And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for! (Well, at least some of you were probably waiting for it.) AXANAR PRODUCTIONS is finally answering that oft-asked question: what the heck did you spend $1.4 million on??? Obviously, it wasn’t all tires and sushi! But did it really all go to turning a warehouse into a studio, building some sets, fulfilling a few (thousand) perks, and filming a 4-minute Vulcan scene plus 15 minutes of other visual effects? Well, now you can finally find out for yourself.
Axanar has also released an update on its plans for the future–what the now 30-minute Axanar movie will look like, how the full Axanar story will manage to get told, what’s going to happen to Industry Studios, and whether Axanar Productions will be producing other Star Trek fan films after Axanar (and will they be following the guidelines…well, of course they will!).
There’s a full DONOR MEMO that’s been published on the Axanar website with the headline “Lay in a course for the future.” I encourage you to read it in its entirety. Here on Fan Film Factor, I am just going to present some of my own insights on those announcement plus a screen cap of the financials themselves at the end.
I have also been approved by ALEC PETERS to open up the blog comments section to collecting QUESTIONS FOR ALEC for him to answer. But there are a few ground rules before you start feverishly typing:
- Questions must pertain to the contents of the donor memo: the Axanar financials and the plans for the future. Questions about the lawsuit and what happened in the past just aren’t relevant to the topic(s) at hand.
- Not every question will be selected to give to Alec. Rest assured that I’m not just going to cherry pick the “easy” ones, but I am going to pick the best ones that I think will give us all the most important information and clarifications.
- Don’t be a jerk. Your question has a MUCH better chance of making it into the “finals” if you’re polite and don’t treat Alec like a swindler, con-man, liar, and rogue.
Post your question(s) in the comments section below, and in a few weeks, I’ll publish Alec’s answers to the questions that I select.
And now, here’s my take on the plans for Axanar Productions (from the memo) and the financial report…
Parts Four and Five of “The Four Years War”
The mockumentary style of Prelude to Axanar actually made for a pretty dynamic storytelling format (hey, nearly three million YouTube viewers can’t be wrong!). And just like Star Wars began with “Episode 4,” Axanar‘s first offering was “PART III” of The Four Years War “documentary.” So now that the team has been granted two 15-minute fan films, the decision has been made to now create “PART IV” and “PART V.” These two films will tell the story of the Battle of Axanar and the peace that followed.
PROJECT: AXANAR
But what about the rest of the Axanar story??? Fans wanted to see a 90-100 movie drama with a script that was supposed to rock their quadrant!
Well, unfortunately, the Organians raided the game…or rather, the studios did. Axanar simply cannot be told as a full-length dramatic movie feature. That was one of the main terms of the settlement.
However, the full script can be presented as an audio drama. CBS and Paramount have made clear through John Van Citters’ podcast interview that audio-only productions are not covered by the guidelines…and neither are printed scripts. So with the launch of PROJECT: AXANAR, the creative team will present what they describe as…
A complete, trans-media production, produced in a variety of forms including the two 15-minute films, an audio drama of the full script, a complete illustrated script with production art, story boards and graphics, and written fiction to fill in the gaps in this amazing story.
So if you’re an Axanerd like me, even though you won’t get a full-length feature film, you’ll still have a LOT to keep you entertained and your inner (or outer) geek satisfied…including a full-length audio drama, which is still pretty cool if it includes real actors.
The Federation Historical Society
Apparently it WON’T be one-and-done (or two-and-done) after all for the Axanar team. With a full studio available, Axanar Productions does, in fact, intend to continue making fan films beyond Axanar…and not just Star Trek fan films!
This expanded endeavor will operate under the branded banner of “The Federation Historical Society” (the name of the fictional organization that created the Prelude to Axanar documentary within the Trek universe…and no, that generic name isn’t owned by CBS). By using a name other than Axanar-this-or-that, the new endeavor can define its own identity as an incubator of both Trek and non-Trek films. And of course, all Trek fan films will follow the guidelines and be solely volunteer productions. (Yep, no one wants to go back to court!)
A Non-Profit Studio
In the past, there has been confusion about Alec Peters’ intentions to make a “for-profit” studio. There was never an intention to build a pile of wealth but rather simply to take in enough revenue to pay the rent and utilities and the salaries for a few staffers. But since salaries are not the same as profits (the Red Cross pays salaries, folks), and the goal was always simply to cover basic operating expenses and occasional build-out improvements, what was really going on was that Ares Studios (now Industry Studios) was running as a non-profit and confusing people by inaccurately calling it “for-profit.”
