Why do I spend so much time and effort showing support for fan films large and small? Why do I insist on always being positive about these productions…even when it would be so easy to find things to criticize?
The answer lies in this amazingly well-crafted video documentary that I present to you today. I began watching it on a friend’s recommendation. Initially, I took one look at the run-time—just over an hour—and thought: “Well, I’ll watch the first few minutes, at least…”
A little over an hour later, I’d watched the whole thing and was truly moved. THIS is the reason I write Fan Film Factor, folks!
If you’ve never worked on a fan film—even a really amateur one (my first, Voyages of the USS Angeles back in 1999, was pretty, um, humble)—it’s hard to explain what a truly intense and often (hopefully) rewarding and bonding experience it is for those involved. Whether your tasks on the production are large or small, you feel like part of a team, part of a joint creation and shared accomplishment. And even if the finished product doesn’t turn out as magnificent or awe-inspiring as you first imagined, no one can take away that time, effort, and camaraderie that you and your friends put into it.
And that’s the story presented in HINDSIGHT: THE UNMAKING OF ALTERNATIVE VICTORY. Back in the winter of 1982, a number of dedicated Trekkers from northern California came together to make a Star Trek fan film. Most were in high school or college, and nearly all of them were pretty clueless about filmmaking. But the thing was: they didn’t know they were clueless! And so they soldiered on, always imagining the awesomeness of their final production.
This 2013 documentary is a retrospective from 30 years later, featuring the young kids—now all grown up—who tried to make Alternative Victory. Looking back from the perspective of adults in their 40s and 50s, the documentary isn’t just about the making of this fan film. It’s about the people involved and the effect this shared experience had on all of their lives…even decades later.
I invite you all to share this special journey, this trek, with documentary-filmmaker DAVID HOGGAN and his friends as they look back at a fan film that almost was…
Would be interesting to see this movie reproduced with the current level of cinematography tech. available just for the love of Star Trek
Well, many other Star Trek fan films are doing just that multiple times each year. 🙂