Meh... this "write - in" campaign is just a fart in a Solo™ cup.
CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar
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As a final aside to all that, I'll leave this here........
Switching gears slightly though, I read a post on the C/P vs Axanar Facebook group that I thought was interesting. Apparently when creating the Andorians for ENT, Manny Coto sought out this RPG sourcebook on ebay and used it as his 'bible' of sorts......
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Andorians:_Among_the_Clans
Not sure whether that's accurate, let a lone true, but as Lord Alec & co. are basically doing the same thing (with this supplement), I'm surprised there hasn't been more attention paid to this by the Axa-Faithful (I could see them bleating on to no end as they always have.......)
Switching gears slightly though, I read a post on the C/P vs Axanar Facebook group that I thought was interesting. Apparently when creating the Andorians for ENT, Manny Coto sought out this RPG sourcebook on ebay and used it as his 'bible' of sorts......
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Andorians:_Among_the_Clans
Not sure whether that's accurate, let a lone true, but as Lord Alec & co. are basically doing the same thing (with this supplement), I'm surprised there hasn't been more attention paid to this by the Axa-Faithful (I could see them bleating on to no end as they always have.......)
but... but... fan film Axanar is threatened, identically as existentially important as the way TOS was threatened!
When you write tie-in material, that's the risk you take.As a final aside to all that, I'll leave this here........
Switching gears slightly though, I read a post on the C/P vs Axanar Facebook group that I thought was interesting. Apparently when creating the Andorians for ENT, Manny Coto sought out this RPG sourcebook on ebay and used it as his 'bible' of sorts......
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Andorians:_Among_the_Clans
Not sure whether that's accurate, let a lone true, but as Lord Alec & co. are basically doing the same thing (with this supplement), I'm surprised there hasn't been more attention paid to this by the Axa-Faithful (I could see them bleating on to no end as they always have.......)
I wouldn't say Lord Alec and co are basically doing the same thing, though. The ENT example begins with Manny Coto being asked by CBS to do a job in return for money. Axanar is Alec Peters asking anybody and everybody for money to do something he isn't supposed to in return for very little.
^^^^As a final aside to all that, I'll leave this here........
Switching gears slightly though, I read a post on the C/P vs Axanar Facebook group that I thought was interesting. Apparently when creating the Andorians for ENT, Manny Coto sought out this RPG sourcebook on ebay and used it as his 'bible' of sorts......
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Andorians:_Among_the_Clans
Not sure whether that's accurate, let a lone true, but as Lord Alec & co. are basically doing the same thing (with this supplement), I'm surprised there hasn't been more attention paid to this by the Axa-Faithful (I could see them bleating on to no end as they always have.......)
Even if Manny Coto did, since there was a licensing agreement between Paramount and Unicorn Games; (which ended in 2000 BTW) - depending on the agreement, CBS may have had full rights to use the material if they so choose (IE I think ENT was after CBS/Paramount made the agreement to divide up the handling of TV and Film rights between the two entities.)
But regardless it would now be up to Wizards of the Coast (who now owns Unicorn Games) if they had an issue/wanted to pursue legal action.
[And no, I'm not really that much into this, but with the link provided, it was easy to find the publishing company website
]
There is a video on that Axanar page, halfway down, but I cannot watch it as it is private...Looks like Lord Alec & his acolytes are really swinging for the fences
http://www.axanarproductions.com/fan-film-friday-join-the-new-fan-film-letter-writing-campaign/
Dr. McCoy was rather quick to come up with a diagnosis too
Well, hey, looky there. That's written by the same Jonathon Lane who wrote the "independent" and "neutral" blog that @trynda1701 posted a few days ago: http://fff.trekbloggers.com/2016/08...ns-to-make-four-more-full-episodes-hopefully/ Now isn't that interesting?
I re-read that blog, and I love how he introduced himself to Vic Mignogna and James Kewin as "just a writer for Fan Films Factor", which while truthful was not the whole story, was it? Typical ambush tactic for gotcha-journalists. And it puts a whole new light on his editorial comments in the blog and in the replies below. It also helps identify the "couple other fan film producers" who asked to remain anonymous.
Well according to the Small Access Facebook group - 48 letters/packets have already been sent!
WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!
Way to show up people. ALMOST 50!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!!
Together... we can CHANGE THE WORLD!
WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!
Way to show up people. ALMOST 50!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!!
Together... we can CHANGE THE WORLD!
Well, they've got the "small" part down.
I don't mean to completely dismiss this movement. While I feel that its a valiant effort to make changes that they want, there are some issues that I think they're ignoring.
1. The relative fanbase of Fan Films. Even if I'm generous and suggest that there are 50,000 fans out there who like fan films (and I feel like I'm being very generous with that number), even at its lowest point, the Star Trek TV series brought in about 2.5 million viewers and Nemesis sold about 7.3 million tickets. 50,000 fans ignoring Star Trek Beyond is about $500,000 (assuming $10 a ticket) and 50,000 fans sharing CBS All Access to watch Discovery (assuming about 4 fans having viewing parties) still sells about 12,500 subscriptions, bringing in $75,000 for those subscriptions. They're losing $225,000 for those fans who are not paying. Okay, that's not an insignificant amount, but its not a huge amount (and remember, I'm being generous with their numbers) and Discovery is already profitable with international sales. So anything else from U.S. subscriptions is just the icing on the cake.
2. Times have changed. When the Trimbles started their letter writing campaign back in the day, letter writing was one of the key forms of communication. Now, writing a letter is a lost art. To add to that, if they think that CBS or their attorneys watching the Small Access group and not expect them to be coming, they're sorely mistaken. And if they think it will actually be read by anyone less than a secretary? They're sorely mistaken on that point too.
3. They're complaining about something that is brand new. Both when it comes to the fan film guidelines and CBS All Access. The complaints reek of issues of entitlement and unwillingness to change. Life is full of change and the sooner you realize that, the happier you will be. They haven't given either of these things a chance. And while I respect and appreciate that some people are on fixed incomes, the chances that they donated a lot more than that $18 a year you're going to need to watch the new Trek series every year on Axanar are pretty high. Even moreso, you don't always get what you want. So, pick your battles. Fighting a corporation because you want your new Star Trek on broadcast TV and because now someone can't make an epic Star Trek war movie just seems like small battles out there in regards to things that are important.
4. I mentioned it before, but the entitlement of these fans! You don't go in demanding a damned thing from a company you're trying to get something out of them. Particularly when you're a small group like this one. It reeks of thinking that you deserve everything handed to you on a silver platter. You don't. It's time to accept the fact that there are things that you cannot change. You don't like what they're doing to Axanar or CBS All Access? Well answer with your wallet. Stop talking about it and just DO IT! Don't get All Access. Not even with your group. Don't go to cons. Don't buy Star Trek gear (and that includes EVERYTHING). Don't support them. A corporation has the right to simply laugh at your movement or just throw your proposals into the circular file. And likely they will when they read your wants.
5. It's never going to catch on. Those 50,000 fans? (Remember the ones I'm being overly generous about their existence of?) One of two things is going to happen. First, people will not be able to keep up doing the sharing All Access thing and just buy it themselves. Or second, Axanar will lose the lawsuit and all of this support will go away. Regardless, those 50,000 fans? They'll be down to about 10,000 by the time that the first season is over. One thing about Trek fans? We like to bitch and moan, yes. But we want to have something to bitch and moan about. The idea of complaining about a new Star Trek series and criticizing and nitpicking every little thing is a lot more appealing to most fans than ignoring the newest installment.
I don't mean to completely dismiss this movement. While I feel that its a valiant effort to make changes that they want, there are some issues that I think they're ignoring.
1. The relative fanbase of Fan Films. Even if I'm generous and suggest that there are 50,000 fans out there who like fan films (and I feel like I'm being very generous with that number), even at its lowest point, the Star Trek TV series brought in about 2.5 million viewers and Nemesis sold about 7.3 million tickets. 50,000 fans ignoring Star Trek Beyond is about $500,000 (assuming $10 a ticket) and 50,000 fans sharing CBS All Access to watch Discovery (assuming about 4 fans having viewing parties) still sells about 12,500 subscriptions, bringing in $75,000 for those subscriptions. They're losing $225,000 for those fans who are not paying. Okay, that's not an insignificant amount, but its not a huge amount (and remember, I'm being generous with their numbers) and Discovery is already profitable with international sales. So anything else from U.S. subscriptions is just the icing on the cake.