That’s changing. Industry Studios has now announced that it will be operating as a non-profit business and will be filing paperwork shortly to get 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity status. Please note that you can operate as a non-profit without necessarily being a 501(c)(3). Some fans haven’t seemed to have understood previously that non-profit and tax-exempt are two separate things. The difference is that having the official 501(c)(3) designation means you are both exempt from paying taxes and also that charitable donations to you are tax-deductible for the donor. (I’d love it if I could declare my contributions to Industry Studios on my taxes! Wouldn’t you?) Being non-profit, while required in order to be tax-exempt, simply means you put your revenue back into the endeavor itself and the people working for it.
Of course, just making fan films for no profit isn’t enough to convince the IRS to declare you a charity. But Industry studios intends to do more than just make fan films of its own. In addition, they plan on…
…assisting other independent, fan and student film makers in bringing their projects to the screen. It is our desire to provide low-cost production services to other filmmakers like us; helping them to get their projects off the ground and into the hands of consumers looking for fresh, high-quality entertainment in the sci-fi, horror and fantasy genres.
The new Crowd-Funding Campaign
Although Axanar Productions is precluded from using Kickstarter or Indiegogo to raise any more money for shooting the Axanar fan film, Industry Studios is now a completely separate legal entity. Axanar Productions will use Industry Studios to film in, but so will other productions and student and professional filmmakers. As such, the continuing expenses for Industry Studios, at least for the time being, can, in fact, be crowd-sourced. And that’s important because, right now, the studio is costing $$15,000/month in rent and utilities plus another $3,000 for monthly storage of the Axanar sets during time when other productions want to use the facility.
Obviously, the ultimate goal is to bring in more commercial productions to rent the studio and also offer discounted rates to students and other low-budget productions that can’t afford the higher rents of other comparable L.A. studios. But for now, the campaign will try to raise money for the interim few months while the 501(c)(3) application is processed and marketing efforts are made to bring in business (you can find out here about some of the methods usually used in the industry in regards to the latter part).
And now…the FINANCIALS!
Just so you know, there were roughly 2,800 separate receipts, entries of individual payments, invoices, statements, and other financial records and contracts that had to be poured over and examined by the Financial Review Committee.
Many Axanar-watchers have not understood the purpose of the committee or how they could be “impartial” if they actually worked on and/or donated to Axanar. The fact is that this wasn’t some kind of financial “audit” like you would do for the IRS. This was a review by entertainment and financial industry professionals who understand what things cost in Hollywood–things like equipment rental, materials and supplies for building sets, labor, visual FX, music, and yes, even things like toilet paper and cleaning supplies. (Well, even I know what toilet paper costs! But I have no idea what it would cost to get insurance for a production studio for liability and fire/flood damage/etc.)
This was the job of the three-member committee. They were brought on to go through nearly three thousand individual payments and decide if these were reasonable expenses or if something fishy was going on. (And yes, that’s an intentional sushi pun, folks.) They were not looking to simply rubber-stamp all the expenses. Despite being Axanar supporters, they are also all people who work in the entertainment and financial industry. Their peers could easily look at this financial review and, if they see wild inaccuracies in what these three men have signed their names to, this kind of sloppiness could reflect poorly on each of them professionally.
That is why the committee took such a long time. If fact, the length of time it took them surprised many of us “on the inside” (like me!) because I actually was more expecting a “Hmmm, looks good to me…” kind of review. At least at first. Then I discovered exactly how carefully these three men were going through everything and how seriously they were taking this project. Having viewed the spreadsheets personally–with eyes glazing over after looking at just a few hundred line items–I have to say with all sincerity that I have true respect and admiration for all of these three men for going so meticulously through thousands!
In the end, the numbers come out to show that all Axanar $1.4 million of donor money was spent on legitimate expenses…along with about $260,000 extra also spent so far. And no, you won’t find tires or sushi or health insurance on the list because those are expenses that Alec Peters, not the donors, has paid for out of his own money. Part of that $260,000 has also come from private financing that was provided to Alec Peters by certain donors who requested (one required) to remain anonymous. (And no, it wasn’t me.)
