Steven L.
03-03-2008, 07:24 PM
Star Trek: Phase II: the First Professional Fan Film?
Fan produced Star Trek series Phase II may not be as fannish as it first
seemed. A new statement suggests a level of professional involvement in
the "franchise" that was previously unsuspected
Karl Hodge
.. . . .
The latest entry, World Enough and Time stars George Takei reprising his
role as helmsman Sulu and was written by former DS9 scribes Marc Zicree
and Michael Reeves. The episode was so well received that it won a TV
Guide award for best web based media – up against Lost and Battlestar
Galactica. The screenplay has been nominated for the Science Fiction and
Fantasy Writer’s of America’s highest trinket – the Nebula, in the same
category as the Doctor Who episode Blink and dark fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth.
And there the controversy begins.
There's a dispute bubbling among SFWA members as to the professional
legitimacy of Star Trek: Phase II. From an outside perspective the
argument seems a bit churlish - opponents say that World Enough… isn’t a
professional production so it shouldn't be eligible at all. One of the
loudest voices is Keith R.A. DeCandido, a science fiction writer who
specialises in tie-in novels – a category that the Nebulas have
traditionally shown antipathy towards. In a post on his LiveJournal
blog, Candido says:
“Look, this isn't a knock on the fan films as such. But that's what they
are -- they're fan films. They are not professionally produced. What's
more, they're unauthorized and, by the letter of the law, illegal. In
fact, one of the reasons why they're not prosecuted, is because they
don't turn a profit, which is one of the legion of ways that they're not
professionally produced…”
Now World Enough and Time director Marc Zicree has weighed in with his
point of view in a statement prepared for the SFWA. The argument he
constructs is interesting in itself... but what's more interesting is
how incredibly candid he is about how connected Phase II actually is.
The show's fannish producers, lead by Kirk actor James Cawley, have
traditionally been tight lipped about the privileged position Phase II
and New Voyages before it enjoys with the studio. Not Zicree.
He tells us that World Enough and Time was produced with the full
co-operation and knowledge of Paramount and CBS (from "Business Affairs
on down"), that he was given directorial advice by no less than J.J.
Abrams while shooting the show and that several key personnel were paid
for their involvement - including George Takei, and Zicree himself. The
show had many professional crew members on board, hired by Zicree's own
production company, including a professional editor, Chris Cronin, who
worked at industry rates. He lists a couple dozen more cast and crew
members, each with extensive working credentials, some with Emmy and
other awards to their names. He also mentions that a day of shooting
actually took place on the Universal lot.
This ultimately begs the question we began with; is Star Trek: Phase
II/New Voyages the first professional fan film? When your free, web
released movie uses copyrighted characters, but is endorsed by CBS and
Paramount; when it features fans in acting roles alongside Trek alumni;
when amateur producers rub shoulders with directors who worked on Deep
Space Nine and The Next Generation – where do you draw the line?
Here at Den of Geek we think Star Trek: Phase II could actually be the
beginning of new kind of media. The Internet brought these fans
together, enabled them to build a profile and pool their resources. Now
that technology is moving on – and the fan film series they started
creating has become a new kind of media. Like Star Wars tie-in novels
and Big Finish audio, Phase II is creeping towards legitimacy as a
licensed product.
Our prediction? Watch out for CBS endorsed fan flicks coming to iTunes
or a similar outlet soon.
http://tinyurl.com/2smgy2
[
So Abrams advised production, and Paramount contributed their lot for
filming?
Maybe Paramount is considering bringing New Voyages to broadcast
television as an official new Trek series. And Cawley and his cast will
star in it.
That would be cool.
]
--
Steven L.
Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net
Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.
Fan produced Star Trek series Phase II may not be as fannish as it first
seemed. A new statement suggests a level of professional involvement in
the "franchise" that was previously unsuspected
Karl Hodge
.. . . .
The latest entry, World Enough and Time stars George Takei reprising his
role as helmsman Sulu and was written by former DS9 scribes Marc Zicree
and Michael Reeves. The episode was so well received that it won a TV
Guide award for best web based media – up against Lost and Battlestar
Galactica. The screenplay has been nominated for the Science Fiction and
Fantasy Writer’s of America’s highest trinket – the Nebula, in the same
category as the Doctor Who episode Blink and dark fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth.
And there the controversy begins.
There's a dispute bubbling among SFWA members as to the professional
legitimacy of Star Trek: Phase II. From an outside perspective the
argument seems a bit churlish - opponents say that World Enough… isn’t a
professional production so it shouldn't be eligible at all. One of the
loudest voices is Keith R.A. DeCandido, a science fiction writer who
specialises in tie-in novels – a category that the Nebulas have
traditionally shown antipathy towards. In a post on his LiveJournal
blog, Candido says:
“Look, this isn't a knock on the fan films as such. But that's what they
are -- they're fan films. They are not professionally produced. What's
more, they're unauthorized and, by the letter of the law, illegal. In
fact, one of the reasons why they're not prosecuted, is because they
don't turn a profit, which is one of the legion of ways that they're not
professionally produced…”
Now World Enough and Time director Marc Zicree has weighed in with his
point of view in a statement prepared for the SFWA. The argument he
constructs is interesting in itself... but what's more interesting is
how incredibly candid he is about how connected Phase II actually is.
The show's fannish producers, lead by Kirk actor James Cawley, have
traditionally been tight lipped about the privileged position Phase II
and New Voyages before it enjoys with the studio. Not Zicree.
He tells us that World Enough and Time was produced with the full
co-operation and knowledge of Paramount and CBS (from "Business Affairs
on down"), that he was given directorial advice by no less than J.J.
Abrams while shooting the show and that several key personnel were paid
for their involvement - including George Takei, and Zicree himself. The
show had many professional crew members on board, hired by Zicree's own
production company, including a professional editor, Chris Cronin, who
worked at industry rates. He lists a couple dozen more cast and crew
members, each with extensive working credentials, some with Emmy and
other awards to their names. He also mentions that a day of shooting
actually took place on the Universal lot.
This ultimately begs the question we began with; is Star Trek: Phase
II/New Voyages the first professional fan film? When your free, web
released movie uses copyrighted characters, but is endorsed by CBS and
Paramount; when it features fans in acting roles alongside Trek alumni;
when amateur producers rub shoulders with directors who worked on Deep
Space Nine and The Next Generation – where do you draw the line?
Here at Den of Geek we think Star Trek: Phase II could actually be the
beginning of new kind of media. The Internet brought these fans
together, enabled them to build a profile and pool their resources. Now
that technology is moving on – and the fan film series they started
creating has become a new kind of media. Like Star Wars tie-in novels
and Big Finish audio, Phase II is creeping towards legitimacy as a
licensed product.
Our prediction? Watch out for CBS endorsed fan flicks coming to iTunes
or a similar outlet soon.
http://tinyurl.com/2smgy2
[
So Abrams advised production, and Paramount contributed their lot for
filming?
Maybe Paramount is considering bringing New Voyages to broadcast
television as an official new Trek series. And Cawley and his cast will
star in it.
That would be cool.
]
--
Steven L.
Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net
Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.