Star Trek guidelines for fan films...Why now?

Star Trek guidelines for fan films...Why now?

By Vanesa Velandia Gaitán

From the appearance of the video editors simple or complex, available for home computers and the ease to acquire a video camera, fan films or independent productions about and specific character of the movie or about the movie as such, these have become into a phenomenon around the world wide

Star Trek. a saga of television series and movies of science fiction that shows the humanity but 400 years later with predictions intellectually accepted about the human's future in terms of areas like citizens, politics, military, the villain and hero prototype, among others. Also addresses issues about the extraterrestrial life but in a different way compared with most of the movies that talks about that. In Star Trek movies, aliens have advantages and disadvantages as well as we have them.

This year (2016) the producers of series and movies of science fiction of Star Trek, I mean CBS and Paramount, made a public announced of a letter for their fans that talks about some guidelines that fan should follow if they want to make a fan film from that date.

This blog is created with the purpose to raise a discussion about the rules that I mentioned previously, raising the reasons that CBS and Paramount had to decided to establish those guidelines and some possible effects that they can cause.

However, now you all are in context so it's time to start with a question.

What was the fact that make CBS and Paramount establish those rules?. Paramount had never have problem with fan films productions so, why now?

Well, everything started with an independent production from United State called Axanar that in 2014 started with the production and filming of a film called Star Trek: Prelude To Axanar where they show the events before the last war where the conflict between The Federation and The Klingon was resolved.

Axanar collect around 1.1 millions of dollars from donations and economical support  by the fans that were intended for the most elaborate fan film ever when we talk about the filmmakers team and persons that had work participate on an original production of Star Trek previously. Although the producer express through a post in it official web site that Star Trek: Prelude To Axanar   wasn´t a production to make a profit nor commercial accordingly they won't sell original products or manufacturers, the fan film couldn't slip past facing the eyes of CBS and Paramount´s  lawyers that in early 2016 initiate a lawsuit against the fan film producer, Alec Peters, because of infringements of copyright.

Alec´s movie was that good that it turn out to be so similar as the original :( Bad thing.

Paramount and CBS sue Axanar Productions for at least 50 similarities so evident between the fan film and the original movies. Similarities of characters (As I mentioned in paragraph 7) the new and strange races and species. the logos, the costume, among other similarities that can be considerate as plagiarism.

In its defense, Axanar Productions answer that until the date that they start the filming and production of the fan film, either Paramount or CBS had established the guidelines for the realization of fan films, until that moment the only rule was that the filmmakers could not make profit with the movie so that's why  the earnings that they received were invested on the movie or donations.

Some mass media says that Star Trek: Prelude To Axanar is so far better than most of the episodes transmitted on television. So yes, after the judgment that was carried out in California City. the future fanatic filmmakers  fan films will be limited at the time of produce their independent audiovisual productos, a thing that unworthy most of the Star Trek´s fans, although some information sources as Geektopia.com affirm that Paramount and CBS are thinking about remove the guidelines or be a little bit flexible about them.  

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After talk a bit about what caused the creation or establish of those guidelines and see the history both from the perspective of Paramount and CBS and from Axanar Productions, now is moment to ask what consequences would these guidelines can bring  for the owners of Star Trek and for the fans.

In this part of this blog it´s necessary make an analysis of some  of the guidelines imposed to know what  possible effects can they carry.

2. The title of the fan production or any parts cannot include the name “Star Trek.” However, the title must contain a subtitle with the phrase: “A STAR TREK FAN PRODUCTION” in plain typeface. The fan production cannot use the term “official” in either its title or subtitle or in any marketing, promotions or social media for the fan production.”

The options for the difference productos to be recognized or have more views will be so complicated because they won't appear easily on the search if they don't have the original name of the movie in it title.

Likewise, if they can't use the original word style, the viewers will lost the familiarity with the audiovisual.

4. If the fan production uses commercially-available Star Trek uniforms, accessories, toys and props, these items must be official merchandise and not bootleg items or imitations of such commercially available products.

The fact that they demand the utilizations of the official merchandise will reduce exponentially the number of fan films because the increase on the budget to not only produce the movie but also buy the scenography, accessories, costumes, among others that will heighten the quantity of money needed.

5 .The fan production must be a real “fan” production, i.e., creators, actors and all other participants must be amateurs, cannot be compensated for their services, and 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 quality of fan films that will be out henceforth taking into account  this guideline will be declined because not all the actors are ready to gift their job and the few that will do it maybe aren't that good.

The guideline number six is not something otherworldly because the producers had this into account previously

9. Creators of fan productions must not seek to register their works, nor any elements of the works, under copyright or trademark law.

The fact to be a fan film (at least of Star Trek) left the audiovisual product unprotected and modifiable without problem just because is not original either in its theme nor its content.

These are some of the effects that can be generated in the fans of Star Trek, but it's clear that those effects are also have a repercussion maybe bigger for the movies and series producers, as it states one of the producers of the Axanar production, the fans with their little productions are the ones that had made of Star Trek the big franchise that is nowadays, an he also add:   "The last thing a studio should do right now is to sue the folks who are making free commercials for them…especially 6-figure and 7-figure commercials,” Lane wrote. "And let’s take a look at how the other studios are handling this. Disney is embracing Star Wars fan films and reaping all the benefits while not suffering any kind of loss of interest or perceived value of their intellectual property. Warner Brothers is happy to have fan-made Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Nightwing videos on YouTube. If CBS and Paramount remove Star Trek fan films from the online social media equation, they’re just leaving more room for the competition to expand into that vacuum while Star Trek goes dark and silent."