But the important this is that the donor money was all spent on reasonable production-related expenses…not on frivolous personal gain, as some have falsely accused Alec Peters of doing. You can take a look at the full financial summary here:
And note that it is, indeed, a summary. A decision was made (and I think rightly so) not to provide all 2,800 line items because, to be honest, that was the committee’s job to go through with a fine-tooth comb. It doesn’t make sense to open up the flood gates to criticisms of “You spent way too much on screws!!!” or “That seems pretty expensive for advertising…what do you have to advertise anyway???” There’s work to do now, and arguing line items with detractors is a real waste of time.
The financial committee has verified the numbers. They’ve looked at the studio, at the sets, at the boxes of perks and stacks of supplies, at the contracts, and at a seemingly endless spreadsheet of numbers-numbers-numbers, and this is what they had to say…
After independent and committee review, we the undersigned, given our professional combined experience of over forty years in the fields of finance, producing media across multiple platforms, and physical production, can and do attest that the numbers presented to us by Axanar Productions, accurately reflect, within an acceptable margin, the cost of what it would take to: 1) Lease and retrofit a building to make a viable sound stage, 2) Mount a production (pre-prod and one day of shooting) up to the point at which the production of the Axanar production was halted, 3) Donor fulfillment cost as of 2016 including items and postage, 4) Promotions.
Kevin Rubio
Cedric Yau
David Bailey
And now, I invite those with questions for Alec Peters to ask them below. And once again, I respectfully ask that you try–please try–to keep your questions civil and polite…especially if you truly want an answer. If you just want to insult Alec, please do it elsewhere.
I do want everyone to see this website called writers guild of america west Look for the BASIC AGREEMENT OF writers guild of america west. I want everyone to read this pdf of the writers guild of america west ok please you will fine out why cbs and paramount studio want them to go by.
Is this what you’re talking about, Kenny:
http://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/writers_resources/contracts/MBA14.pdf
It’s 687 pages long, dude! I am NOT reading it all. Can you please copy-paste the part you’re talking about?
Howdy Alec,
What sorts of things are left to be completed as far as set building and such? Are things pretty much ready to go or is there substantial work left to do? Additionally, were there any things built that now can’t be included in the filming due to the change of format from a full length movie to the CBS approved run time? If there are things built that can’t be included, are they going to be scrapped or held for future projects? Finally, are the studio assets in place or are more things required for the studio to function?
Thanks for sticking it out so that we can have good stories. As far as I’m concerned you folks have made the most of a horrible situation.
Damn! Awesome questions there, Justin. I wanna know those answers, too!
The one question I do have is regarding what was labeled as a $38,000 salary in the Dec. ’15 report. Is that money accounted for here?
See, folks? It’s possible to ask a tough question and be nice about it. 🙂
Asking the tough questions is one thing, getting the actual answer is another one !
HubcapDave came through on his end, let’s see if Alec can answer the question without blowing bubbles out his A-S.
Well, that was certainly helpful.
A very excellent question, Dave. Kind of hard to tell who got paid what when there isn’t even a separate category for Wages, a pretty standard line item for most businesses.
Will there be some sort of dedication and/or nod to the late Richard Hatch included in the final film? How will you adapt the story to compensate for the absence of Kharn, assuming of course (just for argument’s sake) that you don’t plan recasting him?
Alec are any of the three professional actors you’re allowed to use, coming back? Are you still playing Garth?
If the professional level actors have any sense they’d avoid this mess like the plauge !
As for Garth, try getting Alec to give up his lifetime dream (even buying the uniform) of playing the part, you’d have better luck finding gold nuggets in your toilet than Peters giving up the part!
Of course the Axanar film has to actual move forward for any of this to even become an issue, hold your breath for that to happen !
Dude…spell check! Seriously.
My question: What are Alec’s ability and plans to produce the 30 minute film and any other promised content (audio drama, illustrated scripts, etc) if no further funding or insignificant amounts of funding is forthcoming?
What is the fall back strategy.
The falling back strategy for Alec Peters, when this goes south, is called job services – like his mother use to say: “GET A JOB ALEC!”
In the Axanar documentary, Anthony Shuh will be the villain. He plays the part so well! 🙂
Same old Anthony…
Just like a recurring fungal infection…
🙂
I thought the comment had his usual dramatic flair
A couple extra questions:
Since pre-production activities are back on…what is the current estimated funding requirements to produce the 30 minutes of film, extra content and delivery of rewards to backers.
i.e. what is the amount that is estimated to be still be needed from the backer community that Axanar Productions and related companies will be asking for.
thank you
The amount of work required now is probably the same as it was the first day the fundraising began, little to nothing done !
