The annual TREKLANTA con in Atlanta, GA is not a particularly huge convention, but it is one of the most fan-film-friendly cons you’re likely to find anywhere. This is thanks in large part to Chairman ERIC L. WATTS, who organizes the convention along with Treklanta’s annual BJO AWARDS for the best Star Trek fan films from the previous year. And there’s usually at least a panel or two dedicated to a particular fan film or fan films in general.
This year, the most notable fan film panel was being led by RANDY LANDERS, show-runner for POTEMKIN PICTURES in Pelham, AL, which has produced about five dozen Trek fan films over the past eight years! The title of the panel: “Have the new guidelines really hindered the production of Star Trek fan films?”
Good question!
To help answer this, Randy invited five additional noted Star Trek fan filmmakers to join him for a lively panel discussion:
JOSE E. CEPEDA -Show-runner and lead actor on the long-running STAR TREK: NATURES HUNGER web series.
GREG TEFT – Cast member of STARSHIP: REPUBLIC, which will soon be filming more fan productions on the former Star Trek Continues “Stage 9” sets in GA.
GLEN L. WOLFE – Co-owner of the STARBASE STUDIOS sets in AR and the show-runner of THE FEDERATION FILES anthology series.
MARK NACCARATO – Show-runner for the upcoming Trek fan project THE ROMULAN WAR, which is crowd-funding right now! (Have you donated yet???)
ALEC PETERS – Head of Axanar Productions and Executive Producer of PRELUDE TO AXANAR.
Interestingly , when Alec’s participation on the panel was announced, even though the panelists were all fine with it, apparently a number of detractors weren’t. Eric L. Watts was berated with e-mails and criticism in detractor social media groups. (I’ve invited Eric to comment on that separately as a guest blogger later this week.)
The panel discussion was really enlightening and fun to watch. And thanks to a video shot by LEE DREW (and posted here with the blessing of both Lee and Eric), you get to watch it, as well (in two parts)…
It was a great listen
It was great seeing all of them together knowing and loving what they do and to learn a fan film that didn’t gain funding is taken up by Glen Wolfe of The Federation files The Equinox Effect, known as Equinox, John Savage and Gary Lockwood are out due the new rules but it’s a fantastic story and deserves further insight as Glen Wolfe is giving it, I respect his insight seeing the stories need as I do being a Trekkie and Sci-fi geek, it’ll be of different actors but Glen will see the story threw is told and not lost, I thank him for this and know he’ll not fail this story but make it better
Fun stuff to see all these folks in person and hear what they had to say. Thanks for sharing this treat for those of who can’t travel to cons.
You’re very welcome, Tory.
Goodmorning everyone,
I would like to express my thoughts about these guidelines. I feel that these guidelines on how they were introduced was not correct, sharing the substance but not some details. Let’s say that perhaps from my point of view the timing and the method by CBS / Paramount has been a tough one but I think we needed to draw a red line. Today, after 2 years, I think this red line has empowered the creators for the production of fan films that now the producers know how far they can go, that’s good. Of course these lines will always be improvable, there are still shadows areas to be defined but as a starting point is fine and I thank CBS / Paramount for this. After watching the videos of fan film producers in Treklanta 2018 I verified that my sensations about productions were right. Of course there is another problem of the decline of the Crowdfunding in this period for fan film projects and we need to understand why but after the storm there is the rainbow.