June 12 2019
There were no dogs running along a road today that needed a pickup so Interlude’s launch finally got underway.
A couple of sizable donations have put it at $1680 of its $19,500 goal and that includes one donation of $1000 and one of $250 which are pretty nice.
Interlude is being heavily scrutinized to see if it is bulletproof from as some people call it the “evil corporation” named CBS and questions are being asked on a couple of points.
Interlude looks like a continuation or sequel to Prelude to Axanar, it smells like a continuation or sequel but it is not because the reasoning is that it is not made by Axanar Productions even if Interlude takes up the story right where Prelude to Axanar ended.
The above paragraph is important as Guideline #1 states that a fan production cannot have additional seasons, episodes, parts, sequels or remakes so it looks like it will be alright, play on.
Guideline #5 says that creators, actors and other participants must be amateurs, there is for example an Emmy Award winner doing the music for Interlude and I don’t think Amateurs can win one of those.
However, if you think about it and pay attention to Fan Film Factor and Trekzone, it would be interesting to know what percentage of fan productions actually walk all over #5 because there are professionals everywhere and you’d be hard pressed to find a totally amateur production.
Guideline #5 also says that people cannot be currently or previously employed on any Star Trek series, films, production of DVDs or with any of CBS or Paramount Pictures licensees.
The above has gotten people wondering because Jonathan has been around the Star Trek universe in the past and that may be a no-no but it is curious to know if ‘with any of CBS or Paramount Pictures licensees’ is separate or not to the first line ‘currently or previously employed’.
There may be something in the above and there may not be, it is a topic that is better suited to those who like to trade lines about laws and psychology and ethics and all the rest and it will probably be a topic somewhere, sometime.
But it is really interesting, have fan productions unwittingly been walking all over Guideline #5 and even more interesting is the question do CBS even care what Guideline #5 or any of the others say?
Now those who wonder what Jonathan’s thoughts are to similar questions, just read the comments section of Fan Film Factor’s report of Interlude making it to $1,600.
Until next time, be good to each other.
Mentioning Trekkie Mentions 
Or you can also red whatI have to say here. 🙂
The word amateur means “not paid.” It doesn’t mean “has never been paid” because most people need to work for a living. I and others have always taken that line in the guidelines to mean exactly what it says next: “cannot be compensated for their services.” I don’t plan to be paying anyone to participate…other than picking up a LOT of dinner bills until I’m well into my 90s!
The fact is, as you’ve mentioned, that MANY fan filmmakers are or have been professions in the entertainment industry: Aaron Vanderkley in Australia, Gary O’Brien in Great Britain, Matthew Blackburn in southern California, most of the cast and crew of Star Trek Continues…to name a few off the top of my head. Plus there’s my own directors who make their Avalon fan films and my composer, Kevin Croxton, who released “The Bunny Incident” last year. All are industry professionals who love Star Trek and (I hoped you’d agree) shouldn’t be precluded from playing in the sandbox simply because they have day jobs in the industry. Heck, I even heard that Gabe Koerner is planning to do a fan film (although I’m not sure if it’s Star Trek). If he’s not the textbook definition of industry professional, I don’t know who is!
As for me being a former consultant to Paramount licensing (and the co-author of Starship Spotter) and therefore ineligible to work on my own fan film, well, that’s just gonna need to be CBS’s call. If they want to shut me down over that technicality, I don’t think it’s gonna win them any points as they try to keep up the goodwill of fans for the launch of Star Trek: Picard later this year. I intend to follow every other guideline to the letter, but I can’t UN-write my script. So even if I’m not executive producer, my name is still in the credits.
Anyway, when all is said and done, I can only keep on keeping on, cross my fingers, and hope I can make my fan film…because it really will be awesome.
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The idea was that people could go to you so you could get a few more cents for Interlude but nice to see you.
Amateur means two things
1. a person who engages in a pursuit, especially a sport, on an unpaid rather than a professional basis.
2. a person who is incompetent or inept at a particular activity.
The recruitment of professionals is what caused the fan film problems, budgets rose astronomically, the little guys got pushed out of sight by the quality and excitement of New Voyages, Continues etc and when people are making studios (not just Alec Peters) fan films became a big problem.
Do professionals make things exciting in fan films? Absolutely but it is CBS’s sandbox and they have every right in the world to tell people exactly how to pay homage in film.
Can a professional toggle their occupation between professional and amateur anytime they feel like it?
A lawyer is still a professional even if they work pro bono, it is an interesting thing to think about.
Think back to the days of up to the late 1960’s of Tennis when the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US Open were all for Amateurs and Pros couldn’t play those events because they couldn’t switch hit between Amateur and Professional.
Perhaps the guidelines are too vague and are too open to interpretation than being pure guidance.
If you want to keep the Interlude is not part of Axanar Productions pure, don’t let Alec Peters or Paul Jenkins etc stump for you even if they are well meaning it just makes it look like you are part of Axanar Productions.
You’ve got two directors with street cred, you got a plan, you don’t rave and rant on YouTube, you’ll most likely be fine with guidelines, just remember that you’re on CBS’s football field, they are the refs and if they call a penalty on the field so be it and if they let the game continue don’t do anything brash that makes them blow their whistle.
Lastly I am pretty sure Alec Peters has trademarked Awesome and Amazing when it comes to describing what is going on in a fan film so you need a new description.
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One big important question
You want people to collectively pay you $19,500 so you can make Interlude, does that mean that fans have to pay 100% of the production or is there a bag full of costs outside of that $19,500 that you’re paying for?
It would be an interesting question for all fan films, what percentage do the makers pay and what percentage do the fans pay.
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