Fan Film Features – Page 57

CONVERGENCE releases one of the BEST crowd-funding videos I’ve ever seen!

With less than seven days to go, and within striking distance of his goal, Trekyards co-host and treknology trexpert SAMUEL COCKINGS is filling his final week of his Indiegogo campaign for CONVERGENCE with new videos. Currently at $4,755 as I type this, they’re just $845 (14%) away from their goal of $5,500…although Samuel would love to reach $6,000 to cover Indiegogo fees and perk costs. And if he reaches $7,000, he’ll release bonus behind-the-scenes content. (There’s also other stretch goals beyond that.)

Samuel has saved the best videos for last. Already, there was a fun interview on Wednesday with NICK COOK, who will be reprising his role of Captain Daniel Hunter of the fan series Star Trek: Intrepid. And on Friday, Samuel posted another interview with actor CHRIS BURDETT from the upcoming fan film Temporal Anomaly. Both of these gentlemen will be starring in Convergence.

While both of those interviews were very well-produced (good lighting, good sound, interesting questions and answers) and are certainly worth viewing if you’re a fan of fan films, it was the video Samuel released this morning that blew me away.

This 3-minute vignette is now my second favorite crowd-funding “ask” video ever. Why is it my second favorite? Well, nothing will likely ever surpass this video (and the four that came after it) from Star Trek Continues‘ “Kirkstarter 2.0.” But the reason this Convergence video gets the secondprise (get it?), is because it has so much fun while asking folks to donate.

Begging for money is never easy, and fan films who go the crowd-funding route have taken various approaches from serious to whacky. Sometimes it’s easy because they have big celebrities or they’ve already filmed or released other work to show what they can do. But sometimes, you’ve just gotta work with what you have.

And that’s what Samuel did, combining a script for the video with ad-libs and outtakes to produce a very real, creative, sincere, and funny video that just makes me want to throw my money at them! Take a look, and see if you agree…

For anyone planning a crowd-funder, bookmark this video and the others in Samuel’s series. And speaking of which, our Mr. Cockings promises another two interviews over the next two days, followed by what he calls a “4th wall-breaking viral video” on Tuesday and the first full teaser with actual footage on Wednesday. The campaign ends Friday.

To donate, click here.

At long last…DECEPTION II (interview with LEO TIERNEY, part 2)

Last week, we started a look back at the history of Star Trek: Deception leading into the recent release of the amazing 15-minute sequel DECEPTION II, written and directed by British fan workaholic LEO TIERNEY.

As I did last time, I strongly recommend that you take a look at this blog that I published last February showing how Leo took a teensy-weensy little one-car garage and turned it into the bridge of an Excelsior-class starship as well as a Klingon bird-of-prey! (Seriously, check out the blog…it’s mostly photos.)

Turning a tiny one-car garage into the bridge of a starship…

In part 1 of of interview, Leo and I briefly discussed his original 8-minute fan film, Deception, crowd-funded and produced back in 2013. The very positive reception to Deception led Leo to begin contemplating a sequel, although it would be three years before he would start building sets and going through other aspects of pre-production.

Things ramped up big-time in 2017 as Leo shifted into full production mode, completing his sets, bringing on actors, and filming many of his scenes. Updates came quite frequently to Leo’s Facebook page for Deception, leading into my blog feature from February of this year.

Since then, however, there have been few updates on Facebook or elsewhere from Leo. And so, as we conclude our two-part interview, we begin with the question I most wanted to know the answer to…

Continue reading “At long last…DECEPTION II (interview with LEO TIERNEY, part 2)”

VIC MIGNOGNA of Star Trek Continues plays ANOTHER famous CAPTAIN in a new DEADPOOL fan music video!

VIC MIGNOGNA is known in the fan film community for playing Captain Kirk in Star Trek Continues. But now he’s going to be known for playing another famous captain: Captain America (and providing the voice of the X-men’s Beast)…in one of the funniest, most ambitious, and most entertaining fan film mash-ups ever produced.

