Fan Film, Fan Films

Star Trek Fan Films On The Move

0 | November 5th, 2008 | Posted in Fan Film, Filmmaking, News, Public Screening, Star Trek

Over the last few weeks, J.J. Abrams has been teasing fans with images and info from his upcoming Star Trek reboot, due in theaters next summer. For those who just can’t wait that long, however, there’s plenty of brand-new Trek to enjoy on the web, thanks to the wide world of fan films. Take these three productions, for instance:

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Fan Film Murder Suspect Hits Court Wednesday

0 | November 4th, 2008 | Posted in Analysis, Fan Film, Filmmaking, Mainstream Media, News, Star Wars
Mark Twitchell

Mark Twitchell

As reported on FCT yesterday, Mark Twitchell, a Star Wars fan filmmaker in Edmonton, Canada, was arrested on Halloween for allegedly killing a man. The suspect was originally expected to appear in court yesterday, but will now go before a judge on Wednesday.

In late September, Twitchell filmed a short horror movie, House of Cards, in which a man is lured to a garage, stunned and subsequently tortured into divulging computer passwords to his bank accounts and social networking pages, before being murdered and dismembered. Police allege that a few weeks later, Twitchell essentially acted out the flick in real life, with Johnny Altinger as his victim. Although no body has been found, Altinger has been missing since October 10 and police believe they have enough evidence to charge Twitchell with first degree murder.

Although Twitchell didn’t appear in court Monday, new facts about the case emerged in the Canadian media. Read More »

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Star Wars Fan Film Director Arrested for Murder

8 | November 3rd, 2008 | Posted in Analysis, Fan Film, Filmmaking, Mainstream Media, News, Star Wars, TV, Writing,
Mark Twitchell

Mark Twitchell

Canadian fan filmmaker Mark Andrew Twitchell, 29, was arrested on Halloween in Edmonton, Alberta, accused of murdering a man in an effort to live out the plot of his latest movie.

Twitchell recently shot a horror film in his garage, according to Detective Mark Anstey, who told CTV Edmonton, “The movie was about luring a male from a dating internet site and basically killing the male in the garage and chopping up the body parts and getting rid of the body.”

That may be what happened to Johnny Brian Altinger, 38, who was reportedly drawn on October 10 to a garage at 5712 40th Ave. where Twitchell produced movies. Altinger has not been seen since; while a body has not been found, police believe they have enough forensic evidence to charge Twitchell with first degree murder. Read More »

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See A 1936 Fan Film—And Meet The Filmmaker!

0 | November 3rd, 2008 | Posted in Analysis, Books, Contest, Fan Film, Filmmaking, History, Homemade Hollywood, Mainstream Media, News, Public Screening, Review
16-year-old Robbins Barstow made and starred as the title character in the 1936 fan film, "Tarzan and the Rocky Gorge."

16-year-old Robbins Barstow made the 1936 fan film, Tarzan & The Rocky Gorge.

Early fan films are hard to find—in part because many of the filmmakers who made ‘em are no longer around. So this Sunday, November 9, will be a real treat if you happen to attend the Third Annual Hartford International Film Festival in Hartford, CT. Not only will you get to see a classic fan film from 1936, but the star/writer/director will do a Q&A session with the audience afterwards!

Back when he was 16 years old, Dr. Robbins Barstow made Tarzan and the Rocky Gorge with his two brothers and a few girls in the neighborhood. It quickly became a family heirloom, getting shown at Thanksgiving and backyard BBQs. In fact, the flick became such an integral part of Barstow family history that 38 years later, in 1974, they made a sequel, Tarzan and the Lost, Last Whale. Read More »

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Homemade Hollywood Gets io9 Rave Review!

1 | October 31st, 2008 | Posted in Amazon, Analysis, Author, Batman, Books, Comic Books, Continuum Books, DC Comics, Fan Film, Filmmaking, History, Homemade Hollywood, Mainstream Media, News, Publishing, Review, Sandy Collora, Superheroes

io9.com is the biggest Sci-Fi website on the planet, and that’s not just me saying that; it’s a fact. So I’m pretty damn excited that they wrote up my fan film book, Homemade Hollywood, on Thursday—and the best part is, they loved it!

