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A very special update from Star Wars and Beyond and StarWarsFanworks.
The 2007 Fan Audio Awards have been released!
Robbie and Bryan Patrick Stoyle host the awards this year, and just like last year, do a tremendous job. These awards are of course for excellence in the area of Star Wars Fan Audio. Visit
starwarsandbeyond.com for the show
From the official production blog of Pink Five:
"But the top story this week is that Allegiance, the new Star Wars novel by Timothy Zahn, goes on sale tomorrow.
Way, way back at Celebration III, longtime friend-of-Pink-Five John Hudgens introduced me to Timothy Zahn, because John knew that Timothy was a Pink Five fan.
Which made a kind of sense... EU writers do the same thing fanfilm makers do, after all - we poke around the edges of the established SW universe, hunting for stories that haven't been told before.
It turned out Zahn was indeed a Pink Five fan, and during our conversation he said (in a mock-conspiratorial whisper) "I'm going to put Stacey into my next novel, if I can get away with it."
Timothy Zahn has been a fan to Star Wars fans for quite some time, even making the 501st Stormtrooper Garrison (fan community that dons the armor and cloaks of SW villains for charity) Canon by including them in his novels Survivor's Quest and Fool's Bargain.
Written shortly after the release of Episode 3, Rod Hilton created what has become one of the best parodies of Revenge of the Sith as yet. And, the guys
over at GeeksOn (a podcast
that is "created by geeks, for geeks, covering topics
that geeks like to talk about. Movies, Sci-fi, Video Games, Comics, TV,
Internet, Board Games, RPGs") put together an
audio version. Keep in mind the cursing, so this is one that isn't for the
kiddies.
Find the audio at GeeksOn.com
Direct audio link
(source: starwarsfanworks.com)
Ladies and gentlemen, start your voting!
As in previous years, Star Wars Fanworks is holding its annual Star Wars Fan Audio Awards to recognize outstanding work in the genre in the most recent broadcast year. This year, of course, voting is being carried out to acknowledge projects released during 2006.
Categories have been slightly narrowed down since last year's awards, but voting is being carried out in a similar fashion. Those wishing to participate can do so in two ways, but must meet one of two qualifications.
Qualifications: As previously determined during discussions with the community and the approval thereof, anyone voting in the 2007 awards must either be (a) a registered member of GalacticSenate.com since no later than December 1, 2006, or (b) a member of the Star Wars fan audio creative community (someone who has been an active participant in the genre, either by being a creator, host, mixer, voice actor, or other "creative talent").
Voting Methods: Those wishing to vote should head to the Star Wars Fanworks message board over at GalacticSenate.com (using the link on the top right column of the Fanworks main page). There, you will find a thread at the top of the board that includes a few notes on rules/procedures and complete lists of all of the eligible nominees for each award category. Voters can then place their votes by either (a) sending a Private Message to forum member "Nathan Butler" (the starter of the voting thread) or (b) sending an email to "nathan@starwarsfanworks.com" so that Fanworks can tally your votes.
Winners will be announced in a special episode of Star Wars and Beyond a few weeks after voting ends on January 14.
So, what are you waiting for? Go show your support for the genre and your favorites in the 2007 Star Wars Fanworks Fan Audio Awards.
What do little geeks grow up to be? Big geeks. This is Christopher Knight.
Christopher is a huge fan of fanfilms. So he made one. He didn't plan on making money off of his fanfilm, he had a slightly different opinion. He was hoping to garner votes. Christopher Knight was in the local race for the Rockingham County Board of Education. I'm all for using creative means to get your point across. This site exists to promote exactly that. But sadly, the rest of the world didn't see a young man with dreams of a political career using the resources and medium around him. They saw an adult playing with his toys.
Christopher Knight, we salute you and what you did. Maybe next time try a more viable medium. May I suggest podcasting?
