TBFFBC (the bring freakin futurama back compaign)

[Reply #40 on:]

people interested in working on a project such as this.

[Reply #41 on:]

This isn't a project, it's a long term, high risk and very expensive commitment.  If you're very lucky you might get about half a dozen people to support you.

[Reply #42 on:]

there is no doubt that this would be a commitment.

[Reply #43 on:]

Face it, this is a lost cause.  To get involved with this you need people with the time, the money, and the perseverance.

PEEL has about 100 regular posters, a lot of which are kids or teenagers who a)have school or college, and b)aren't awash with money.  A lot of the older members have jobs and relationships to deal with.  Most of all, the vast majority of us have accepted that Futurama's finished, at least as a TV show.

[Reply #44 on:]

the labor would be shared among members interested.  These initial contributors would be the charter members of the foundation.  Understanding the idea that people have many other obigations this would be a "hobby" for those interested. Labor and love are the only things required. There is no need for financial obligation hence there is no economic alienation.

[Reply #45 on:]

150,000 that petitioned then Fox never heard again from them. What does that say to them? it says we kind of tried a bit with ourselves and some internet geeks them quickly forgot and went on with our Star Trek chat rooms. Maybe constant petitions and letters after a year of the show being canceled would show the love of Futurama im for the petition

[Reply #46 on:]

There's no need for financial obligation but yet we have to donate about $15 each eh?

I wouldn't trust you or most people i've never met with my money even if i donated it.

Also, have you considered the real cost of making just 5 episodes? We'd need to pay for staff, buildings and equipment. FOX aren't just going to hand us their entire production line, are they?

We'd then need to pull all the Futurama writers out of their current lives and projects all at one time, which would be pretty impossible to do.

[Reply #47 on:]

what fifteen dollars? that was not serious.

[Reply #48 on:]

Your enthusiasm is about as insane as your idea. You're practically asking that people give their current lives up for Futurama through massive amounts of time and money without even having a guaranteed result. I love Futurama and all but what you are suggesting is way way out of the question.

[Reply #49 on:]

The National Endowment for the Arts offers Radio and Television grants that exceed $100 million annually. http://www.nea.gov/grants/apply/RadioTV/Chairman.html

[Reply #50 on:]

I imagine that is to established television or radio companies, not to a bunch of Futurama fans who set up a non-profit organisation 2 weeks ago.

[Reply #51 on:]

That problem was addressed earlier when I suggested a partnership with Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

[Reply #52 on:]

Why on earth would they form a merger with said non-profit, 5 person, 2 week old company?

[Reply #53 on:]

because they understand that this show is worthy of future episodes.

[Reply #54 on:]

I doubt they will be THAT understanding, they are a business after all.

[Reply #55 on:]

and why would they not care to bring a larger viewing audience to the network?

[Reply #56 on:]

Ignorance is bliss.

[Reply #57 on:]

 

Originally posted by tedious:
and why would they not care to bring a larger viewing audience to the network?

You could present your idea to them and then ask them that.

[Reply #58 on:]

That is what I am hoping to do. Although it would be nice to have support presenting the idea to them in the form of an initial proposal and a list of people showing support for the project.

[Reply #59 on:]

 

Originally posted by tedious:
Alright, I am new to this message board.

Hi! I'm going to rubbish your posts, but don't take it personally (seriously).
 

Originally posted by tedious:
And while I did not have the patience to dig through thousands of past postings, I am going to assume that there has previously not been a petitioning campaign to bring the best show that FOX had running back to television

You've probably already found out by now that's not quite the case.

 

Originally posted by tedious:
maybe they could even sell the rights to cartoon network but I seriously doubt that would happen).

Me too. You know why? Because Cartoon Network are a tiny network who can't afford it.

 

Originally posted by tedious:
So here it is. Here is your opportunity to let everyone else who loves the show know how much you love the show by starting a wave of protest against FOX's decision. While this wave may look more like the final shockwaves from the last drips of urine into my puppies piddle puddle its time to let our voices be heard and ignored.

If our voices will be heard and ignored why are we bothering?