Editor-in-chief Annalee Newitz’s review starts out calling the book “terrific” and then focuses in on one chapter—about Sandy Collora, Batman: Dead End and the San Diego Comic Con’s banning of fan films—before concluding:

This is just one of the cool, revealing tales that make Clive Young’s book Homemade Hollywood an absolute pleasure to read. If you’re interested in fan movies, or the subterranean world of Hollywood, it’s a must-read. It’s coming out in the next month, so pre-order your copy while it’s hot!

Well, I can’t argue with that advice!

PS–Don’t worry: Monday, I’ll go back to the usual wall-to-wall fan film coverage!

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FCT Roadtrip Report: Mass Bay Film Project

0 | October 31st, 2008 | Posted in Analysis, Author, Batman, Books, Continuum Books, DC Comics, Dan Poole, Education, Fan Film, Filmmaking, Hardware Wars, History, Homemade Hollywood, Indiana Jones, James Bond, Mainstream Media, News, Public Screening, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spider-Man, Star Wars, Superheroes, Superman, The Green Goblin's Last Stand, Video Games

The Cape Ann Community Cinema

Wednesday, I flew up to Gloucester, MA to run a night of fan films and discussion of the history of fan films, and it went pretty well. Rob Newton, head of the Mass Bay Film Project, hosted; the evening was part of his organization’s current ’60 Films in 33 Days’ festival, kicking off its current film season which runs through next May at the Cape Ann Community Cinema. The crowd had a great time, the lobby had more vegan-friendly popcorn than you can shake a cornstalk at (admittedly, it’s a need that never occurred to me before), and a good time was had by all. Read More »

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Reach Out With Indy Mogul’s Gattling Gun Arm

0 | October 30th, 2008 | Posted in Education, Fan Film, Filmmaking, Mainstream Media, Monster Movies

Those sick, twisted, disturbed souls at Indy Mogul (and I say that in the nicest way possible) are at it again. They always have interesting stuff that they show you how to make for tens of dollars—such as the Hellraiser Good Samaritan gun—but recently, they came up with a bizarre weapon that’s begging to be in a fan film…or Halloween costume: A Gattling gun arm. Read More »

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Superman: The Super 8 Movie Returns!

0 | October 29th, 2008 | Posted in Amazon, Author, Comic Books, Continuum Books, Copyright, DC Comics, Fan Film, Filmmaking, Gray Areas, History, Homemade Hollywood, Mainstream Media, News, Public Screening, Publishing, Superheroes, Superman

Tonight, I’ll be hosting a night of fan films/author talk at the Mass Bay Film Project’s new home, the Cape Ann Community Cinema in Gloucester, MA (Wednesday, Oct. 29). On Monday, I also mentioned that I’d be screening a super-secret fan film tonight that was shut down by lawyers in the late 1990s—it hasn’t been seen by the public in nearly a decade! Well, now it can be revealed: The fan film is Superman: The Super 8 Movie (Special Edition). For those in the know, the fact that this movie is being seen again is nothing less than a landmark! Read More »

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Super Secret Fan Film Announcement Tonight!

0 | October 28th, 2008 | Posted in Author, Books, DC Comics, Fan Film, Homemade Hollywood, Mainstream Media, News, Public Screening

I promised that today, I’d reveal the legendary lost fan film that I’ll be screening at the Mass Bay Film Project’s fan film night/author talk, being held tomorrow (Wednesday, October 29) at the Cape Ann Cinema in Gloucester, MA.

Well, the details are ironed out, but you’re gonna have to wait until the stroke of midnight tonight to find out what it is! Til then, there’s a hint in the category tags below—make your guesses in the comments section!

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Nintendo Wii Fan Film: There Will Be Brawl

0 | October 28th, 2008 | Posted in Fan Film, Filmmaking, Mainstream Media, News, Video Games

Remember the other week, when I wrote about some kids in Georgia who are making a film for class based on Super Mario Brothers? Turns out someone else has already been there, done that with the fairly exciting (and funny) There Will Be Brawl, a parody of the popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl video game for the Nintendo Wii.

Even though it’s based on a kids game, make no mistake—this is a grown-up flick, and the filmmakers have pasted ‘Warning: Not intended for viewers under the age of 17′ all over their website. More info—and the video—after the jump. Read More »

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