As for the funds required, 1.5 million dollars is nothing this time, we need over 2 million this round and half the supporters have smartened up and moved on ! So, to answer your question, mortgage your home, sell your vehicles, cash out your bonds and savings and send it all to Alec Peters – and hurry, him and crysstal have another trip to Florida coming up soon !
Wow, Anthony…read the room, dude. You’re the only one making a fool of yourself on this page, and you’re doing it over and over and over and over again. Do you just not want to be an adult? It’s fine if you don’t, but then please just be an immature, petulant child on someone else’s blog. The grown-ups are trying to have a mature conversation.
And one more question…last one:
Will Alec publish a breakdown of the estimated funding still required.
ex:
Studio Rental for x months: $xxx.xx
Studio upgrades: $×××.××
filming: $xxx.xx
actors: $xxx.xx
set finishing costs: $xxx.xx
etc
Illustrated Manuscript: $xxx.xx
Audio Drama. $xxx.xx
Perks Physical production costs and delivery: $xxx.xx
Alec don’t have time in his valuable day to break down every little expense, he’s got breakfast to eat at Marlo’s, on the donor’s dime of course !
Then after breakfast he has to drive to the warehouse and set behind the desk (with nothing to do) for a couple of hours and then head to lunch with Crysstal, again on the donors money, and then back to his apartment for meditation – and then repeat the procedure for the next day !
Alec is a busy guy, and that don’t even count the fifteen minutes he gives to his supporters to shake money from them !
Hi
So first, I want to say I think an audio play is a great idea. I know people setting out to make a film may be disappointed, but I am excited. There aren’t enough good sci-fi audio plays. I hope that Axanar can follow in the footsteps of radio play greats like Journey Into Space, Earth Search, and of course the radio play production of Star Wars by NPR. I understand that the audio play is a compromise to bring donors as much Axanar as possible, but I think Industry Studios should consider this another way to bring fan made projects to the world. (In case I have not made my point. Please make more sci-fi audio plays!)
My question for Alec is what is next for industry studios after Axanar? Have you been approached by other fan productions?
Alec has been researching the possibilities with an audio presentation of Axanar and it’s doable, he feels between him, Robert and Reece they have the fire power to actually pull this off in Peters apartment!
It’s going to be a bold adventure, but hold on !
They might even break out the old reel-to-reel recorder for the actual vintage feeling and sound …
As for Industry Studios (or we call it: “the bottomless pit”) nothing new there, just buying time for another 9 months and then it’s over ! But, we still need all the suckers (I mean donor friends) to cough up as much money as they can, this empty promise to the supporters must continue until the last door lock has been changed by the landlord!
Lol..and absolute last question…me promises:
Since Alec has reportedly been covering the studio rental and any other costs himself…will any potential forthcoming public funding be going to Alec Peters directly to reimburse him for these (or any other) incurred costs. I mean aside from any funding required for film and content production.
Man, you all are providing some awesome questions. I was expecting to be flooded with snarky accusation-type questions from detractors (and those might still be coming), but so far, I love what I’m seeing. Thanks, everyone!
“I was expecting to be flooded with snarky accusation-type questions from detractors”
I knew you had jinx’d yourself the moment I read that yesterday. *SIGH*
Actually, I was feeling a little lonely. 🙂
There’s only one small problem with reimbursement, you’ve heard the saying “robbing Peter to pay Paul” – well that summons this up !
Alec used the old shuffle technique, used other peoples money intended for business to pay himself and then loan that money back to the business and claiming it as a personal loan to the business – in the investment world this method will get you 20 years in jail !
But since all the funds are gone now, or at least all that’s ever going to be known, everything else is pointless.
Well, obviously not, as the financials show. Why do you keep embarrassing yourself, Anthony?
Maybe if everyone just ignores him, he’ll go away – He’ll realize that no-one’s interested in hearing his constant negativity and just stop commenting here on all his own – Just a thought really, but it might be worth a try… P
Possibly…although I’ve seldom seen the ignoring of bullies work as a deterrent.
