DC fans what do you think about all the fanfilms?

[Be Snikt-Happy]

Well Im pretty much a Marvel guy except for Batman and Superman. One things I notice is that Marvel doesnt seem to get the same love as DC does in terms of fanfilms.

You guys get to see quite a bit of fanfilms. Of course there are loads of bad ones, but occasionally there are some really good ones. I really can't think of any good Marvel fanfilms. Theres some small film company where the actresses are always playing women from DC.

What do you guys think about all the fan films love? Is it just harder to watch or are they appreciated? Or maybe you are future film maker and are annoyed that, because big companies in LA will help finance and create bigger DC fanfilms, it's harder for small time directors like us to make one that stands out?

 

[CFE]

I appreciate people's enthusiasm.

But honestly, I've yet to see writers/filmmakers take bold steps to do original storytelling in Fan Films.

Traditionally, the practice lends itself to ripping off existing material. Making film adaptations of story arcs or blatantly plagerizing previous film incarnations.

I'm waiting to see someone write a 100% original screenplay utilizing characters of a given universe and doing them justice. I've written several scripts this way, primarily for Batman, Catwoman, Superboy and recently Spider-Man.

But then the other issue is that you run the risk of writing something that's un-filmable at a fan film level.

All in all I appreciate people wanting to personify their fandom in a creative output like writing or filmmaking.

They just need some more originality, IMHO.

I don't think it's hard at all to be a small timer and make a fan film that stands out. The bigger ones like "Batman: Dead End" are just eye candy anyway...no substance, no original storytelling as I said.

All one needs to do is pick a character, do their proper research, figure out the best set pieces/villains/etc. and do it. Don't turn to an existing comic arc or film for inspiration. Do it from the heart and put your own human experiances into it. Make it more personal, and then people will see that you put actual effort and care into the work.

BC you can have all the budget you want, but it doesn't mean s**t if it's just a parody or a copy.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

They should just stop it.

If they want to make a comic book film try your best to get into the industry. Then try to get in the position to make a real film.

Sam Raimi was a Spider-Man fan all his life, but he didn't get $100 million for his Spidey movies by making a 8 minute fan film where Spidey takes on a guy wearing a fish bowl

 

[SpiderTime]

you think we should just stop making fan films? ok. so you tell me how do i get to make the movie of my dreams? the industry is terrible right now. no one is hiring. everything thats coming out is a remake, video game interpretation or based on a book. all comic movies are being made by veteran filmmakers who came from a time when it was a little easier getting in the business. security is uber tight now. i know. ive been making movies and fan films for over 5 years and im still not rich or famous.

in order to get a job in the industry you either have to know some one or have an agent. and you cant have an agent unless you get an agent referal from another agent. and agents dont do that for people who arent their clients. its cyclical and unfair.

so please, tell me how you expect a fellow like myself to get the dream job directing a movie for dc or marvel? at least fan films help get you noticed. hell, it got me onto the cover of a book.

 

[Be Snikt-Happy]

^ I dont think people should follow their dreams. I understand why people might think its a disgrace since they love their characters and want the best. But as a future film maker myself, I cant say that I would ever tell a capable film maker not to go for it.

I think short and sweet is the way too go, but if anything more than connections I might say it takes a lot of money. Connections build easily after years and years. Guess they go hand in hand, since if you get lucky you'll have good connects with lots of money.

Anyway, I cant say I agree with the "plagerizing" thing, since theres another balance thing there too that was mentioned. If they can make an incredible adaptation of an already existing work I don't see the bad side in that. Lots of directors make great films based off already admired work. But then there are people who make incredible stories on paper that make you wonder why didn't they do this. But when executed it's cringe-worthy.


I didn't mean for this to be a discussion of fan films in general, but its good food for thought with lots of things to think about.

 

[Brendan]

Can we maybe all make some Request to SHH to seperate the Films/Fan films from the fan fiction section? The movies seem to all get lost amongst the fiction writings. I think it would benefit if they were two seperate sections on the board.

 

[Be Snikt-Happy]

i agree. having fans of one would make the other side be seen, but hey if we start a forum just for fan films and the number of topics much smaller than here, hey at least we know they are fan film topics. and visa versa with fan ficiton.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

you think we should just stop making fan films? ok. so you tell me how do i get to make the movie of my dreams? the industry is terrible right now. no one is hiring. everything thats coming out is a remake, video game interpretation or based on a book. all comic movies are being made by veteran filmmakers who came from a time when it was a little easier getting in the business. security is uber tight now. i know. ive been making movies and fan films for over 5 years and im still not rich or famous.

in order to get a job in the industry you either have to know some one or have an agent. and you cant have an agent unless you get an agent referal from another agent. and agents dont do that for people who arent their clients. its cyclical and unfair.

so please, tell me how you expect a fellow like myself to get the dream job directing a movie for dc or marvel? at least fan films help get you noticed. hell, it got me onto the cover of a book.

