And here you all thought there was no honor amongst thieves? Recently on Twitter, a voice actress/director by the name of Brittany Lauda voiced her concerns about people using Fan Dubs on their resumes. Mind you, my Bad Goddess series is a Satire of Film Pitches and Internet Piracy, but her reasonings that Fan Made material is illegal due to Character Rights is still true. Even if the studios aren't doubling down and prosecuting people for it, it can get you banned from a professional job in the Voice Acting and Anime Industry in Japan. However there are a few minor differences in my case.
Her argument is aimed at Fan Dubs. A Fan Dub is when somebody Pirates an Anime Cartoon from Japan and does their own English Translation Voice Track, usually because an English Release does not exist in America, or because they're a bunch of rude little cunts who piss whine and moan every day that FUNimation is fucking up their favorite English dubs with their own political stances.
What I made, Bad Goddess, was a FAN FILM. A Fan Film is a brand new episode OVA or series featuring trademark characters that people do not own the rights to, because they desperately want to see them in stories that the studios would never clear the red tape to produce themselves. Are Fan Films illegal? Technically yes, but unless you're trying to produce them on a professional level and release them through a distributor, it's not likely that they're going to come after you. Before all you professionals reading this go shitting all over us and calling the entire fan film community a bunch of thieves, allow me to remind you of a few famous fan films that have come and gone.
Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. A Bunch of Kids did a shot for shot remake of Indiana Jones back in the 1980s before it even had a video release using sound recording devices in the theater (today audio recording in a theater can get you sent to prison). This film is so famous that Steven Spielberg himself watched it and showcased a sense of amusement meeting with the filmmakers in person. I didn't get such a royal welcome from the makers of Ah My Goddess but I appreciate that Kodansha Ltd allowed my series to live. Drafthouse Films also produced a Documentary about the making of this film that's worth a look.
Batman: Dead End. An Amateur Filmmaker spent $3,000 of his own cash to make one of the most professional looking Fan Films shorts I have ever seen where Batman fights not only the Joker, but gets attacked by one of Ridley Scott's Aliens, and then takes on an entire team of Predators. Alamo Drafthouse paid tribute to this movie by featuring it in their preshow screening for John McTiernan's Predator.
Anime Spongebob. This was a more recent short film that had to fight to secure it's place on YouTube thanks to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. In all honesty, I cannot imagine why anybody would want to put so much hard work animating an actual cartoon that they would never own the rights to, but they did, and you cannot deny that's love.
But there are cases where Fan Filmdom can go too far. There have been hundreds of Star Trek comedy skits all over television and the internet. One group of filmmakers took it too far and tried to produced a Star Trek short that was so professional, Axanar, that CBS and Paramount took them to court to stop them. They were using that brand to launch their own studio and backfired bigtime.
The difference between their short film and all of those other skits is the word PARODY, or COMEDY SPOOF, or SATIRE. Their short was not a PARODY, they were trying to be Canon. See, copyright owners absolutely despise it when fans try to be canon to the original works, and request that if they engage in such activity to make it as different from the original as possible. This is why Bad Goddess is the exact opposite of Ah My Goddess and follows the formula of SATIRE with LIVE ACTION BACKGROUNDS. To make it as different as possible so as not to impose on the canon of Kosuke Fujishima's series.
Let us not also forget the Harry Potter Lexicon incident where a fan tried to publish his own spinoff book only to be taken to court by J.K. Rowling. This is why I never tried to officially publish my autobiography, The Story of a Blacklisted Bootlegger. It extensively discussed the making of my Bad Goddess series to such an extent that it could not be copyrighted, nor did I need it to be. It was written with the original intent of educating and explaining my background to the FBI, and it's available for free on the internet. If it was removed from the internet after my death, then it has served it's purpose.
Alamo Drafthouse has been a staple of showcasing vintage ILLEGAL FOREIGN KNOCKOFFS in their preshows. For example, in the preshow for Justice League, they showcase a FAN FILM created for Aquaman... in this rare case, the student filmmaker got permission from the actual rights owners. Alyas Batman en Robin is almost always featured during the Batman screenings of any kind. Believe it or not, DC COMICS actually did try to stop the production of Alyas Batman en Robin with a lawsuit. They failed miserably and now Tim League and Laird Jimenez wave it around their Batman screenings like the Spoils of War. And if you ever go to a screening of Tommy Wiseau's The Room, be prepared for Turkish Exorcist, Turkish Star Wars, Turkish Wizard of Oz, and Bollywood Nightmare on Elm Street. Jesus Christ, look at all the copyright infringement on display at the greatest theater in America. I bet Tim League got away with it because it was for educational purposes.