I suppose, but at the very least he’d look like an even bigger fool talking to himself with no-one responding to a word he says lol… P 😉
Must be looking for another 15 minutes after getting his FB .ban
What are the total dollar amounts of donor money that went into Alec’s (or Propworx’s) bank accounts before Axanar opened it’s own account in 2015? Have those funds been transferred to Axanar or are they still in Alec’s account?
Where are the funds raised outside of KS, IGG, and the Donor Store – like selling t shirts, posters, and other merch at cons?
What is the total amount of checks written to Alec Peters from Axanar and what were they for?
Did Diana Kingbury ever get paid and how much?
Are there any other shareholders of Axanar or Industry Studios? Who are they, what % do they own, and what did they pay/do to earn that equity?
“Have those funds been transferred to Axanar or are they still in Alec’s account?”
Just wanted to say that there’s really no reason to ask Alec this particular question because there are obviously no funds still in any account. The financial summary shows all moneys to have been spent on legitimate expenses. Some of your other questions might make the final cut, though.
Somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better. Can’t actually put my finger on why, though. Oh wait – Alec blew $1.4 million with little to show for it, and is asking for more money. Why would anyone think he would manage more money wisely at this point? If you are thinking of giving him more, Jonathan – please don’t. Think of the children!
“Think of the children!”
My son loves Alec, Jo! He let Jayden sit in the captain’s chair and play on the bridge and even gave him a toy to keep (something that was sitting on Alec’s desk that Jayden had started playing with during one of our visits). Jayden still has that little racing car. Jayden is convinced that Alec is building the actual starship Enterprise (I tried to explain that it was the USS Ares), and he loves visiting the studio. He had a blast sorting patches for the perk-packaging “party” we had back in July of 2015.
So when I donate more money to Axanar and Industry Studios, I am indeed thinking of the children…and also about the project itself. AXANAR IS AWESOME! Seriously. I don’t care what you might think about Alec Peters; you can’t look at Prelude to Axanar with its nearly 3 million views and not acknowledge the incredible achievement it was that fans actually made this.
Were some of those fans also Hollywood professionals? Sure. But they were still FANS. This wasn’t Star Trek by corporate committee. This wasn’t negotiations with Chinese investors to make sure the new movie was full of explosions and motorcycle stunts to draw in bigger summer audiences. This wasn’t a strategic business decision to leverage the popularity of the property into grass-roots support of a new subscription-based streaming video service for the network.
No, this was fans of Star Trek producing an amazing 20-minute film and then breaking all records on Kickstarter and Indiegogo in order to do it again even bigger and better. Remember how exciting everything was BEFORE the lawsuit?
In terms of Trek fan films, 2014 and 2015 were amazing years full of hope and excitement–not just for Axanar but also STC, Renegades, New Voyages, Horizon, Farragut, Dark Armada, and many, many others. Of course, Axanar was right there in the forefront…and it was so energizing and engaging (“Energize!” “Engage!”) to be a part of that movement. As a fan, I hadn’t been this excited about Star Trek for years…and certainly not about anything coming from the studios.
So if you or anyone wonders why I have such loyalty and admiration for Alec Peters, Jo, it isn’t just for Alec Peters…it’s for ALL of Axanar, the team behind it, and everything they’ve accomplished so far.
Alec Peters didn’t “blow” $1.4 million. That much is obvious to all of us except for a tiny few who keep trying to ignore the reality of real, physical things. The studio itself looks amazing–an incredible transformation from what it looked like when I first walked in and saw everyone’s desks crammed into the small lobby (because no other offices were ready yet) and an echo-producing, hard concrete floor in an empty warehouse.
Now there’s offices, a six-layer sound-absorbing studio floor suitable for bracing sets to, a green screen wall the size of a basketball court, special tract lighting and a powerful electrical grid, state of the art digital editing hardware and software, and a host of other useful resources. The only thing still left to do is complete the sound-proofing, although the studio is still pretty sound-proofed with the floor and those tremendous elephant doors they built to cover up the noisy sliding metal door at the back loading dock.
This facility is 90+% complete using donor money. Nobody “blew” anything. The bridge set needs some final painting, and then TOS fan filmmakers will have one of the most amazing standing sets to film on–the only TOS bridge set west of the Rockies and the only one anywhere built on casters so the modules can be rolled in and out for different filming angles. It really is an incredible set…and a very impressive studio! Money was spent wisely and on the right things.
