SF.com Statement of Campaign Commitment

SaveFarscape.com · 01-26-2003, 08:31 PM

Recently we've been receiving a lot of email from discouraged 'Scapers. The ratings haven't been what we'd hoped for, and we have no news from Henson or any of the networks. People are beginning to wonder if we're making any difference, and when exactly we'll say enough is enough. So it's time we answered some questions - what are our definitions of success and failure, and when do we reevaluate what we're doing and why we're doing it?

SaveFarscape.com and all our users spent four months preparing for the new episodes to air. People from all over the world contributed money to support projects which are just now coming to fruition. It is far too soon to even consider giving up. We are no worse off than we were in September when the cancellation was announced, and we have eight more of the very best episodes of Farscape to work with.

We would not continue for no reason. We would not lead you on, and we wouldn't offer false hope -- there's nothing in that for any of us.

The truth is that we don't know a whole lot more than any of you do. We get hints of things, rumbles, whispers, but seldom anything concrete. We believe that silence is a good sign, but it does make it hard to keep going without any overt encouragement. We also acknowledge that the disappointment over the ratings may be partially our fault. We pushed very hard to get the ratings up as a major part of the campaign, to prove how viable the show could be for Sci-Fi or another network. Even if we'd had the help of the Sci-Fi Channel, a 2.0 rating is extremely difficult to achieve, but not achieving it did not mean our efforts were for naught. There's a very wide area of "negotiable" and right now no one is privy to what those parameters are.

Two episodes in, we cannot tell how the trend will play out, and trend matters as much (if not more) as the numbers for each individual episode. We have more advertising projects on the way and more ways to show the networks that the Farscape fan base is both intelligent and lucrative -- a viewership they should try to hold on to or be desperate to acquire.

We've all devoted so much of our time and our lives to this, entwined our hearts so tightly into the campaign, that it is easy to get severely discouraged. However, despite these setbacks, it's important to look at what we have achieved.

People who have never heard of Farscape know its name now. Whether or not they have Nielsen boxes, they are experiencing the wonder that is Farscape. We have generated a buzz in the entertainment industry with the largest fan campaign in the history of television. And perhaps most importantly, the people behind Farscape know exactly how important they are to us and how much we appreciate and love the work they do.

The choice to go on is up to each individual, but SaveFarscape.com is not ready to pack it in. We will continue until one of the following things happens:
1. Farscape is picked up by somebody, anybody; or
2. David Kemper tells us to stop.

We are realists: we understand that the odds have always been against us, but like the crew of Moya, we keep going, we keep fighting and we keep picking ourselves up. If we still have no news at the end of the season, we will step back and reevaluate our involvement in the campaign, and decide then if we believe our efforts can continue to contribute to a future for Farscape. But right now we still have eight more episodes, eight more chances to introduce more people to the brilliance of Farscape, and eight more reasons to have hope.

"Fall seven times, stand up eight." -- Japanese Proverb

Thank you all for your continued support. Stand tall, have faith, love Farscape with all your heart and it will not die.

Sincerely,
the SaveFarscape.com staff

Dominar of Action · 01-26-2003, 08:41 PM

HELL YEAH!!

I too believe that until someone official says stop, there is still hope. Thanks to all of you hard-working people at SF.com who know just when to step in and give us a boost.

atlantagirl · 01-26-2003, 09:14 PM

HELL YEAH!!

With you all the way in Atlanta!!

blue · 01-26-2003, 09:26 PM

Ditto. Thanks for the eloquent statement above. Sure we're making a difference. The viewership is growing. The Variety cover is about to hit the stands. The TV and radio ads are going out. No one has said, stop, which is in itself good news. It may get harder before anything positive happens. Let us continue to aim for a positive outcome. It won't happen without us.

idiclady · 01-26-2003, 10:34 PM

I'm still sending out letters. Not every week, but every couple of weeks. If we do nothing, we're doomed. So long as we keep on going, we have hope.
Keep hoping, keep working, keep believing, and most of all, don't forget to enjoy what we have while we still have it!

I'm joining in with Tiriel:

WE'RE GETTING OUR SHOW BACK!!