I know I usually focus on Star Trek fan films, not superheroes, but in this case, there’s a number of veterans of Star Trek Continues involved, including make-up artist LISA HANSELL…and heck, even ROD RODDENBERRY is listed in the credits as an associate producer!

Thank goodness for parodies, though, because they’re protected by Fair Use. Otherwise, DEADPOOL THE MUSICAL 2 would likely be sued in short order by Marvel, Disney (well, Disney owns Marvel now), Fox, AND Sony. Or maybe not…as some Hollywood studios actually appreciate fan films. (You know who I’m takin’ ’bout…right, Paramount and CBS?)

Anyway, get yourself mentally prepared for one of the best-crafted fan films you’re likely to see all year. Oh, and ask the kids and religious zealots to go play in the yard for the next twelve and a half minutes…’cause this fan parody is just as R-rated as the two Deadpool movies that inspired it!

Ready…?

Set…?

I know, right!?

I mean, there are just no words…well, yes there are, but I can’t type most of them on my blog ’cause I’m such a prude!

But hey, did you know that this amazing fan film would NEVER have happened if it weren’t for Star Trek Continues? Cross my heart and hope to have Wolverine give me a prostate exam!

Okay, enough of that! Let’s find out how these two fan film phenomena are linked in the hip area…

Continue reading “VIC MIGNOGNA of Star Trek Continues plays ANOTHER famous CAPTAIN in a new DEADPOOL fan music video!”

At long last…DECEPTION II (interview with LEO TIERNEY, part 1)

Before you read today’s blog, you should really go back and look through this blog. It tells the story, mainly in photos and short videos, behind the making of DECEPTION II, a sequel to the 2013 fan film Star Trek: Deception. The first Deception told the story of two TNG-era Starfleet officers transporting a renegade Klingon prisoner in a lone runabout. Writer/director/CGI master LEO TIERNEY constructed an actual runabout cockpit, giving this fan film an aura of realism that went along with excellent acting, lighting, sound, VFX, and other marks of quality.

The short eight-and-a-half minute fan film became very popular, garnering tens of thousands of online views with little fanfare. And shortly after its debut in mid-2013, Leo began discussing the production of a sequel. However, the idea mostly languished until Leo briefly brought it up again on Facebook in 2015. But even then, nothing much happened for nearly another year.

Leo began working in earnest on Deception II in 2016, and once again set out to construct actual physical (practical) sets—this time for both an Excelsior-class bridge and also for the bridge of a Klingon bird-of-prey. And he constructed both…in a tiny garage! This is where, if you haven’t already, you really, REALLY need to take a look at the blog I published back in February showing the amazing transformation of Leo’s garage into not one but two completely different sets…both using the exact same set pieces! It’s one of the most fascinating blogs I’ve ever done.

There haven’t been many updates about Deception II since I published that blog, but ten months later, Leo finally released his long-awaited fan film last Friday. And it looks simply amazing, especially considering the teeny-weeny size of the garage where the entire thing was filmed (see photo above). Have a look for yourself…

I’ve been staying in touch with Leo Tierney over the months of post-production, awaiting the finished product. As the premiere date approached, I conducted a little interview with my mate across the pond…

Continue reading “At long last…DECEPTION II (interview with LEO TIERNEY, part 1)”

AXACON schedule released – and I need YOUR questions for J.G. HERTZLER, GARY GRAHAM, and ALEC PETERS!

The first-ever AXACON is less than three weeks away, and ALEC PETERS has just released the schedule. It’s a pretty busy weekend, filled with all kinds of activities and panels…most of them focused on AXANAR (both past, present, and future), but also a few opportunities to expand beyond just one fan film.

Here’s a look at some of the things that will be going on:

FRIDAY

A set tour of OWC Studios (including photo ops on the USS Ares bridge)
A reading from the full 90 minute version of the Axanar movie script (featuring J.G. Hertzler, Gary Graham, Alec Peters, and Steven Jepson)
Socialize at the bar with the actors and Axanar team (donor funds will NOT be used to pay the bar tab!)