2. Times have changed. When the Trimbles started their letter writing campaign back in the day, letter writing was one of the key forms of communication. Now, writing a letter is a lost art. To add to that, if they think that CBS or their attorneys watching the Small Access group and not expect them to be coming, they're sorely mistaken. And if they think it will actually be read by anyone less than a secretary? They're sorely mistaken on that point too.
3. They're complaining about something that is brand new. Both when it comes to the fan film guidelines and CBS All Access. The complaints reek of issues of entitlement and unwillingness to change. Life is full of change and the sooner you realize that, the happier you will be. They haven't given either of these things a chance. And while I respect and appreciate that some people are on fixed incomes, the chances that they donated a lot more than that $18 a year you're going to need to watch the new Trek series every year on Axanar are pretty high. Even moreso, you don't always get what you want. So, pick your battles. Fighting a corporation because you want your new Star Trek on broadcast TV and because now someone can't make an epic Star Trek war movie just seems like small battles out there in regards to things that are important.
4. I mentioned it before, but the entitlement of these fans! You don't go in demanding a damned thing from a company you're trying to get something out of them. Particularly when you're a small group like this one. It reeks of thinking that you deserve everything handed to you on a silver platter. You don't. It's time to accept the fact that there are things that you cannot change. You don't like what they're doing to Axanar or CBS All Access? Well answer with your wallet. Stop talking about it and just DO IT! Don't get All Access. Not even with your group. Don't go to cons. Don't buy Star Trek gear (and that includes EVERYTHING). Don't support them. A corporation has the right to simply laugh at your movement or just throw your proposals into the circular file. And likely they will when they read your wants.
5. It's never going to catch on. Those 50,000 fans? (Remember the ones I'm being overly generous about their existence of?) One of two things is going to happen. First, people will not be able to keep up doing the sharing All Access thing and just buy it themselves. Or second, Axanar will lose the lawsuit and all of this support will go away. Regardless, those 50,000 fans? They'll be down to about 10,000 by the time that the first season is over. One thing about Trek fans? We like to bitch and moan, yes. But we want to have something to bitch and moan about. The idea of complaining about a new Star Trek series and criticizing and nitpicking every little thing is a lot more appealing to most fans than ignoring the newest installment.
I can imagine how that is going.
Dear CBS/P,
We are protesting against you exercising your legal rights protecting your intellectual property. Alec Peters is a true visionary entitled to a salary, attending conventions all expenses paid, merchandising tie-ins, making a full feature length independent professionally produced Star Trek movie at a Hollywood guild level studio funded with your property.
You're ruining Star Trek for all the fans because you won't allow Alec Peters to do as he pleases. The tsunami of 48 previous letters is proof, we the fans, mean business and to show you how serious we are, we'll commence holding our breath in sheer outrage. You are a bunch of meanies.
I Have No Dog In This Fight,
Fred Fallacy
P.S. Can I please have some free Star Trek 50th Anniversary merchandise?
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It reminds me of the old Yiddish joke about "chutzpah". It's someone who defecates on your front porch, then knocks on your door and asks for toilet paper.
I'm in the camp that Mr Lane is working for Mr Peters and all this nonsense is an attempt to keep multiple fish on hooks with a view, to switch one poor metaphor for another, to milking them a bit more a little further down the road (River? Farm? Even I'm lost now). Because, surely, he doesn't really see this being successful, does he?
If this is accurate, then Mikey boy will be doing a lot of that next week.........
So this campaign has no ties to Axanar ... yeah right. Right, Mike? Right?
It makes me wonder:
Is Mr. Lane a useful idiot being skillfully exploited by AP and Iowa Mike or is he a willing participant in their AstroTurfing campaign?
I vote for willing participant.
I agree. Which makes his actions disingenuous and dishonest.
Lane seems to have replaced RMB as Lord Alec's sock puppet of choice lately.
Perhaps AP is foolish enough to think that he can influence a potential jury pool for the upcoming trial?
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