As a donor, I couldn’t be more proud. And I’m also proud that Alec Peters stood up for himself and for all of us who supported Axanar through more than a year of litigation. And I am ecstatic that he managed to get as much as he did in the settlement–allowing Axanar to actually get made (minus 60 minutes, unfortunately, but still featuring the original surviving cast) and also getting to keep this amazing studio.
Those of us who have “drunk this KoolAid” have now realized that it’s not poisoned after all…and it’s delicious! Axanar and its fan base are still here, and we’re psyched! The Axanar website got 72,000 unique visits during the month of February. Compare that number to the hyper-critical Axamonitor.com, which got barely 6.5% of that amount (4,700 visits) in the same month. Heck, even Fan Film Factor in that time got nearly 20,000 visits. The numbers are obviously on the side of the Axanerds!
So yes, the “Axanar faithful” are still faithful and more than ready to mobilize. We’ve been waiting for our chance to donate again…not because we think Alec Peters will blow our money on sushi and car tires but because we are confident that our money will go into creating something great, something that excites us in a way Star Trek itself just hasn’t managed to do in recent years.
Has Axanar had its fair share of speed-bumps along the way (like a multi-million dollar, year-long lawsuit)? Of course, it has. Much of what was being attempted by Alec and his team (and by all other fan productions before 2016) happened in completely uncharted waters, so even without a lawsuit, “stuff” was bound to happen. And hey, even Star Trek: Discovery has had its fair share of speed-bumps and its own delays…and it’s a 100% professional production!
The fact is that, no matter what headwinds have hit over the past 14 months, Axanar is still the uber-cool fan project that I fell in love with. And not just for us donors, bit for the “children” as well. And I’m not just talking about my six-year-old son. Part of Industry Studios’ ongoing mission will be to help young producers create their projects. Student filmmakers will be able to use the resources of Industry Studios at a fraction of the cost of other facilities. Heck, maybe Jayden will someday be one of those film school students! I have a friend who was also an Axanar donor who has three children (the older two already teenagers), and the middle child is getting interested in film-making. Axanar Productions intends to use volunteers. What a great way for my friend’s son to get some hands-on experience on an actual set in a real studio. In fact, in a few years, my own son Jayden might be old enough to help out, too. How awesome would that be?
So, yes, Jo Moine, I AM thinking of the children. And that is precisely why I will be donating once again to Axanar just as soon as I am given the opportunity…whether to the Kickstarter for funding studio expenses or privately to fund production of Project: AXANAR.
And I’d like to thank you, Jo, for giving me both the opportunity and a reason to look inside myself and really explore WHY it is that still believe so wholeheartedly in the project and the people behind it. And I’m glad I could share my reasons with you.
If that wasn’t so long I’d want it on a t-shirt.
Yeah, I’m not really a T-shirt writing kinda guy. 🙂
Wait so Jona than are you admitting that Axanar used illegal, unpaid workers, including an underage one? Since Axanar Productions is registered as a for profit corporation any work performed for them must be paid and things like child labor laws must be followed. You cannot donate time to a for profit company and whether Axanar produced a profit or bit it is registered as a for profit company.
Well, since that aforementioned child used for the “child labor” is the son of an employment litigation attorney who is a partner at a major Los Angeles law firm, and she didn’t have a problem with her son helping Daddy volunteer for a few hours, I doubt there’s any issue there. We’re certainly not going to press charges. 🙂
And by the way, I used to volunteer at Creation Conventions back in my younger days, and all I got in return was free admission (which back then, was less than minimum wage for the number of hours that I put in). Creation was and is a for-profit corporation, so I doubt there’s any problem with volunteering to help. In fact, I used to put in time behind the Lincoln Enterprises tables back when Majel and Gene were still traveling together to cons. And all they ever gave me were IDIC pins! (I did it mostly because it was cool and I could brag to my friends about it later..like I’m doing right now!)
Buying a warehouse and building a studio is blowing the money. The fact that you can’t see that is weird. That money was donated to produce a film that could have continued production during the lawsuit, but for some mysterious reason no one wants give and/or explain properly it didn’t. If you really want to ask Alec questions and play journalist then find out why he stopped production because to me stopping suggests that the production was never the goal.