Kerlin · 01-27-2003, 02:00 AM

That's the spirit! I, for one, spend about ten minutes getting depressed after ratings and then two hours brainstorming things go do. Then I go out and spread some fliers around and introduce new people to Farscape. Even if we don't succeed, there are people out there who now love Farscape because of this campaign. I'm one of them. I will never, ever regret a single second of time or a single penny of money I have spent on this campaign. And I will not stop fighting until the people who know a whole lot more than I about these things have stopped.

And what the heck:

Scapekid · 01-27-2003, 03:04 AM

What a wonderful statement!

Thank you for the pick me up, and affirmation that I'm right to continue being optimistic.

Maybe I'm kidding myself here, but Witchblade heard from USANetworks, and Firefly heard from UPN when the responses were negative. Our campaign is (I believe) larger than either of theirs.

So if UPN had a definite negative response, I have to believe we'd get the same treatment, and receive a letter. We haven't. Not to say we won't in the future. But we haven't yet. And that has to be a good thing, right?

UPN looked at us because of our previous ratings, before our attempt to raise them. So...if we keep them stable, maybe they'll still be willing to look at us, right?

Well. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. And even though I wasn't about to give up, this statement is like a breath of fresh air. It's always nice to hear positive, supportive things, wherever they come from.

So thank you very much for this.

Cariad,
Scape'

MediaSavant · 01-27-2003, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SaveFarscape.com

The choice to go on is up to each individual, but SaveFarscape.com is not ready to pack it in. We will continue until one of the following things happens:
1. Farscape is picked up by somebody, anybody; or
2. David Kemper tells us to stop.

I am concerned about putting this on Kemper's shoulders.

Does he even know he has this responsibility?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but other than the first weekend, DK has not been given any specific instructions for pursuing the campaign. In his second chat, he even cautioned people not to let activities take over their lives.

He doesn't even seem to be aware of most of the activities that are underway or on the "to do" lists. In his most recent chat, he talked more about a theatrical movie than reviving the series. He even said "there is no season five".

If you are going to throw the responsibility on him, I'd be careful to know that he's aware he has it and he has agreed to accept it.

IMO--it's not his responsibility. He's been pretty upfront about things. He's not one of the leaders of the campaign. It's each intelligent individual's own responsibility to be able to read for themselves the situation.

GeekedOut · 01-27-2003, 05:09 AM

I think maybe the Kemper thing means indirectly, say in his column in the FS magainze or through other contacts they have. Not out and out him saying cease and desist. Just my opinion though.

Nice statement guys.

Mr_Trent · 01-27-2003, 05:12 AM

I don't think your concerns about him are valid.

Dave Kemper came out in the begining and was the one who made the annoucements, showed up for the badly run chats at sciffys dreadful IRC server.. ect., ect.

Dave Kemper has always come forth as the speaker for the show concerning these issues and speaking for the prodco as well . I agree with SF, It's on his shoulders because he put it there and unless Brian Henson comes forward and takes it on. It makes perfect sense that he would be the one that finally comes out and gives the word one way or another.

It's not like we are are asking anything new of him... and not asking of him anything different then he has already been doing. Although I think he has been entirely TOO silent of late.

Mike@Pilots Chamber · 01-27-2003, 05:34 AM

I'm sorry - people are giving up?
You wouldn't have known it round here!

... stupid people...

dax0402 · 01-27-2003, 06:29 AM

Thank you for the great pep talk. We all need words of encouragement from time to time. I will continue doing each week's "to do" list as long as the campaign continues.

Dominar of Action · 01-27-2003, 06:42 AM

We know for a fact that DK, ROB, RM, etc. are aware of our activities. They've told us as much, both directly and indirectly. They may not follow each and every SF project in detail, but I am 100% sure they know we're still here. If DK doesn't feel/know it's his responsibility to tell us when it's time to stop, I'm sure someone else within the inner circle will.

