Fan-Made Low Budget Films: The Story Continues... (page 2)

What tips can you give potential fan filmmakers to help them complete their films?

Randy - Follow through and be prepared to make compromises. Also be prepared to reschedule. I hate pre-production, but it's very important! Keep a daily/weekly calendar to keep up with your production goals. Lastly, be excited about your project. If you aren't, no one else will be.
Gerry - Treat pre-production like a job and put serious time into it. The more thorough a job you do during pre-production, the better your project will be. Remember, when making your movie, only pre-production is free! Had we paid for everything we did to make Forced Alliance, our budget would have been two hundred and fifty thousand dollars! Because we did solid pre-production, we spent less than fifty thousand.
Tim - Don't spend ninety percent of your effort to get the last ten percent of perfection. You'll drive yourself crazy. Your film will never be exactly the way you want it, so have fun during the creative process. Also, don't be afraid to ask for advice. There are a lot of people who already know about what you're trying to do so don't go it alone.

Will you continue to make fan-based films?

Tim - Yes, because I enjoy doing this. I like the characters I've created and I'd like to do a full series with Aurora. I felt it would be an interesting way to explore the Star Trek Universe through the eyes of 'space truckers.' Because I'm doing this alone, it takes a lot of work to complete an episode, so I do get frustrated sometimes. The reward is, I'm doing it for the fans.
Gerry - Making Forced Alliance gave us a lot of 'street credit' for making movies so we don't need to make another fan film. However, we aren't opposed to making a follow up to the film.
Randy - If someone wants to pay for it or George Lucas wants to bring us onboard, yeah! I'm completely happy with what we did and we've gotten some awards and fan mail. Making Forced Alliance opened up a lot of doors for us, but I'd rather do a different kind of film.

I completely agree with these filmmakers and have a better understanding of why fans go through so much trouble making their films. For those of you who want to make your own fan-made films, only your resourcefulness and perseverance limit the possibilities. There are thousands of other people out there with fan clubs and resources who share your dream. Once you start the ball rolling, you'll be surprised at who's willing to help.

Making fan-based films is a labor of love. I too wouldn't mind having my own "Jim Kirk" or "Darth Vader" moment. So like so many others, I may "turn to the dark side" and make my own fan film. Until then, I'll keep phasers locked.

Star Trek: Aurora http://www.auroratrek.com/

Star Wars: Forced Alliance http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/forced_alliance/

Writer-Producer-Director H. Wolfgang Porter is a former U.S. Naval Combat Cameraman who now produces independent film and published works.