 

Originally posted by tedious:
Your postings suggest the apathy that I anticipated.

Really? You can see into the future? You couldn't tell me what's going to come up in my A Level Biology paper could you?
Well, I guess a 150 000 is apathy, now you come to mention it.

 

Originally posted by tedious:
apologies for the double postings. jobless boredom mixed with incredible amounts of caffiene can apparently lead to irritating threads.

That's odd, because as a guy who drinks loads of caffiene I've never thought of my posts as that irritating (that said, I do remember a "Who hates sheep555" thread created some time ago).

 

Originally posted by tedious:
The dvd sales were promising and the shows viewership, as stated above, is very inspiring.

Except when you compare it to the DVD sales of say, Family Guy (a cancelled Fox cartoon series that has resumed production) it looks pretty small.

 

Originally posted by tedious:
hell, its even being aired on teletoon in canada.

They showed Eldorado in Canada. Doesn't mean we should bring it back though.

 

Originally posted by tedious:
No, but seriously. That's where the "comp" part of compaign comes into play (I know how to spell campain, come on, we are living through the most important political one in our history)

Tell me about it - Johnny Rotton should never have left "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here".
 

Originally posted by tedious:
We as a partnership can declare ourselves a non-profit, lobby for grant money from the federal arts commission (the show has recieved emmys for arts sake) and use the money to comp the expenses of the shows production.

Good idea. I'm so glad we live in a world without copyright laws.
 

Originally posted by tedious:
When the money is returned from advertisment (or you could just bypass ads all together and renew the funding for future episodes from other art grants) the money could then be used to contribute towards the development of future episodes. Advertisers would want to be involved knowing that they have a secured audience (this would be understood through the number of signatures).

Because 150 000 people is loads in the big wide world of television!

 

Originally posted by tedious:
The major difficulty would be in locating a broadcaster. This process would require the broadcaster to grant the foundation a high level of independence in the airing of episodes and not require a huge fee(what I imagine here is a merger with Adult Swim who could form some kind of partnership ). you secure this and there it is.

Ok. Maybe I'm being thick, but how the hell can a NON PROFIT organisation merge with a COMMERCIAL company?
 

Originally posted by tedious:
the labor would be shared among members interested. These initial contributors would be the charter members of the foundation. Understanding the idea that people have many other obigations this would be a "hobby" for those interested. Labor and love are the only things required.

So let me see if I understand this. You want me to join a communist organisation to resurrect Futurama, whilst managing a commercial merger in my spare time?
 

Originally posted by tedious:
The National Endowment for the Arts offers Radio and Television grants that exceed $100 million annually.

And it's a good job they'll give it to a sci-fi cartoon series, rather than some quality independent productions instead - we all like Futurama, but at least it's been made. Let some needy filmaker get the money instead.
 

Originally posted by tedious:
That is what I am hoping to do. Although it would be nice to have support presenting the idea to them in the form of an initial proposal and a list of people showing support for the project.

To quote Dilbert:
"So it turns out it's better when no-one participates!"

[Reply #60 on:]

Yeah, this thread is simply wasting space. Futurama is gone. We will miss it. But we have our DVDs, and that's all we could have asked for.

[Reply #61 on:]

I will answer each of your questions. (except for those which show your obvious ineptitude in the field of sarcasm and questions I have already answered. Hence I will be only addressing the question of a merger between a non-profit and a commercial institution and the question about the use of money from the grant offered by the Endowment of the Arts.)

a. In regards to the merger of a non-profit and a commercial institution. . .

The project that would result would not generate profit for the organization. The joint venture is fine, the only time in which the relationship would cause jeopardy to the non-profit's relationship with the commercial institution is in the case that the product that is developed .generates money beyond operating costs.

b. In regards to the legitimacy of requesting money from the National Endowment. . .

This grant is according to Dana Gioia
the chairman for the National Endowment for the Ar, "Our grants support the development, production, and distribution of arts programs that collectively reach millions across the country. From new film documentaries to popular radio series, these programs enrich lives by bringing the best of the arts into American homes. The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support programs of artistic excellence in this field." I am sure that an emmy award winning show would fit into the category above especially if it is contributing to the education of up and coming writers, animators, producers, editors . . . etc.