Yes, DK said in his last chat "there is no fifth season." But IIRC, it was in response to a question about the cast's taking on other projects vs. remaining available for a fifth season. I understood it to be a simple statement of present fact, not an opinion of future possibilities. After all, he also went on to add the very important qualifiers "yet" and "at this time" to that same sentence at the end of his chat when talking about the future, and he spoke of having hope that Farscape was not dead. Because he makes his living writing, I have to believe his choice of words was deliberate. YMMV.

As for his (and the other PTB's) silence otherwise, may I just say, "loose lips sink ships"? Successful negotiations depend on each side holding its cards close to the vest. If nothing was going on behind the scenes, I would think we'd be hearing more from them on various topics.

What's more, this is a grassroots campaign. We are not currently being, nor have we ever been, egged on by anyone with a financial stake in Farscape's continuance. Call me naive, but I think the fact that we're doing this on our own is one of the greatest messages of this campaign.

Bottom line: We know there are people within this campaign who have communication access to certain PTB. I have faith that a definitive message to stop will be passed along when and if that time ever comes. Until then, I will continue to fight!

anomia · 01-27-2003, 06:56 AM

As a matter of fact, nine of my friends who watch Farscape, but have not been involved in the campaign are just NOW starting to write letters to SciFi!

CMScaper · 01-27-2003, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dominar of Action
Bottom line: We know there are people within this campaign who have communication access to certain PTB.

Point of Clarification: YOU and those in the inner circle know there are people in the campaign with access. The people we're working with in our local groups and the unattached lurkers out there are simply taking your word (and ours) for it, and largely, to my knowledge, they're the ones losing hope. They DON'T know anything but rumor.

I'm not criticizing your comments, no flames please, I'm in this for the long haul and I'm dragging my people behind me and not allowing them to give up hope, but just realize that what you take for fact, the rest have to assume is correct, like DK will tell us when to stop. So I wouldn't be surprised when people start asking questions like they're asking.

NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER!!!

01-26-2003, 08:31 PM	#1
SaveFarscape.com SF.com Staff Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 1	SF.com Statement of Campaign Commitment Recently we've been receiving a lot of email from discouraged 'Scapers. The ratings haven't been what we'd hoped for, and we have no news from Henson or any of the networks. People are beginning to wonder if we're making any difference, and when exactly we'll say enough is enough. So it's time we answered some questions - what are our definitions of success and failure, and when do we reevaluate what we're doing and why we're doing it? SaveFarscape.com and all our users spent four months preparing for the new episodes to air. People from all over the world contributed money to support projects which are just now coming to fruition. It is far too soon to even consider giving up. We are no worse off than we were in September when the cancellation was announced, and we have eight more of the very best episodes of Farscape to work with. We would not continue for no reason. We would not lead you on, and we wouldn't offer false hope -- there's nothing in that for any of us. The truth is that we don't know a whole lot more than any of you do. We get hints of things, rumbles, whispers, but seldom anything concrete. We believe that silence is a good sign, but it does make it hard to keep going without any overt encouragement. We also acknowledge that the disappointment over the ratings may be partially our fault. We pushed very hard to get the ratings up as a major part of the campaign, to prove how viable the show could be for Sci-Fi or another network. Even if we'd had the help of the Sci-Fi Channel, a 2.0 rating is extremely difficult to achieve, but not achieving it did not mean our efforts were for naught. There's a very wide area of "negotiable" and right now no one is privy to what those parameters are. Two episodes in, we cannot tell how the trend will play out, and trend matters as much (if not more) as the numbers for each individual episode. We have more advertising projects on the way and more ways to show the networks that the Farscape fan base is both intelligent and lucrative -- a viewership they should try to hold on to or be desperate to acquire. We've all devoted so much of our time and our lives to this, entwined our hearts so tightly into the campaign, that it is easy to get severely discouraged. However, despite these setbacks, it's important to look at what we have achieved. People who have never heard of Farscape know its name now. Whether or not they have Nielsen boxes, they are experiencing the wonder that is Farscape. We have generated a buzz in the entertainment industry with the largest fan campaign in the history of television. And perhaps most importantly, the people behind Farscape know exactly how important they are to us and how much we appreciate and love the work they do. The choice to go on is up to each individual, but SaveFarscape.com is not ready to pack it in. We will continue until one of the following things happens: 1. Farscape is picked up by somebody, anybody; or 2. David Kemper tells us to stop. We are realists: we understand that the odds have always been against us, but like the crew of Moya, we keep going, we keep fighting and we keep picking ourselves up. If we still have no news at the end of the season, we will step back and reevaluate our involvement in the campaign, and decide then if we believe our efforts can continue to contribute to a future for Farscape. But right now we still have eight more episodes, eight more chances to introduce more people to the brilliance of Farscape, and eight more reasons to have hope. "Fall seven times, stand up eight." -- Japanese Proverb Thank you all for your continued support. Stand tall, have faith, love Farscape with all your heart and it will not die. Sincerely, the SaveFarscape.com staff