That’s been explained elsewhere, but maybe you missed it, Ronald. Once Winston & Strawn were brought on board, they strongly recommended to Alec that all production be suspended until the lawsuit was either settled (in which case they would receive guidance on what they could and could not do) or resolved with a verdict. Continuing production would place Alec at greater risk for an expanded lawsuit (or a second one), since the full Axanar feature would be considered a separate incidence of alleged infringement. And unlike “Prelude,” for which there was a basis for a fair use defense (until the judge nixed it 11 months later) because of the transformative nature of the mockumentary format, a dramatic format feature film would not fall under the same transformative classification. Also, it would be MUCH harder to argue for non-willful infringement if Alec made a SECOND full fan film WHILE getting sued for the first one!
I hope that makes sense, Ronald, and clears up the mystery for you. The decision to suspend production was made–very wisely–on advice of legal counsel.
As for the studio–the whole big $638,000 Kickstarter was for the soundstage and sets. It even said it at the top of the Kickstarter page: “This first Kickstarter will be for the sound stage and set construction.” Seriously, go check for yourself! 🙂
You could still put it on a t-shirt, Justin – Just use the front AND the back… P 😉
Ronald, are you high? It’s been explained ad nauseum that W&S advised them to NOT MAKE the movie they were getting sued over while the suit is going on. Be kinda stupid to get a high-powered IP litigation firm, and then ignore their advice, don’tcha think? Furthermore, let’s stop pretending that following advice of council is somehow NOT a legitimate reason, m’kay?
You know, I was going to respond to this, but I think I’m better off just saying “what Jonathan said”!
“That’s changing. Industry Studios has now announced that it will be operating as a non-profit business and will be filing paperwork shortly to get 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity status.”
Sorry, where did they do that? In the memo to donors, they said it was Axanar Production that was doing that.
Let me double check that, Fred. I’ll post a correction if I need to.
Here is a few questions I think everyone has the right to know in the interests of transparency.
1, You say you never too a salary crom Axadonations however in the 2015 financial statement it says differently.
2, If these new figures are to be believed can you clarify in what sections the salaries/money paid to both Dianna and Robert can be found.
3, Are we ever likley to see a complete set of accounts with such things as…
Profit and loss
Bottom and top lines
Income and expenditure
Etc etc
4, Is the studio complete now with all safety aspects up to code and of not how much is this going to cost to complete?
I may think of more but these are the ones I’ve just come up with…
Because no accounting is complete unless you account for all your et ceteras!
Then this document is not a complete breakdown of the money that has gone in and out out Axanar Productions and all of it’s subsidiaries and is simply notworth the paper it’s printed on so to speak.
Yes I am a vocal critic or “hater” depending on what word is used this week but in the interests of transparency which is something that is blasted out by Alec over and over, this financial statement is worse that the last one at least the last one has some sort of breakdown.
“3, Are we ever likley to see a complete set of accounts with such things as…
Profit and loss
Bottom and top lines
Income and expenditure
Etc etc ”
You literally asked for a complete accounting of et ceteras, Hams.
And, let’s be honest, no matter what Alec issued, there was always going to be some kind of criticism (justified or otherwise) coming from your camp. It’s actually to the point where if Alec walked on water, there’d be people on that side saying that he can’t swim.
“It’s actually to the point where if Alec walked on water, there’d be people on that side saying that he can’t swim.”
I do so love that joke! 🙂
This release doesn’t match Alec’s statement that Axanar is the most transparent fan film. Numbers on a page with no evidence to back them reviewed by people who are not independent of the production mean nothING and certainly don’t qualify as transparency.
Methinks Sir Ronald is not satisfied! Such a tragedy. 🙂
I’d like to know if there’s a production out there that’s released more financial information than Axanar. Beyond STC’s tax filings (required to keep his 501c3 status), I don’t know of anyone else who’s produced anything.
So please, people making issue of this, why don’t you show us instead all the other productions who have made any of their financials public at all? Give us what production you think should be the benchmark, and why they should be the benchmark, and what they’ve shown of their financials to become that benchmark in your minds?
Will, you be able to use the “Heavy Cruiser” introduced at the end Prelude in the new film? Being the same style of ship as the Enterprise, did the settlement take that off the table? I know that includes something pertaining to the settlement but it also looked like this would be a big part of the Axanar film.
Another great question!
When the audio drama is finished, will donors get a downloadable mp3 version or anything like that?
I love that question.