To see the commercials, visit knightforboard.org
Star Wars and Beyond is back with the latest installment in the popular series, found at StarWarsAndBeyond.com
Special Guest: Nathan Butler
Episode Rundown:
1. Intro
2. News
3. Letters
4. Nathan Butler talks about Fan Audio News Source (FANS)
5. NASA News: Multiple hydrocarbon lakes found on Titan
6. Song: Suerman Returns Main Theme
7. End of Episode
Comments from the Crew
Bryan was unavailable for recording this time. See what happens when I pick a co-host who actually has a life? (heh)
In any case, this is a short and sweet episode, just under an hour, so that when Bryan and I can get together again for recording, we're not bogged down with a lot of extra material that I'd like to get out to everyone. So, I hope you enjoyed this episode and we'll talk to you again soon, either in Episode XIX or in our first movie commentary which will be Superman: The Movie.
Download and enjoy at StarWarsAndBeyond.com
You've seen the Star Wars movies, right? Of course you have. Everyone has. But have you seen two of them at the same time? Ok, I have compared the differences of the DVD copy to the origianl VHS, but that day the cable was out. Here's another question for you. Have you seen all six Star Wars movies..... at the same time? Now you can. Although not how you're thinking. Jacob Kafka at weirdhat.com has created the ultimate remix. Star Wars Simultaneously. And yes, that title is accurate. You can now watch all six Star Wars movies at the same time. On top of each other. As silly as that sounds, you will be surprised at how similar the films can be at certain places. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to try some other great series at the same time. I wonder how Raimi's Evil Dead series will run?
Thanks to the lovely Lady of Sci Fi, Lynne Gryphon. You can find other great news on her Vidcast, at lynne.libsyn.com
With me being a straight, American geek, Leia's slave bikini has been one of the lasting images ingrained in my mind, even before I liked girls. Jamin, the wonderful man from Tattooine that makes the suits the ladies sport, has had a side project running. Operation Life Size Jabba, albeit not a very good covert ops title, will bring a 1:1 scale Jabba the Hutt to DragonCon 06. Although no details have been released as to whether you or I can get
our pictures taken next to his slimy-repulsiveness, the lovely ladies in the metal bikins will be in full force, ready to smile and pose for photographic opportunities.
Click here to see to see the flyer
Click here for updates on Operation Life Size Jabba
Click here to get your very own Slave Leia Outfit.
Robbie Chastain and Bryan Patrick Stoyle are back with the latest installment in the popular series, found at StarWarsAndBeyond.com
Episode Rundown:
News
Letters
Bryan visits COSI
NASA News: Two new moons around Pluto officially named
Review: Reign of the Fallen
Review: Superman Returns
Comments from the crew:
Here's Episode XVII for your enjoyment. Yes, Bryan's review of Reign of the Fallen is actually here! I know we pimped it for a few episodes, but it's really up finally. Bryan and I hope you enjoy the show as much as we did making it and we hope you like the pictures from COSI that we included in the ZIP file.
Download and enjoy at StarWarsAndBeyond.com
I don't know about you guys, but I have been a serious fan for years of the film Ryan Wieber vs Dorkman Scott. It was originally released in 2003 and pit two of the best rotoscopers on the TFN boards against each other, in a contest to see who really was the best. As it turns out, RvD won TFN's competition with 54% of the vote, a staggering number to say the least.
It seems the guys are ready for round 2. They have announced that they are under way with production of number 2.
You can find updates and more information at ryanvsdorkman.com/
This week on Star Wars Action News, Marjorie & Arnie discuss the recent Amazon/Toys R Us Split. Many were unhappy with the partnership as many pre-orders for the Space Whale and Hunt For Grievous Battle Pack have been cancelled. We also discuss the latest in Transformers, and continue Collecting in the Outer Rim focusing on Spain. And as always, in this week's show are this week's store reports from our listeners and Scott From Tulsa.
Marjorie & Arnie are heading down to the Sci-fi Expo in Dallas. If you are going, make sure to look for them, you may just get a SWAN exclusive. There is also a SWAN party. Head on over to the forums for more info Star Wars Action News Forums.
You can download the show at www.swactionnews.com
Star Wars Action News is back this week with another addition to the series "Collecting in the Outer Rim". You can download it now at www.swactionnews.com! This week Arnie interviewed Javier from Mexico. Listen to the show to find out about his struggles with collecting. If you also live outside of the US, drop us a line and let us know what it’s like for you!
In addition we have the latest toy news including the rumored figure for 2007. And, as usual, we have store reports phoned in by you, our listeners! Did someone in your area find the Tattooine wave? And in Jakob's segment this week he voices his opinion on the weekly Hasbro Q&A.