SATURDAY

The Top 10 Star Trek fan films (at least in our opinion…and we don’t all agree!)
J.G. and Gary talk about their time on televised Star Trek
An Axanar UPDATE with Alec Peters and director/co-writer Paul Jenkins
Alec discusses how the Honor Harrington novels influenced Axanar
A special Axanar donor lunch with the actors and production team
Axanar fan fiction with three people who are writing/drawing/animating it
Alec and Paul discuss the evolution of Axanar from story to screenplay
The Axanar fleet – designing cool starships from 20 years before TOS
A preview of upcoming Star Trek fan films
Klingon kostuming…er, costuming
The Axanar project from a fan’s perspective
Everyone hits the bar again, including J.G. and Gary

SUNDAY

Starship combat in the Axaverse (when did we start calling it that?)
J.G., Gary, and Alec discuss working on Prelude to Aanar and plans for the remaining two Axanar films
When fan films become professional independent films…what does the future hold?
Alec discusses James T. Kirk’s hero: Garth of Izar, and Steven Jepson discuss the infamous “Admiral Scaredy”: Conrad Slater
Axanar trivia…with PRIZES!

As you can see, a lot of careful consideration went into filling this mini convention with diverse content while still keeping it centered around Axanar. I think the organizers did an excellent job with that.

They also scheduled me to host five panels and appear on an additional three…for a total of EIGHT panels in THREE days! Oy. But in one of those panels, I have to interview J.G. Hertzler, Gary Graham, and Alec Peters about their work on Prelude and plans for the two upcoming Axanar films. And that’s where I need YOUR help…

Continue reading “AXACON schedule released – and I need YOUR questions for J.G. HERTZLER, GARY GRAHAM, and ALEC PETERS!”

QUICK TREK brings IMPROV to Trek fan films! (interview with DAVID WHITNEY)

For the last couple of years, if you wanted to see the USS Voyager and its crew in a Star Trek fan film, the place to look has been STARFLEET STUDIOS in Iowa (not to be confused with Starbase Studios; that’s a whole different life form) and show-runner DAVID WHITNEY. David is an avowed Voyager fan and has already made a name for himself and his production company with a series of Voyager Continues fan films including the half-hour long RAVEN from 2016 and the short fan film DERELICT.

With plans in motion for more Voyager and Raven productions, David has also busied himself with a new and unique series of five “QUICK TREKS” (not to be confused with Short Treks, since David’s fan films came first), each running between two and four minutes. The first Quick Trek debuted last November and focused on Captain Janeway’s quest to order a simple cup of coffee while being “thwarted” at every turn by a friendly and helpful barista. Take a look…

The next four episodes of Quick Trek were all released nearly simultaneously at the end of May 2018 and shifted the setting to a Cheers-like bar and even featured the Cheers musical theme during the intro and over the closing credits. This time, the characters were a motley crew made up of Counselor Deanna Troi (played by TAWNYA HOLLY), an unnamed Vulcan (played by JIM VON DOLTEREN of the fan series Starship Republic), along with Harry Mudd and Chakotay (both played by DAVID WHITNEY).

Here’s one of their “Cheers” episodes to give you a taste of what these other four Quick Treks are like…

I’ll save the rest for the later in this blog. Right now, I’d like to share with you what turned into a very surreal interview with the always-surprising David Whitney…

Continue reading “QUICK TREK brings IMPROV to Trek fan films! (interview with DAVID WHITNEY)”

STAGE 9 STUDIOS opens up the STAR TREK CONTINUES sets to fans…FOR FREE! (October 19-21)

For years, if you wanted to see the Kingsland, Georgia sets being used to film the legendary fan series STAR TREK CONTINUES, you needed to either be working on the production itself or else a very special VIP. But now STC has wrapped filming, and the sets have been purchased by super-fan RAY TESI. And Ray is opening the Stage 9 Studios sets for the first time ever to the fans to come, look at, take pictures of, and even talk to some of the cast and production crew of STC itself!