Why don't you try and create your own character and get noticed through oringial work? Just a thought.

 

[SpiderTime]

try going to my site and watching my work before you give advice next time. ive done that. repeatedly. and my original films for some reason, never seem to get as much views as my fan films. and its not because of the quality of any of my films its because fan films naturally have a built in fanbase. you really need to know the market before you pass ignorant judgement on it. you also really should catch up on someone's work before you tell them how to do their jobs.

again, i recommend you watch a film or two from my site before you respond to this post.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

No I won't because I really couldn't care less about the quality of your work.

As for my ignorance, let me tell you why fan films are a waste of time, money and effort. Nobody with any real power will look at fan films because of legal reasons. If, for example, someone watched a Spider-Man fan film and a year later and element of that fan film shows up ina legitmate Spidey film, then the company can be sued, Even if there is no connection other that coincedince,

I got that bit of knowledge from wordplayer.com, a site run by guys who wrote Shrek, Alladin and the Pirates movies. Maybe you might want to go over there and tell them of their ignorance,

 

[SpiderTime]

i repeat, until you know who you are talking to, its pointless to try and argue with me. you are being ignorant and you have no clue as to how things in the fan film or regular film world opperate. and im not about to fill you in if youre going to turn a deaf ear to it.

get yerself an edumacation dude and open yourself up to new things. who knows, you might learn something.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

I have an education, I have a film degree, I know someone who has had work shown at CanNes, I know someone who has been directed by Paul Greengrass and someone who has directed Ewan McGreagor. I was a budget cut away from working in the legitmate industry. How do you measure up to that?

Watched one of your films, the Christmas one. Little advice, shoot the coverage of each scene in one go. At the dinner table you clearly shot the father's dialog at different times. You can tell becasue the father goes from left of the frame to the right. This is a big mistake becasue it makes it look like the father has changed positions in the room.

 

[SpiderTime]

my first feature is coming out on dvd this spring. ive been flown all over the country as a freelance dp as well as have been guests as multiple comic cons just based on my fan films alone. i was hired by a company in 2006 to produce an online catwoman webseries and am now working on my next slate of features. i am also working out a licensing deal with capcom to make a feature film out of a fan film i shot of one of their games.

so please tell me how fan films havent helped my career? and please tell me why people should continually be discouraged from doing what they love? just because you got the short end of the stick once doesnt mean everyone else will.

also, you say you know all these people who have worked with famous names, i know people who have worked with famous people too. hell, ive worked with famous people. my question though, is how many famous people have you worked with? knowing people who know/worked with famous people isnt the same as working them yourself or having them work for you, nor is it the same as being invited out to dinner with them or having them call you to shoot the breeze. its also unfair to base one's level of achievement comparatively to friends of yours, instead of your own when trying to prove a point.

i really dont want to start a fight or a debate for that matter. the bottom line is you came in here and said the one thing you should never say to anyone aspiring to do anything in life- you told them NOT to do something. not cool my friend. its like the unspoken rule of following your dreams. never tell a person not to do something no matter how futile it may seem to you or the people you agree with. just because you dont like something doesnt mean other people do. and how dare you condescend to anyone else who may try and defend this ideal.

the ONE film of mine you saw was an exercise i did for myself. im proud of it, but yeah im very aware of its mistakes. cant fix em now, can only learn and move forward. as for the "scene" you're referencing. i really dont know what youre talking about. his scenes were done at once from 3 different takes. hes just moving around in his chair. try watching it again. i think you're off.

regardless, NOT COOL for saying that people should stop making fan films and thats all there is to it.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

my first feature is coming out on dvd this spring. ive been flown all over the country as a freelance dp as well as have been guests as multiple comic cons just based on my fan films alone. i was hired by a company in 2006 to produce an online catwoman webseries and am now working on my next slate of features. i am also working out a licensing deal with capcom to make a feature film out of a fan film i shot of one of their games.

so please tell me how fan films havent helped my career? and please tell me why people should continually be discouraged from doing what they love? just because you got the short end of the stick once doesnt mean everyone else will.

also, you say you know all these people who have worked with famous names, i know people who have worked with famous people too. hell, ive worked with famous people. my question though, is how many famous people have you worked with? knowing people who know/worked with famous people isnt the same as working them yourself or having them work for you, nor is it the same as being invited out to dinner with them or having them call you to shoot the breeze. its also unfair to base one's level of achievement comparatively to friends of yours, instead of your own when trying to prove a point.

