are already commenting that one of the advantages of having Star Trek on a streaming service, and not on TV, is that they can push the boundaries.
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Probably about 1.3 million reasons.
Basically they raised way too much money, they sold illegal merchandise, they tried to create a commercial studio, they spent every spare moment claiming that their movie would be better than the official films while ripping off many elements of them, plus loads of other issues.
Haven't they succeeded at creating their commercial studio? Industry Studios, principle owner Robert Meyer Burnett (who brought the lease for an undisclosed sum from Axanar Productions), is open for business and already has been rented for Star Thieves. I think they already have what they really want from all this. 
Haven't they succeeded at creating their commercial studio? Industry Studios, principle owner Robert Meyer Burnett (who brought the lease for an undisclosed sum from Axanar Productions), is open for business and already has been rented for Star Thieves. I think they already have what they really want from all this.
I can't believe that the California AG and the IRS won't get involved in this at some point.
Have faith.
Why would they? These guidelines are for fan films, they aren't anything to do with official product.
...The new show will be longer than 15 minutes too.
Why would they? These guidelines are for fan films, they aren't anything to do with official product.
...The new show will be longer than 15 minutes too.
Exactly.
its chutzpah to think that CBS and the fanfilms have to play by the same rules. That equates equality in this relationship. Fanfilms are the neighbor's kids playing in their sandbox. They get to make the rules, but they don't have to apply to them. And, no, it doesn't have to be fair.
That would be foolish because another Alec Peters could come along and start the whole thing all over again. The guidelines aren't going anywhere.
Neil
Exactly. For good or for ill, Axanar was a seminal moment in Star Trek fan film history and the repercussions will be felt long after the case is done. The more difficult part will be watching fan films learn to operate within these new boundaries. There will be a lot of growing pains as part of it.
The more frustrating part is the fact the response and opinion that CBS is being unreasonable. As someone pointed out, they could have done this at any time, but that would have involved the lawyers and they didn't want that. But, now, they had to. In the age of crowdfunding and such, they didn't have a choice. I know that defending a corporation is considered "uncool" or whatever, but CBS has a legal right to defend their brands.
For every Vic or James Cawley willing to be respectful, there is a hundred APs who just don't care about the rules.
The donors. If people hadn't given him money then he wouldn't have gotten nearly as far.
Members of the fan film community need to be a lot more discerning about the projects they back. They need to ask hard questions--and withhold their donations--when they're presented with pie in the sky ideas, a shiny sizzle reel, and some fifty cent swag. The warning signs for Axanar were there from early on in the project, but too many people were willing to ignore or rationalize them.
We all bear responsibility for the situation with fan films getting out of hand. We all bear some of the responsibility for guidelines being enacted. Why? Because we supported questionable behavior with our money instead of letting those projects wither on the vine.
If you want to go down the blame game route....CBS was partly responsible for allowing crowdfunding to spiral out of control for as long as it did. They waited until AFTER crowdfunding had broken the 6 and then 7 figure barrier. The biggest budget project prior to Axanar was Renegades. And Renegades had some meaningful communications with CBS because of the whole "stealth pilot" conceit. CBS could have shut them down before they got too big for their britches. Fan-films interpreted the non-action as a free-for-all.
These guidelines are the proverbial closing of the space dock doors after the Enterprise was stolen.
These guidelines are the proverbial closing of the space dock doors after the Enterprise was stolen.
That picture would have been a lot more effective if the Enterprise were leaving Spacedock
Also, of course there is plenty of blame to go around. I'm just stating that the idea that CBS is being unreasonable is a little hyperbolic. Yes, CBS could have stepped in, and then the questions would have been asked "Why was Renegades targeted?" And CBS would have to respond.Guess what? The guidelines would be handed down because the lawyers would need to get involved.
Either way, the lawyers get involved and the guidelines get handed down and CBS comes across as draconian and evil.
Also, of course there is plenty of blame to go around. I'm just stating that the idea that CBS is being unreasonable is a little hyperbolic. Yes, CBS could have stepped in, and then the questions would have been asked "Why was Renegades targeted?" And CBS would have to respond.Guess what? The guidelines would be handed down because the lawyers would need to get involved.
Either way, the lawyers get involved and the guidelines get handed down and CBS comes across as draconian and evil.
The current state of fanfilms was a house of cards, Axanar is just 100% at fault for finally blowing it over.
NV was the first to start toeing over the line, but I think it was so infrequent and amateurish at first that CBS was willing to look the other way. Then crowdfunding allowed fan producers to start collecting serious funds, combine that with better CGI tools and the films started to get a lot more frequent and professional looking. CBS was still willing to look the other way, but it has to be telling when YouTube pulled STC's "White Iris" on their own for copyright infringement. And on that note, while the Axanar trial is about copyright, the issue of trademarks also has to be taken into account, that's something that needs to be actively policed and it's arguable that CBS has been a little lax on aspects of that by allowing fan films free reign.
NV was the first to start toeing over the line, but I think it was so infrequent and amateurish at first that CBS was willing to look the other way. Then crowdfunding allowed fan producers to start collecting serious funds, combine that with better CGI tools and the films started to get a lot more frequent and professional looking. CBS was still willing to look the other way, but it has to be telling when YouTube pulled STC's "White Iris" on their own for copyright infringement. And on that note, while the Axanar trial is about copyright, the issue of trademarks also has to be taken into account, that's something that needs to be actively policed and it's arguable that CBS has been a little lax on aspects of that by allowing fan films free reign.
It's like parents and kids. You give kids rules and they'll push. The less stringent the rule, the more than take advantage. CBS had very lax rules and let the kids have their fun. But eventually, some push their folks too hard and dad's gotta come down on them and ground 'em just as they're getting ready for the prom.
CBS was trying to be the cool parent, but the kids didn't know when to stop. Out came the belt. It's partly dad's fault for not being a more concerned, involved parent, but the kids were old enough to know better.
CBS was trying to be the cool parent, but the kids didn't know when to stop. Out came the belt. It's partly dad's fault for not being a more concerned, involved parent, but the kids were old enough to know better.
It wasn't just that Peters didn't care about the rules, it is that he exploited them for personal gain. That is the difference here, and why we are where we are.