Speaking of the Hasbro Q&A, we had 3 more questions answered this week. Interested in UGHs, POP problems, or Scorch rarity? Listen to our show to find out what Hasbro had to say on those issues.
Marjorie and Arnie are gearing up for the Dallas Sci-fi expo and the San Diego Comicon. Check out the forums at http://www.swactionnews.com to find out the latest news about the conventions and what Star Wars Action News activities are planned. There will definitely be a large Star Wars Action News presence at the Fan Club Breakfast on Saturday at SDCC. If you have not purchased a ticket, head over to www.starwarsshop.com and pick one up!
The 7th episode of Star Wars Action News, the only podcast dedicated only to Star Wars collecting, has been posted. You can get it by going to your regular Podcast RSS aggregator or by direct download at reviewstarwars.com
This week we "stay on Target" with a look at the Target exclusives this year, with special focus on the recent rash of Target exclusive figures and vehicles. How many is too many? How rare is too rare?
Also there is a new entry to the Star Wars Christmas Ornaments which have long been dominated by Hallmark. What are these new ornaments, and are they worth buying? We evaluate the merits of both these new ornaments and the long-running Hallmark collection.
Finally we answer some listener mail, with such topics such as how do we display our collection, do we collect vintage, and have we ever been called "neurotic". Listen to find out.
Also we want to thank all of you for listening, for writing in, and for voting for us on Podcast alley. We are still collecting entries for the favorite items in your collection, which will be our next week's topic, so you have a few more days to write in and get your favorite item read on our 'cast.
To thank our listeners we have teamed up with Andrew's Toyz to bring you a chance to win a scaled Obi-Wan Kenobi or Anakin Skywalker Master Replicas lightsaber. Listen to our podcast for all the details.
Thanks once again for listening to our podcast, and keep the feedback coming. You are giving us great topics for upcoming shows!
Technorati: Star Wars, Planet Fandom, Fandom, Fanfilms, scifi, Science Fiction
Hello loyal listeners! I wanted to start by thanking all of you for your e-mails and your votes at Podcast Alley. For only being on line for five weeks the response is much higher than I could have ever hoped for. Your wonderful feedback is helping to shape the show and giving us great fodder for many more episodes to come.
One comment we have a lot is "The show is too short!" Well, our first week we were told we were too long :) I like to say "leave 'em wanting more" but, that said, there are a couple extra minutes in this week's podcast. I should have known that was coming when we sat down to record and I said to Marjorie "It will probably be a short one this week". Irony in action, folks. Still, we are aiming to stick around 20 minutes per week, with the occasional "special" 30 minute episode when the need arises. We just covered more than our usual three things this week.
In this sixth episode we talk about the new Hasbro finds at Target and Sam's Club, we look at the newly released photos of the Star Wars Transformers, and then discuss exactly what the Star Wars Fan Club has done for us.
We want to remind you all to keep sending us in e-mails on the favorite item in your Star Wars collection. We're looking for the ONE item you cherish above all else and WHY. Every favorite item usually has a great story to go with it, so tell us yours. My wife will whet your appetite this week by telling you her favorite item to get you started.
So be sure to check us out at reviewstarwars.com or check your favorite podcast RSS feed for our sixth episode. Keep the e-mails coming, we love the feedback.
Technorati: Star Wars, Planet Fandom, Fandom, Fanfilms, scifi, Science Fiction
Monday, Tim Brazeal, founder of Save Enterprise and Trek United, announced to the fan base at Trek Fans United that the campaign for the continuation of STAR TREK will continue with a coordinated worldwide campaign.
Star Wars en Direct #58 - October 4th, 2005
During this episode we will discuss the new dark times ahead. Of course those new Dark Times will not compare to the absence of Star Wars in the late 80's but has Star Wars fans, how will you survive between RotS and the upcoming TV Series? What will you be doing to keep your fandom alive?
What are your opinion and comments about this subject? Send them (or phone number for us to call) to studio@swendirect.com.
The live broadcast begins this Tuesday at 7PM Eastern
Remember to vote for us on Podcastalley.com each month.
During this episode we will discuss what you consider to be the best moments in the Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU).
The Expanded Universe is the fictionnal history that surrounds the movies dating back 25000 years before to 35 years after the films.