(I suggest that you consult your biology notes for your paper. Check the section on the scatophagous. It might not be incredibly helpful but I have a feeling that you will find it compelling regarless.)

[Reply #62 on:]

 

Originally posted by tedious:
the labor would be shared among members interested. These initial contributors would be the charter members of the foundation. Understanding the idea that people have many other obigations this would be a "hobby" for those interested. Labor and love are the only things required. There is no need for financial obligation hence there is no economic alienation.

That's funny, I was under the impression brinigng a TV show to the small screen was a full time job.  I didn't realise you could do it as a hobby.  My mistake!

 

The National Endowment for the Arts offers Radio and Television grants that exceed $100 million annually.

Why should they give any of that money to you?

 

Although it would be nice to have support presenting the idea to them in the form of an initial proposal and a list of people showing support for the project.

Since no-one here supports your project, that's going to be a little difficult, eh?

[Reply #63 on:]

Did you read my comment about actually getting the project started, with the crew being split up over many different projects that are now integral parts of their lives? I don't think a lot of them would be able to up roots and go back to Futurama that easily, even if they wanted to.

To viably do this, say it's $1 million per episodes, which has been a reasonably accepted figure. 5 episodes is already $5 million. How much would it cost to set up the team, the offices, equipment from scratch? We could probably be reaching 5-10% of their $100 million for just 5 episodes!

Where in the National Endowment thingy does it say they'll bring back cancelled shows? If anything it already being cancelled would show them it could easily be a lost cause and a very risky waste of money.

[Reply #64 on:]

aslate is right.  Sound to me like those grants are to help support the production of fresh ideas, not to flog a horse that's been dead for two years.

[Reply #65 on:]

@tedious:
So you plan to:
Gather a following (no one's too exited to help you)
Get FOX to hand over the rights to Futurama (If CN couldn't do it, you can't)
Get a grant to continue the series (from a place that won't want to risk giving away $100 mil for a cancelled show)
Gather the staff members back up and start making new episodes (they're already too busy to go back to Futurama)

Y'know, I could be a world-famous director by next year, if I wanted. I'd just have to get a hold of a great script, find a great cast, film/edit the movie very artistically, and enter it in a film festival and win. Is it going to happen? No. Too many huge obstacles. Same thing with your campaign. It's just a pipe dream. Let it go.

[Reply #66 on:]

Well the actual show would be produced by a production company, obviously. And in regards to aslate's message . . . yes it would be difficult to retrieve the cast but do you think that they would turn down the opportunity if it was presented (we are not even near that phase yet. ha I can't believe all the hypotheticals being presented. this rocks) In regards to the grant, if it can be proven that there is real public support for the show I believe that it would be possible to present them the project. If those hundred and fifty thousand petitioners could be rallyed again I think that this would prove it to the endowment. I want everyone to sit back and think about what this could mean. One, it would resurrect a great show. Two, it would tap resources for the public that have never been used in this way before. Three, it could be worked to benefit upcoming writers and such by offering people the opportunity to work on the show. The money from the grant could go towards development of a mentorship program or something similar. I appreciate the hard line questions being presented but why is everyone so troubled by the prospect of attempting this?

[Reply #67 on:]

 

Originally posted by bender&fry:
we could raise the money ourselves to make some new episodes. if we raised, say, 10 million dollars, meaning everybody donated about 15 bucks to marc, we could right fox a letter and say that we will pay them, so please make a few more. 10 mil could get us about five final episodes.

C'mon, I think this plan might work. We could only give marc 10 dollars each, and we could get a final episode of futurama that sums things up. If 150,000 people signed an online petition, they should also be willing to donate 10 measly bucks

[Reply #68 on:]

I think everyone involved in producing Futurama would love to get back into the job and produce the show, but this is real life. People have homes, families, jobs, commitments and contracts. It's just not as simple as recieving a letter in the post or a call and saying yes.