I’m very intrigued about the prospect of fleshing out the story of Axanar in different media formats, particularly in audio. One of my favourite sci-fi ‘entities’ is Journey Into Space, a hugely popular radio drama which attracted an audience of millions and was translated into multiple languages. I never heard this show in its original run (I’m only 30), so when I hear it and create the images for what I’m hearing visual sci-fi like Star Trek, which of course came later, influences how I imagine space/space travel.
Gripping sci-fi audio is possible, but Star Trek is best known for being presented in the visual medium. To my knowledge this has not really been done before, besides perhaps a few fan projects. What inspiration will you draw from to tell the best story possible in this format?
blocked from newsletter, so I’ll just have to wait until someone posts it online.
What newsletter, Edward?
Would living up to your claim of the most transparent fan-film necessitate releasing the line item receipts for fans to conduct an audit themselves??
I second that. Also, may I have bank, credit card, PayPal, and Stripe statements for all accounts related to Axanar from 1/1/14 to the present? Don’t worry, Jonathan – my eyes won’t glaze over by reviewing the 2800 or so transactions, this is what I’ve been doing for a living for 25 years and I would relish pouring over Axanar’s books. I’ll even share what I find!
Perhaps it would if you could show another fan production that has done the same…don’t worry, I’ll wait for you to find one…..
What was the point of paying yourself if you were going to put the money back in anyway?
Aren’t you just leaving yourself open to criticism?
Jonathan in your statement “don’t treat Alec like a swindler, con-man, liar, and rogue” I was astonished as to how well you actually defined him..
I noticed that several of my excellent and directly to the point questions were never posted, but I’m sure you’ve memorized them and will address them with Garth Peters .
Also, I noticed that the transparency issue was mentioned, you know where Alec claimed to be stright forward about the disclosure of all the expenses and where the donor’s funds were being spent, whatever became of that ? Granted that we all have seen that half baked financial statement that he released several days ago and looks like something a twelve year old gives his teacher, but come on, this guy is 56 years old and should know some basic accounting skills ! If you gave Alec’s general ledger to an accountant he’d be laughing so hard he would probably piss himself !
Actually, I was quoting (mostly) the opening of “I, Mudd,” but I’m sure you’re just as happy with that comparison as you are comparing Alec to Garth. Enjoy.
You’ll notice that I’ve approved the vast majority of your comments, Anthony. The ones that get deleted (mostly unread, I might add) are the ones where I notice either a swear word or a direct personal insult/name-calling against someone (usually Alec Peters). You were already warned, so for you, trashing is automatic. I begin reading your comments, and as soon as I see anything you were warned about, I just stop reading right there and and hit “trash.” It’s quite the time-saver! (That’s a quote from “The Trouble with Tribbles,” by the way.
Thanks for playing.
Mr. Peters: In the settlement, did Paramount (well, CBS I guess) apologize for what they did to Richard Hatch (and everyone who loved his character in Axanar). I think that is one of the outstanding tragedies of all this. Of course we can and will move forward, and the tenacity (driven by love of Trek) of the Axanar folks has really impressed me. To continue my thought above, are you interested in recasting Hatch’s character or maybe (crosses fingers!) you have recorded material laying around.
“YOU LIE!!!”
– Joe Wilson to Barak Obama
I don’t see any point in this thread about asking Alec Peters the straightforward questions that fans would like, let alone, demand answers, too.
The ONLY outcome of this thread will be the following. Alec will put a spin on the answers. Or to be more precise, he will lie in all of the answers that he will give.
This thread will be treated a nothing more than a PR smokescreen to cover up how bad the situation REALLY is Star Trek – Axanar, and how it is nothing more than ‘damage control’.
The VERY idea of fans still defending and supporting both Alec Peters and Axanar is a bad one. One that will only cause further damage to the reputation of Star Trek and it fan following.
You used the Joe Wilson outburst? Really??? That behavior was so shameful that even Republicans condemned it.
Ask me if I really care.
Seriously, Alec Peters’ behavior was, and still is, so shameful, that he SHOULD NOT EVER be welcomed in ANY Star Trek related activity. His actions are certainly a bad reflection on the Star Trek fan community.
Let alone his actions make him come off as a used car salesman.
On the other hand, he has a tremendous singing voice. 🙂
SMH. Really? It’s more like a tremendous tendency for ruining the good name of Star Trek and all of the positive things that it stands for.