Advice for "Fan Films"

[JD]

Advice for fan films: don't.

...if you're going to, please don't try to play existing characters. Most of the time they just end up being bad caricatures and more distracting than they're worth.

 

[MattMunson]

Advice for fan films: don't.

...if you're going to, please don't try to play existing characters. Most of the time they just end up being bad caricatures and more distracting than they're worth.

Not all fan films attempt to re-create what came before it. For the most part I totally agree with you. Many fan films have fallen flat on their faces because the audience cannot get beyond the fact that someone else is trying to portray a character or actor that they already love. As much as I love Doctor Who, I struggle to watch a fan film that has someone else playing the 10th doctor, for example. Heck even DW fan films that introduce a NEW incarnation of the doctor are also hard to watch.

BUT I think it's a matter of choosing your battle. Plenty of fan films out there play in the same sandbox as their inspiration, without stepping in cat pooh. Farragut takes place in the TOS universe, but on a different ship. Fallout Nuka Break takes place in the Fallout universe, but with unfamiliar characters. I think there's a way to do it where you leverage the mythology, iconography and stylistic elements from a property you are in love with without trying to use the hero characters that people recognize.