Let's peruse onward to FAN EDITS. Sometimes Video Mixtape Artists such as myself like to re-edit our own special cuts of movies, however, this is still be a big no no depending on what you do with it. Once upon a time, somebody released Star Wars: The Phantom Edit at the risk of George Lucas sending his lawyers after him. He let it slide, but still warned people not to sell it at conventions as they could still be prosecuted. A Group of Renegade Fans cleaned up an original film print of Star Wars A New Hope, WITHOUT all of the Special Edition extra scenes or special effects, and released it online. Just admit that you professional film critics all secretly watched it to spite George Lucas.
EJ Anttila had his own FAN EDIT show at Alamo Drafthouse called Horror Remix for Eight Years. A Triple Feature of Thematic Horror in Condensed to Two Hours with all the boring shit cut out. And it ran in a movie theater with free admission. Many of the employees questioned how the hell Alamo Drafthouse got away with it, especially since they were charging $5 food vouchers to reserve seating. EJ claimed that he had his own dream team of lawyers, but I know where he REALLY got his obscure out of print movies from, and his hit show came with a price. He could never legally release Horror Remix on DVD, because all of the Producers and Directors associated with the movies wanted their hands in the pot. They would not allow him such a release unless they could edit the movies themselves, hence it would not be his show anymore. EJ refused to go along with it and years after the show came to an end, a few copies magically appeared on Internet Archive. Today EJ designs the DVD covers for Japanese Horror Film Releases, and most of his precious obscure horror films that he educationally showcased to his newfound audience got a proper release on BluRay.
I recently dug through my own collection and discovered a FAN EDIT Mixtape of All Three Robocop films chopped up, shortened, and scene re-arranged into one three hour movie with intermission shorts and comedy skits. It was intercut to look as if both villain storylines were crisscrossing and happening at the same time as one storyline. Want to know why you've never seen it? Because I never released it online. This is the internet dude, we're not invisible. Personally, I think it's a lot more fun than the original movie by itself, because you've all watched the original Robocop a hundred times. Now you can see everything re-arranged in a way that's slightly more entertaining and adds a freshness to the proceedings. However, a studio would still frown upon such a cut, as there would be red tape issues that would prevent them from making money off of it. It has nothing to do with Artistic Value. If I want to watch Robocop The Mixtape in the privacy of my own, and maybe a few of my friends, that's my business, but there's a line that cannot be crossed.
And all of you professional filmmakers are still pointing fingers and saying BUT THAT'S ILLEGAL! Oh yeah, guess how Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Josh Becker, and the Coen Brothers got their start in filmmaking? Making 16mm shorts with pirated film soundtracks. The short films could never be legally distributed on DVD because of the soundtracks, but they made sure that their films survived in private hands and got pirated to high heaven. It's not a big fucking secret.
I recently sat down and watched all twenty three seasons of SOUTH PARK. Remember how that show got it's start? George Clooney PIRATED hundreds of VHS copies and spread the SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS around Hollywood and Los Angeles. Yes, THAT George Clooney, the guy that starred in The Return of the Killer Tomatoes.
BUT YOU DON'T OWN THE RIGHTS TO THOSE CHARACTERS! Jason Segal didn't own the rights to the Muppets, but that didn't stop him from writing his screenplay and pitching it to all of Hollywood. Jason Segal was a professional actor and everyone dismissed his Muppets Reboot as a work of FAN FICTION. And when he finally got the film into production, the original Muppet performers talked shit about him behind his back to the gossip rags because they didn't like how he modernized the characters. And then it became a Hit Movie and then Little Shop of Horrors director Frank Oz admitted that he was wrong to Jason Segal in front of the entire social media and then proceeded to drop trousers in front of everyone and suck his own dick, because a wager is a wager you know... and a good director showcases the humility to know when he's lost.
Speaking of Sucking Dick, I recently, and quite disgustingly, live tweeted a viewing of a certain porn star's work as some sort of grotesque Howard Stern comedy act where I roasted the video. In all honesty, I did it out of boredom to prove just how many people don't give a fuck about my Doctor What Twitter Account. Needless to say, the porn actress was pissed and somewhat horrified. Her exact words were that the linked videos online were STOLEN MATERIAL and that PIRACY was DESTROYING THE INDUSTRY. Oh yeah, technically a majority of the stuff posted on YouTube is stolen material, let's see if your argument holds up there. No, wait, it just makes you look like an asshole. Never fall for the fantasy illusion of a Porn Star kiddos, it's not your heart she's after, it's your credit card numbers.
BUT AS A CONTENT CREATOR, DON'T YOU CARE? Are you kidding? I have NO DISTRIBUTION and NO VIEWCOUNTS because I'm blacklisted. I would love for my stuff to go viral on the internet, even if everyone talked shit about it and sent me rude messages. I can handle an internet roast better than anyone. If anything, it saves me the money of self distributing the movies myself.