1) I doubt it would resurrect it
2) It won't tap them because there are too few people interested and even less people that are actively interested enough to contribute
3) The thing that made Futurama what it was was its current team. Many people have said if the team changed they'd probably prefer the show to stay cancelled.

Everyone isn't troubled, it's just that we've had two years to throw every hypothetical, petition and plan about. We've accepted that unless something like CN gets the ability to, it will stay canned.

EDIT: And just because 150,000 people signed the petition it doesn't mean you'll get that many submitters. There's a big difference between signing an online petition and sending off $10 [to German you've never met]. And of course, if half the people don't submit, don't you then need to double the amount the others need to submit. And $1.5 million won't get you one episode, you need to do at least one full production run to even get a chance of getting any episodes.

[Reply #69 on:]

You're optimism and passion are to be commended, but seriously the people in here know what they're talking about. (Well maybe not me, but most of them).  Over the months there have been so many theories and ideas put forward on this forum and they have all been incredibly unlikely and/or impactical.
Sorry, but give it up.

[Reply #70 on:]

 

Originally posted by tedious:
Well the actual show would be produced by a production company, obviously.

You still haven't told us where that production company's coming from.

 

And in regards to aslate's message . . . yes it would be difficult to retrieve the cast but do you think that they would turn down the opportunity if it was presented

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Katey Sagal have the lead role on 8 Simple Rules?

 

(we are not even near that phase yet. ha I can't believe all the hypotheticals being presented. this rocks)

These aren't hypotheticals.  They're CRITICISMS.  Your plan is woefully thought out.

 

In regards to the grant, if it can be proven that there is real public support for the show I believe that it would be possible to present them the project. If those hundred and fifty thousand petitioners could be rallyed again I think that this would prove it to the endowment.

I think you'll find that the vast majority of those 150,000 have gottn on with their lives in the intervening two years.  No-one here gives a damn about your plan because it WON'T WORK!!!

 

why is everyone so troubled by the prospect of attempting this?

Because it's a poorly thought out idea, because it's financially and organisationally unfeasible, and most of all, because we have better things to do with our time.

bender&fry, you plan is almost as stupid.  Of those 150,000, how many do you think care enough two years on to donate their money to someone they don't know?

[Reply #71 on:]

i just need the 150,000 support petitions to get something moving. do you mean to tell me that you would not put your name on this petition? it requires nothing from you other than approximately 2-5 seconds of typing. (and maybe I am wrong but wasnt mila kunis doing two shows at once?)

[Reply #72 on:]

I'd do it sure. I'm not sure if you would get that many now though.
And don't excpect too many others to want to get involved in any way past that.

[Reply #73 on:]

The problem is that Futurama no longer has the giant support it had when it was cancelled. The petition was /.-ed (if i remember correctly) and there were TV reports about it, that is why we got 150,000 real signatures. However now it is 2 years after cancelation and the momentum of the support has dissappeared. You may not even get half the 150,000 signatures now.

And don't keep refering to the 150,000 as us, there are only 4,000 people that come here, the other 144,000 came from other sources.

[Reply #74 on:]

The show still has momentum. If it didn't it wouldn't still be on television almost everynight.

[Reply #75 on:]

"Bonanza" is on TV every night here, but I wouldn't exactly say it has momentum.

[Reply #76 on:]

I still doubt you'll get anywhere near the same number, unless you get CN to advertise your little scheme, which they won't. People don't spend money on good, deserving causes, they won't send you their money to start up some cancelled Sci-Fi TV show.

And i still don't see how you're going to get the crew together.

[Reply #77 on:]

Wow, my Leela avvy has great boobs!

[Reply #78 on:]

I dont want any money. I just want a support base who is willing to share this vision and put their name on a petition to gain the rights to the show from FOX. If they dont do it (this scenario seems to be the most favorable to everyone) then they dont do it. If they do it, it would reveal the next step to producing a great public service.

[Reply #79 on:]

tedious, I'm going to tell you this one more time - FOX WON'T GIVE THE RIGHTS AWAY!!!  They'll SELL the rights, but only if you have a few million $ in the bank.