The event is happening in a week and a half, and is open to any fan. No tickets are needed, and admission is FREE! You can get a behind-the-scenes look at Stage 9 Studios‘ starship sets, walk through the corridors, visit engineering, the transporter room, sickbay, the captain’s quarters, the iconic bridge, and more!

The guests include

VIC MIGNOGNA – STC‘s Captain Kirk
CHRIS DOOHAN – STC‘s Scotty (and son of actor James Doohan)
LISA HANSELL – STC producer and make-up supervisor
GINGER HOLLEY – STC costumer and designer
SARAI DUENAS – The actress who played Miramanee’s child in STC‘s episode “The White Iris”
JOE HALDEMAN – Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author
ROBERT MASON – Vietnam War veteran and author of several books including the sci-fi novels “Weapon” and “Solo”
KAVITA MAHARAJ – Artist best known for her acrylic medium Spock paintings
SAMUEL COCKINGS – “Trekyards” co-host, VFX artist, and fan filmmaker

The studio will be open for three days at the following times:

FRIDAY, OCT 19 – 2:00 PM-7:00 PM
SATURDAY, OCT 20 – 9:00 AM-7:00 PM
SUNDAY, OCT 21 – 9:00 AM-6:00 PM

There will be activities and ample opportunity to take photos…including sitting in the captain’s chair (a must!). Here’s what’s in store:

Fan Film Production Q&A
Panel Discussions
Workshops
Special Effects Makeup Demos
Prop and Costume Displays
Trek Trivia Game Shows
Fan Art Demo
Vendor Tables
Fan Film Audience Participation
Fan Film Mania

Also, the fan series DREADNOUGHT DOMINION will be filming there on Friday afternoon for anyone who wants to watch the magic happen. (They might even need a few extras!)

Check out all the details at: https://www.stage9studios.com/visit

Stage 9 Studios

is located at:

516 W William Ave
Kingsland, GA 31548
(just minutes off I-95)

Life after STAR TREK CONTINUES – cast members REUNITE for WHEN THE TRAIN STOPS!

When STAR TREK CONTINUES completed its 11-episode run of superb Trek fan films, fans of the series wondered, “What’s next?” It seemed a shame that such a talented group of actors, writers, directors, and production crew would simply go their separate ways. Alas, that is all too often the case in show business. But not this time…at least, not for everyone.

Although many members of the STC team did, in fact, move on to other endeavors, a small number reunited for a special independent short film project titled WHEN THE TRAIN STOPS. The cast included STC alumni VIC MIGNOGNA (Captain Kirk) along with veteran Trek actors JOHN “Q” DeLANCIE, REKHA SHARMA (from Star Trek: Discovery and the new Battlestar Galactica), and MICHAEL FOREST (who played Apollo both in the original series episode “Who Mourns for Adonais?” and also in the first full-length STC episode “Pilgrim of Eternity“). STC cast member (and writer) KIPLEIGH BROWN was initially slated to appear in Train… but had to pull out at the last moment due to a family emergency. She was replaced by Rekha Sharma.

Also boarding the Train… cast were STC alumna ÉMIE MORISETTE, who appeared in the final two-part episode of STC, along with voice-over actor DARREN JACOBS, whose vocals were part of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Dunkirk, and Papillon. Directing Train… was STC director/writer/producer extraordinaire JAMES KERWIN, and STC‘s make-up supervisor and producer, LISA HANSELL, served as producer for Train…

An Indiegogo last November reached its $43,000 goal with just eight hours to spare, allowing the campaign to extend indefinitely as “In Demand” status. Since then, their donation total has grown to more than $51,000…allowing them to not only film all the scenes but also to wrap up post production and release a completed film, which happened in mid-September in a special early release perk for certain donors. The rest of the donors (like me) got to view it as a private download early this past week. And let me tell you, it was EXCELLENT! The 20-minute film was expertly crafted with an engaging story that provides a wonderful Twilight Zone twist at the end. It’s definitely worthy of viewing.

So when can YOU see it?

Continue reading “Life after STAR TREK CONTINUES – cast members REUNITE for WHEN THE TRAIN STOPS!”