Taking a step back, I think of The Muppets Reboot being insulted as a work of Fan Fiction a lot when it comes to BAD GODDESS. But you know what I think of more than that? A documentary about failed making of JODOROWSKY'S DUNE or that other film that discusses the failed making of TIM BURTON'S SUPERMAN, or the failed making of TERRY GILLIAM'S THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE... because that's what BAD GODDESS was supposed to be, a PARODY PILOT SERIES FILM PITCH that was rejected because it looked like it was made by a disgruntled intern trying to get revenge on his bosses at KODANSHA LTD. I mean, how the fuck was I supposed to know the show was going to be HAUNTED. I thought everybody loved SOUTH PARK and DOCTOR WHO. Apparently NOT Ah My Goddess fans. The Ouija Board Demons thought it was so fucking hilarious, one of them told me she was my spirit wife and wanted my children.
BUT YOU CANNOT PUT FAN WORK ON YOUR RESUME. IT'S UNPROFESSIONAL. Oh yeah? Really? If I put the work into a movie, I'm getting credited for it. It's a part of my filmography that I'm very proud of and I'm already blacklisted anyways. There are no jobs at FUNimation or Kodansha Ltd that I'm qualified for anyways. What the fuck do I care if some pedophile producers over in Japan want to prevent me from making Anime? I hope those cocksucker producers that made A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun shit their pants and choked to death on their own vomit if they ever took the time to watch A Certain Magical Pimpdex. Mikoto Misaka is fucking fourteen years old and they have a twelve year old Shirai Kuroko fondling her breasts in the shower on a fucking kids show and waxing sexual over her underwear. I don't recall seeing those jokes in the fucking Manga version of Railgun, they must've been added by some pervert writers on the Anime Creative Staff.
And now comes the next story of TROMA FILMS versus ADDISON BINEK. Lloyd Kaufman, bless his dear soul, has been a champion of Guerilla Filmmaking his whole life, and has encouraged others to follow in his footsteps through ANY MEANS NECESSARY. Well I did that, and now I've got a bunch of documentaries that will only be available under the table. That's the downside of Guerilla Filmmaking, if you don't use contract work, you can't prove any of the copyrights, then you can't get an IPR form which means you can't get professionally burned to DVD, unless you have the money to buy a DVD printer and do it yourself. Lloyd Kaufman encourages people to give their work away for free to get ahead in their careers. To get their foot in the doors at the bottom rung of a studio film to learn everything they can. He tells them, work for free if you have to, and don't complain about being exploited, use the experience to learn everything you can. BUT in my recent years as a filmmaker, Lloyd Kaufman has never ever responded to me. How the HELL did I wind up on a Blacklist that was being co-enforced by Lloyd Kaufman. Doesn't that man constantly complain that he's on a Hollywood Blacklist himself? It's probably because I'm on Tim League's shit list for pirating all of his preshow material and Lloyd doesn't want to piss off Alamo Drafthouse because they screen his movies. Anyways, I'm getting off topic.
A few weeks ago on Twitter, Lloyd Kaufman launched a Tirade of Anger against filmmaker Addison Binek for selling copies of Tromasterpiece Theater Poultergeist Night of the Chicken Dead at a Horror Convention Center and announcing it over the internet. Lloyd Kaufman warned him that while he had granted him temporary permission as a favor for YouTube, he did NOT sign off on a distribution deal, and unless Addison Binek has Lloyd's signature on paper, to BACK OFF immediately or Lloyd would sue him, and the FBI could send him to Prison. This does not sound like the Lloyd Kaufman we all know and love, but needless to say, Addison Binek acted like a little shit about the whole thing and proceeded to taunt him.
Lloyd Kaufman wasn't being hypocritical, he was trying to teach Addison Binek a lesson in professionalism over a film that was a very sore spot for him. Poultreygeist Night of the Chicken Dead, in spite of being one of his best films, was fully funded because Lloyd and his wife withdrew their entire retirement savings. Was Lloyd Kaufman rewarded for his efforts? No, his film was pirated all over Bittorrent to such an extent that he made a comedy skit intro for the DVD release. But wait a minute Kevin... didn't you use The Toxic Avenger for a Cameo in A Certain Magical Pimpdex without permission? Doesn't that put you in the same boat to be legally attacked by Lloyd Kaufman?