i really dont want to start a fight or a debate for that matter. the bottom line is you came in here and said the one thing you should never say to anyone aspiring to do anything in life- you told them NOT to do something. not cool my friend. its like the unspoken rule of following your dreams. never tell a person not to do something no matter how futile it may seem to you or the people you agree with. just because you dont like something doesnt mean other people do. and how dare you condescend to anyone else who may try and defend this ideal.

the ONE film of mine you saw was an exercise i did for myself. im proud of it, but yeah im very aware of its mistakes. cant fix em now, can only learn and move forward. as for the "scene" you're referencing. i really dont know what youre talking about. his scenes were done at once from 3 different takes. hes just moving around in his chair. try watching it again. i think you're off.

regardless, NOT COOL for saying that people should stop making fan films and thats all there is to it.

Here is what you don't get. You are going NOWHERE with that crap. And what's worse, if any of what you're saying is true in the first place, you're wasting time and effort on it and have actually deluded yourself into thinking otherwise.

I mean how many careers have been created through fan films?
one major
To put it another way, if you had not spent all this money, time and effort on mutiple little fan films, and instead concentrated on one feature lenght film, where would you be now?

As for that scene, if you can't see the problem in that, you're in serious trouble

 

[SpiderTime]

whatever, wisdom is lost on you. if you had any passion for comics, you would understand. which clearly you dont. good luck to you. im finished trying to explain the fundimentals of fan film making to you.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

Just to help here are two stills that show the problem.



OK. Now this shot is later


It looks as though the guy has jumped across the room and is now on the other side of the frame. That is not due to guy moving around in his chair, You have taken the camera and gone across the line. And it's not the only time you do it in this film either.

BTW I will take these screencaps done if you request it.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

whatever, wisdom is lost on you. if you had any passion for comics, you would understand. which clearly you dont. good luck to you. im finished trying to explain the fundimentals of fan film making to you.

Just name me three people who have made it through fan films

 

[SpiderTime]

Just to help here are two stills that show the problem.



OK. Now this shot is later


It looks as though the guy has jumped across the room and is now on the other side of the frame. That is not due to guy moving around in his chair, You have taken the camera and gone across the line. And it's not the only time you do it in this film either.

BTW I will take these screencaps done if you request it.

its called a reverse angle my friend. we use those when we want to show the other side of the actor's face. i dont see a problem with it. if you do, then perhaps you're just too picky.

as for who's made it via fan films?

len weisman, the director of underworld and die hard 4, when he was a teen, made a die hard fan film. whether you like his work or not, he did get to do a die hard movie. i dont know what sam raimi shot as a child, but i guess you could count him as well. and third, these 3 kids in the 80s made an indiana jones fan film. they are now working for spielberg and making a documentary about their experience.

even though fan films have been around since the 1920's, they havent really been used as a platform until recently to try and break into the business. so really you wont be seeing any major progress for at least the next 10 years. but give it some time, i guarantee before 2015, someone will be famous for a fan film they made and will be directing in the "legit" business. its just a matter of time.

 

[Be Snikt-Happy]

i think people who make fan films arent doing it to further their directing career. they would just make regular films, not "fan films," if they wanted to add to the resume. fan films can come in handy to the resume, but you dont do a fan film to say "look at my credits!"

we got 3 guys here in the future film making industry and we cant just see some of the other side?

if i made a fan film i would make it for myself and other fans of the subject material. fan films are a selfish thing you know? if an up and coming small time director gets a fan film script, what are the odds he will take it? its usually directed and written by the same person with intense motivation, who's pretty much doing for himself and nobody else.

 

[SpiderTime]

this is true, but i have done for hire fan films. but i guess that would be considered commission. i think its a bit of both, most people make fan films for themselves, myself included. but others might do it to help gain attention for their original work and drum up some hits on their websites. i am guilty of doing this as well. i guess it all depends on where you are in your career and what you want to do with it.

either way, fan films are fun and should NEVER stop being made by anyone.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

i dont know why you are playing devil's advocate and being such a negative person when it comes to someone wanting to follow their dreams. its unnatural for a person to want to discourage another.



i dont know what your damage is, but i can tell you got burned after trying to persue something you were passionate about. regardless of how you may feel, its not unrealistic for someone else to want to try something.



as for me, you pose no threat. you clearly know jack $#!t about me, and if youre too hellbent on attacking me rather than looking me up, im not about to fill you in on my story. but i will say this. i have accomplished more through making fan films than i have through making original films. youve been to my site. did you take notice of the counter on the homepage? fan films are viral right now. and they didnt start catching on till 2003. so like i said, give it time. and mark my words, someone in the fan film world will become famous for doing what they love.



mark my words.



chris

So that would be no one then.