CONVERGENCE launches new INDIE-GOGO campaign (audio interview with SAMUEL COCKINGS)

Welcome to CONVERGENCE…a fan production uniting FIVE accomplished fan films and series from FOUR different countries into ONE amazing crossover event!

And YOU can help make it all possible.

These folks have already completed one video shoot with four of their five primary actors: NICK COOK from Star Trek: Intrepid (Scotland), ROBIN HIERT from Star Trek: Dark Armada (The Netherlands), and CHRIS BURDETT and NIMRAN SAUND from the upcoming Temporal Anomaly (Great Britain). They also have a number of jaw-dropping VFX created by SAMUEL COCKINGS, life-long Star Trek fan and co-host/co-creator of the popular webseries “Trekyards.” Some of this CGI will include the Archer-class starship from the original Star Trek: Renegades, as well as the villains from that fan film, the Syphon.

Their project is already well underway. But now they need $5,500 to complete it, and they’ve just launched a new Indiegogo campaign. Fan donations will allow Samuel to fly in his full cast for a second studio green screen shoot to get the rest of their scenes filmed with proper lighting, sound, and staging. This will include their final main actor, JIM VON DOLTEREN from Starship Republic, who will be flying to the U.K. from America, along with the others.

They’ve got some really nice perks that you can choose from, and thanks to a series of preview teaser promos released over the past month, the campaign is already off to a decent start, taking in about 9% of the goal in the first 24 hours (including $60 from me). It also has one of the most impressive “ask” videos that I’ve seen for a crowd-funding campaign in a very long time. Check it out…

After you watch that video, you’ll probably be excited enough to donate. But even if you’re not, you should listen to this really awesome audio interview with Samuel. Not only do we discuss Convergence, but we also discuss Temporal Anomaly, his interactions with CBS legal, the fan film guidelines, and a host of other topics that you’re certain to find, as Jean-Luc Picard would say, engaging…

Click here to donate.

5-in-5! STARSHIP TRISTAN releases its 16th fan film: “Distant Echoes, part two”!

Five fan film releases in five weeks! Last week, POTEMKIN PICTURES had gone four-for-four, releasing a new fan film for three of their six (soon to be seven!) active fan series…including two from the STARSHIP TRISTAN creative group. Well, make that THREE from Tristan, as “Distant Echoes, part two” completed their first-ever mutli-part episode late last week.

As explained previously, the run-time of the full episode was 18 minutes, above the 15-minute limit set forth in the fan film guidelines. So the Potemkin folks decided to cut this fan film in two.

I asked show-runner RANDY LANDERS whether we’d be seeing a sixth new fan film next week…

This pretty much gets us caught up for the time being. (All hail the time being!) We have six in post-production. Oh, we shot one last Saturday. Make it seven in post-production. Two nearing completion. We generally release six months after we film.

I then asked what “caught up” means….

“Caught up” is six releases. It takes six months for a production to go from the completion of principal videography to release:

1st month: capturing and editing
2nd month: sound and ADR
3rd month: final edit with sound (color correction and other tweaks are in the 3rd month as well)
4th month: VFX guys
5th month: music guys
6th month: release

So if we have six in post, then we’re on target. It’s a PROCESS. And it’s what works for us. This is why so many fan films never make it. They don’t know what to do after they shoot their movie.

Also, we use the 96% rule. If it’s good to the point of being 96%, then it’s time to move to the next step. The remaining 4% is not worth the expenditure of time and energy required to get to 100%. That 4% is the law of diminishing returns. That’s a harsh measure to produce by, but it’s what works for us.

I’m aware of everything in our films that’s not perfect, believe me. We have five producers with eagle eyes, but we ask ourselves: “Is the problem worth fixing?” Most of the time, we can do it immediately. But when an actress or actor is not available for ADR or reshoots, then guess what? Time to cut your losses.

Coming up next: Endeavour and Kupok!

In the meantime, you can access all the dozens and dozens of Potemkin Pictures fan films from their website. And check out the conclusion of “Distant Echoes” below…