pennausamike
Sr Member
RPF FFF Roundup Intro
As with my collection thread
here I am rebuilding a Firefly/ Serenity reference thread for the third time. I originally created the Firefly Fan Film Roundup to have an all-in-one-place reference for those interested in fan films in the Firefly ‘verse.
By the time I put it together for the first time, there were already a few efforts for whom there was perhaps only a name in a fan film list, and whose project websites had already disappeared off the internet. I didn’t include them then (or now) because those films existed only as a title at that point. In the decade since I first put up the Roundup list, a few more of the films have gone MIA. But I’ll include them here, still, since I feel they were a part of the scene at one point in time. And if there is SOME visual record, even if it is just some behind-the-scenes photos, screencaps and/ or a DVD in my collection. I think this is the most complete Firefly fan film (FFF) listing because in addition to my own efforts over the years, a number of other Browncoat fans have found and notified me of films they have found tucked away on the web. First is a list of the FFF that I have seen or found information on:
Mosquito – 2005: A parody short film about a too quickly cancelled space-western
Bellflower – 2005 to current: This is a feature length story being released in segments as work is completed
Into the Black – 2006: A feature length film that was mostly shot, but never completed
Operation Bloody Station – 2006: A short film of Alliance science gone awry.
Faith of a Man – 2006: A short cosplay performance essay about the effects of war and defeat on a person.
Albatross Blooper Reel – 2007: The remaining footage from a project abandoned after the first day of filming.
Big Iron – 2008: A short film that halted production, leaving only their MySpace page.
Fool Me Twice – 2008: My own FFF that made it as far as a script, props and wardrobe.
Across the Black - 2009-ish: A battle between Alliance and Independents where all is lost.
Reaverized – 2010: A short film of still more Alliance science gone awry.
The Game – 2010: A short cosplay film plus a blooper reel.
Freedom: The Series – 2010: Started out as a FFF, but was removed from the Firefly IP out of fear for a C&D.
Courage: The Series – 2010: A series that announced big, but ran out of steam after one episode.
Ruins of Du Khang – 2010: A feature film with extremely limited release.
Browncoats: Redemption - 2010: A feature fan film for charity, made with studio permission.
Cache – 2011: A film festival short, filmed in a day.
STAND - 2011: This back-burner project receives occasional attention with a “hopefully someday” release.
Operation Night Watch – 2014: A short film intended to double as an ad for the CSTS event.
The Verse – 2014: The most professional of all the FFF’s, this quasi-official release was backed by Loot Crate.
Browncoats: Independence War 2015: Simply the most ambitious FFF feature.
Firefly: The Animated Adventures Trailer – 2016: The title says it all for this neat little piece of work.
Apache Kid and the Browncoat Rebels – 2017: Another Film Festival short.
The Faithful Companion - 2019: A character-driven short film.
Shadows on the Wind – 2020: This well-made short overcame years of challenges to deliver on its promise.
Heritage – 2020: This interesting short lived largely in green-screen environments.
Out of the Valley – 2020: A first time effort that shows lots of promise.
and two that don’t fit the usual FFF categories
Done the Impossible
Browncoats of Penzance
So, there you have it; a list of 28 fan-made films meant to live in, expand, or pay tribute to the Firefly ‘verse. For the most part, Firefly fan films can be broken into two production types and three story-telling categories.
The production-types would be:
1: The group of friends who have some costumes and props, a video camera, a short story to tell, and a few weekends to make a film. With the editing tools available to a home computer user, these “home movies” can do a nice job of telling their story.
2: The full-on, write a script, build elaborate sets, incorporate special effects, upgraded camera and sound equipment, search for talent for in-front-of and behind the camera, invest some serious effort on post-production, and make a quality short or a feature length film.
The three story-categories, as I see them, are:
1: Fan-made and acted stories featuring the original crew from “Firefly”.
2: Stories about other characters in the ‘verse, but the characters and story circumstances mimic the original show. Older ship, crew as found family, hard-scrabble life, rebel past, character with an opposite sex name, folks got secrets, etc.
3: Stories in the ‘verse, but featuring characters in occupations and situations outside the “run down transport” milieu.
The two exceptions would be “Done the Impossible”, which is a documentary about the early days of the Browncoat fan movement, from Firefly days to just prior to the release of the BDM, “Serenity”; and the “Browncoats of Penzance”, which is a full-length stage musical that was filmed.
At the early stages of the Firefly fan film creation, every FFF, (even the ones that introduced new characters), mimicked the show, most nearly beat for beat. There are many other Firefly ‘verse stories to tell. Story arcs exploring the reach and machinations of Blue Sun, tales of Companions and politics, dissatisfactions within the Alliance; the Firefly ‘verse is rich with story ideas beyond a simple “peril-of-the-week-for-the-crew”. Stories about cops and robbers and Companions and politics and business could all be shot with costumes and props. The efforts could be put into the tales themselves and creating new ‘versey vistas. Building spaceship sets is expensive. NOT taking the “an older ship with a ragtag crew, secrets, rebel past, etc., etc” path would be more of an exercise in personal creativity than mimicking Firefly’s story parameters and then trying to make it feel different. While that may be what Firefly was “about” for some or many Browncoats; for me, Joss Whedon’s Firefly ‘verse was so much more. With official studio participation seemingly over, it is up to the fans to grow the ‘verse.