So for those not familiar to the EU, this show will bring forward the most interesting events of the SW history that are not shown in the six movies and give you a taste of what you are missing.
What are your best moments of the EU?, send them (or phone number for us to call) to studio@swendirect.com.
The live broadcast begins this Tuesday at 7PM Eastern
Gene Rodenberry would be proud, I think. Or at least suprised.
With the paradoxically tragic, and yet celebrated, cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise, Trekkies across the globe are finding themselves in something of a time-warp. Today, fans are in a similar position to a previous generation when the original Star Trek was taken off the air in 1969. The parallels between the final throes of the Original Star Trek and Star Trek: Enterprise, are indeed noteworthy, but it is the differences between them that may end up revolutionizing TV SciFi as we know it--Star Trek and beyond.
In a striking demonstration of the kind of disregard that Hollywood all too often shows to some of it's audiences, Enterprise co-creator and co-executive producer Brannon Braga once referred to some Trekkies as "continuity pornographers" because of online criticisms leveled against him and Rick Berman during the rough and waning years of Star Trek's latest TV series. Toward the end of Enterprise's run, Berman himself would cite "franchise fatigue" as a prime reason behind the demise of modern Star Trek, saying that the series should be allowed to lay fallow for a few years until demand for it re-asserted itself. The truth, however, was that enough fans (both casual and hardcore) had become fed up with the increasing variance between the beloved Next Generation model of Star Trek and "Neo Trek" that the fanbase fractured into something akin to a Nerd Civil War. By the time that Manny Coto took the helm, the damage to Enterprise's viewer base had already been done and the series was inevitably canned.
Now, sadly, there's no more new Star Trek to watch . . . or is there?
Even before Enterprise was cancelled, fanboys across the country--and the world--had started building up a new cottage industry of Star Trek, turning their backyards and garages into film studios, and their home computers into special effects labs. Though this kind of grass-roots ambition was not new, it wasn't until home studio equipment became affordable that the movement really began to explode. Contrary to Berman's "franchise fatigue" explanation--which implied that demand for Star Trek had exhausted itself--fan-made productions are popping up all across the internet, and gaining notoriety among those who believe that Trek still has some steam left in it.
Time and Technology have been kind to the Trekkie. In the years since Star Trek first hit the air, advances in computing technology have made it possible for average people to film, edit, and produce video presentations of a quality that rivals the early years of The Next Generation. Even the vaunted cult hit Babylon 5 can seem archaic in comparison with some of the SFX jobs that characterize SciFi fanfilms. With some 3D animation software like Maya, even novices can create epic starship battles and renderings of alien planets that used to be the exclusive prevue of companies like Industrial Light and Magic.
Combine this cheap access to production equipment with simple Trekkie fanaticism and access to a world-wide distribution network (the Internet), and suddenly fans from Shanghai to Mozambique can watch the latest adventures of Captain Garrovick onboard the Starship Exeter or Captain Shelby in Hidden Frontier with a click of a mouse. No network schedules to work around, no DVD manufacturers to haggle with. Just simple, direct access to the audience.
But the true beauty of this whole new paradigm in fan production is that the internet isn't just a conduit for everyone with a camera to get their projects in front of people's eyes. No, in fact, it is the dispersed nature of the internet--millions of websites, and billions of pages--which acts as a sort of democratic mediator that promotes the good content and weans out the bad. It's a given that not every fan production is going to be a masterpiece (even most TV shows are garbage), but those which show talent and promise are quickly passed around the world-wide-web through word of mouth. Emails and instant messages crisscross the thin spindles of information that connect computer servers across the world . . . and every user who stumbles across an "eShow" worthy of mention, will probably forward it on to their friends who will judge for themselves and do the same.
Eventually, that discussion will manifest itself in hyperlinks on message boards, newsgroups, blogs, mailing lists and news websites (like PlanetFandom). In a kind of Laissez-faire fanboy economy, the projects, actors, editors, costume designers and special effects artists who have talent naturally generate notoriety. This is the same concept that the Google search-engine relies on; the more a site is mentioned and linked to, the higher Google will rank that site when someone searches for a phrase that describes it. Over time, this process of "vote with your mouse" would allow fan-based talent from all across the globe to interact and improve their trade. Eventually, the shows that are worthwhile would grow better known and those which lacked talent would ultimately fall into the dark depths of anonymity.
