Quote:
Originally Posted by Lara
Fan stuff has no legal status. Lawyers don't worry about it staking claim as it has none. Try to say a studio nicked your idea and you will get reminded its not legally yours to play with in the first place :-)
Some franchise owners (especially original concept writers) forbid it, others tolerate it, just a few encourage it.
A notable few fan writers have gone mainstream, or lived the dream of co-writing with their idol author, but that's the exception.
None of the owners I've ever spoken to want you to discuss you ideas with them because of potential 'contamination' and the ill will it causes if there is a coincidence
BSG was fertile ground from the start because of its big themes. There was reams of fanfic before the first series had even finished and after G80 it just exploded as fans looked to
a) continue the story to ease their frustration
b) use the new fangled internet thingo for message boards and instant sharing instead of newsletters and printed zines :-)
Artwork was always part of it, fanfilms and animations a natural extension as the tools became available to gifted amateurs.
Poppa Larson will be arguing for more money, not because he has any affection or any passion for the property. Ditto with Universal.
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I agree with everything Lara has said and although there are exceptions to the rule, there is a perceived gulf between the superfans and the professionals.
It is possible to cross that divide (most of the people working on Dr Who were superfans, including Stephen Moffat) and Kickstarter campaigns for professional led fanfilms demonstrate that, but nevertheless "The Powers That Be" see the gulf.
That's why it's very important for credibility to be foremost, which (for example) I think the Colonial Fan Force achieved when it advertised in an
industry magazine (Daily Variety). If fans of a show are ever to reach out to executives, it has to be done on the executives' ground, not the fans' ground, or even common ground.