Yes, it does, but for some reason or another, Lloyd has never acknowledged my Fan Film's existence. However there is a slight difference between Addison Binek and Myself. What Addison Binek did was he released an entire film of footage shot and owned by Lloyd Kaufman with a Mystery Science Theater Commentary track, and then he packaged it and sold it at a Horror Convention with Troma's name plastered all over the box without paying any royalties for it. A Certain Magical Pimpdex was a completely new film comprised of edited stock animation materials that featured The Toxic Avenger in a secret cameo. It's listed on IMDb, but it's still a complete surprise when you see it, in a movie that's loaded up the ass with surprise cameos that I don't have the rights to. It's not just Troma, it's everyone. However, I didn't plaster Troma's name all over the goddamn movie as a selling point, and Toxie jokingly states in his dialogue that Troma's Licensing Department was going to have a few angry words with me, warning the audience that I didn't get permission. Also I don't HOCK fan edits or films for full price at Horror Conventions or Anime Conventions.
Addison Binek's Tromasterpiece Theater DVD cover deceptively tricks everyone into thinking Troma was involved when really it's just another pirated movie that they weren't being paid for. I would make one little note here for the jury that Troma should take into consideration. Troma traditionally doesn't pay the filmmakers any royalties for their movies on the excuse that all of their money is going into the sales and distribution. To make amends for that however, they have released a majority of their films for free streaming on YouTube, and their Streaming Service Troma NOW is only $5 a month.
Getting back to Bad Goddess, none of the original show producers or voice cast members from Ah My Goddess have ever commented on the existence of my series because they are scared shitless that they will become just as blacklisted as I am if they publicly support it. And they're right. Sort of. I mean, it's not like they're A-List actors or their current non-existent careers are any better than mine is. What's really fucked up about this is I made that series on a budget of zero because I was poor and blacklisted for a decade. Watch the original introduction episodes of Oh My Goddess and listen to what Belldandy says to Keiichi about a human beings self worth. A Human Being's worth is not based on his good looks, or the money in his pocket, it's what's in the heart that counts. When you contrast the message of the show against the behavior of everyone who worked on it towards myself in the name of studio professionalism, it looks like they're a bunch of heartless assholes. Every - last - one - them. Including Kikuko Inoue, who prances around pretending that she's the world's oldest 17 year old, and uses her adult daughter as her photographic basis for comparison. Kodansha Ltd and FUNimation even refused to respond even when my father died and I tried to come forward to the FBI to report an environmental crime that could put peoples lives in danger. Can you really blame me for thinking they're a bunch of cunts?
The truth is Oh My Goddess HAS ALWAYS BEEN PIRATED. Kosuke Fujishima's manga series was in publication for FIVE YEARS before it picked up an Audience in America. Do you want to know how that happened? It's because people made FAN DUBS, you know, those same people that you industry people point fingers at. I know I sound petty right now, but I also know Kodansha Ltd is reading this. Take a good look at your Goddess Empire fellas. Take a good close look at all the Merchandising you've done. All the toys. And the CDs. And the Video Games. And the Casino Machines. And the specially painted Race Cars. And the Belldandy Ferris Wheels. And the Hentai Body Pillows. Don't lie to me, I know you secretly signed off on those you dirty dogs you. It all exists because a bunch of pirates loved your show just enough to put the work in for you until you could step in and do a proper release.
Do you want to know why Ah My Job Hunting Goddess is struggling with book sales right now? Do you want to know why you've lost your audience? It's because you all chose to put that FUCKING JUNK merchandising high above the making of NEW ANIME EPISODES. Have you people been secretly working on a Third Season of Ah My Goddess under the table? Because the last time I checked, I was the only one trying to make new episodes.
Yes. I've made mistakes during my short filmmaking career. I didn't have a producer to handle the contract work for the films, and I was unable to pay anybody who participated in them. In exchange, I distributed the movies under the table out of my own pocket at a loss until I had no more money left. Do you know how I paid for that? It wasn't from a weekly paycheck because I'm blacklisted from working retail. It was from my dead father's 401K.
So the next time you fucking hypocrite voice actors think of launching a tirade on the internet about how all Fan Work are Illegal, never forget that your photographs are plastered all over the internet. That's all I need to summon the dark forces of Satan to send a Demon after you. You'll watch your life and your career completely fall apart over the following weeks with no explanation. And when you get to Hell, tell them Doctor What sent you.
Alamo Drafthouse Preshows on IMDbTV: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13865328/videogallery/?sort=date&sortDir=asc
P.S. One thing I forgot to mention in the article is Turner Classic Movies. I engaged in a study where I used John Willis Screen World to hunt down all of the movies released during the 1960s and 1970s and rewatch them in chronological order. What I discovered was there were an average of 300 movies released per year, but only half of those movies were released on vhs and dvd and the other half were lost. The only way you could see those other movies is if somebody pirated the film off of Turner Classic Movies. There used to be an entire underground market of collectors who dealt in Turner Classic Movie bootlegs, one of which was Roberts Hard to Find movies which, if I recall, had to operate out of Canada because the copyright laws were different. I wonder if that dude is still in business?
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