This process has already see the release of fanshows that rival and exceed the production quality of The Original Star Trek. If left to their own devices, fanboy productions will become more sophisticated and the talented individuals behind the shows will tend to gravitate toward each other. The prospect of ever-improving "TV show" production, specifically honed to the tastes and preferences of Star Trek's target market should make some studio executives stand up and think. Why risk an untested concept based on a quick studio pitch, when an all volunteer team has effectively done market research, selected qualified talent, and produced and distributed test episodes of it's show to an internet-savvy target market that is becoming harder and harder to reach through traditional advertising channels?
Ideally, recognition of the talent and value of good fanseries would lead to a kind of two-way communication between a fanbase and a professional production studio, with the lines between "fanboy" and "pro" being blurred somewhat. The more communication that exists between a show and its audience, the more responsive that show can be to the preferences of the viewers. Fanboys now take personal "ownership" or "stock" in the show that they watch, and instead of increasing audience atrophy, viewers become more fiercely loyal to their favorite series, and make it a point to evangelize their show through world-of-mouth. If fans feel they have a voice in the course of a show, they are much more likely to watch and talk about it. It's the basic Hail To The Fanboy concept all over again.
Refreshingly, all of this has not been lost entirely on Hollywood. Take Star Trek New Voyages, for example, which is one of the most popular Trek fanseries online today. Continuing the adventures of Kirk, Spock and McCoy of the Original Star Trek, this production has managed even to garner the attention of the professional media, as well as flag down an appearance of Walter Koenig and a script by D.C. Fontana. Producers of fanfilms like Star Wars Revelations are now getting to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with actors from Battlestar Galactica at fan conventions, so this cottage industry movement hasn't gone entirely under the radar. As fans, all that we can hope for is that, as time goes on, more producers--and not just of Star Trek--will start to follow the precedent set by George Lucas in allowing people to make fanfilms without fear of legal action. Eventually, Hollywood and the big studios will have to take notice of us, it's just good business sense to tailor your product (the show) to its consumer (the audience). The internet is a great tool for discovering those diamonds in the ruff among fandom, and as long as people care enough to keep doing stuff like this, the Federation is almost certain to be boldly going for many years to come, even if new Trek never returns to the air. | Discuss this item on the forums
Technorati: Star Trek, Star Trek Excalibur, Star Trek New Voyages, Planet Fandom, Entertainment, Fandom, Fanfilms, scifi, Science Fiction
On This Week's Show: Author Michael Stackpole joins Michael and Evo in the studio!
Michael, Evo and Mike Stackpole are still recovering from last weekend's Dragon*Con.
The News This Week:
An interesting post from Mylinkers pointed me in the direction of a fanfilm resource on TF.N that I was not previously aware of: Star Wars Fanfilm Tutorials. It includes information from script writing to CGI lighting, props to special effects. Everything from pre-production to post-production seems to be covered, so if you're thinking (or are in the process) of putting together a fanfilm, this would probably prove to be a useful resource.
So while I was getting ready for my Vegas trip this weekend, it turns out there's a new (and good) Star Wars fanfilm out on TheForce.net: Versus. It's a French-made fanfilm which is blissfully subtitled, but really there's not all much dialogue in this piece. The music is amazing, and the obligatory lightsaber duel is very satisfying. It's a simple story, and works quite nicely in a fanfilm format, however some parts about the editing may leave you a little bit lost if you're not paying total attention to it (I was folding laundry while watching). Overall, however, I'd say it's among the better Star Wars fanfilms, and has a sort of basic appeal that harkens back to the Original Trilogy. Go watch it.
During this episode we will discuss about the upcoming animated and Live action Star Wars television series and their relation to canon.
Will the average SW fans and/or non-EU fans consider the upcoming series as canon like the movie? Will the TV series overwrite the Expanded Universe as we know it and become the new EU? What would you consider as the line that the TV series should not cross conserning the existing EU?
You have comments about the subject mentionned above, send them (or phone number for us to call) to studio@swendirect.com
The live broadcast begins this Tuesday Sept. 6th at 7PM Eastern
From Star Wars Fan Works:Today marks the second anniversary of Star Wars Fanworks, the second anniversary of Requiem of the Outcast, and the first anniversary of Star Wars and Beyond With this being a big month for Fanworks, it seems only natural that it would turn out to also be a big month for fan audio releases.
