Fans on Sets

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Throughout the history of fannish culture, fans have visited film sets in their favorite media, whether alone or together, casually or contrived. Below are some presentations about these visits.

This has overlap with fans meeting actors and other people involved in producing their favorite media and fandoms in other venues, such as production studios, personal visits, and at conventions. See Fan Testimonials: Interactions with the Actors, Writers, and Other Objects of Affection.

Touring Sets and Meeting Actors and Other Workers

Many, MANY reports of fans visiting and touring filming sets appear in zines and online spaces.

These descriptions were a way for fans to vicariously experience other fans' good fortunes. These visits sometimes included interviews.

Many fans enjoyed these reports:

More recently, other fans were fortunate enough to see it on the Sentinel set. Those of you with stronger stomachs than I have should browse the TS list archives and the various websites with set visit tales, and you're sure to come across at least one description of the group expedition that took place somewhere back in spring of '97, I believe. The one where the crowd was standing by when Garett had to leave to go see his sister or something, and Richard kissed him goodbye. There were probably similar events during other visits, but mercifully I am spared from knowing too much about what I've missed; and for my temper's sake, I prefer to keep it that way. But I bet a determined searcher could find plenty of lucky fans who got to see more of what made the show so wonderfully, realistically smarmy, and who would be happy to tell all about it. [1]

And some did not:

We were very proud that we had produced Spockanalia and from the very beginning, we said we were not going to have articles about “I went to the set and I saw Mr. Spock’s dressing room.” We will only publish things that pretend that Star Trek is the real world. So, you can write an article about ancient Vulcan archeology as long as it doesn’t violate anything that has been established in the show, or you can write a story, but you cannot send us an article about meeting Mr. Spock at an autograph session. [2]

Sometimes visits to sets resulted in disappointment. From a fan in early 1987 (about a 1986 visit to the set of Simon & Simon): a fan cautions and ponders:

I wouldn't begrudge any S&S fan the visit the set and see JP and Mackie in person but you need to make a decision before you make the trip and that is: will it affect my appreciation of the show to find out that I'm not going to see Rick and AJ, but JP and Mackie instead? In other words, how will you feel if you suddenly find that you don't really like JP and Mackie but are only attracted to the characters they play? Talk about crossing your universes! It's so hard to get over and "AJ" as "Rick" as "different" people, which is what Mackie and JP are... a few weeks ago, I really started pondering this whole dilemma, and came to the startling conclusion that I am, indeed, a Rick and AJ fan, as opposed to a JP and Mackie fan, if only for the logical reasoning that I "know" Rick and AJ (God, after spending 5 1/2 years with them, we all know 'em now, right?!), while JP and Mackie are just a couple guys [...] it's all a tragic case of the real world crashing into our reel world. So, if you don't think this would affect your love of the show, and you can afford the time to try and visit, you have my encouragement and blessings, but if you like to keep believing in Santa Claus, stay home and watch the show, read some fan fiction, and lose yourself in the whole S&S universe, because, after all, that's where your heart really is, isn't it?... [3]

A fan scolds others for their behavior due to The Beauty and the Beast Wars and how this ceased set visits (and caused other problems):

I'd rather never write another editorial than to have to tell the good people reading this that their fandom itself has a dark side. That that very openness, unheard of in the television industry, where fans were allowed to visit the set or could call the production office and talk to whomever chanced to pick up the phone, that mutual love and respect that developed because the fans were treated as thinking-adults and equals, that openness has made the double-edged sword that our fandom is becoming all that much sharper.

There are fans for whom the fantasy is all too real; change of any kind, the very intrusion of reality itself, is an evil to be physically fought against. Worse yet, they are for the most part indistinguishable from you and me. Whether we/they are dangerous or not, nobody wants to find out the hard way ...and so, the set is now closed, and public appearances will probably be made more secure and more rare. [4]

Fan Reports About Visiting Filming Sets: Examples

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Fans Filmed as Extras or Other Characters

Example: Fans in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"

In 1979, Gene Roddenberry recruited fans to be extras in a scene for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

These fans were required to be between 20 and 40 years of age and fulfill height and weight requirements: men from 5'8" to 6'2", sizes 40-42, and women from 5'6" to 5'8', sizes 8-10. In other words, no short, old, or fat people in space!

One fan described "the surprisingly good" catered lunch consisting of steak, mashed potatoes, peas, salads, watermelon, ice cream, and milk.

It was an opportunity to reward BNFS as well as to do personal favors for many TPTB. Some of those people were Bjo Trimble, Susan Sackett, Louise Stange, James Doohan's twin sons, Grace Lee Whitney's son, the director's wife, one of Roddenberry's secretaries, Leigh Strother-Vien (member of Los Angeles Science Fiction Society: LASFS), Kathleen Sky, David Gerrold, Bill Hickey, Walt Doty (co-president of ASTRA SF club), Randall Larson (worked at Federation Outpost), Paula Crist, and Steven Lance (also known as Steven L. Hersh).

The Star Trek Cattlecall, poem by Peggy Schwarz (August 1979), printed in Infinite Diversity #3

Example: Fans in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"

In 1996, fan artist John Paul Lona won the opportunity to wear the alien Rasiinian[5] makeup and ambassadorial costume that he had designed in a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season Four episode, The Muse. His character, Runepp, had neither lines nor screen credit. Lona was the winner of Playmates Toys' Design-an-Alien contest, which had been promoted on the backing cards of the Star Trek action figures.[6]

John Paul Lona says: "I happened across your database entry today and was surprised and flattered my character not only had a mention but a couple images as well. I haven't seen the mask since I first saw it in Michael Westmore's studio. It was also the first time I'd seen a screen capture from the episode itself. I thought I'd share with you a couple more images taken by Paramount's photographer on set. Also included are a couple of sketches of Runepp, one in particular of his costume I drew on the lot. (When I won, I hadn't yet designed the Rasiinian's costume. I thought an 'off the rack' Starfleet uniform would be fine, but Robert Blackman insisted I complete what I had started. It was the best part of the whole experience.)"[7]

Example: Fans in "Star Trek: Picard"

In July 2021, Production Designer Dave Blass requested via Twitter[8] that fans send him photos of themselves in Star Trek cosplay. Non Disclosure Agreements (N.D.A.s) were signed. Ultimately, many of these contributed images were featured on the walls of Guinan's 10 Forward Avenue bar on Earth in the second and third seasons of Star Trek: Picard, in particular "Farewell", "Seventeen Seconds" and "No Win Scenario".

Australian fan Ian McLean appeared on the wall, in numerous locations, as both Therin of Andor[9] and his USS Hood colleague, Grol of Tellar[10]. After the series wrapped production, the bar set was taken to various Los Angeles' locations and fans were able to pre-book time in this "pop-up" venue for photo opportunities and to purchase unique items from its gift shop.

References

  1. ^ from Real Men Don't Act That Way by Kitty Woldow (1999)
  2. ^ from Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Devra Langsam (2017)
  3. ^ from Simon and Simon Investigations #4 (1987)
  4. ^ from Stephanie A. Wiltse in Pipleine v.2 n.11/12 (Nov/Dec 1989)
  5. ^ Memory Alpha (2024)
  6. ^ Star Trek: Communicator, issue #105 (Dec 1995/Jan 1996), p. 4.
  7. ^ The Andor Files by Ian McLean (December, 2002)
  8. ^ Dave Blass, Twitter (2023)
  9. ^ Memory Alpha (2023)
  10. ^ Memory Alpha (2023)
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