Oh and keep it in this thread, don't PM me when you can't prove yourself right in a thread.

BTW I have never been "burned." I was turned down for a job in the film industry, before I had even finished my first short. That's more inspirational than anything else.

And I don't know where this threat business comes from. I never threaten you, nor would I ever. You told me to watch one of your films and I did, and pointed out a mistake to HELP YOU!

 

[SpiderTime]

dirty pool dude. i sent you a pm because it was meant to be a private message. im not happy that you felt it appropriate to post it publically.

you know what? im tired of trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, you're just an angry irish jerk who doesnt like anything. so you got turned down before you even made your first short? woo hoo. what does that say about you? you obviously werent talented enough to make the cut.

ive proven my point to you already. and i tired of playing nice. you want to know someone who made it in this industry because they made fan films? I DID. how do you like that? look me up to jackass. i started my career making fan films and now i make legit ones for a living. but i continue to make fan films because they are fun and serve a purpose.

you have no concept of the fundimentals of fan filmmaking and no amount of posting in this thread is ever going to teach you otherwise. i realize that now. and its a shame. yer just too thick headed.

either way, you want an example. look me up sometime. my fan films have gone very far and have gotten lots of work.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

dirty pool dude. i sent you a pm because it was meant to be a private message. im not happy that you felt it appropriate to post it publically.

you know what? im tired of trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, you're just an angry irish jerk who doesnt like anything.

I don't like anything? If you read most of my posts you'll find that I like most things and am mostly positive. And what's with these hostile personal attacks?

so you got turned down before you even made your first short? woo hoo. what does that say about you? you obviously werent talented enough to make the cut.

Maybe, but I'm not bitter. I'm still trying to pursue work in the film industry.

Just a few posts back you told me that I shouldn't make assumptions on the talent of someone without first viewing their work. And now, look at you, making assumptions on my talent based on a few posts on a message board.

ive proven my point to you already. and i tired of playing nice. you want to know someone who made it in this industry because they made fan films? I DID. how do you like that? look me up to jackass. i started my career making fan films and now i make legit ones for a living. but i continue to make fan films because they are fun and serve a purpose.

Please direct me to your widest release and I'll rent it from my local DVD store, or is it sill playing in cinema's world wide?

you have no concept of the fundimentals of fan filmmaking and no amount of posting in this thread is ever going to teach you otherwise. i realize that now. and its a shame. yer just too thick headed.

You haven't actually told me any of these fundimentals. All your posts just tell me that I'm wrong, you've never actually told me why and then provided proof to back that "Why" up.

either way, you want an example. look me up sometime. my fan films have gone very far and have gotten lots of work.

Please direct me to your widest release and I'll rent it from my local DVD store, or is it sill playing in cinema's world wide?

 

[SpiderTime]

ok. this is the last post im going to write on this thread because you seem to be not getting my message.

the fundimentals of fan filmmaking are this- doing what you love because you love it. you have no right to tell people to stop making fan films or that its pointless for them to do so. comprende? you were wrong in your first post. no one should just stop it. people should be encouraged to make fan films. they should be encouraged to make better fan films clearly, but encouraged no less.

thats where my problem with you originated. and thats where it remains. im not going to prove anything about myself or my accomplishments to you. if youre too lazy to look me up and choose to remain having your only opinion of my work based on the one shot you didnt like in the one film of mine you saw, then theres no point explaining anything else

my name is in my sig. if you want to learn about me, do so on your own time, instead of asking me to present my credentials

im done with this debate. reply all you want, but my feelings against discouraging people from having fun remain intact.

 

[Daredevil_2003]

Well, this is most certainly a cluster**** of epic proportions...

As for the question of the OP. I think fan films have plenty of potential for quality entertainment, but it seems that most comic based ones are just...bad.

I use to spend a large amount of time back in my mid teens watching Star Wars fan films and there was a nice handful that we're truly good and not rip-offs.

With the exception of Dead End, I've yet to see a comic based FF that's worth the bandwith it was downloaded with. There's a couple Joker ones from batinthesun (or whatever that little studio is called) that are pretty well written but the acting from the principle (guy playing Joker) is piss poor.

So, they can be fun, but I'd hardly call them serious art. Dead End is the best so far and it's largely eye candy, as someone else stated previously. And the whole Aliens and Predator thing was lame, but at least it was entertaining. Most fan films are cringe inducing.