New releases this month include ChronoRadio, Star Wars and Beyond, Star Wars FM, Fan Audio Made Easy, Other Voices and Adventures of the Galactic Star Force Power Squad. Visit Star Wars Fan Works for more details.
Today we continue our series of reviews with Episode IV: A New Hope. I just reviewed Episode III: Revenge of the Sith back in May, so if you'd like to listen to that in the context of this series, you can download it at this link: TFN_050520.mp3 (it contains spoilers!). We've also got an "Expanded Universe Update" from Jay at Rebelscum.com.
This is the archived version of the live the August 30th live broadcast of Star Wars en Direct.
Via Star Wars en Direct : The Voice of Star Wars Fandom
During this episode we will have the chance to talk live on the phone with Rob Watkins, the man behind the Star Wars Miniatures game from Wizards of the Coast.
You have questions for Rob and/or about the Universe Huge set or the Miniatures in general, send them (or phone number for us to call) to studio@swendirect.com. You can also be in our chatroom during the interview and leave questions to the hosts.
The live broadcast begins this Tuesday at 7PM Eastern
For those of you who have been following the Star Wars fanfilm scene for awhile, you're probably aware of the runaway hit that took the Grand Prize in the 2003 Atomfilms Fan Film Contest, Pink Five. Since the premiere of the original hilarious piece by The Truly Dangerous Company, it was followed up by Pink Five Strikes Back which won the Atomfilms Audience Choice Award in 2004. Now they're looking to bring in installment #3, Return of Pink Five, which if the previous two installments are any indication--will be absolutely hilarious and very well produced.
But, as fanfilms sometimes tend to do, the Pink Five production has run into a few financial snafus, and so they need your help. Check out Pink Five's Blog for more information.
From TheForce.net: TF.N and Rebelscum are working together to get donations for the fan film Return of Pink Five. In case you don't know, Pink Five won the George Lucas Selects award in Lucasfilm's 2003 Official Star Wars Fan Film awards - its sequel, Pink Five Strikes Back won the Audience Choice Award the following year. We love their work.
While in stock, your $20 donation, 100% of which will be sent to them, will get you a TheForce.net blue polo shipped to your U.S. address via Priority Mail.
There are only 58 shirts in mixed sizes and once they are gone, well, they are gone. After that, or in addition to it, you can buy Pink Five stuff over at HERE, or if you can donate even a dollar, you can do so HERE.
Discuss this item on the forums | Technorati: Star Wars, Fanfilm, Fanfilms, Planet Fandom, Fandom, scifi, Science Fiction
Fan productions everywhere got a cumulative boost with the popularization of Star Wars Fanfilms, and George Lucas' generous policy toward people who make spin-off features about his pet universe. But one area of great creativity and talent that is often overlooked is the fan audio community. From dramatic "radio" shows to introspective podcasts (like Star Wars en Direct), sci fi fans (and not just of Star Wars) have been creating compelling and entertaining audio content for quite sometime.
That's what makes sites like Nathan P. Butler's Star Wars Fanworks so useful. Stealing a bit of TheForce.net's thunder (which tends to more heavily focus on fanfilms), this website is the authoritative source for news Star Wars themed fan audio. Like all fan projects, some of the material catalogued on Nathan's site is quite good, like Second Strike, and fan audio doesn't have to be watched on your computer or television. You can upload it to your iPod, for example, and listen on the road or on a jog.
Whatever your preference, if you're into SciFi fandom productions, Star Wars Fanworks is definitely worth a bookmark.
Sean Bartlett offers an extremely well-done Star Wars fan animation titled "Grape Scented." I don't exaggerate in the slightest when I say this is the best fanfilm animation I have ever seen. The production is extremely high quality, the animation is clean and professional, and the storyline is amusing. Not to mention that the "hero" reminds me of one of my high-school buddies. It clocks in at a slender 3 minutes 11 seconds and 26 megabytes and is well worth the download.
Discuss this item on the forums | Technorati: Star Wars, Animation, Planet Fandom, Fandom, scifi, Science Fiction