01-26-2003, 08:41 PM	#2
Dominar of Action Who you callin' slug?! Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 3,264	HELL YEAH!! I too believe that until someone official says stop, there is still hope. Thanks to all of you hard-working people at SF.com who know just when to step in and give us a boost. __________________ "It's absolutely terrific that people aren't giving up." -- Brian Henson (8/2003), on the Save Farscape Campaign "This special television event would not be a reality were it not for the tireless, unwavering efforts of the Farscape fans to bring the series back. ... [T]hey believed that the epic story we were telling was something special and deserved a proper ending." -- Brian Henson (4/6/2004), announcing Farscape: Peacekeeper War.

01-26-2003, 09:14 PM	#3
atlantagirl Farscape continues... Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 2,287	HELL YEAH!! With you all the way in Atlanta!! __________________ "You are like a plague, John Crichton, and you have ruined my life . . . and yet I just keep coming back." - Aeryn, GEM "If we didn't piss people off, it wouldn't be Farscape." - Ben Browder, Cult Times ...of bliss and glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while still they endure for eyes to see, are their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song. ~ The Silmarillion

01-26-2003, 10:34 PM	#5
idiclady Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: NJ Posts: 14	still chugging along I'm still sending out letters. Not every week, but every couple of weeks. If we do nothing, we're doomed. So long as we keep on going, we have hope. Keep hoping, keep working, keep believing, and most of all, don't forget to enjoy what we have while we still have it! I'm joining in with Tiriel: WE'RE GETTING OUR SHOW BACK!!

01-27-2003, 02:00 AM	#6
Kerlin Boston Infidel Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New England Posts: 1,387	That's the spirit! I, for one, spend about ten minutes getting depressed after ratings and then two hours brainstorming things go do. Then I go out and spread some fliers around and introduce new people to Farscape. Even if we don't succeed, there are people out there who now love Farscape because of this campaign. I'm one of them. I will never, ever regret a single second of time or a single penny of money I have spent on this campaign. And I will not stop fighting until the people who know a whole lot more than I about these things have stopped. And what the heck: __________________ You can be more. Boston Scapers NCIS Red Star

01-26-2003, 09:26 PM	#4
blue Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,954	Ditto. Thanks for the eloquent statement above. Sure we're making a difference. The viewership is growing. The Variety cover is about to hit the stands. The TV and radio ads are going out. No one has said, stop, which is in itself good news. It may get harder before anything positive happens. Let us continue to aim for a positive outcome. It won't happen without us.

01-27-2003, 03:04 AM	#7
Scapekid Has Left. Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Wales Posts: 166	What a wonderful statement! Thank you for the pick me up, and affirmation that I'm right to continue being optimistic. Maybe I'm kidding myself here, but Witchblade heard from USANetworks, and Firefly heard from UPN when the responses were negative. Our campaign is (I believe) larger than either of theirs. So if UPN had a definite negative response, I have to believe we'd get the same treatment, and receive a letter. We haven't. Not to say we won't in the future. But we haven't yet. And that has to be a good thing, right? UPN looked at us because of our previous ratings, before our attempt to raise them. So...if we keep them stable, maybe they'll still be willing to look at us, right? Well. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. And even though I wasn't about to give up, this statement is like a breath of fresh air. It's always nice to hear positive, supportive things, wherever they come from. So thank you very much for this. Cariad, Scape' __________________ May you always be as vivid as your hallucinations.