As with my collection thread
My Firefly/ Serenity Collection
My Firefly – Serenity Collection Here is my third attempt at creating an archival posting of my Firefly/ Serenity Collection. The first was at www.serenitymovie.net with around a quarter million views when the site went belly-up; the second go 'round was at www.fireflyprops.net which was an...
www.therpf.com
By the time I put it together for the first time, there were already a few efforts for whom there was perhaps only a name in a fan film list, and whose project websites had already disappeared off the internet. I didn’t include them then (or now) because those films existed only as a title at that point. In the decade since I first put up the Roundup list, a few more of the films have gone MIA. But I’ll include them here, still, since I feel they were a part of the scene at one point in time. And if there is SOME visual record, even if it is just some behind-the-scenes photos, screencaps and/ or a DVD in my collection. I think this is the most complete Firefly fan film (FFF) listing because in addition to my own efforts over the years, a number of other Browncoat fans have found and notified me of films they have found tucked away on the web. First is a list of the FFF that I have seen or found information on:
Mosquito – 2005: A parody short film about a too quickly cancelled space-western
Bellflower – 2005 to current: This is a feature length story being released in segments as work is completed
Into the Black – 2006: A feature length film that was mostly shot, but never completed
Operation Bloody Station – 2006: A short film of Alliance science gone awry.
Faith of a Man – 2006: A short cosplay performance essay about the effects of war and defeat on a person.
Albatross Blooper Reel – 2007: The remaining footage from a project abandoned after the first day of filming.
Big Iron – 2008: A short film that halted production, leaving only their MySpace page.
Fool Me Twice – 2008: My own FFF that made it as far as a script, props and wardrobe.
Across the Black - 2009-ish: A battle between Alliance and Independents where all is lost.
Reaverized – 2010: A short film of still more Alliance science gone awry.
The Game – 2010: A short cosplay film plus a blooper reel.
Freedom: The Series – 2010: Started out as a FFF, but was removed from the Firefly IP out of fear for a C&D.
Courage: The Series – 2010: A series that announced big, but ran out of steam after one episode.
Ruins of Du Khang – 2010: A feature film with extremely limited release.
Browncoats: Redemption - 2010: A feature fan film for charity, made with studio permission.
Cache – 2011: A film festival short, filmed in a day.
STAND - 2011: This back-burner project receives occasional attention with a “hopefully someday” release.
Operation Night Watch – 2014: A short film intended to double as an ad for the CSTS event.
The Verse – 2014: The most professional of all the FFF’s, this quasi-official release was backed by Loot Crate.
Browncoats: Independence War 2015: Simply the most ambitious FFF feature.
Firefly: The Animated Adventures Trailer – 2016: The title says it all for this neat little piece of work.
Apache Kid and the Browncoat Rebels – 2017: Another Film Festival short.
The Faithful Companion - 2019: A character-driven short film.
Shadows on the Wind – 2020: This well-made short overcame years of challenges to deliver on its promise.
Heritage – 2020: This interesting short lived largely in green-screen environments.
Out of the Valley – 2020: A first time effort that shows lots of promise.
and two that don’t fit the usual FFF categories
Done the Impossible
Browncoats of Penzance
So, there you have it; a list of 28 fan-made films meant to live in, expand, or pay tribute to the Firefly ‘verse. For the most part, Firefly fan films can be broken into two production types and three story-telling categories.
The production-types would be:
1: The group of friends who have some costumes and props, a video camera, a short story to tell, and a few weekends to make a film. With the editing tools available to a home computer user, these “home movies” can do a nice job of telling their story.
2: The full-on, write a script, build elaborate sets, incorporate special effects, upgraded camera and sound equipment, search for talent for in-front-of and behind the camera, invest some serious effort on post-production, and make a quality short or a feature length film.
The three story-categories, as I see them, are:
1: Fan-made and acted stories featuring the original crew from “Firefly”.
2: Stories about other characters in the ‘verse, but the characters and story circumstances mimic the original show. Older ship, crew as found family, hard-scrabble life, rebel past, character with an opposite sex name, folks got secrets, etc.
3: Stories in the ‘verse, but featuring characters in occupations and situations outside the “run down transport” milieu.
The two exceptions would be “Done the Impossible”, which is a documentary about the early days of the Browncoat fan movement, from Firefly days to just prior to the release of the BDM, “Serenity”; and the “Browncoats of Penzance”, which is a full-length stage musical that was filmed.
At the early stages of the Firefly fan film creation, every FFF, (even the ones that introduced new characters), mimicked the show, most nearly beat for beat. There are many other Firefly ‘verse stories to tell. Story arcs exploring the reach and machinations of Blue Sun, tales of Companions and politics, dissatisfactions within the Alliance; the Firefly ‘verse is rich with story ideas beyond a simple “peril-of-the-week-for-the-crew”. Stories about cops and robbers and Companions and politics and business could all be shot with costumes and props. The efforts could be put into the tales themselves and creating new ‘versey vistas. Building spaceship sets is expensive. NOT taking the “an older ship with a ragtag crew, secrets, rebel past, etc., etc” path would be more of an exercise in personal creativity than mimicking Firefly’s story parameters and then trying to make it feel different. While that may be what Firefly was “about” for some or many Browncoats; for me, Joss Whedon’s Firefly ‘verse was so much more. With official studio participation seemingly over, it is up to the fans to grow the ‘verse.
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