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Exeter

One of the sad things about fan films is poor story development or poor story presentation. Often times these things are more a way of showing off special effects than telling a story worth telling.
In other words, much like standard big-budget Hollywood fare these days. I like a fan film that strives to be Better. :)

I never talk about the specifics of what causes a hold-up - effects, editing, rewrites, reshoots - because I don't want to direct the audience's attention toward one element or another.
Wise man. Keep it up. :cool:
 
One of the sad things about fan films is poor story development or poor story presentation. Often times these things are more a way of showing off special effects than telling a story worth telling.

You might be able to say that about some earlier fan films, but the current crop (Exeter, New Voyages, and now Farragut) are really trying to tell a good story. I definitely feel that these fan films are not just Fx vehicles and have real heart to them.
 
T J said:
Fine! How much longer will the delay be?! :scream:

If Jimm knew of a specific date when he could release the finished product, I"m sure he would share it with us.

It's worth repeating that Jimm and co. have lives outside of Exeter.

I'm tried of waiting too, but that's only because the product is so good and I'm so eager to see how our heroes get out of this one!

As they say in the Cayman Islands "soon come."
 
People need to understand that these things take time and with any production you are bound to have delays. It is more important to have a quality product than a rushed one. It is the quality of these films that are getting them noticed more and more.
 
FleetLord said:
People need to understand that these things take time and with any production you are bound to have delays. It is more important to have a quality product than a rushed one. It is the quality of these films that are getting them noticed more and more.

"delays?" :vulcan: A delay is a week or month, even two.

We're a year and more (almost 13 months) from Act 2.

It's not delayed, it's "Duke Nukem Forever." :scream:

At this point I don't think it's unreasonable for folks to have given up or have profound doubt about Exeter being completed.
 
dru said:
At this point I don't think it's unreasonable for folks to have given up or have profound doubt about Exeter being completed.

It's not at all unreasonable; it's almost unavoidable.

It is, however, unnecessary. Trust me, if I ever have reason to think otherwise I'll let you know.
 
MikeH92467 said:

It's worth repeating that Jimm and co. have lives outside of Exeter.
WHAT??! How dare they! What could possibly be more important than placating desperate fans seeking the next installment of their magnificent ...urm, enterprise? ;) :lol:
Getting a life is highly over rated. Get back to work, ASAP! :guffaw:
 
So, any speculation on how the Exeter will pry itself out of the Tholian grip? In the original "March 17" trailer, we see them weaving some kind of web around the Exeter, so presumably, they'll make at least one lucky escape.

My money is on B'fuselek; he suffered nausea because of his sensitive antennae earlier, it'd only be fair if he were unsusceptible to the high-pitched whirring weapon used by the new Tholian Assembly.
 
Now the Exeter discussion forum at subspacebbs.com is gone and the domain name is available for bid? That's troublesome, and leaves the impression that the project is being allowed to fade away.

Anyone have any updates beyond the inevitable "it will be finished when it's finished"? As a contributor, I don't have a problem with Jimm & Co. experiencing problems or non-Exeter daily-life concerns. What I do have a problem with is the lack of up-front info about the delays.
 
I hate to say it but I've officially given up on the project as well. Being a full time media professional and part time filmmaker I understand the inevitability of delays but this is bordering on ridiculous.

To put things in perspective this project started shooting almost three years ago (July 2004) and wrapped principal photography 2 1/2 years ago. Here was the original release schedule:

* March 17, 2005 - Opening Teaser and Main Titles
* March 24, 2005 - Act One
* March 31, 2005 - Act Two
* April 7, 2005 - Act Three
* April 14, 2005 - Closing Tag and End Credits

Now having worked with all volunteer crews as well I can understand set backs here and there and I understand the desire of the filmmakers to create the "perfect" Star Trek fan film, but at some point "perfectionism" can become a liability.

As a producer and director you need to set drop dead deadlines for yourself, otherwise you will nitpick your work out of existence. I cannot tell you how many times my co-writer and I have had great scripts in development only to see them fall apart with too much self criticism and second guessing.

Years later we came to realize the importance of setting our own deadlines and sticking to them. Projects that we second guessed turned out great with script tweaking during production and last minute fixes in post. At some point you have to realize your limitations and say to yourself "that's the best we could do considering the circumstances."

The one thing I can say about the New Voyages group is they do an admirable job trying to stick somewhat close to their self-imposed deadlines. And I have no doubt James Cawley has looked at the screen and winced at certain editing decisions, acting performances, or effect shots, and said "well, that's as good as we're going to get it," and moved on.

It's really too bad because the producer of Starship Exeter really "got" Trek... they nailed it. The Tressaurian Incident was really shaping up to be a fantastic voyage. And I was really looking forward to another adventure with the crew of the Exeter... but it's pretty clear a third adventure is not going to happen.
 
I've no idea whether a "third adventure" is going to happen; I've never given much thought to it - that's up to Jimm. I'm having a great time working on this project, which will be finished.

But hey, no one has to believe or disbelieve anything - it's true that it's taking a very long time to get it done. When the next part is released people can drop by the site to download it for free, or not.
 
Although I haven't given up on Exeter by any means I do agree with Transformed Man's basic point. Setting and keeping deadlines really does lead in the long term to better results when you're trying to do a series as Jimm and company say they are.

If you're trying to make a one off, I think that changes the calculus a bit and I can certainly sympathize with the inclination to get everything "perfect."

Of course, no project is ever objectively perfect. At some point the law of diminishing returns sets in and the best thing to do is give it your best shot and move on.

Hollywood productions for all their financial, human and technical resources don't get things "perfect." There are always flaws. Somehow, the audience manages to overlook and/or forgive those flaws. Given the very nature of fan films (shoestring budgets, limited technical resources, volunteer technical assistance and amateur talent) I am certainly inclined to be more forgiving when those flaws show up in fan productions.

That said, I wanna see the rest of TTI!
 
UWC Defiance said:
I've no idea whether a "third adventure" is going to happen; I've never given much thought to it - that's up to Jimm. I'm having a great time working on this project, which will be finished.

But hey, no one has to believe or disbelieve anything - it's true that it's taking a very long time to get it done. When the next part is released people can drop by the site to download it for free, or not.

I guess, but you have been making posts like this for months now, and nothing seems to be changing. Again, the absence of a comment from Jimm and Josh is hard to ignore.
 
I understand everyone's frustration here.

As far as I'm concerned, Jimm and Josh and UWC and everyone else involved can take as long as they want. Its coming to me for free and its already demonstrably something of quality, and I don't mind the wait.

The problem with filmmaking is that it is a very unpredictable process. There's a reason these things happen and you do what you can to take care of problems that crop up.

And frankly, I think that the wailing of a bunch of nerds about having to wait for something they're getting for free pales in comparison to given the current events in the US today.
 
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