Treklanders, I've been sitting on a big story for nearly a month and I want to apologize to you all—especially to Bonnie.Bonnie (I'm going to protect her identity, for now) also gets a HUGE thank-you from me. I had to go out and buy new jaw glue when my old one fell off when her envelope arrived in the snailmail.
As a North Carolina stalwart and Trekkie since Day One, Bonnie's one of those fans who were actually AT the 1982 Ultimate Fantasy event that I'm searching out for my documentary "The Con of Wrath," along with the cast and committee. We had met last August at Vegas Khhaaan! when she marched up, parked herself at my table and said, "Hey! I'm a Survivor!" And I instantly knew of course what she meant. We stayed in touch ... she sent some UF photos from 1982 ... and then early in June I got the following letter, along with a VERY nice donation check. (Check the "crowdfunding" donor levels here for The Con of Wrath and you can likely figure it all out.)
Look, we have not yet ramped up our serious funding efforts, and for now are relying on fan-level crowdfunding. So this cash IS very, very welcome... and hopefully a portent of things to come from others across the country whom I don't even really know but who want to be vested in this project for all fandom, old and new and wherever they are.
Or, maybe I should just share Bonnie's words ... (emphasis in boldface is mine):
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Well, "say hello to my little friend" AND your new co-producer!
I felt I needed to do this for the documentary for several reasons:
1) I am a survivor of "The Con of Wrath" and have the memories (or those my brain has allowed me to remember) to prove it!
2) I wanted to represent the Trek/fan girls out there—we've scaled the heights and been in the trenches in Trekland for many years, too!
3) I'm not from Houston or Burbank or New York or L.A.—I'm from a small Southern town. The Con of Wrath, and fandom in general, was/is made up of folks from all countries, states and walks of life. I wanted that to be apparent (And I think you do too!) in the making and outcome of this film.
AND FINALLY 4) I just love a great story! (The jacket and watch sound cool too —ahem. {*})
Hope this will help keep you keeping on!
Best,Nimoy-devotee extraordinaire and... co-producer??
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bonnie
Part of my apology to Bonnie about being so tardy to share this news is that she has longtime Trek-friends who don't believe her. Sorry again—never meant to ever leave a donor hanging! No, indeed.
Especially a letter-writer who says what I have been saying for years now—that the geekgirl revolution is great for the attention it is getting, but the all-male stereotype of Treksters is not deserved nor accurate: women led fandom in the early years. Plus, her observation about scattered or small-town Trekfans feeling "a part of it all" is priceless—it's not the thrust of "The Con of Wrath," but it's nice subtext.
So THANK YOU so much, Bonnie, and to any other like-minded friends you might have who want to help preserve the textures of Trek history—whether or not you were there firsthand. And anyone else, at any level, who feels so moved—please be my guest!
Rest assured my jaw has been safely glued back on. But I'd be happy to do so again, any time.
So, what do you think of Bonnie's letter—do YOU agree with her feelings?
DOC UPDATE: As a "weekend" project, after all, we are currently concentrating on editing the many hours of voices we have in the digital can so far, exploring the best ways to further make "The Con of Wrath" come alive ... and looking at "the next level." There's more key faces to film, as well... as well as more Survivors' voices to gather. More on all that, too, to be shared at the summer cons! Or stay abreast with our monthly, non-spammy e-newsletter.
...Also, a sidebar: at Fundrazr you can help camerman Neal recover the loss from a bizarre theft of some gear in Houston during our second June shoot. If you can help fill this loophole, please do so for this and his other projects—thanks!
8 comments:
Totally awsome Larry and a big thanks to Bonnie for stepping up to the plate!
Good for you, friend Bonnie!! Thank you for being the active Fangirl and representing all of us! I'm from VERY small town Iowa and considered myself a fan since I was a teenager. Now my 21 yr-old son called me a true geek after I went to my first Star Trek Convention in Chicago last fall. I couldn't have been more pleased! Thanks Bonnie AND Larry!
Yes, kudos to Bonnie. She blew me away.
And a tribute to fans out there who want to help. Of course, she was invested as a "Survivor," but here doesn't always have to be a direct connection. I've seen it already with other docs and film start-ups.
I have to agree with Bonnie all the way. I grew up in a rural area with not much to do. Books and "Star Trek" reruns sustained me through my adolescence. Also, probably by reflex, it is generally overlooked, even by the otherwise fabulous "The Big Bang Theory," that
historically "Star Trek" has been the one sci-fi program that drew more women into science fiction fandom than any other. Knowing Bonnie, I know she's going to represent us fan-girls well.
I think the "highest femnale draw" is certainly true of our more recent modern shows. Maybe "Firefly" an exception? Maybe why its fan phenomenon was explosively and stubbornly so much like Trek's, and still is? You add in half the population: "The women!" :-)
I truly believe that Star Trek had a HUGE impact on especially women going into math and science in the 60's, 70's and beyond. At the one convention I went to, the stories I heard from the people around me and from Nichelle Nichols and her efforts with NASA to bring minorities and women into the program, brought tears to my eyes. ST-TOS sparked the imagination and "want to" in women around the world to take math and science seriously, take themselves seriously, and to see a future for themselves that might not have existed without Star Trek; showing them a shining future for person-kind that they could be a part of. Hurray for Fangirls!!
Top post. I look forward to reading more. Cheers
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