01-27-2003, 05:09 AM	#9
GeekedOut Geek A Holic Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Yonder Posts: 90	I think maybe the Kemper thing means indirectly, say in his column in the FS magainze or through other contacts they have. Not out and out him saying cease and desist. Just my opinion though. Nice statement guys. __________________ *Damn, I gotta stop pointing guns at people.*~John Crichton~ Mind the Gap

01-27-2003, 05:12 AM	#10
Mr_Trent Warrior of the Cause Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 465	I don't think your concerns about him are valid. Dave Kemper came out in the begining and was the one who made the annoucements, showed up for the badly run chats at sciffys dreadful IRC server.. ect., ect. Dave Kemper has always come forth as the speaker for the show concerning these issues and speaking for the prodco as well . I agree with SF, It's on his shoulders because he put it there and unless Brian Henson comes forward and takes it on. It makes perfect sense that he would be the one that finally comes out and gives the word one way or another. It's not like we are are asking anything new of him... and not asking of him anything different then he has already been doing. Although I think he has been entirely TOO silent of late. __________________ I am here to chew bubble gum and save Farscape.... And I'm all outta bubble gum.

01-27-2003, 05:34 AM	#11
Mike@Pilots Chamber or Pilot's Den Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Bradford Posts: 1,025	I'm sorry - people are giving up? You wouldn't have known it round here! ... stupid people... __________________ Stark - Do you think Zhaan would approve of such violence? Aeryn - ... she is speaking through me now Stark, it is her wish. My army of dancing bananas helped save Farscape (honest!) Scorpius - This is insane Crichton... Crichton - Four years on and you're finally getting there. (Scorpius to Crichton - Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars)

01-27-2003, 06:29 AM	#12
dax0402 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bath, Pennsylvania Posts: 10	Never Get Off the Boat! Thank you for the great pep talk. We all need words of encouragement from time to time. I will continue doing each week's "to do" list as long as the campaign continues. __________________ Lois

01-27-2003, 06:42 AM	#13
Dominar of Action Who you callin' slug?! Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 3,264	We know for a fact that DK, ROB, RM, etc. are aware of our activities. They've told us as much, both directly and indirectly. They may not follow each and every SF project in detail, but I am 100% sure they know we're still here. If DK doesn't feel/know it's his responsibility to tell us when it's time to stop, I'm sure someone else within the inner circle will. Yes, DK said in his last chat "there is no fifth season." But IIRC, it was in response to a question about the cast's taking on other projects vs. remaining available for a fifth season. I understood it to be a simple statement of present fact, not an opinion of future possibilities. After all, he also went on to add the very important qualifiers "yet" and "at this time" to that same sentence at the end of his chat when talking about the future, and he spoke of having hope that Farscape was not dead. Because he makes his living writing, I have to believe his choice of words was deliberate. YMMV. As for his (and the other PTB's) silence otherwise, may I just say, "loose lips sink ships"? Successful negotiations depend on each side holding its cards close to the vest. If nothing was going on behind the scenes, I would think we'd be hearing more from them on various topics. What's more, this is a grassroots campaign. We are not currently being, nor have we ever been, egged on by anyone with a financial stake in Farscape's continuance. Call me naive, but I think the fact that we're doing this on our own is one of the greatest messages of this campaign. Bottom line: We know there are people within this campaign who have communication access to certain PTB. I have faith that a definitive message to stop will be passed along when and if that time ever comes. Until then, I will continue to fight! __________________ "It's absolutely terrific that people aren't giving up." -- Brian Henson (8/2003), on the Save Farscape Campaign "This special television event would not be a reality were it not for the tireless, unwavering efforts of the Farscape fans to bring the series back. ... [T]hey believed that the epic story we were telling was something special and deserved a proper ending." -- Brian Henson (4/6/2004), announcing Farscape: Peacekeeper War.

01-27-2003, 06:56 AM	#14
anomia Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Kansas Posts: 45	People giving up? NO WAY!!! As a matter of fact, nine of my friends who watch Farscape, but have not been involved in the campaign are just NOW starting to write letters to SciFi!

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